Deadly Intent

To make a show of my possible criminal activities, I got up and remarked about the security camera; he said it wasn't turned on, but he was very nervous, really agitated, which again led me to believe he was onto me. I turned the camera to face the wall and said I didn't like being messed around. He said we could meet in a few days, but it was necessary he saw this client immediately. We made another appointment and I left.'

'Did you get to see this client?'

'No, but whoever it was must have come in directly after I left.'

Cunningham showed him a photograph of Julia Brandon. Marlow didn't recognize her. He had not left via the main reception, as Rushton had told him that the main door would be locked, but used a service exit at the rear of the building, the same way he had entered, which was why he had not been caught on the reception CCTV camera. Cunningham had already given him details of what they had so far been able to uncover about Rushton, but had only just passed him Julia Brandon's documents. Marlow spent some time glancing over them, and asked if he could retain a copy for his file.

They watched the replay of the reception-area footage showing Julia Brandon entering and moving toward the lifts. Marlow shook his head. 'He must have buzzed her in almost as I left, because I went back into Jermyn Street to wait and see if I recognized who this client was. I sat in the car for about half an hour, and then walked back to the service door to see if anyone entered that way. I was there for at least another half hour, then called it quits and left.''Play the audiotape,' Langton said.Marlow looked surprised. 'You've got one?'Cunningham set up the tape, explaining, to Langton's irritation, that Rushton had had a hidden tape deck, but that, except for the section with Julia, the security camera footage had no sound.'Well, if it's of any use to me, I'd like to hear it.'Marlow leaned forward to listen. Anna watched him intently, but he gave no reaction apart from shrugging his shoulders when the tape ended.'Pity it cut out, and because I turned the camera around, you didn't get a shot of the killer. Still, I'd like a copy of the tape for my files.'Langton was sitting in sullen silence. Gordon tapped and entered. He had photocopied the documents showing the money transfers made by Rushton for Julia Brandon. Marlow thanked him.'We continued our investigation and, as we had no suspicious contact from Rushton, we were planning for me to keep the new appointment; that was when we found out about his murder.''Bloody marvelous,' muttered Langton.'Why I'm here,' Marlow added, with a shrug.Langton seemed tired out. He stood up and asked for access, if it was possible, to the Fraud Squad's findings and their list of clients. Marlow asked if they believed one of them killed Rushton.Langton shook his head. 'I doubt it, unless you've got one dealing in Fentanyl.''What's that?''The way Rushton was killed: injection, big overdose of this lethal drug.''Shit. Well, that's two years down the fucking drain. I'll talk to our guys and get the files over to you.'Marlow was thanked for coming in and left. When he had gone, Langton was cursing. 'We've been acting like bloody fools, going after the wrong man.'He stalked out to have a smoke outside, to try to calm his fury.The team looked to Cunningham, who was sitting, arms folded, by the incident board. She stood up and nodded to Anna. 'You almost missed Marlow; he was about to leave before you two came back. I'll need the update from the labs, but I suggest we all take a break from the case for tonight; pick up tomorrow.'There was an overall feeling of dejection. Anna asked for someone to get in touch with their computer boffins to see if they could access any of the calls from Julia Brandon's mobile.Langton made them jump, the doors banged so hard as he walked into the room. 'Get onto the Fraud Squad, Phil,' he rapped out. 'Get me the details of Marlow.'Phil looked surprised. 'You have a problem with him?''Yeah I do, a big one. Just do it!' Langton had to sit down. He asked someone to get him a beaker of water. He was so tense that Anna was worried.She crossed to his side. 'You okay?''Could use some of that Fentanyl; my knee's killing me.' He gulped at the water. She could see his hand was shaking as he fumbled in his pocket to take out a foil wrapper of tablets. He pressed out two, taking them both with a mouthful of water, then tossed the beaker into a trash can. 'I think we have all just been fucked over.' He said it so quietly, it was hardly audible.Phil was holding on, waiting for a connection. 'Looks like they've gone home. You know those guys—work a nine to five.' Then he was through.Langton couldn't contain himself. He got up and snatched the phone. 'This is DCS James Langton, Murder Squad; it's imperative we speak to one of your officers, a DCI John Marlow.' There was a pause. 'In connection with the ongoing investigation into a fraud involving a David Rushton.' Langton listened; he was so tense, Anna could see the muscles in his neck twitching. 'Thank you—must be some screwup on our end.' He put the phone down. 'There is no DCI John Marlow working with the Fraud Squad, and no ongoing investigation involving David Rushton.'The room fell silent. Anna couldn't quite take it in.When Langton eventually continued, his voice was like gravel. 'I think we just had a visit from Alexander Fitzpatrick. The bastard had the cheek to walk in—walk in!—and we all fell for it!'Cunningham had to clear her throat before she could speak. 'But he had ID—he showed it to me. Why would he take such a risk?''He carried it out with him, the information about what Rushton has done with Julia Brandon's cash; he also now has every single piece of information we've got involving him. Maybe he just wanted to see how close we are to catching him!' Langton gave a short bark of a laugh. 'Answer is, we're so off the mark that the two-faced bastard had the audacity to walk in off the street with fake ID.'What had made Langton suspicious? Anna wanted to ask. No one else had questioned Marlow's authenticity. On the contrary, they had passed over a copy of the file he requested and even thanked him for coming in.'Well, at least we know he's here in London. I said that, didn't I?' He looked to Anna. 'I said he would surface. Well, he did, and he's made the lot of us look like total arseholes. At least we know one important thing: Alexander Fitzpatrick is broke and hurting for cash so much that he risked walking in here. Rushton did us a favor; now we concentrate on that money he stashed away for Julia Brandon, because Fitzpatrick is after it, and we are going to get him. Right now he must think he's so clever he's out of reach, but he's not.' He made a gesture with his right hand as if catching a fly; then he clapped, as if killing it between his hands.Langton's speech seemed to inject energy into the team. He picked up his coat, saying he would be with them first thing in the morning. He needed to get home, suggesting that a break would probably do all of them good. He didn't say anything more to Anna; not that she was expecting him to.It had sounded strange to her that he had said he needed to get home. Langton had never appeared to be, in all the time she had known him, a man who needed a home life; quite the reverse. It was yet another sign of how far apart they had grown. The thought that he now had a domestic life that he wanted to get back to made her envious, because she didn't have one.

She felt the need for company, at the very least—which was why she called Pete, and arranged to drive over to his house. He was, as ever, pleased to hear from her, and said they could order in a pizza.

'I'd like that,' Anna said. She replaced the receiver, and collected her briefcase and coat.

As she went out to her car, she felt better. She decided she would stop off to buy a good bottle of wine. To have someone waiting, eager to see her, was exactly what she needed.

CHAPTER 21

Pete and Anna had drunk half the bottle before the pizza arrived. The fire was lit and they ate in front of it, leaning their backs against the sofa; the bottle empty, they opened another. Pete sat back on his heels. 'I know you don't approve, but I'm going to have a joint.'Anna, rather tipsy, said she didn't care. She started to tell Pete about the man they had suspected to be Alexander Fitzpatrick posing as a Fraud Squad officer. Pete handed her the joint and she took a couple of deep drags as she went on to explain how they had all been totally taken in by his fake ID.Pete was having a hard time following the gist of what she was saying. 'You are telling me he just walked in?''Yes, and everyone was taken in by him.'Pete started to laugh; it was so preposterous and so audacious, he couldn't stop laughing.Anna, at first, wasn't that amused, but the more he laughed, the less serious it all sounded, until she too was helpless with giggles. 'He hoodwinked us all,' she said, and then broke up, rolling about laughing.It took a while before they both calmed down. Anna crawled over to her briefcase and took out the folder with Fitzpatrick's photograph. Pete, although bleary-eyed, took a long look at it; then Anna showed him some of the Web site pictures from years before. Pete fetched a large magnifying glass and held it over the image taken from Rushton's CCTV camera. Then he looked at the younger man's pictures. 'He's had a lot of work; you see the way his earlobes are sort of stretched? That's a telltale sign of a full face-lift. Jawline is firm, and his neck—and what were his eyes like? I mean, how old is he?''The guy calling himself Marlow didn't have any bags or lines, looked a lot younger than Fitzpatrick's age, early sixties.''Doesn't look it. His nose has been reshaped, and I'd say he's had implants in his cheekbones, plus, judging by the texture of his skin, he's maybe had a face peel; there's hardly a line