Lynda La Plante: Wrongful Death

Unabated, Gloria continued, patting and refolding Langton’s handkerchief, explaining that on the first occasion Samuel phoned her she wanted nothing to do with him. He claimed he was a changed man and urgently needed to speak to her but wouldn’t say what it was about.

‘I was obviously stunned to hear he was in London, and I was equally rather scared to even agree to see him. I asked for a contact number and said I would call him back.’

Langton was desperate to try to slow Gloria down, but it was easy for her, as she had memorized a script of lies that made her appear totally innocent of any wrongdoing. Unable to take notes, he was finding it hard to recollect everything that she had said so far.

‘Why would you want to call Samuel back when he had treated you so badly in the past?’ he asked, trying to break her flow.

‘If you hadn’t interrupted me so quickly, I was about to tell you that I didn’t call him back. The reality was I didn’t want anything to do with him. I ignored him, thinking he’d just go away, and I still had no idea who Josh really was at that time. I then received another call from Samuel who told me that Josh was actually Arum. That was enough to persuade me that we needed to sit down and talk so he said he would get back to me with a time and a place, which he did a few days later.’

Anna could see that Langton was becoming exasperated and finding it hard to keep up with Gloria, while it was easier for her to take in everything as she was just listening. She knew that the woman had concocted a story that would cover every angle. Walters had been putty in Gloria’s hands, and his blabbing mouth had effectively destroyed any chance they had of proving she was a liar. Although Langton had said he would be the one to lay his neck on the line, that did not seem fair to Anna. Enough is enough, she thought to herself. If she could get Gloria to admit the blackmail she knew she could use it against her.

‘Was Samuel Peters trying to blackmail you?’ she asked. The room went silent as everyone turned to look at her. She thought that Langton would say something or at the least tell her to go get some more water to stop her going further, but he didn’t.

‘I beg your pardon, just who do you think you’re speaking to, Detective Travis?’ Ian Holme asked, looking down his nose at her.

‘Gloria, Mr Holme,’ Anna replied calmly, ignoring the woman’s official title. ‘It’s a perfectly reasonable question and one to which I’d expect an honest answer.’

‘Are you seriously suggesting Lady Lynne would allow herself to be blackmailed and not report it? I think you need to have a word with DCI Travis, Mr Langton, her behaviour is not acceptable.’

Langton looked at Anna and smiled. ‘She’s being DEADLY serious, Mr Holme. The reason Gloria may not be admitting blackmail is because of the untold damage the truth about her past would do to her seemingly good character.’

‘This is outrageous. Lady Lynne has been more than helpful. She has persuaded her daughter to tell you the truth and gone through an emotional rollercoaster herself in telling you about her past. I think, Lady Lynne, that it would be best to terminate this interview now,’ Holme advised her.

Anna had to admit Gloria was a consummate actress: she rested her hand on Holme’s arm, patting him as if to calm him. ‘I’m fine, Ian, dear, the officers are just doing their job, and if you knew Samuel’s past like I do then it’s understandable that they are suspecting blackmail.’

She withdrew her hand and looked directly at Anna. ‘The answer to your question however is, no. One cannot bear grudges forever, but more importantly out of concern for Donna and my son Joshua, as I shall refer to him, I did meet with Samuel. We discussed how best to deal with the situation, he wanted to tell Josh, but I said that would do more harm than good. We agreed that neither of them should ever know the truth and it would be best left to me to split the pair of them up.’

‘And exactly how were you going to do that?’ Anna asked.

‘Well, I couldn’t just do it overnight, could I, Detective Travis? They had been in a sexual relationship for quite some time so the sin was already unknowingly committed. I don’t expect you to understand how emotional I felt – after all, you’re not a mother, are you?’ Gloria simpered in an attempt to rile her.

Anna opened her folder and got out a photographed copy of all the marriage and birth certificates. ‘Samuel Peters ordered all these documents online. He used them to blackmail you, didn’t he?’

Holme was about to speak on Gloria’s behalf but again she gently squeezed his arm, indicating she was happy to continue. She spread the photographed documents out on the table and looked over them.

‘I know, I know about these because he showed them all to me. You have to understand it was also very emotional for him. He hadn’t seen Josh in thirty years and had lost all contact with Esme. He thought he might have been jumping to conclusions and needed to know if he was right before coming to me, so he obtained all the certificates.’

She frowned and tapped one of them with her red fingernail. ‘Can I ask why there is blood on Aisa’s birth certificate? It is blood, isn’t it?’

‘Because they were on the sofa next to Josh when a bullet went straight through his head,’ Anna said.

‘Must you be so uncaring and graphic about my son’s death?’ Gloria said, voice trembling, but Anna knew she didn’t really care about her son or anyone else for that matter.

Gloria’s expression suddenly changed to one of shock as she then started shaking, crying and gripping Ian Holme’s arm. ‘The certificates were on the sofa? Oh, my God, no, he didn’t, please tell me he didn’t, why would Samuel tell Josh, why?’

Ian Holme asked to see the picture of the man on the CCTV and Anna handed it to him. ‘Is this Samuel, Lady Lynne?’

Gloria nodded and sobbed uncontrollably as Ian Holme glared at Langton and Travis. ‘You know full well that Aisa Lynne said this man was leaving Josh’s flat when she arrived. I demand to know if any property was missing from Josh Reynolds’ flat.’

‘We’re not sure,’ Anna said, realizing that Gloria had yet again turned the tables to her advantage.

‘What do you mean, you’re not sure? I will walk out of here straight to the Royal Courts of Justice if I have to, and get a subpoena to see all your evidence!’ Holme shouted.

Langton also knew that matters were going from bad to worse, and that they had managed to salvage nothing. Gloria had played her part magnificently from start to finish; she knew they had only circumstantial evidence. She had fooled everyone and she had the best legal mind in the business on her side. Anna leaned over and whispered to Langton that they still needed to ask Gloria about the atropine poisoning, but he shook his head; he knew his hand was forced.

‘There was a substantial amount of money found at Esme Peters’ flat that had Josh Reynolds’ and Samuel’s fingerprints on it. Forensic evidence suggests it came from Josh’s safe.’

‘Did Samuel Peters have access to that flat?’ Holmes snapped.

‘Yes, and also to Josh Reynolds’, we found keys in his possession,’ Anna said, feeling it was not fair to let Langton take all the flak for something she had started.

‘You told Walters that you thought Josh Reynolds committed suicide; for the life of me I cannot see what made you think Lady Lynne was involved in his death,’ Holme protested.

Anna licked her lips and faced him. ‘Mr Holme, I believed that Lady Lynne was involved in a cover-up, and I am sure she paid Samuel Peters money to keep quiet about Aisa being there when her son Joshua Reynolds died.’ She was trying very hard to maintain a calm positive delivery to keep Holme from overreacting. It didn’t work.