Dewar, obviously embarrassed, was clearly wishing she hadn’t said anything about Anna’s attitude. ‘I didn’t realize you were so close.’
‘It’s more mutual respect now. She’s helped me through hard times and defended me when the top brass were breathing down my neck. After Ken was murdered she changed. The job became her lifeblood.’
‘She sounds like a good ally to have on your side,’ Dewar said sheepishly.
‘She is, and you can learn a lot from her, even in a short space of time,’ Langton said as he stepped into the lift.
Anna closed the door quietly and stepped back to the washbasins. With mixed emotions she stood and took a good look at herself in the mirror. Although proud that Langton had spoken so highly of her abilities, she felt tainted with guilt. She knew when Langton mentioned her defending him against the top brass he was referring to Deputy Commissioner Walters’ internal investigation into the Fitzpatrick case, and she was only too aware that her old boss still had no idea that she had betrayed his trust. It pained her to think, Walters’ slyness aside, that she was part of the reason he had still not made Commander.
‘Hi, Anna. Paul Simms here.’ Anna had been on her way back to her office when her mobile rang. ‘Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier. Brian and I have moved into a new house together and it’s been a bit of a nightmare trying to decide where to put everything. You’ll have to come to the house-warming.’
‘Thanks. Bring a bottle, I take it,’ Anna said.
‘Bring a man as well, if you like. He may never get out alive with half the gay police association here!’
Anna laughed. Although she hadn’t spoken with Paul Simms for a long time he was still as cheerful as ever.
‘What can I do for you?’
‘It’s about the Joshua Reynolds case you dealt with last November…’
‘The guy who shot himself – it’s all done and dusted now. The Coroner’s verdict was suicide.’
‘I know, but I need to sit down and speak with you about it.’
‘Is there a problem?’ Simms asked, apprehensively.
‘There’s a remand prisoner who’s making spurious allegations about Reynolds’ death,’ Anna said, keen not to cause alarm.
‘So why’s the file with you and not back on my desk?’
‘It’s complicated, but nothing to worry about. What about I buy you breakfast tomorrow morning? You can choose the venue.’
‘In that case the Wolseley in Piccadilly. I’ll book it for seven a.m.’
As Anna hung up she knew that going over Paul’s original investigation was going to be a delicate situation and that a delicious breakfast wouldn’t be enough to prevent her old friend and colleague getting hurt.
Chapter Seven
Anna decided it was her turn to drive as she and Dewar made their way to Reynolds’ old flat at Kingsborough Terrace, Bayswater. During the three-mile journey Dewar was noticeably subdued and didn’t speak. Anna wondered if she was thinking about the words of advice that Langton had given her or just feeling sorry for herself. Either way she just hoped there would be a change for the better in Dewar’s attitude towards her, the team and the investigation.
Anna parked the car at the rear of the block of six flats. As they walked around to the front of the building Anna remarked that the flats looked fairly new and that property in the Bayswater area of London was very expensive. On approaching the entrance on the main road, they saw a man in his mid-forties, neatly dressed in a grey double-breasted pinstripe suit, repeatedly looking at his watch. Dewar asked him if he was Mr Dobbs from the letting agents. He confirmed he was and commented that they were late and he had a strict schedule to adhere to as he had other properties to show prospective tenants around.
‘I’m Special Agent Dewar from the FBI and this is DCI Travis. We are reinvestigating the death of Joshua Reynolds and we want to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the apartment. We will be here for as long as it takes,’ Dewar said, putting Dobbs in his place.
Dobbs got the message and led them through the communal entry door, which was operated by an electronic keypad and intercom system. Flat two was on the ground floor and the front door opened into a short hallway off which there was an en-suite master bedroom on the left, a second small bedroom-come-study on the right and a guest shower room with washbasin and toilet next to it. The door at the end of the hallway led to a large living room with a four-seater sofa, matching armchairs, dining table and six chairs. Double-glazed bi-folding doors opened out onto a railed terrace area. Just beyond the terrace there was a grassed area and the residents’ parking bays. To the right side of the living room, behind large sliding doors, there was a modern fully appointed kitchen with integrated appliances. The property had new hardwood flooring and pristine white walls throughout. It was very modern and obviously well maintained by the letting agents.
‘When and for how much did Mr and Mrs Reynolds purchase the flat?’ Anna asked.
‘October 2011, for five hundred and fifty thousand pounds. The new owner paid five eighty for it four months ago,’ Dobbs answered.
‘So Mrs Reynolds made a profit,’ Dewar remarked.
‘Not really, as the price included all fixtures and fittings and it was sold at the current market value. Mrs Reynolds’ mother dealt with the sale due to her daughter’s distressed state at the sudden loss of her husband.’
‘It doesn’t appear to have changed much,’ Anna said.
‘The bloodstained carpet was replaced with hardwood flooring throughout and other than a new settee and armchairs the premises are in the same condition as when Mrs Reynolds left it,’ Dobbs said and looked at his watch.
Dewar had brought with her the enlarged scene photographs in a long cardboard tube, and now took them out and laid them on the dining table. The top picture was of Joshua Reynolds lying in a pool of blood. Dobbs, visibly shaken, put his hand to his mouth and moved away.
‘Oh, my goodness, that’s awful. It makes me feel sick.’
Apologizing to Dobbs, Dewar turned the photograph face down and suggested to Anna that he could go and deal with his other viewings. They could always lock the door after them and return the keys to the lettings agents’ office when they had finished. Dobbs said that was fine by him and he was out of the door like a shot.
Dewar asked Anna to help her move the sofa and other furniture into the same positions they had been in when Josh’s body was found. Having done this, Dewar said that she had a copy of Donna’s statement and suggested they re-enact her arrival home and her discovery of Josh’s body. Anna agreed it was as good a place as any to start.
They went back into the hallway and stood by the front door. Dewar started to go through the statement.
‘Donna returned home and used the Yale key to gain entry. There’s also a Chubb lock but no mention was made of it in her statement,’ Dewar observed.
‘Could be it was already unlocked therefore she only needed to use the Yale key,’ Anna suggested.
‘If it was unlocked then surely she should have expected Josh to be in – her statement says that whenever they went out their door would be double-locked.’
Dewar had made a good point but Anna was worried that her sole intention was to find fault in Donna’s statement.
‘Do you mind me suggesting alternative propositions as we go along? It will help to prevent cognitive and confirmation bias,’ Anna asked, recalling Dewar’s earlier comments.
‘Not at all.’
They walked down the hallway and into the master bedroom on the left. Dewar placed the photograph of the room down on the bed and looked at the statement. The furniture was still laid out as it had been at the time of Reynolds’ death. Upon entering, the bed was on the left with the fitted wardrobes and en-suite bathroom to the right. A chest of drawers and vanity table were up against the opposite wall.