Deadly Intent (Anna Travis Mysteries)

by Lynda La Plante

  Gordon tapped on her door, and peered in.

  “We’re not going to get much information from all this money,” he said. “It may have come from Julia, but without Rushton, it’s impossible to trace its source. The Fraud Squad have taken over investigating it, so it’s out of our hands.”

  Anna made no reply. She nodded her head, eager for him to leave.

  “Did you see him?”

  She looked up.

  “Fitzpatrick,” Gordon prompted.

  “For a brief second, yes.”

  “What was he like?”

  “I don’t know, Gordon. I never spoke to him.”

  He nodded and then grinned, saying, “I’d have liked to have seen him. He’s something else, isn’t he? I mean, I know there’s a slew of dead bodies down to him, but at the same time you can’t help admiring his bottle.”

  “Maybe, but I have no admiration for a man whose sole intent was releasing millions of pounds’ worth of lethal drugs to live in luxury…”

  “I know that, and I didn’t mean I admired what he was doing, but you have to admit he was bloody audacious.”

  “Yes, Gordon, he was. Now, will you excuse me?”

  “Oh, right…yes. I’ve really enjoyed working with you, Anna. I’ve learned a lot from you, and I hope we work on another case together.”

  She gave a brittle smile. “Yes, Gordon. Thank you.”

  He closed the door.

  She physically jumped with nerves when Langton walked into her office a few seconds later.

  He stared at her. “We could have stopped the plane,” he said quietly.

  “But the risk, and with two children on board…”

  “If he went to that much trouble to take them, he wouldn’t have endangered their lives. It’s another side to him, Travis; he wanted his kids, and he took them, and we had to bloody watch him go!”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know if you’d seen their faces at the window.”

  “Yes, I fucking saw them!” he snapped.

  Anna didn’t know what to say. She sat with her head bowed.

  “I’ve warned you, Anna. You are already on report; now I’m going to really make you sit up and learn a lesson. I am going to have you back doing traffic.”

  “I never did traffic.”

  “Then it’s about time you did! You are unprofessional and headstrong; you have to buckle down or give in your notice.”

  She wanted to cry, but she refused to allow herself to show even an indication to him of what she felt.

  “You got anything to say?”

  “No. I believe I acted with caution.”

  “You overrode my instructions and gave the driver orders to stop the patrol car. You have constantly disobeyed instructions and worked solo throughout this investigation. This is not something I am treating lightly—for the simple reason I believe you do have a future, and you are an exceptionally intuitive and clever officer—but policing is working with a team, and you need to understand that, because this is not the first time since I have worked with you that you have trodden a very dangerous line.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s all.” He stood looking at her for a brief moment, and then walked out. He didn’t slam the door this time, but closed it softly.

  She couldn’t control herself. Her face puckered like a child’s and she wept.

  Anna would not be joining the team for a drink; she couldn’t. Instead, she packed up her office and handed in her report. She felt that everyone knew she was in trouble, as they gave her furtive looks.

  Phil obviously knew, as he put his arm around her shoulders. It made her feel worse. “Sorry if things look a bit bleak right now.”

  “Yes, well, somebody had to take the flak for all the screwups; I guess it’s me.”

  “Come and have a drink.”

  “No, thank you. I’m not in that great a mood.”

  “Pete’s coming.”

  She said nothing, wanting to get out as fast as possible.

  As she got to her Mini, Pete was just parking his Morgan. He called over to her. “Hello, stranger! You coming for a wind-down drink?”

  She shook her head, as she felt the tears welling up again. “Nope, I’m heading home. I’ve been up since four this morning.”

  He laughed and ruffled her hair. She always hated it when men did that and she turned her head away.

  “Hey, come on, ease up. Have a drink, you’ll feel better. Mind you, if I was in your shoes, I’d be wanting to tie a real load on.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she said angrily.

  “Well, I hear you lost him—flew over your heads!” Again he laughed.

  She wished she could also find some humor in the whole mess, but she couldn’t. She turned back to open the car door.

  “Anna.” He moved close, putting his hand on her arm. “You know he’ll get copped someday. They may even get him wherever he lands so, come on—have a drink and then you and I can go back to my place.”

  “No, Pete.”

  “Come on, I know how you must feel.”

  She looked into his friendly face, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “No, you don’t. I think we should keep some space, maybe I’ll call you sometime.”

  He stepped back, hurt. “Sometime? Well, that’s a slap in the face. I’ve really tried with you, Anna, but forget sometime. I’m losing patience, so don’t bother calling me at all.”

  He walked away. She knew she should have gone after him, but she didn’t have the energy. The truth was, she didn’t want to take their relationship any further. It was over, probably before it had really begun.

  Anna felt really low when she walked into her still-half-furnished flat. Her bed was as unmade as she had left it, and she sat on the edge, feeling depressed and scared. She knew Langton would go through with his threats, and she was unsure how she would be able to deal with it. She flopped back, closing her eyes. She wondered what her beloved father would think of it all, and that made her tearful again.

  Then her old fighting spirit woke up, and she forced herself to get up, undress, and take a shower. If Langton threw the book at her, she’d throw it back—she had more secret weapons than anyone else. She would defend her decision at the airport, because it was a risk to have attempted to stop the plane; not just a risk but a very dangerous one. They could all have been killed; she felt that her decision was the correct one.

  The more she thought about how she would approach the situation, the better she felt. If it came down to it, she would bring up what she knew about Langton. If anyone’s career should be in jeopardy, then it was his. She was not going to take the flak for everyone else’s fuckups, and there had been many in this case. In fact, she had instigated the connection from day one to Alexander Fitzpatrick. She began to feel more positive, knowing just how much of the case had been directed by her.

  Showered, and wearing just a towel wrapped around her, she opened a bottle of wine. All the time her brain was working through exactly how she had joined the dots, how she had pieced the jigsaw together. She was not going down without a fight. She felt a whole lot better after two glasses; she also felt hungry, as she hadn’t eaten all day. She really fancied a BLT but she had no bacon, no bread, no lettuce, and no mayo; just thinking of it made her mouth water. Then her phone rang.

  She hesitated to answer it. If it was Langton she wasn’t ready to talk to him, and if it was Pete she didn’t want to speak to him. She let it ring.

  It clicked onto her answer phone.

  “Hello, Anna, this is Damien. I suppose you know I was released today and I was hoping I’d get to speak to you.”

  She sipped her wine, staring down at the answer machine.

  “I was just wondering…I didn’t go back to the farm and…well, as you are not home, there’s no point—but I just would have liked to have seen you.”

  Anna knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t resist it. She picked up the phone. “I am at home and I would like to
see you, and also want to know how you got my home number.”

  “Ah! Don’t think of me as some crazed stalker, but an ex-student of mine lives in the same block of flats. James Fullford drives a very expensive car, lives in flat 2B, do you believe in coincidences?”

  “Not really…”

  She loved the sound of his voice and the way he gave a soft laugh when she asked if he could stop by a grocery store, as she wanted him to make her a BLT. He said he could take her out to dinner, but she said that was what she really fancied. She had about an hour in which to wash her hair, make up her face, and get dressed. Damien Nolan was deeply involved in the investigation; he was also married to the woman who would be standing trial for assisting Alexander Fitzpatrick to store drugs, and who might even have helped his escape. But there had been something about Damien she had sensed from the first moment she had seen him. She was being both unethical and unprofessional, but it made her feel good.

  Anna Travis was growing up. Whether or not she would learn from her mistakes, only time would tell. All she did know was, at long last, James Langton had no hold over her. On the contrary, they would, she knew, have to face each other out, and she intended to do that, but she also needed someone in her life. If it were to be Damien Nolan, she would take the risk; if it proved an unwise decision, then so be it.

  TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE

  Deadly Intent

  For Discussion

  The book begins with a scene that reveals the murderer to the reader. As the book progresses, the reader has more knowledge of the crime than the detectives have access to. Why do you think the author chose to structure the story in this way as opposed to giving the reader the same perspective that was given to the detectives?

  DCI Cunningham is very critical of Anna when they first meet. Why does she judge Anna so harshly? Does her opinion of Anna ever change?

  “After all these months, he still had a stranglehold over her emotions. She knew that she was still in love with him, no matter what he had done”. This passage describes how Anna feels when she first sees Langton after their breakup. How do these feelings change as the book progresses?

  Compare Anna’s feelings for Langton with her feelings for Pete. How are the two men different? Do they have any similarities?

  Anna learns a great deal about detective work from DCI Langton and adopts his mantra that there is no such thing as a coincidence. How does this belief help her in solving the case?

  What clues led Anna to believe that Alexander Fitzpatrick is back in the UK? Why is she the only one who thinks this is possible?

  Despite Anna’s admiration for Langton’s detective work, she interrogates witnesses very differently than he does. Compare her interrogation techniques with those of Langton. Turn to Chapter 19 for one example.

  Langton frequently lectures Anna about the dangers of making suppositions. When he takes over the investigation, does he heed his own advice?

  Anna repeatedly goes off on her own to do detective work, despite warnings from Langton and Cunningham. Do you think she is right to do so? Why or why not?

  Who do you think killed Julia Brandon? Was she indeed on her way to Fitzpatrick’s boat when she died?

  “I think we’ve got Fitzpatrick cornered. Now we bring in Honour and Damien Nolan”. Why does Langton wait so long before deciding to bring in the Nolans, despite the earlier recommendations of Travis and Cunningham? Do you think he was correct in choosing to wait?

  Did you have faith that the detectives would catch the killer? Why or why not?

  Should Anna have allowed Langton to endanger the children near the book’s end or was she right to step in? Did she deserve the punishment she received on account of her insubordination?

  A Conversation with Lynda La Plante

  After a successful career as an actress, you turned to writing for television, including the Prime Suspect series, and now have a career as a novelist. How does writing books compare with writing for the screen? Do you prefer one over the other?

  Writing for television and film is very different from writing a novel. As I am also the producer of my scripts, La Plante Productions produces everything that I write, which means I have to wear a few hats. The difference comes from the budget. If, for example, I know I have one million for a sixty-minute episode that has to be broken down into casting/crew/locations/directors/producers, then I have make sure I write within the budget, so often when I would like to have a fleet of helicopters, I can maybe only manage just one. This also applies to locations. Again, if I would like my characters to travel abroad inside the storyline, it is impossible as the cost would be astronomical.

  Writing a novel therefore gives me a wonderful freedom. I can have a fleet of private jets, etc. So, I enjoy splitting my time between the two. It is very productive, and I couldn’t really say which I prefer. Sometimes the constrictions of script writing make for a very tight, well-honed piece of work as I don’t allow myself to ramble. I cut and cut and edit, often working on five or six drafts before I am satisfied.

  Have you found any similarities between writing and acting?

  The only similarities between writing and acting is that I act out all the parts when I am working on a script. I natter away to myself and laugh and cry, and I also ask my staff to have readings of the drafts as I continue to cut and edit. This gives me an opportunity to hear the spoken words, and often I’ll play two or three parts. That is all the acting I ever want to commit to, as I have never regretted leaving my acting career behind. I get such a joy from writing and love every minute of it.

  In addition to writing, you also run your own production company, executive-producing an array of television series. How do you find time to balance all your responsibilities?

  Balancing the production side of my life only works because I have such a terrific staff at La Plante Productions. By the time it gets to preproduction, I am ready to take a breather from the computer, and it is actually like recharging my batteries. Bringing a director on board is a major step, as soon I will be handing the production over to him. Before that time, we cast at my offices so I get to hear the actors reading, and I enjoy the casting process very much. By the time we have the cameras rolling I step aside as I believe there should be only one boss on the floor, and that is the director. Now I use a different hat and that is editing. As the rushes come in, I check every take and monitor performances, etc. Once filming is completed I then have sessions with the director and editor to polish up the finished product. It never ceases to enthral me, how much more work has gone into streamlining the scripts and how performances lift them up into a different dimension. I love it all.

  Anna Travis is a young female detective working in a fast-paced, male-dominated world. What initially attracted you to her character?

  Anna Travis is actually a new breed of female in the police force. There is some discrimination left over, but nowhere near the amount when I wrote Prime Suspect. I was very attracted to writing a young female officer after having talks with a young detective during my research. She was so informative and confidant, and I felt it would be a good opportunity to show the new style of women joining the metropolitan police force. This would also give me a great springboard to show how gradually she would become the same rank as Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect, and it would allow me to follow her career through the ranks.

  How has Anna evolved over the course of this series?

  Anna Travis is evolving into a very experienced, tough detective. It shows how obsessive and career-minded she is, how much of her private life is dormant due to her work ethic. It also allows me to show her mistakes, her loneliness, and her vulnerability.

  How did you come up with the idea for Alexander Fitzpatrick’s character? What research, if any, did you do to fill in the details of his crimes and the accompanying detective work?

  Alexander Fitzpatrick is a character who had such a back story of drug dealing and wealth and a man who had also escaped justice.
I began researching by first reading all about Howard Marks, who in the seventies was a notorious drug trafficker. I then visited a number of drug dealers in prison and began to piece Fitzpatrick together like a jigsaw puzzle. I worked with the drug squad to learn their approach to drug dealers and then switched back to the murder squad as they are brought on board due to the shooting of an ex-detective.

  What inspires you? Where do the ideas for your characters and storylines come from?

  My inspiration for virtually all my work comes out of the daily newspapers. I find some small article that interests me and then begin to follow it up. Sometimes the paper trail ends abruptly and I don’t think it will work out, so I start again. When I find something that interests me, and after researching and building up interviews, I have to begin to cloak the original. This is not only to avoid any legal issues but also many times to avoid betraying the people that have given me their time. As an example, in last month’s paper there was an article about a grandmother who was arrested for attempting to rob a post office. Digging into the facts of the story, it began to have many tentacles: that the grandmother was not, as I had expected, an elderly woman but was only forty-two years old and had seven children, four grandchildren, a husband in prison, and a repossession order on her house. She had gotten into terrible financial difficulties because she’d borrowed from a loan shark and her debt kept growing out of all proportion. Having threats made on her life and then the eviction order pushed her into a desperate attempt to rob the post office! So from one small paragraph out comes a substantial story.

  Do you ever read mysteries written by other authors? If so, what authors do you enjoy?

  I read so many crime novels and watch virtually every crime show on TV until I have square eyes. One of the main reasons is that I would hate to ever cross over someone else’s plotlines. One of my favorite crime writers is Karin Slaughter, and I constantly return to reading Raymond Chandler’s short stories. They are brilliant.