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Thoughts? We don't surmise, Detective Travis, we get everything tested. We don't think, but produce the facts."D'Anton's body was uncovered down to his chest."I don't know what you'll gain from this," Fielding said, looking down at the dead man."So what killed him?" Anna persisted.Fielding shook his head. "I am not one hundred percent sure. I'm waiting for the toxicology department to finish their tests. I'm also waiting on them from the body of Mr. Petrozzo. All I can tell you is that this chap was not a very healthy specimen, far from it. He had at one time been injecting himself, as we have a lot of broken veins—probably heroin—and he was, I would say, a heavy cocaine user, as his nostrils have almost collapsed. His heart was also enlarged, probably due to his drug intake. Basically, all I can verify is that he stopped breathing!""Before he was dumped in the river?""Yes. There is no water in his lungs, but..."Anna turned to him. "But?""I discovered a similar injection mark beneath his tongue as found on the body of Petrozzo. I am not able to confirm what drug was used.""But you have an idea?" Anna knew that Fielding had called Pete to say he had found a trace of a drug. "With Petrozzo, did you have any clue as to what had killed him?""I am not confirming anything. All I can say is, like this poor chappie, Petrozzo stopped breathing! You will have, Detective Travis, all the information from toxicology in due course. I am not in a position to give you any details."Anna could not bring up what Pete had told her, as she knew it could get him into trouble, so she thanked the disgruntled Ewan Fielding and returned to her car. Adding to her "stitching" was the possibility that both Petrozzo and Julius D'Anton had been killed by an overdose of a drug she couldn't remember the name of .It was after four when Anna drew up outside Pete's little terraced house. She rang the doorbell and waited. She was about to give up, when the door opened."Wow, twice in one day! I am flattered," Pete said, beaming."I was just passing," she lied."Really? Well, you had better come in, as to just pass is quite a drive from your place to here."Anna laughed and followed him into the sitting room. Newspapers and coffee mugs were spread all over the floor, and the fire was lit."Coffee is on," he said, fetching a clean mug and carrying the dirty ones to the sink."I dropped by the lab, but they said you hadn't been in.""Ah, I got back here and needed a shower, as I'd built up a sweat moving your boxes around. Anyway, after the shower, I felt knackered, so I had a snooze and then decided to read the papers and take my day off."Pete handed her a mug of steaming black coffee."You didn't see much inside the antique shop, but there were mugs in there that Sudmore said had been made by Honour."Pete sat on the floor and placed another log onto the fire, trying to straighten out as fast as he could: he was stoned, hence he had taken so long to open the front door.Anna explained about the mugs she had painted as a child with her mother. He was finding it all hard to follow. "What if she didn't have a kiln? What if it was a cover?" Anna was saying."Right, yes," he said."The barn would be a perfect place to hide someone, but it would need to be heated—so what better excuse than to say she had a kiln in there?"Pete couldn't help himself; he started to giggle."What's so funny? It's possible.""I know, I know—yes, it is." Pete tried to look serious, but was having a hard time not only keeping his face straight, but also trying to understand what she was talking about.Anna was in full flow, but she was getting such an odd response from Pete that she eventually gave up. "Well, I'm obviously not getting through to you," she said, sipping her coffee, which took her breath away it was so strong."No, I'm sorry. It's just it's so much to take on board. I am sure you must be onto something!" Again he chuckled."Why is it so funny? You know what I found out from Fielding? Both Donny Petrozzo and Julius D'Anton have injection marks beneath their tongue and, in both cases, he is unable to give the postmortem report on how they died—apart from saying sarcastically that they stopped breathing!""Well, that's pretty conclusive," Pete said, trying to look serious."You told me about the drug Fielding thought he'd found traces of—what was it called?"Pete licked his lips—they felt bone-dry. He sipped his coffee. "I've forgotten, but you know he said that he wasn't certain what it was, and not to repeat it to anyone. Did you bring it up?""No, because, as I just said, I couldn't remember what it was called.""Nor can I."Anna sighed and drained the coffee mug. "I wouldn't have asked him anyway, and got you into trouble.""Would you like a glass of wine?" Pete got unsteadily to his feet.Anna looked up at him. "Are you all right?""Yes, perfect. I'm going to open a bottle."She watched him weave his way to the fridge and select a bottle of chilled white. He then rummaged in drawers to find the bottle opener. Anna took a look around the room and saw the ashtray; it was partly shoved beneath a chair. She looked back to Pete as he took down two wineglasses from a cupboard. "Are you stoned?"Pete placed the glasses onto the counter."You are, aren't you?""Well, Your Honor, I do admit to having a large joint this morning. I can't deny it."Anna stood up. "A joint?" "Yes, ma'am! Can't you smell it? It's very, very good grass.""Is this a regular thing?"Pete poured the wine."Pete, it's illegal! You must be crazy.""It's just weed, for God's sake! Any day now they'll make it legal. It's not as if I am shipping it in by the ton." He passed her the wine. "Don't look so shocked.""Well, I am. I mean, do you ever smoke it when you are at work?""Don't be so crass. I just use it to unwind; it helps me sleep."Anna sat down again. She was unsure what she should do."Cheers," he said as he sipped the wine and then put another log on the fire. "What are you going to do, Anna—arrest me?""Now
you're being crass. I just think someone in your position shouldn't take such a risk. I mean, if anyone was to know, you could lose your job!""Have you ever had a joint?"Anna looked flushed."You haven't, have you?""I've never felt the need to.""Even when you were at university?""No! It was not for lack of opportunity. To be honest, the crowd that got stoned every night were not my type, and if my father had ever found out, I think he would have throttled me.""Daddy's girl!""That has nothing to do with it. I respected him and wouldn't do anything that could not only upset him, but have repercussions: he was a very well-respected police officer.""You sound so self-righteous.""Maybe I am, but I also take my job very seriously. If I was foolish enough to start smoking dope. I could jeopardize my career. You only have to be caught once, you know.""I daresay that is true, but I'm in my own home and I use it to relax. And, may I say, it would do you a hell of a lot of good to try it. It would maybe let you relax and get off this case for a few minutes." "What you don't take into consideration is that you have to score it from someone, which means that he or she is also aware of your addiction.""1 am not a flicking addict.""Nevertheless, the risk of it being known to another party means they could have a hold on you.""In what way, for Chrissakes?""Well, for example, say you get some evidence that is detrimental to one of these people you score your dope from—they could get in touch with you and say that they would like you to lose the evidence.""Blackmail me?""Yes, that's a risk."Pete leaned back against the sofa. "Well, I'll have to warn my brother.""What do you mean?""He grows it."Anna finished her wine. "You don't have a brother; you told me about your family.""Ah, this is my Australian stepbrother. He lives in Dorset.""You get it from him?"Pete turned to look at her. "This is getting really boring, Anna. I smoke dope, and I will continue to do so. I am at risk only because I let you in and you are a policewoman—a detective, no less! Any risk I am getting into will probably come from Miss Super Sleuth. Now. can we change the subject?""I'm going home." She stood up.Pete remained lying on the floor, his head resting back on the sofa. He watched her put her empty wineglass on the counter."I'll show myself out.""Fine."Tight-lipped, Anna walked to the front door. Pete made no effort to get up, so she let herself out. He stayed on the floor for a while longer, then crawled to the ashtray and took out the half-smoked joint. He was about to light up when the doorbell rang again."It's me," Anna shouted.Pete opened the door and stood back in mock horror. "Oh Christ! You've come to arrest me!""Very funny. I've got a bloody clamp on my car." She slammed the front door closed. "I'll have to call and get it taken off. How long will it take?""I have no idea. Could be hours—depends on where the clamping buggers are."Anna sat down and opened her briefcase, taking out her mobile. Pete poured her another glass of wine and topped his own up.Keeping her voice controlled, she explained that she wanted the clamp taken off her car immediately. She was a police officer interviewing a suspect and required her vehicle to return to the station.She snapped off her phone in a fury. "They said it'll take at least an hour! I don't believe it.""Am I the suspect you told them you were interviewing?" Pete said, grinning."Oh, shut up. They won't let me off the fine because it's a private vehicle. It's bloody outrageous.""Double yellow lines, sweetheart—you know about the parking. You should have driven round to the garage at the back of the house."Anna accepted a fresh glass of wine and sat on the sofa.Pete lay prone beside her. "I was just about to light up.""For Chrissakes, don't do that! If they come, they'll smell it.""I'm not going to let them in! Your car is outside—they won't smell it from there. Besides, they're clampers, not police."Anna sighed with frustration.Pete lit up the joint, took a big lungful and then held it up. "You know, you should just try it at least once, so you're experienced in the field of marijuana smokers. It will give you a better insight into the farce of it being illegal. You know as well as I do the cops go easy on it; it's the hard stuff they are trying to stop.""Well, they say it's the stepping-stone to hard drugs.""Bullshit." Pete leaned on one elbow and held out the joint. "Go on.try it. Heave in the smoke, just as if you arc smoking a cigarette and let it out slowly.""No way. I'll go and stand by my car." Anna drained her glass."You're over the limit," Pete said, grinning."I am not.""Yes, you are. Women can only drink two very small glasses of wine and you've had a large double measure.""I also had that glue coffee you made.""Ah, it won't count, sweetheart.""I wish you wouldn't call me that.""It's just a term of endearment.""1 hate it.""Well, dearest, I won't call you sweetheart again."Langton had always called her sweetheart. He probably called most of his women that.Anna reached forward. "All right, let me try it."She coughed a lot to begin with. Then Pete rolled a smaller and thinner joint, without tobacco. The clampers arrived and Pete dealt with them as Anna was unable to stand up straight.He left her lying on the sofa, listening with headphones on to the Doors. She said, very loudly, when he returned, "I really like this band!"He grinned and opened up a bar of chocolate from the fridge. Anna was lying back, eyes closed. She wafted her hand, singing,