‘Whereabouts in the States did you go?’
Her hand felt clammy, from holding the receiver too tightly. ‘It’s very late, Alan; I’m just going to bed.’
‘Late?’ he said, teasingly. ‘It’s only ten o’clock.’
‘I know, but I’m very tired. What do you want?’
‘I’ve got tickets for the ballet again. You said you liked the ballet, so when I was given them, I immediately thought of you. It’s Giselle.’
‘Oh. When are the tickets for?’
‘This Thursday, at Covent Garden. Are you free?’
‘Can I get back to you, Alan? Just in case I’m on night duty. I haven’t got my schedule yet.’
‘Well, don’t leave it too long.’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight, Anna.’
She took slow, deep breaths and slipped her hand beneath the pillow to touch her father’s letter”. It had been written to comfort her mother, but it now calmed her. She climbed out of bed and checked the windows, then bolted the front door. As she did so, she had a flashback to her childhood home. There were a number of locks on their front and back door, window locks, security alarms. Had someone frightened her mother? Was that why she had been so cautious all her life?
Anna became certain that something had invaded her family home. The ‘animal’ her father had described had made her mother a prisoner. As she recalled her day-to-day interactions with her parents, Anna realized that her mother hardly ever left the house; never on her own and only occasionally with her husband. It was Anna’s father who came to the gymkhanas. Always him. She turned to look at his picture. For a second, she had forgotten that she had taken it from its frame because she thought it had been touched by strange hands inside her house.
Remembering, she felt no fear; in fact the reverse. She was angry that she had allowed Alan Daniels to unnerve her not once, but twice. If he had some sick plan to frighten and stalk her, then he had chosen the wrong target.
‘I’ve asked my neighbours,’ Anna said. ‘No one saw anyone loitering around the block of flats, the garage, or on my floor.’
Langton nodded, lips pursed.
‘I could be mistaken, but I thought we should have it dusted for fingerprints just in case.’
He rocked back in his chair. Anna was wearing a new shirt, tight black skirt and new shoes. The plastic bag containing the picture frame was on her knee. She looked good; he knew he didn’t. But she also seemed different, more positive.
‘So you’re agreeing to go out with him?’
‘Yes. I think we should grab at anything we can.’
‘Well, as long as he doesn’t make a grab at you.’
‘I can deal with him,’ she said. ‘Of course, I’d be wired and I could — could I?’ — she hesitated — ‘Could I have a small hidden camera?’
He laughed. ‘Travis, with such a high-profile case, I don’t see why the Met wouldn’t get you an entire film crew!’
She looked momentarily confused.
Langton’s face became serious. ‘There can be no camera, no wire. It would be too dangerous for you if he realized he was being monitored. Also, we can’t make this look like entrapment. If we filmed him, it couldn’t be used in a court; likewise any tapes we made. It sounds good, but it only works in films, not real life. Speaking of which, you have to be very careful, Anna. You must not place yourself in any danger. No going back to his place, do you hear me? Keep it out in the open.’
She passed him the photo frame. ‘I’ll get his prints when we’re at the ballet.’
He shook his head. ‘No, you won’t. You’ve been watching too much Murder, She Wrote. Just leave that bit to us.’ Lewis tapped on the door and came straight in. He said their profiler had watched Alan Daniels’s interview three times and was ready to discuss it.
The remainder of the team had gathered in the incident room. The room fell silent, as Michael Parks moved slowly from one victim’s photograph to the next, before turning to face his audience.
‘I could be wrong. My earliest impression was that we were dealing with a psychopath. If you’ve got the right suspect, the killer is not a serial psychopath. After watching him on the video, I am convinced that Alan Daniels is a sociopath. It’s not much different clinically and it’s a no less dangerous breed, but in my experience, sociopaths are by far more cunning, intelligent and personable than psychopaths. They also don’t experience fear. They are exceptionally dangerous because their destructiveness is not easily recognized and their talents often bring them admiration, unfortunately.’
Parks stood in front of the flip chart with a thick black felt-tip pen. ‘I say unfortunately, because sociopaths are intrinsically evil.’ He started to make a long list. ‘If a suspect has demonstrated these symptoms, then you can be pretty sure he is a sociopath.’
Parks wrote in large block print:
1. Is he self-centred and egocentric?
‘From watching the tape of the Chicago interview, I would say without doubt.’
2. Does he manipulate others by reading very quickly their vulnerabilities?
He tapped the page with his pen. ‘I would say yes. Did you notice that his interviewer was nervous? He put her at her ease by displaying shyness himself, letting her feel she was the one in control. Very quickly, he had her in the palm of his hand.’
3. Does he feel little guilt, shame or remorse? Is he capable of weaving a web of lies and deceit? Above all, does he feel impervious to discovery?
Langton met Anna’s eyes. They both knew this was correct. Parks now marked up number four.
4. Does he have a superficial charm: does he relate well with other people at a superficial level?
Parks tapped his pen again. ‘Your suspect is an actor. What better profession?’ Langton leaned forward, frowning. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. ‘Watch the videotape again,’ Parks went on. ‘Look at the way he uses his charm. Watch how he even manages to manipulate the audience.’ He turned back to the board.
5. Is he able to love? Or to demonstrate long-term loyalty? Can he feel normal human empathy? Can he possess deep affection for others?
‘A sociopath only pretends to have those feelings. I can assure you, they are false.’
Langton thought about how Alan Daniels had refused to use the word ‘mother’ and how he refused to acknowledge his foster mother. Anna found herself agreeing with everything the profiler said. It all fit Alan Daniels.
6. Does he have an attitude of superiority and an inflated arrogant self-appraisal?
‘Did you notice at the end of the interview, how he almost gives a royal wave, with that slight bow of his head?’
‘Fuck,’ muttered Langton. ‘I hadn’t picked that up at all.’
7. Does he use others? Is he a cheat? A liar? Does he lie for the pleasure of it, as well as for what he can get out of his lies?
Anna was writing furiously in her notebook.
8. Does he pursue instant gratification? Does he use others for his own self-aggrandizement?
Langton whispered to Anna, ‘Buys a new car every six months!’