‘Yeah, fine by me. When you arrest Gloria, I’d like to sit in on the interview.’
It was a request Anna had anticipated but hoped Dewar wouldn’t make as the answer would probably offend her.
‘That will be up to DCS Langton, but with Ian Holme representing Aisa it could be tricky,’ she said tactfully.
Dewar sighed. ‘Did you see the interview with Donna? Now I know how he got his nickname Andrex.’
‘Yeah, but if it’s any consolation I thought he was showing off and a bit hard on you. There’s a viewing room you can watch from.’
‘Actually, that would be better – I’ll be able to scrutinize Gloria Lynne without any distractions,’ Dewar conceded.
‘Thanks, Jessie, I’ll show you the room right after the office meeting.’
Dewar seemed deep in thought as she grabbed her wallet from her handbag. ‘I’m going to the canteen, you want anything?’ she said as she got up, then sat back down again. ‘Did Don Blane say anything about Gloria Lynne having sociopathic tendencies?’ she asked, much to Anna’s surprise.
‘Have you spoken with him?’ Anna asked.
‘No, but that’s the niggling feeling I had about her ever since I met her and her daughters.’
‘Why didn’t you say so?’
‘It was just a gut instinct, nothing more. I had no evidence to support it, so who’d have believed me?’
‘Blane thinks she’s a sociopath, and I agree with him,’ Anna admitted.
‘Good, now I know what we’re up against and once I hear all the evidence you’ve uncovered I’ll prepare an interview strategy.’
Anna realized how astute Dewar really was and that her earlier mistakes in the investigation had probably all been down to a burning desire to impress her colleagues.
The agent stood up again and headed towards the door, stopped and turned to Anna. ‘Gloria Lynne will be the greatest adversary you have ever faced in your career, Anna. As psychologists we advise people involved with sociopaths to leave, run don’t walk, and never ever go back – it’s the only option for survival,’ Dewar said, emphasizing her concerns yet relishing the challenge.
As the agent left, Joan entered, and Anna wondered if she’d ever get any peace and quiet to get on with her work. The constable informed Anna that Barolli had just picked Langton up at Heathrow and the officer guarding Marisha had called to say that she had briefly come out of her coma. Before Joan could finish what she was saying, Anna was out of her seat and hurriedly putting on her jacket to go to the hospital.
‘If I can turn Marisha then I can really nail Gloria,’ Anna said excitedly, grabbing her notebook and handbag.
‘The officer said that her condition is still serious and her heartbeat’s irregular,’ Joan warned, but there was no stopping Anna now.
‘Joan, there’s a folder on my laptop I’ve named “Nightshade”. Everything I and Don Blane uncovered about Gloria Lynne and Samuel Peters is in it. There’s a lot in there, print it off for Langton and Dewar to read while I’m out and give them everything you got for me as well,’ Anna said as she headed for the door then turned back and handed Joan a list from her desk.
‘Here’s the initial disclosure list for Ian Holme. That’s all he’s to be given for now and he can have a private consultation with Aisa.’
In the main office, Anna noticed Barbara sitting at her desk tucking into her first bite of a bacon and egg sandwich.
‘Barbara, grab your coat and come with me.’
‘But I just got my-’
‘NOW!’ Anna shouted, causing Barbara to drop her sandwich and take a quick swig of her coffee to wash the mouthful down.
Anna got one of the uniform cars to rush her and Barbara to the hospital on blue lights and sirens. Arriving at the ward she spoke with the attending doctor who informed her that Marisha Peters’ condition was worsening by the minute and she might not have much longer to live. Anna could see Marisha through the internal window, her eyes closed and lying motionless with a myriad of tubes and heart monitor wires connected to her body, and a ventilator tube extruding from her mouth. Anna felt deflated for all the wrong reasons; she sympathized with Marisha’s pitiful condition, but so wanted her to be able to speak, to provide her with the evidence she needed against Gloria Lynne.
Anna asked the doctor if she could go into the room and he opened the door for her and Barbara to enter. The serenity of the room was broken by the soft rhythmic pumping of the ventilator and the heart monitor with its erratic beep reminiscent of a reversing sensor in a car.
Anna walked over to Marisha’s side and turned to the doctor. ‘Will she be able to hear?’
‘She’s no longer in a coma, but it’s impossible for me to say,’ the doctor replied politely.
Anna leaned forward so she could speak quietly. ‘I’m sorry it came to this, Marisha, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to see Gloria stands trial for what she has done to you and Samuel.’
There was a sudden change in the rhythm of the heart monitor as the beeps slightly upped in tempo and Marisha’s eyelids flickered.
‘I’m Anna Travis, Marisha, do you remember me?’ she asked and again the monitor changed tempo.
‘She is incapable of answering you, detective, and the heart arrhythmia is due to her deteriorating condition,’ the doctor insisted.
Slowly, Marisha’s bloodshot eyes opened, not fully, but enough for Anna to feel that she was awake.
‘If I ask her questions will she be able to move her head or squeeze my hand?’ Anna hurriedly asked the doctor.
‘No, she suffered a serious stroke while in the coma.’
Anna removed her iPhone from her jacket pocket and started to press the screen, causing the doctor to rebuke her as he reminded her that phone calls could interfere with the medical equipment. Anna assured him she was not about to call anyone and took him to one side, out of his patient’s earshot, leaving Barbara wondering what on earth Anna was doing and feeling most uncomfortable standing next to a woman who looked as if she was about to die.
Anna held her phone up in her hand, with the back of it pointing towards the doctor. ‘In your professional opinion is Marisha Peters’ death imminent?’
‘Yes, I’ve already told you that, and why are you pointing your phone at me?’
‘Because I’m video-recording our conversation and I need you to tell Marisha that she may be about to die,’ Anna said firmly.
The doctor looked stunned. ‘Are you out of your mind?’
‘As you know, Marisha was poisoned with atropine and I believe she knows who was responsible. I want to take a dying declaration from her, and for that to be valid in a court of law she needs to understand that she may be about to die.’
‘Really, officer, this is preposterous and apart from that she can’t even speak.’
‘She can move her eyes, though, but if you want her death to be in vain then so be it, doctor, it’s your conscience not mine,’ Anna said tactfully.
The doctor looked at Marisha for some moments and eventually nodded in submission. Anna handed Barbara her phone to record the dying declaration. Barbara held it in both hands to keep it steady as Anna crouched down beside the bed and took hold of Marisha’s hand, which felt cold and clammy. ‘Marisha, if you can hear me, I want you to blink three times for yes and twice for no,’ Anna said and Marisha’s eyelids opened and closed slowly three times.
Anna looked at the doctor, who stepped forward and told Marisha that her heart was failing and she might be about to die. The acceleration in her heart rate was mirrored by the increased beeping of the monitor.
‘Marisha, do you understand what the doctor just said?’
Marisha moved her eyelids three times, indicating, yes.
‘You understand that you may be about to die?’ Anna repeated, followed by three slow blinks from Marisha.