The Sentence Is Death

Horowitz and Hawthorne observe a police interview with Akira Anno at the Notting Hill Gate police station. DI Grunshaw and her assistant, Darren, conduct the interview, covering Anno’s background, career, and her marriages to Marcus Brandt and Adrian Lockwood.

Anno admits she poured wine over Richard in a restaurant but claims her threat to hit him with the bottle was a joke. She calls Richard a liar who intimidated her during her divorce from Adrian. For the night of the murder, she says she stayed alone at her cottage near Lyndhurst before traveling to Oxford. Under pressure, she names her dinner companion as her publisher, Dawn Adams. After the interview, Akira recognizes Horowitz, and she becomes enraged that he is writing a book about the case. She threatens to assault him and to bring legal action.

That afternoon, Horowitz and Hawthorne visit Adrian at his house in Edwardes Square, London. Adrian claims his business was struggling during his divorce, which is why the settlement to Akira was small. He suggests Akira had sources of income that she kept hidden during proceedings. He confirms he gave Richard the bottle of wine that became the murder weapon. It was a thank-you gift for Richard’s legal representation of Adrian.