Wrongful Death (17 page)

‘Can you tell me if he’s breathing?’

‘I think he’s dead, please hurry . . .’

‘Is he bleeding?’

‘There’s blood all over the floor and his face.’

‘Can you feel for a pulse?’

‘I’m scared . . . please, please help him.’

‘The ambulance and police are on their way, Donna.’

They listened to the rest of the call, which mostly consisted of the paramedic trying to calm Donna down and reassure her help was on the way. Eventually, a police officer could be heard telling the paramedic that the victim had a severe gunshot wound to the head and there was no pulse.

‘Did that sound like someone who had arranged her husband’s murder?’ Anna asked.

‘No, that sounded like pure uncontrolled panic. I felt her fear, it was like being in the room with her,’ Barolli said.

‘Dewar needs to listen to this,’ Anna said, as Langton walked in.

‘Joan said you were in here, Jessie not with you?’

Anna told Langton that Dewar was in her office writing up notes and she was bringing Barolli up to speed with the investigation, adding that Gloria was actually Lady Lynne as her former husband was Lord Henry Lynne. Langton told her that he too had only just been made aware of that fact.

‘I spoke with Walters this morning and lucky for you Lady Lynne doesn’t wish to take the matter any further. However, he stipulated that if you want to go near her again you run it by him first. Is that clear?’

Anna nodded and handed Langton the CD of Donna’s 999 call, asking him to take it through to Dewar as she still had some stuff to go over with Barolli.

‘How have you two been getting on today?’ Langton asked her.

‘Okay, I guess, but she’s been rubbing the rest of the team up the wrong way, demanding this and that without a please or thank-you, so I think a word from you . . .’

‘Point made, I’ll speak with her. She mentioned something about a surveillance team following Donna last night,’ Langton said.

‘I didn’t know anything about it.’

‘Sounds like it was worth it though.’

‘Hard to say yet, but it cost nearly a thousand pounds in overtime.’

‘How much?’ Langton exclaimed in a raised voice before he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

‘I thought it was eight hundred quid?’ Barolli remarked.

‘Yes, but figuratively speaking that’s nearly a thousand, whereas if I said just over five hundred that’s not nearly eight hundred.’

‘There’s a method in your madness, isn’t there?’ Anna smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

Dewar was still busy writing up her notes when Langton stormed in.

‘Why the fuck is the surveillance overtime bill a thousand pounds?’

‘It was in fact eight hundred pounds,’ she replied, nonchalantly.

‘I assumed the late shift did the surveillance as there’s no overtime budget and anyway you’re supposed to ask me to authorize it first.’

‘DCI Travis had not made me aware that was the case, and if I’d known I would have done the tail myself.

‘Anna mentioned that Gloria Lynne had made a complaint. I’m sorry if it caused you any problems, Jimmy,’ she went on.

‘It was something and nothing really. I’m used to Walters having a moan, but I know how to handle him so don’t lose any sleep over it.’

‘That makes me feel better, I’d hate to let you down, especially when you’ve done so much for me.’

‘Please be on your guard when dealing with Lady Lynne in the future. Same goes with the team,’ Langton warned.

‘Have I done something to upset them?’ Dewar asked, looking concerned.

‘To them you’re a stranger; they’re not used to taking advice or instructions from outsiders. You need to ease your way in, let them get to know and appreciate your skills.’

‘I like to be thorough and see a job well done. If anything, I feel I’ve been very helpful. Anna and I are making progress and working well together. It’s actually a shame she has to go to the States but I’m looking forward to working alongside DI Barolli.’

‘Good, onwards and upwards then,’ said Langton. ‘But here, take this CD. I’d like to listen to this with you.’

Dewar played the CD through once, hurriedly jotting down shorthand notes as she went. Before Langton could say anything, Dewar restarted the recording from the beginning, pausing and replaying bits as she went along and writing further notes. Langton found it rather irritating and wondered what she was picking up on.

‘Is there something interesting in the background?’ he asked.

‘No, I’m listening to her voice inflection,’ Dewar remarked, leaving Langton even more puzzled. ‘The alteration in pitch or tone can be very revealing. When telling a lie, people tend to speak in extremes; either monotone or with great energy.’

‘She just found her husband dead so her voice will be all over the place.’

‘Listening to this tape, I think she may have known he was dead even before she walked through her front door. We need to get Travis back in here to discuss this.’

Langton went to fetch Anna, observing that Dewar had picked up on something important in Donna’s voice inflection. Anna raised her eyebrows, suspecting that Dewar was just trying to impress Langton with more psychological mumbo-jumbo. When Barolli said he’d like to join them, Anna looked at him as if he were mad.

The four of them sat in Anna’s office and Dewar replayed the whole recording then asked if the others had picked up on anything unusual in Donna’s tone of voice or answers to the operator. Anna blandly replied that Donna seemed to be in a state of emotional shock, having found Josh with a bullet through his head and lying in a pool of blood. Dewar said she would take them through the call again step by step, and explain her reasoning about its inconsistencies as she went. She played the opening where Donna was asked which emergency service she required and stated ‘the police’. The connection made, the sound of Donna’s pleading voice was heard: ‘It’s my husband Josh . . . he’s been shot . . . there’s a gun and blood everywhere . . . oh, God, please help him . . . I think he’s dead.’ Dewar paused the CD.

‘After asking for the police she said: “He’s been shot,” and “I think he’s dead.” She
thought
he was dead, ergo she must have considered he might still be alive, yet she never asked for an ambulance at any point!’

‘So that’s why you think she knew what to expect when she walked in the room?’ Langton asked, intrigued by what Dewar was saying.

‘Not just that, there’s quite a bit more actually. Let’s look at the voice inflection on the last bit of her phrase: “I think he’s dead.”’

‘Can you explain what you mean by voice inflection, please?’ Barolli asked.

‘Certainly. Put in simple terms it’s the alteration in pitch or tone of the voice which in turn can change the form and tense of the word or words,’ Dewar told them.

‘Which words are you talking about?’ Langton asked.

‘“He’s dead.” If I walked in and told you that your best friend had just been killed, how would you feel?’ Dewar asked, looking at Barolli.

‘Shocked,’ Barolli replied.

‘Exactly, the tone of voice in stating “He’s dead” should be one of surprise, but if you already knew that your friend was dead and someone asked you how he was, what would you say?’

‘He’s dead,’ Barolli uttered in a forlorn voice.

‘The inflection changes because it’s an occurrence that happened in the past and you already know it. The instantaneous surprise is absent.’

‘You could also express it in a happy way if you were glad someone was dead,’ Barolli pointed out, causing Langton to frown at him.

Dewar continued: ‘The inflection in Donna’s voice in “he’s dead” is wrong. It’s very subtle and unless you really focus you will miss it. “I think he’s dead” is said both at the outset and when the paramedic speaks with her.’ Dewar fast-forwarded the CD to where the paramedic’s voice could be heard along with Donna’s reply: ‘Can you tell me if he’s breathing?’ . . . ‘I think he’s dead, please hurry.’

She paused the CD once more.

‘Again the surprise is missing.’

Anna couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her personal and professional experience had taught her that people in shock reacted and spoke in many different and strange ways. She was about to voice her objection when Dewar held up the crime scene photograph of Reynolds’ body and continued.

‘I believe that Donna knew that Josh was already dead and saying she “just got home and found him” is an attempt to distance herself from the crime. Her reactions, like the scene, were staged,’ Dewar said smugly.

Anna could contain herself no longer.

‘This is all a matter of opinion based on something you’ve read about. It wouldn’t even be allowed as evidence in our courts. We all react and say things in different ways when we are under emotional stress, which Donna Reynolds clearly was.’

‘My opinion is based on my research. It is objective and unbiased and strengthens my case that Josh Reynolds was actually murdered and Donna was involved.’

‘What about the fact Donna didn’t notice the wardrobe and safe door were open and also put the washing on before finding the body? That shows she was unaware he was dead,’ Anna argued.

‘Staged, to make it look as if she wasn’t expecting to discover the body.’

‘You twist everything to suit your flight-of-fancy theories and your methods are totally unethical,’ Anna said in a slightly raised voice.

‘This is my field of expertise, I know what I’m talking about and that’s why I’m a senior agent in the BSU,’ Dewar said, puffing out her chest.

‘You’ve never been to a real crime scene. You’re a desk jockey who only looks at pictures!’

‘I resent that remark, Travis.’

‘I think you mean resemble, not resent!’

‘What?’ Dewar said.

‘Donna had no motive to murder Josh. Your psychobabble is worthless crap!’

‘Half the value of the club, sale of their marital home, mad at him—’

Anna stood up and banged her hands on the desk. ‘She’s already rich so why would she want her husband dead?’

‘Who gives a fuck; the fact is she had him murdered and I know my gut instinct is right!’ Dewar said, and banged her own fist on the table.

Langton and Barolli looked at each other in astonishment as the heated exchange between Dewar and Travis grew in intensity. Eventually, Langton stood up and shouted at them. ‘Enough! Grow up and behave like the senior investigators you’re supposed to be.’

Dewar and Travis were instantly silent, as Langton continued.

‘God knows what that lot in the main office must think. They can’t have failed to hear you two bickering like spoilt schoolgirls.’

Both women apologized to Langton, but not to each other, and sat in stony silence, avoiding eye contact.

‘Be warned, I could pull you both off this investigation right now if I wanted to. But there are clear issues concerning the case that need to be investigated and further interviews that will have to be done.’

‘Shouldn’t we arrest Donna Reynolds?’ Dewar asked.

‘I am not taking sides here but my answer for now is NO, and that will remain the case until you have some hard factual evidence against her.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Dewar and Travis replied together.

‘You two have different skills and experience to bring to this inquiry so you need to sit down, sort out your differences and get on with the job. Do you understand me?’

‘Yes, sir,’ they both repeated.

‘Go home, calm down and take the weekend to reflect on what idiots you’ve been then start afresh Monday.’

‘We were going to update the team,’ Dewar said.

‘Travis, have you fully updated Barolli?’ Langton asked.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Good, he can bring us up to speed. Now, the pair of you clear off while Barolli and I have an adult conversation.’

Anna and Dewar picked up their belongings and headed off towards the station car park, feeling rather sorry for themselves. Although they were in the lift together, they didn’t speak. But after some moments of reflection, Anna came to the realization that their standoff was pointless and was the first to break the ice.

‘We really let ourselves down in there, Jessie.’

‘Yes, I know. The problem is we both think and see things differently and I’m all too often the Devil’s advocate.’

‘We’re not that different, Jessie.’ Anna sighed. ‘God knows how many times Langton’s called me headstrong.’

‘I get frustrated at times, especially back home,’ Dewar admitted. ‘The FBI is very male-dominated and I’m the only woman on my team. Many of the men still support the view of J. Edgar Hoover.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Women can’t handle the physical rigours of being a special agent and shouldn’t be in the FBI.’

‘The Met’s not much different on some squads. Equality is slowly improving things but working on “man-turf” is never easy.’

‘I know, but why should we have to work so much harder to prove ourselves and succeed?’

‘So one day we can rule the world of policing,’ Anna said with a wry smile.

‘I’ll drink to that,’ Dewar said.

‘Good idea – fancy something to eat as well? We don’t have to discuss the case but I’d like to know more about the FBI course.’

‘Only if you let me pay.’ Dewar smiled, and so did Anna.

‘Fine by me. You doing anything over the weekend?’

‘I’m going up to Norfolk to visit an old college friend who married a Fakenham farmer.’

Anna broke into a laugh. It was contagious, and as Dewar giggled, they left the lift together.

Chapter Thirteen

Anna woke on Monday morning looking forward to going into work. She had spent a pleasant weekend visiting her gym twice, shopping for clothes, sportswear and trainers for her FBI course and generally lazing about watching DVDs she had rented. Unusually for her, she had not even looked at or thought about anything to do with the Josh Reynolds case. Her Friday-evening dinner with Jessie Dewar had been very pleasant. Anna had suggested a Venetian-style bàcaro restaurant off Regent Street where they had enjoyed sharing tapas-sized portions of cuttlefish in squid ink, spinach and egg pizzette and meatballs. They had also shared a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a tiramisu dessert that was to die for. As she got dressed for work, Anna smiled, recalling that whilst they were eating their food, Jessie had asked why she had chosen that venue for dinner. Anna had pointed to a blue plaque on the wall, commemorating the fact that the premises were once the home of the famous Venetian painter Canaletto.