Deadly Intent

head.'I make it close to two and a half million,' Langton said, to no one in particular.'I have absolutely nothing to do with this. I had no idea it was hidden in the house, but I am nevertheless interested: that is a lot of money. I'll be very keen to know whether, as you found it here, if no one claims it, it will automatically be returned to the property owner.''Don't get cheeky, Mr. Nolan. You are in a lot of trouble.''I didn't know it was there!' he exclaimed.'Just like you didn't know your passport was missing?''I had absolutely no idea.''I am arresting you on suspicion of aiding a wanted criminal to escape justice.'Gordon took Damien to the station in a patrol car while Anna traveled back to London in her Mini, Langton beside her, his anger palpable.'Can I just say something?' she asked.'By all means. I can't wait to hear what you've got to say for yourself.''I honestly do not think Damien is involved. I really questioned him—''I'm sure you did—over a BLT, wasn't it? Very chatty and comfortable—so much so, he was asking for a bloody date when I turned up.''Then you must have also heard that I turned his request down! You have had surveillance on the farm: if Fitzpatrick returned there and took Damien's passport, then they must have seen him.'Langton snapped that they were not in place until Nolan was released from custody. It would have given Fitzpatrick time to go back to the farmhouse, stash his money, and then get a plane ticket out from the UK to anywhere.'Can we check if the money was the payout from Julia? We know Rushton handed over close to four million in cash,' Anna said.Langton said nothing, sitting in moody silence. Anna continued todrive; she could not think of anything to say that would ease the tension between them.By the time they approached the station, Langton was in a contained fury. He got out of the car, slamming the door hard as he walked off.Anna got out and was about to shut her door, when he returned and leaned his elbows on the roof. 'You are in trouble, Travis. I don't like it, but I am putting you on report. I gave instructions that you were not to interview Damien Nolan, and you ignored me.'She went right back at him. 'For goodness' sake, I was there! Why not interview him? And, excuse me if I am repeating myself but I do not think Damien Nolan is involved.''Because you fancy him?''For Christ's sake, that has nothing to do with it. My concern is we are wasting time; right now Fitzpatrick has got his brother's passport, and if the cash at the farmhouse wasn't from his local bank account, then he's got money.''Well, sweetheart, I bet you any money he's out of our reach. We've lost him!' And he turned and walked into the station, leaving Anna seething.Langton paced up and down the incident room as they waited for a hoped-for sighting. All ports had been warned to look out for Fitzpatrick; his description, and details of the missing passport, had been forwarded, with photographs, to customs, ferries, trains, and Eurostar stations. They had also contacted heliports, private airstrips, and private plane charters. The Evening Standard had front-page coverage, and the morning papers all had been given details and photographs.They knew that there had been two days and nights when there was no surveillance at the farmhouse. If he had taken the passport and hidden the money, it had to have been done inside that time frame. Langton had questioned the SOCO officers who had instigated the search of the farmhouse; the office room had been very thoroughly searched and they were certain that no money had been beneath the floorboards. The money removed from the farmhouse was held in the property lockup as they tried to verify by the note numbers if it was recently withdrawn.It was 6:15 P.M. when Anna handed in her report, keeping a good distance from Langton. She had checked and double-checked her notes, making it clear that she had agreed to eat with Damien, as she had wanted him very much at ease, and so had been able to gain a considerable amount of background information. The threat of being put on report really infuriated her; considering the amount of work she had done to move the case forward, she felt Langton had been unnecessarily vindictive.Damien's solicitor had agreed to come in so that they could interview his client first thing in the morning. The charges were withholding evidence and assisting a known criminal to escape arrest. Damien had remained calm, almost resigned to being banged up for yet another night in the cells. He had asked the uniformed officers who brought him from the farmhouse to the Chalk Farm Station if they could take the clothes he had packed for his wife to Holloway jail.The overnight bag was still at the station, and no one appeared interested in delivering it. 'Is anyone taking this to Holloway?' Anna asked as she was leaving. The desk sergeant just shrugged, so Anna said she would take it. She carried it out to her car and placed it on the passenger seat. She drove from Chalk Farm over to Camden Town, heading toward Holloway Prison.Parking in the spaces allocated for prison staff, Anna picked up the case and then unzipped it. She took out the contents: a bar of soap, moisturizer, and hand cream in a small satin vanity bag; two pairs of new tights, a navy cashmere sweater, a dress and three pairs of panties and brassieres; combs and a hairbrush. Rather sadly, she saw that Damien had also included a box of dark chestnut- brown hair dye and shampoo.As she replaced them, she felt down the sides and under the base of the bag, but there was nothing else. She zipped up the bag, and then unzipped a small pocket at the side: it contained a folded slip of paper. In faint pencil handwriting was the list of items she had just checked over and, beside each one, a tick in red pen. There was nothing else. She felt, as Honour probably would, disappointment that there was no other message. There was finality about the ticks, like a schoolteacher's appraisal. She returned the note to the pocket and carried the bag to the prison reception.Anna was not allowed to see Honour, as it was after visiting hours and the inmates were locked up for the night. She signed over the bag and wrote that the contents were on a list in the pocket. 'Has anyone been to see her?'The receptionist reached for the visitors' book, and flicked over until she came to Honour's name. 'Yes, her husband was here this afternoon.'Anna's nerves jangled. 'Her husband?''Yes, Mr. Damien Nolan came in at two-thirty.''Did he show any identification?''Yes, his passport. She had a visit from her solicitor; that was in the morning, but no one else.'Anna hurtled into the incident room. There were only skeleton staff on duty, so she asked if Langton was around. She was told he was in Cunningham's office. She barged in, gasping, 'He was still in London at two-thirty this afternoon!'Langton sprang up from behind the desk. 'What?'She tried to get her breath. 'He visited Honour Nolan in Holloway; he bloody gave Damien Nolan's passport for identification!''Jesus Christ! Did you talk to her?''No, I came straight back here as soon as I was told! This narrows down where he might have gone to next, so we can step up the search for him ...'Langton was already out and yelling for everyone to get onto the airports; then, gesturing for Anna to join him, he said he would telephone the prison. 'They won't let you see her,' she responded.He turned on her, and snapped that they would drag her out by her hair if needs be.

CHAPTER 26

  Anna again made the journey across London, this time in a patrol car, with sirens blasting. By the time they had been checked through the prison reception, and led along various corridors to wait in a small anteroom, it was after 10 P.M. Langton had a terse conversation with the prison governor, who, as Anna had said, did not approve of a visit at this time of night. They had to wait another fifteen minutes before Honour was brought in.She was wearing a prison-issue nightdress; for a dressing gown, she wore her coat. Her hair was in two braids, the gray parting even more prominent.'Sit down, Honour,' Langton instructed. 'I'll get straight to the reason why we're here. You had a visitor this afternoon. Don't waste our time pretending it was your husband, because we know it wasn't. It was Alexander Fitzpatrick, wasn't it?''Yes,' she said, hardly audible.'Okay, Honour, it will really help your defense if you now tell us where he is.''I don't know.''You must have talked about where he was going?''No.' She had tears in her eyes and chewed at her lips.'So, tell me—what you did talk about?'Anna leaned forward and touched Honour's hand, going for a softer approach. 'Your husband has been arrested again.''Oh God.' She bowed her head.'We know Fitzpatrick has Damien's passport, Honour. We also found a large sum of money hidden under the floorboards at the farmhouse.'She shook her head, trying not to cry.'Did Damien know about this money?''No, no, he didn't. It was for me, for my lawyers, and to help his mother. He said he'd used her savings—had them transferred—so he was concerned about who would look after her.''So Damien didn't know he'd hidden the money,' Anna said again, and glanced at Langton.'No. I knew he was using Damien's passport; he said he'd taken it out of a drawer in the kitchen. I'm not sure where the money came from.''So he told you all this, Honour, and yet didn't tell you where he was going?''No. I swear to you I have no idea. This is probably why he didn't tell me. I have never known where he was; it was always that way.' She started to cry, and searched in her coat pocket for a tissue. 'He said the money was not stolen, that it belonged to him, that Julia had given it to him. It's all been her fault.''She's dead, Honour, your sister was murdered. The brakes of her car slashed!''He had nothing to do with that. I know he would not have done that. You keep on making him out to be this monster but he isn't, I know he isn't; she made it impossible for him.'Langton slapped the table with the flat of his hand, his patience running out. 'You mean impossible to pay for shipping in a fucking cargo of lethal drugs? You need to get yourself straightened out, Mrs. Nolan. You are going to have a lot of time behind bars to come to terms