No sooner had she sat at her desk than her door banged open and Langton walked in, carrying two beakers of coffee. "Thought you might need this," he said, placing her beaker on her desk and sitting down. "Cunningham's partner's having to undergo chemo. She's all over the place—I doubt she's going to be steady enough to run this inquiry."
"Will you be taking over?" Anna asked with trepidation.
"No, but I'll be overseeing it. I've got Christ knows how many other cases.This happens to be quite an extraordinary one, I'll agree, but nevertheless, DCI Cunningham stays put. From what I've gathered, you've been slogging away regardless." "That's not true. I've always referred my findings—" "Bollocks. You think I don't know? You've been at it again, Anna, going off solo. This has to stop, do you understand me? From now on, you are going to have to work with the team.""I have been!""Anna, I listened to you and Phil Markham having a go at each other. You work together or you don't work at all.""Fine."He shook his head and sipped his coffee. He put it down on her desk and leaned back in the chair. "Okay. Give me your take on how these dead men link, not by what you've got on the incident board—I can see the obvious connections between them, there's enough arrows to make it look like a kid's coloring chart. Give me what you believe might have taken place."It was as if they had never been lovers. It helped her calm down. "Okay, and this is still sort of fermenting ...""I'm listening."Anna took out her notebook and picked up a pencil. "Petrozzo was at one time on trial for burglary. His trial coincided with that of Alexander Fitzpatrick, back in the late seventies. It is very possible that he may not have known him, but he could have. Fitzpatrick is, from his old photographs, someone you'd remember; he cuts quite a strong figure, at six feet four ..."Anna continued, describing the possible scenario that Donny recognized Fitzpatrick; he might even have been the passenger Donny had to collect. "If his arrival was to prepare for dealing in Fentanyl, he would require contacts. He would not likely use Donny, since he was a smalltime dealer—but it's possible. Donny was supplying cocaine to a lot of city slickers. Donny also used Stanley Leymore to buy his cars from, one of them a Mitsubishi. Did Fitzpatrick require a car? If so, there could be another link. Fitzpatrick gets the jeep and either goes to visit Julia, or even the farm in Oxford, as he makes preparations to deal. At some stage, Donny introduces Frank to Julia. Did Frank pick up Fitzpatrick to take him back to Heathrow? It's possible. Julia, at the same time, released four million pounds from her inheritance; was this to pay Fitzpatrick? She hires Frank Brandon to protect her, or protect her money. She marries him in a quick ceremony at a register office on the Isle of Man and Frank moves in to live at her new property in Wimbledon. This would also coincide with Julia trying to release more funds, but is persuaded not to by her business adviser. Who needed that cash?"Langton gave a long sigh then gestured for her to continue."I've always thought that Frank Brandon's murder was not because he was scoring drugs, but because there was something inside the squat. Was it Fentanyl? We know Donny Petrozzo scored cocaine from there. What if Fitzpatrick used Donny to collect for him? Fitzpatrick was very unlikely to risk bringing it in himself. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick holes up at the farmhouse with Julia's sister and her husband waiting for the delivery.""Which never arrives?""Right, because Donny misguidedly reckoned he could pull a fast one. He might not have even known what he was carrying. As you said, this is not a well-known street drug.""So, Donny Petrozzo collects the package and, instead of delivering it to Fitzpatrick, he takes it to the lowlife drug squat that he has been using to score from?""It's a possibility.""So Fitzpatrick has to go to the squat to get it back.""Yes.""Using Frank Brandon as a driver?""Yes.""This is all supposition, Anna."Anna tossed down her pencil. "Look—you wanted to hear what I thought.""Okay, okay—don't get tetchy. Go on, I'm all ears."Anna sighed, but continued. "Frank had told his girlfriend, Connie, that he was onto a very big earner. Whether it was Donny who killed Frank, we don't know; we do have his prints from the squat, so we know he had been there at some time. We also know that the same gun used to kill Frank was also used to kill Stanley Leymore, the car dealer." Langton nodded."Both Donny and the antique dealer Julius D'Anton were killed by an overdose of Fentanyl. At this time, Frank is driving the Mitsubishi— he parked it in a garage near to Julia's house in Wimbledon. What if he used the jeep to drive Fitzpatrick to the drug squat? I don't know—I'm just making this up now as 1 go along, but we have no trace of the man who was with Frank. All we know is, whoever it was, was injured and had to be covered in Frank's blood."Langton puffed out his cheeks, and ruffled his hair."We now find the dead Donny stashed in the back of the Mitsubishi. Next, we discover our car dealer shot with the same weapon that killed Frank. Then, we have the junkie antique dealer, Julius D'Anton: another big coincidence, since he was at Oxford with Fitzpatrick. who I think was hiding out at Honey Farm. Again, like Donny, could we have someone who recognized Fitzpatrick, and this gets him killed? I'd say our man has got his hands on the Fentanyl. Both men died from a lethal injection of it. I think that by now Fitzpatrick has to have it."There was a long pause."Mmm." Langton looked at his shoes."I know it all sounds far-fetched." Anna closed her notebook."You can say that again.""It all hinges on whether or not I have the right man in Alexander Fitzpatrick. We don't know if he is the father ofjulia's two children. Nor do we know if he was also Anthony Collingwood, but I think he was.""Sorry, you've lost me." Langton yawned."Julia admitted that her ex-partner was called Anthony Collingwood."Langton nodded. "Right, right—one of the aliases used by Fitzpatrick, I'm with you." He drained his coffee and crumpled the beaker, tossing it into the waste bin. "Well, we have a lot to iron out."Her phone rang: it was Pete asking if they were on for dinner. She told him that she would call him back directly.Langton was standing, straightening his tie. "I was sorry to hear about Frank. Sad way to go out; he was a nice bloke.""Yes.""I'll be in first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I'll mull over235everything you've told me." He walked to the door and had his hand on the handle to open it, when he turned."How's things with you?""Fine.""Good." He stared at her, then cocked his head to one side and smiled. "Good night." He closed the door quietly behind him.She sat, listening to his footsteps receding down the corridor. This was the first interaction she'd had with Langton since she had pieced together what part he had played in the death of the suspected killer on their last case. Langton, she knew, had played his hand so carefully that she was the only person who knew just what lengths he was prepared to go to. It was revenge for what had been done to him; to have been sliced almost in two by a machete would make anyone want retribution. He had perverted the law to gain his own justice.It was an act of madness, but one she knew he did not regret. She had walked away from their relationship, accusing him of betraying everything he stood for, and yet she had been unable to walk away from him personally. He had remained in her thoughts and heart ever since and, try as she might, she was unable to free herself from wanting him. It made her feel depressed and angry that he still had such a hold over her emotions.Anna reached for her phone and dialed Pete's number. She would pick up some takeaway and meet him in half an hour. He was as affable and as easygoing as ever, agreeing to see her outside her fiat and bring some wine."You sound a bit uptight," he remarked. "Everything all right?""Yep, fine. I'll see you later."It wasn't fine at all, but she needed to be with someone who took her mind off Langton. From the way he had behaved with her, she doubted that he even gave her a few moments' thought, but all she could think of was him. Langton was out of her reach and he had to stay there; she could not ever allow him to come close again.Anna forced herself to make a quick exit; Pete would be waiting.