The Red Dahlia

Langton made a show of looking at his watch. 'You took a long bloody bath.'

'I want to show you something.' She sat down. 'I've been logging onto some national heritage websites.' Anna told them about the over-helpful landlady, and then took a deep breath. 'Okay, there are four famous houses all built around the same period: Bucklebury Hall, Thatchery Manor, but the one that really interested me is called Harrington Hall. It's famous because of the amount of priest holes that have been discovered there; two in the past couple of years! They've found seven in all and they believe there could be more.'

Langton said nothing, peering into the bottom of a crisp packet. He blew into it and burst the bag, sending crumbs flying everywhere. 'Can you get to the point of this historical tour, Travis?'

'The previous owners of Mayerling Hall were direct descendants of the original owners. The son died in the war — I need to find out a bit more — but they also had a daughter, she got inside one of these chambers and died. Anyway, the family sold up, and Wickenham's father bought it in the sixties.'

'Look, thanks for the history lesson, Travis, but is this leading us anywhere?' Langton picked up another packet of crisps.

'Yes; well, I think it is, if you just let me finish.'

'Do you want a drink?' It was Lewis.

'No, thank you.'

'I'll have another scotch,' Langton said.

Lewis got up and headed to the bar. It was a real olde worlde pub, with very few customers.

'Bloody chip shop was closed,' Langton said, as he finished his crisps and crumpled the packet. 'Chinese was closing and wouldn't serve us.'

Anna took a deep breath. 'I don't think he left the house.'

Langton looked at her; before he could say anything, Lewis returned with their drinks.

'Say that again, Travis.'

'I said, I do not think Wickenham ever left the house.'

Langton tilted his glass in his hand.

'I think it would be impossible for him to have walked out the front door, picked up a paper suit wearing handcuffs—'

'Yes, yes, get on with it; we've discussed all this.'

'I think there could be another hiding place, one we didn't find. I mean, they found one that had not been discovered before; maybe there could be another one. If they are still finding these priest holes in the Harrington Hall mansion, why not at Wickenham's?'

Lewis looked at Langton as he downed his scotch.

'If he did have a hiding place, it would have to be somewhere between the hall, the old servants' staircase and the kitchen.'

'So, let me get this right: are you saying he is still in the house?'

Anna shrugged. 'I don't know, maybe; he could have escaped while the work was going on.'

'You think his daughters know?'

'Well, this is where I come unstuck, because as you rightly said, they're not acting as if they're scared he's around.' She trailed off. 'It was just a thought.'

Lewis stood up and yawned. 'I'm knackered.'

'Sit down,' Langton snapped. 'Okay, Travis: what if you are right?'

'Well, we have only focused on his daughters, but there is someone else in the house as welclass="underline" the old housekeeper. Her bedroom is above that old staircase. What if she is the one that knows where he is? Wickenham has money, but we have had no movement in any of his bank accounts; she told me she had savings, years of them. She has lived there for years, rent free, so she must have accrued a considerable amount of money. Maybe she helped him escape and gave him the money to do it?'

Anna kept talking as they crossed the road together. 'Justine said she got a call from Mrs Hedges. Remember, when she came over to the station to get her brother to sign documents to release Emily; could she have told her then?'

'Told her what exactly?'

'That it was safe, maybe? That their father would not be coming back? She keeps saying that we would never arrest him.'

Langton hooked his arm around her shoulders. 'Good on you, Travis; that little brain always ticking over.'

She shrugged away from him. 'What if I am right?'

'First thing tomorrow, we'll find out!'

'Why not start now?' Anna suggested. Langton gave her a lopsided smirk.

'Because after two packets of peanuts and Christ knows how many bloody crisps, I've had too much to drink to hardly walk straight!'

Chapter Twenty

Anna hated not having any toothpaste or cleanser, but washed her face and patted it dry. She would have no make-up for the morning either! Her clothes were crumpled, but she'd washed her knickers in the sink and left them over a radiator. She got into bed naked and pulled up the flannelette sheets; the pillowslip felt starched.

She could hear Lewis snoring in the room downstairs and Langton pacing up and down; everything Anna had said was going round and round in his head.

Anna couldn't sleep; the sheets made her itch. She got up and poured herself a glass of water from a decanter that resembled a specimen jar.

There was a light tap on her door.

After a moment, she heard Langton whisper, 'Are you awake? Anna? It's me.'

Anna hesitated, then wrapped the sheet around her and opened the door.

'I've just had a cold shower, they obviously turn off the hot water early.' He was wearing his shirt and a towel wrapped around his waist. 'Can I come in?'

She nodded and opened the door wider.

'Lewis sounds like a steam engine. I couldn't sleep.'

'Nor could I. I've got no drink; I can't offer you anything.'

'Can't you?'

'Oh, please.'

'Sorry, my attempt at a joke; obviously failed miserably.'

He sat on the edge of her bed; she sat in a chair by the window.

'So what do you want?' said Anna.

'Me?'

'Yes, you. Do you want to talk about the case?'

'I don't.'

'If you want me to go to bed with you, I don't think this is the right time or place.'

He patted the bedcover. 'Seems okay to me.'

'Well, not to me; for one, you've been drinking and for two, I just don't think…'

'Always thinking,' he interrupted. 'Do you ever do something without those brain cells working overtime?'

She turned away.

'Come here.' He held out his hand. 'For Chrissakes, Anna what do you want?'

'Listen, I am not someone who has a random one-night stand in a hotel.'

'But we've been to bed before.'

'You think I don't know that? I don't want to be just a convenient screw. Like you said, we've already been there.'

'Yeah I know; you didn't want it to go any further, so what's the big deal?'

'Maybe I want more.'

'Are you saying there is more?'

She shook her head. 'Why are you doing this to me?'

'Anna, what am I doing? I want to go to bed with you, hold you, make love to you.'

'Because Lewis is snoring and you can't sleep downstairs in his room?'

He got up and walked towards her. 'What if I was to tell you that for weeks, since we first started this case, I have wanted…'

She interrupted. 'You mean Professor Marshe didn't work out?'

'What?'

'Come on! You were all over her like a rash!'

'You mean you never sussed?'

'Sussed what?'

'She's gay. She's having a scene with the Commander.'

Anna was stunned; she said nothing.

'So, do we get into bed, or do I go back to Lewis and cuddle up next to him?'

Anna remained in her chair and he came closer.

'Anna, if you don't want to have sex, that's okay by me, I just want to hold you close.'

'Go back to your room. We both need to recharge our batteries and be ready for the morning.'