Lynda La Plante - Above Suspicion

‘Can you explain why that fragment was discovered in your Mercedes, Mr Daniels?’

‘Perhaps whoever removed the seats from the wreckers’ yard dropped it.’

‘No. Both seats were wrapped and protected for the entire period they were kept at Hudson’s.’

Daniels leaned back and gave Langton a confident smile. ‘That would just be the word of whoever removed the seats.’ However, the anger in his eyes betrayed him. He was getting rattled.

‘Did Melissa Stephens ever get into your Mercedes?’

‘No! She certainly did not.’

‘Could you please state where you were on the night of seventh February of this year?’

Daniels gave an impatient sigh. ‘I have told you before: I was filming in Cornwall for that entire week.’

‘Although you were on call for that entire week, there were four days you were not required on the set.’

‘I nevertheless remained in Cornwall.’

‘The basement of your property in Queen’s Gate is rented to a John and Carina Hood. Is that correct?’

‘Yes.’

‘I have here a statement they made, in which they say that you were at home on two of those nights. There is another statement from two members of the film production staff, in which they say that you were not, as you just stated, in Cornwall for the entire period.’

As Langton read the statements, Daniels leaned back in his chair, looking up to the ceiling. When Langton had finished, all he said was, ‘I apologize. I must have been mistaken.’

‘So you were in London on seventh February?’

‘If you say so. However, without my diary in front of me, I really can’t tell you exactly where I was. But my agent might be able to provide details.’

‘His secretary recalls there was a delay in filming due to bad weather and she was granted permission for you to leave Cornwall. You were therefore not required for the four days, from fifth to eighth February.’

Daniels leaned over to whisper to his lawyer, who was jotting down the dates.

‘We will need to check on this,’ Radcliff said.

Langton ignored him and repeated his question to Daniels. ‘Did you, whilst you were in London, meet Melissa Stephens?’

‘No.’

‘So, you are saying that you never saw her?’

‘That is correct; I have already said it three times.’

‘During those dates, did you drive your Mercedes in London?’

‘I may have.’

‘You may have?’

‘I may have driven it, but I also had a car and unit driver at my disposal, so it is quite likely I may not have driven myself’

‘You now admit to being in London for that period?’

‘Yes, I suppose I do.’

‘Did you drive your Mercedes?’

‘I doubt it. As I have just said.’

Langton flicked over the page. ‘Would that unit driver be Roger Thornton?’

‘Erm, yes, I believe so.’

‘Mr Thornton has given us a statement. He says he drove you from Cornwall to your house in Queen’s Gate on fifth February and then collected you for the drive back to Devon on eighth February, at four o’clock in the afternoon. He states you did not use him for the two days in between. That would be the sixth and eighth of February.’

Daniels sighed, as if bored with the line of questioning.

‘So, during those two days, did you drive your Mercedes?’

‘It is possible.’

‘On the last day, eighth February, before you returned to filming, you contacted your insurance company in the morning.’

Langton passed over a memo from the insurance brokers, which described a phone message from Alan Daniels that he had been involved in an accident. While there were no injured parties, according to his message, he felt the car was not roadworthy and had subsequently cancelled his insurance. He did not claim for any damage or the subsequent loss of the vehicle.

‘That was quite an expensive loss. Why did you not claim for the damage?’

‘I couldn’t be bothered,’ Daniels said. ‘I had to get back to filming.’

‘But that same morning, before returning to Cornwall, you took the Mercedes to the crushers’ yard?’

‘Yes.’

‘Making no claim for the damage?’

‘As I acknowledged previously, that might appear unusual for someone like yourself. I simply decided to get rid of the car. In fact, I bought a new car, a few days later.’

Langton persisted calmly. ‘No claim was made, although your Mercedes is valued at forty thousand pounds.’

‘It was probably worth more. The vehicle was very badly damaged down one side and I did not want to lose my no claims bonus. Have you any idea how high insurance premiums are for members of my profession? These vintage cars cost a fortune for spare parts. I simply cut my losses.’

‘So you drove the Mercedes to the crushers’ yard?’

‘Yes.’

‘It was still roadworthy then?’

‘Obviously.’

‘Did you at any time drive Melissa Stephens in your Mercedes?’

‘No, I did not.’

‘Where were you on the night before you took the Mercedes to the yard?’

‘I was at home.’

‘All night?’

‘Yes.’

Langton flipped through the file and withdrew the basement tenants’ statement again. They recalled speaking to him on the pavement outside his Queen’s Gate property at half past nine that evening. They could be so particular about the time and date because the conversation concerned Daniels’s decision to give them three months’ notice to leave as he wanted to refurbish the basement flat. The Mercedes was parked in the residents’ bay directly opposite. They stated that they saw Daniels driving away from Queen’s Gate, towards Hyde Park.

‘So, it seems you were not at home all that evening?’

‘I probably went out for a drive. I don’t remember.’

Langton placed Melissa’s photograph in front of him. ‘Did you meet Melissa Stephens?’

‘No.’

‘Do you deny that she was ever in your Mercedes?’

‘Yes, of course I do.’

‘Would you look closely at this picture of a gear stick? It is from a vehicle the same age and make as yours. Do you agree that this car I am showing you is an automatic and identical to yours?’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘Now, I am showing you a photograph of the wound to the right side of Melissa Stephens’s neck; an injury, the forensic pathologist informs us, caused by her head either being held or forcibly pressed down against the gear lever, leaving a clear round impression but not breaking the surface of her skin.’

Daniels glanced at it. ‘So? There’s more than one Mercedes being driven around London. Maybe she was giving someone a blow job; I don’t know.’ He got a warning tap on his arm from Radcliff.

Langton slowly closed the file. ‘The hair that was caught in the seat of your Mercedes has been identified as Melissa Stephens’s, so that would mean you have lied.’

Radcliff swiftly interrupted. ‘Wait a moment. These seats had been out of the car for some considerable time. It is quite possible that someone other than my client transferred not only the diamante stone but also the girl’s hair.’

Anna, watching Daniels, saw the slight flicker of a smile again.

‘Do you have any conclusive proof that this girl was in Mr Daniels’s car? Because I do not think any of this evidence would stand up in court.’

Langton shut the file and reached for another which Lewis had ready and open. Anna was impressed by their smooth teamwork, Lewis always anticipating what Langton would need next.

Radcliff continued, ‘We are all aware of transferral of fibres and as the seats were held for—’

Langton interrupted him: ‘You will remember that these seats were immediately covered with bubble wrap upon being removed, gaffer-taped, to exclude any dust or possible damage to the leather and subsequently taken to Hudson’s garage.’