‘Mr Holme told me not to say anything to you until he is here to represent me,’ Aisa said, attempting to appear curt but failing.
‘You don’t have to take his advice, but you have to make your own choice about whether or not to tell me the truth,’ Anna said, leaning forward to make eye contact with the young woman, who turned her head away.
Anna knew that inwardly Aisa was scared. ‘Do you want to talk to me, Aisa – is there something you want to tell me?’ she asked in a calm voice.
‘My mother also told me I was to say nothing to you without Mr Holme being present.’
‘I know Mr Holme will be acting in your best interests, Aisa, but as for your mother, well…’
Aisa suddenly turned and looked at Anna. ‘What do you mean?’
The distress in her voice at the mention of her mother was all too plain. ‘What do you think I mean, Aisa?’
‘I don’t know. Please can I go home and then come back in the morning for the interview?’ Aisa pleaded.
‘I’m sorry, Aisa, that’s not allowed as you are a suspect in a murder inquiry.’
The look on Aisa’s face at the mention of the word murder was one of devastation. ‘I swear, Detective Travis, I didn’t kill Josh. I loved him and he was going to leave Donna so we could be together.’
‘I don’t doubt that, Aisa, but now you’re in the police station I’m not allowed to ask you questions without Mr Holme being present.’
‘Then why are you here?’
‘Before I go, Aisa, you need to understand that when I interview you I can only help you if you tell me the truth. If you lie for yourself, or anyone else for that matter, you will only make things worse and could find yourself charged with very serious offences.’
Aisa met Anna’s gaze and nodded as she spoke. Her eyes were swollen with tears, she chewed her bottom lip and Anna had a feeling that she might at last be getting through to her.
‘Has my mother phoned?’ Aisa asked.
Anna lifted the blue blanket up around Aisa’s shoulders in a comforting manner. ‘Not as far as I am aware. Do you want me to call her for you?’ she asked kindly.
Aisa hurriedly looked away. ‘No, it’s okay, I’m sure she will contact Mr Holme.’
Anna saw the opportunity to dig a little: ‘I know you’re adopted and may think that Gloria doesn’t care for you like a real mum would, but I think she does.’
Anna tried to make eye contact to gauge Aisa’s reaction but she just stared at the floor. Anna thought it strange that the young woman didn’t pass comment and she suspected Aisa must have discovered the truth, but still couldn’t understand why Gloria would tell her she was adopted.
She moved on. ‘Your mother is upset because she’s just a bit confused by all that’s happening, just like you must be.’
Aisa began to cry. ‘My mother doesn’t get confused, she gets angry when she thinks we’ve let the family name down.’
‘What does she do when she gets angry, Aisa?’
Trembling, Aisa looked at the floor. It was as if Gloria was in the cell staring at her, warning her to keep quiet.
‘Nothing, she does nothing. Please, I want you to leave me alone now,’ Aisa said, and wiped her eyes on the blanket.
‘It’s up to you, Aisa, but remember, you don’t have to be scared any more. If you tell the truth, I can protect you from anyone,’ Anna said, but it seemed that Gloria’s hold on Aisa was stronger than she had realized.
‘Very well, Aisa, but there is one thing I’d ask you to think about very hard.’
Anna paused and waited until Aisa met her gaze. ‘You and I both know your sister Donna is sitting in a prison cell charged with crimes she didn’t commit. She didn’t kill Josh, she didn’t steal the money and whoever knows the truth about the night Josh died can save her. The least you owe Donna is the truth – or are you worried that your mother will be angry with you?’ Anna asked. Aisa began crying uncontrollably and Anna knew she had made her point.
She stood up, got the Gardeners’ World magazine out of her jacket pocket and threw it down nonchalantly next to Aisa. ‘You’ve probably already been forced to read it by your ever-so-proud and distinguished mother, but if you haven’t, it’s an article about poisons by a very poisonous woman.’
Chapter Thirty-Four
After leaving Aisa, Anna started back to her office, now more than ready to collect her things and get home. She was so tired that as she walked through the corridor she suddenly had to lean against the wall to keep on her feet. It was as if a sledgehammer had hit her, as she acknowledged she had been firing on all cylinders and hadn’t slept properly for two days. She called Barolli to ask if he would take her home, and found herself shaking as she told him she’d be waiting in the car park. Her head started to throb and she had what felt like a panic attack as the exhaustion, combined with jet lag, kicked in. She crouched down, resting against the wall by the station’s staff entrance, in need of some fresh air, and thought she might faint. Barolli bent down to ask if she was all right.
‘Just get me home, Paul, I’ve caved in.’
By the time Barolli dropped Anna at her flat it was almost seven. She felt so wiped out she couldn’t even be bothered to unpack her suitcase, she just wanted to have a hot bath and relax. Her whole body ached and her headache was even worse; it was as if every ounce of energy had evaporated. She was desperate to speak to Don Blane and apologize for not calling earlier and tell him everything that had occurred in an unbelievably hectic day, but mostly to say how deeply she cared for and missed him. She looked at her watch and realized that it would be two p.m., meaning he would be in class teaching. She didn’t want to interrupt him, but not being able to speak to him there and then made her feel even more miserable.
She sat wrapped in a towel as her bath filled, and without any warning she started crying. The tears were still falling as she lowered herself slowly into the hot bath, closed her eyes and wondered how on earth she was going to find the energy for the following morning. She knew she still had to prepare for the disclosure and interviews, and, feeling totally incapable of moving, she remained where she was, topping up with hot water for almost an hour until she forced herself to get out.
Wrapping herself in her big towelling dressing gown, Anna at last began to feel human. She made herself some toast and coffee and carried it to her bed where, propped up by pillows, she gradually felt her headache subside as she sipped her drink. But the depression persisted and yet again she started to cry, and it was a while before it dawned on her exactly what had taken place over the past twenty-four hours. The adrenalin rush of piecing together the new evidence against Gloria Lynne, her dressing-down by Walters, her obsession with the case had totally taken hold of her senses. She replayed in her mind her departure from Quantico, or more importantly how she had left Don Blane at the airport. She regretted her behaviour, and felt ashamed that she had hardly given a moment’s thought to him and had failed to contact him. She had accepted his kindness, his advice, and he had managed to secure her a ticket and a flight back to London. She recalled how it had felt to be entwined in his arms as they made love. The unexpected had happened – she had believed it would be impossible to ever have such intimate feelings after the murder of Ken, but it had happened and now she felt disgusted that she had allowed her obsession with Gloria Lynne to interfere with their growing relationship.