CHAPTER 24
Before any interviews took place, the team were given an update by Cunningham. The boat anchored at Chelsea harbor had been dusted for prints; they were confident that, this time, they would find concrete evidence of Fitzpatrick. They had also recovered two hundred thousand pounds in cash, plus—and this was very important—a charter map of the boat's journeys and prearranged moorings. This would help their time frame. They had also found documentation of ownership: Fitzpatrick had used an alias to make a substantial deposit on the boat, and payments were still outstanding.Even more importantly, they had found two passports in different names, but with Fitzpatrick's photograph and two more passports in the names of the children. Added to this was a jewel case containing diamonds and emeralds worth a substantial amount belonging to Julia Brandon. It was a massive haul of fresh evidence. They had virtually stripped Fitzpatrick of every means to survive on the run. The question was: where could he be?The distressed au pair had been questioned through an interpreter the previous evening and allowed to remain with the children. Eventually, she had admitted that the man she knew as Anthony Collingwood was the man in the photograph of Alexander Fitzpatrick. She also gave another insight into the way Fitzpatrick had organized his time in London.Fitzpatrick had instigated her approach to Julia, as au pair. She was instructed to care for the children and report back using her mobile phone, details of what was happening in the house in Wimbledon. He had paid her for this on top of her wages; he had also arranged for her to take the children to the boat in Chelsea harbor. She was adamant that she knew nothing about who he really was, or his drug trafficking.He was a good man, she insisted; a man who cared for his children, contrary to what Julia had implied. She also maintained that she did not know the final destination of the boat; her job was simply to care for the children. She said that Julia was a difficult woman to deal with, and could be very unpleasant; she was certain she had used Frank Brandon to cheat on Fitzpatrick.Mai Ling could not elaborate on what she meant by
cheat; she was just aware that something was obviously very wrong, even when the marriage was taking place. They now had confirmation that Fitzpatrick had turned up and there had been a confrontation between him and Julia on the Isle of Man. When asked if Fitzpatrick met Frank Brandon, Mai Ling said that he had; the three of them had been talking for many hours. She was not aware what the outcome was, just that Julia was in a terrible state and, on the supposed wedding night, had not slept with Frank Brandon but Anthony Collingwood. She described the two "heavies" that had been hired by Julia as being very unpleasant men; one did not speak English very well.Asked if it was possible that Fitzpatrick had been the one to arrange for these two so-called bodyguards, she had shaken her head. She said that they wanted payment, but for what, she couldn't say. She described overhearing them talking on a mobile phone; they were threatening Mr. Collingwood. At the end of her interview, she said that, no matter what Julia had said, she was still in love with Collingwood. Anna had taken notes throughout; some of it made total sense, some not. But the facts were that Julia, via David Rushton, had attempted to block all the money she had from Fitzpatrick. The four million she had withdrawn must have been passed to Fitzpatrick, perhaps to pay for the boat. Anna also wondered if the two heavies could be connected to the drugs. She put in a call to Fagan, who reconfirmed that Mai Ling had called him about her concerns for Julia, as had David Rushton, who had passed on the contact information for the men. He had, as he had already explained, then instigated their meeting with Julia. He was able to confirm that one man did not speak English well; the other, he said, was American. Adrian Summers looked very crumpled that morning and in need of a shave. Langton put him at ease, assuring him that they would probably be releasing him shortly, but needed to clarify a few things. He looked to Anna to begin.She opened her notebook. "You stated that you only ever visited the farm in Oxfordshire to deposit and then move the drugs.""Yes.""We have two witnesses who saw you on the eighteenth of March at the farmhouse. This would have been one month after you stated that you drove there and met Julius D'Anton. You've been lying, Mr. Summers. Now's the time to start telling the truth."Adrian swallowed, and asked for some water. Anna passed him a small bottle; his hands were shaking as he unscrewed the cap."You stated that you did not know this man." Langton put Donny Petrozzo's photograph in front of him Adrian's chest heaved, as if he was short of breath."You see, Adrian, since last night, we've been able to really look at the charges leveled against you. You are in very serious trouble." "I didn't do anything!" "Then you should be in the clear—but right now I am about to up the ante, and charge you with murder." "No, that's not right!""Isn't it? Then try explaining to us why you lied. Is it connected to this man?"Adrian took a deep breath; then, after a moment, he touched the photograph of Donny Petrozzo."Take a look at how we found his body, Adrian." Langton slapped down the pictures of the body in the back of the Mitsubishi."Oh shit. This isn't right. I swear before God, I didn't have anything to do with that man." "But you did meet him?"Again, Adrian hesitated and sipped more water." I was on the boat and I got a call. He said he was injured and needed me to help him out."Langton started to write, then looked up. "Who called you?"