‘I’d like to listen to the Donna Reynolds interview tape. If you’re tired, get off to bed and I’ll see myself out when I’m done,’ Langton said, offering her little choice in the matter.
Anna got the Dictaphone from her handbag, handed it to him and went off to her bedroom. She set her alarm and lay in bed mulling things over in her mind as she drifted off into a deep sleep.
Anna was unexpectedly awoken by a hand on her shoulder. In panic, she wondered where she was and sat bolt upright.
‘Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you,’ Langton said.
Although annoyed that he had done so, Anna was relieved that it was him.
‘You been here all night?’ she asked, thinking it was the early hours of the morning.
‘It’s only midnight. Bit of a humdinger, that interview at Gloria’s house. Dewar did push it to the limit and-’
‘Good night, Jimmy,’ Anna said, deliberately using Dewar’s name for him.
‘I hate being called that.’
‘Please. I just want to go back to sleep!’ Anna pleaded as she pulled the duvet over her head.
‘Well I just wanted to apologize for my earlier outburst. You were very polite with Gloria Lynne and tried to diffuse the situation. I shouldn’t have doubted you.’
‘Apology accepted,’ she mumbled from under the duvet.
‘I’ll be off then.’
Hearing the bedroom door close, Anna pulled the duvet back down as her mind went back to the time when they had lived together. Even then, he had an annoying habit of waking her in the middle of the night to discuss or seek her opinion on some aspect of a case that was irritating him. She was glad that the breakup of their relationship had never marred their respect for each other.
Since it was so early in the morning, Anna easily found a parking bay near the restaurant where she’d arranged to meet Paul Simms. Although she knew of the Wolseley and its famed breakfasts, she had never been to it before. It had been built as a showroom in the 1920s by the famous Wolseley car company, subsequently became a bank, and then in 2003 was turned into a café-restaurant that retained many of its original features and its Venetian-style design.
The restaurant was already bustling with customers as Paul Simms waved to her from his table at the far side of the room. He was smartly dressed in a light grey woollen pinstripe suit, lilac shirt and matching silk tie. When the handsome maître d’ bade Anna good morning, she told him that she was meeting a friend who was already seated.
Paul, as ever the gentleman, stood up to shake her hand and then gently pulled her chair back for her to sit down. The waiter flicked open Anna’s napkin, handed her the menu and poured her a glass of water.
‘Posh, isn’t it?’ Paul said.
‘It’s amazing.’
‘Glad you like it. It’s a bit expensive though.’
‘My treat, so don’t worry about it.’
Anna perused the menu and thought to herself that for a central London location with such stunning decor the food prices were not that extortionate, though the caviar omelette was out of her price range.
‘What do you fancy?’ Anna asked.
‘The maître d’. He’s drop-dead gorgeous,’ Paul replied with a cheeky grin as he peered over the top of his menu.
‘I thought so too,’ Anna said, imitating him with her menu.
‘I saw him first, girlfriend.’ He winked.
‘It’s good to see you, Paul. You always brighten up my day.’
Paul ordered the full English breakfast with poached eggs. He also asked for a pot of Earl Grey tea. Anna thought she’d be a bit more adventurous and opted for haggis with fried duck eggs and a Macchiato coffee.
‘Got a bit of a hangover,’ Paul confided. ‘I was out with Brian last night at the G-A-Y club in Soho.’
Anna smiled. ‘Celebrating the new house?’
‘Well, that and our engagement.’
‘Congratulations, Paul, I’m really pleased for you both.’
‘We’ve been together a year now and I’m still crazy about him. We want the full monty – morning suits, marquee in the gardens of a stately home. Our sisters have agreed to be bridesmaids. I’ll send you an invitation.’
‘Thank you, I look forward to it.’
‘So what’s the problem with Joshua Reynolds’ suicide?’
‘It’s more a case of someone causing problems by questioning your original investigation.’
‘Don’t tell me, bloody DCS Langton?’
‘No. An FBI agent called Jessie Dewar. She’s a behavioural adviser at their Academy in Quantico.’
‘What’s the FBI got to do with Reynolds’ death?’
‘Langton arranged for Dewar to be attached to my team on work experience.’ Anna paused before continuing. ‘She thinks Reynolds was murdered and the scene was staged to look like a suicide.’
‘That’s ridiculous. The Coroner and all the experts said it was suicide,’ Paul said, clearly upset by what Anna was telling him.
Anna was about to say more when the waitress interrupted them as she served their breakfasts.
‘When I spoke to you on the phone yesterday, you mentioned a prisoner making “spurious allegations”,’ Paul prompted her.
Anna outlined Delon Taylor’s background at the Trojan, why he was awaiting trial and his allegation that Reynolds might have been murdered by his partner Marcus Williams.
‘Then why didn’t the file come back to me to interview Taylor? That’s normal procedure, isn’t it?’
‘This is off the record, Paul, and just between us… okay?’
Paul nodded as he ate a mouthful of his breakfast. Anna sipped her coffee and explained that Langton had deliberately allocated her team the reinvestigation as he wanted to secure them the new office at Belgravia.
‘So why do you think Taylor is telling the truth?’
‘I don’t.’
‘Then why are we having this conversation? Why isn’t it case closed?’ a worried Paul asked, pushing his food round the plate in an agitated manner.
‘Dewar’s made some observations about the blood distribution at the scene and the suicide note on Reynolds’ laptop.’
‘So she’s a jack of all trades. Blood-distribution expert, a forensic linguist as well as a behavioural shrink! If she’s got a problem with my investigation, why can’t she speak to me face to face?’
‘I’m on your side, Paul, but…’
‘Have you told Langton and Dewar that?’
‘Of course. Look, both Langton and I have assured Dewar that you’re a competent and respected investigator.’ Wanting to be discreet in a public area, Anna showed him some small pocket-sized photographs she had in her briefcase of the Reynolds death scene. She explained Dewar’s observations on the blood distribution and the interviews they had had with Marcus Williams and Donna Reynolds.
‘I don’t know if Dewar’s right, Paul, but I need to make sure that everything is done by the book to support your original investigation. I’m seeing Pete Jenkins later this morning but I need to go over your actions concerning the scene before I do. I’m being straight with you and that’s all I ask in return.’
‘I’ll be as straight as I can be.’ He laughed nervously, giving a camp flick of his wrist.
‘I’m serious, Paul. If, God forbid, Dewar’s right, then it’s a question of damage limitation.’
‘My investigation report was signed off as suicide by Detective Superintendent Mike Lewis – you know him, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course I do, but for the time being I don’t want him to know we’ve met and discussed the case. He’s got enough on his plate as his daughter was involved in an accident, so let me just try and iron all this out.’
‘Anna, I’m not sure what more I could have done at the scene,’ Paul protested. ‘I was guided by the pathologist Dr Harrow and by John Freeman the Crime Scene Manager.’
‘I noticed in Pete Jenkins’ report that he never attended the scene. Why was that?’ Anna asked, taking the opportunity to enjoy some more of her breakfast.