Jane raised her glass and took a sip. How could she even begin to explain about the tragic murder of Shirley Dawson, or the forthcoming trial of Peter Allard? To tell him about the time spent in and around the sex shops and strip joints of Soho, or even the interaction with the beautiful Janet Brown? It was all so far removed from the warmth and normality of being at home with her family.
They sat down together and enjoyed the main course but her mother was in a state of anxiety as the toffee crisp on top of her crème brûlée had hardened like cement and her father was worried he’d break the denture plate in his mouth.
‘I must have used too much sugar; it’s not that bad is it, Jane?’ her mother asked.
‘No, it’s fine,’ she said with clenched teeth.
‘It’s supposed to just crack when you tap it with a spoon.’
‘You should have used a hammer!’ her father said.
This made Jane smile, and as they were trying to chew through the very hard topping, all three of them suddenly started laughing.
‘It’s so good to be home,’ Jane said, feeling emotional.
Her father screwed up his face again as he chewed and then swallowed.
‘Well, it’s perfect for us to have you safe and sound, because we miss you.’
The phone suddenly started ringing in the hallway. Mr Tennison stood up and went to answer it. A moment later he called out to Jane.
‘It’s for you, Jane.’
‘For me?’ she asked, surprised. She walked over and took the receiver from her father.
‘Hello?’ she said into the mouthpiece.
‘Jane, it’s me, Spence. I’m in a callbox at the end of your road… I need to see you. Can you come and meet me?’
Jane laughed. ‘Are you asking me out on a date, Spence?’
‘No… we’ve got a nightmare on our hands, Jane. Peter Allard’s been released.’
‘Give me five minutes, all right?’
Jane didn’t want to show her parents how disturbed she was by Gibbs’s phone call.
‘I’m sorry, but I have to go in to the station. There’s some confusion about one of my reports.’
‘Oh, don’t you have time for a coffee?’ her mother asked.
‘No, Mum, I’m sorry but if I can I’ll come back later.’
She walked down to the end of the road and found Gibbs standing beside a patrol car parked next to the callbox.
‘Is this a joke, Spence?’
‘No, it’s deadly serious. Moran is going crazy. Apparently Marie got a call from him from the prison, and even though she was warned not to mention anything or refer to the present inquiry about Susie Luna, she told Allard she wanted a divorce, that she knew about Angie.’
‘What?’
‘Yeah, her idea of revenge, but the stupid bitch has really screwed up because he’s fucking got compassionate bail until his trial.’
‘I don’t believe it, not after what we uncovered about his connection to Susie Luna.’
‘You don’t understand, Jane… that’s an entirely separate investigation, and if they find a body they can arrest him straight after the trial.’
‘But you’re not even working on Allard’s case. What do you want me to do?’
‘I know I’m bloody not, but Moran wants protection for Janet Brown. He contacted me because he knew that we had taken her to her mother-in-law’s flat at the council estate. So I need you to come with me to go back there again and get her into protective custody.’
When DI Moran found out, he was apoplectic with fury. He had only just returned from Maidstone where Scenes of Crime officers were waiting for permission to lift the paving stones from the small patio garden of the property that had been rented by Allard. They had run into a problem as the actual owner of the house had sublet it and they would require his permission to begin working. DC Edwards had also discovered that the garden had only been paved over during Allard’s occupation. They had no option but to wait for permission to start digging.
Moran’s blood pressure was going through the roof. He had contacted Detective Chief Superintendent Metcalf and wanted to update him on the Susie Luna case and he had agreed to come into the station, but he had to wait for over an hour.
‘Sir, all I was told when I was at Maidstone was that a trial date had been set for two weeks’ time. I’ve now been informed that they have released Peter Allard on compassionate grounds. They’ve just let a killer walk out, sir.’
Metcalf gestured for Moran to calm down.
‘I can’t do anything about that, because this is a very complex situation, Nick. I don’t want to have to underline this to you but it is the inconsistencies in Allard’s confession that have given the barristers and the judge the opportunity to release him. Apparently his wife wanted to divorce him and take his children and he begged to be given the opportunity to see her.’
‘Yes, I know that, sir, and I want her and their two children put into protective custody, because if he is on the loose God knows what he is going to do. And we now have a strong witness that has agreed to identify him with evidence on the rape charge and in my estimation he’s going to go after her.’
Metcalf flicked through the statements and notes.
‘The prostitute Janet Brown?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘She used the name “Angie”, among others, but he must now know she is a valuable witness if his wife told him she knew about her.’
Metcalf continued to read the reports as Moran waited impatiently.
‘This Susie Luna situation, you don’t have enough evidence. She was reported missing five years ago, and these accusations from an aggrieved wife are not enough. But if you want them protected, go ahead… and just keep your powder dry. I’ll leave you to handle it.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
Peter Allard, carrying a small overnight bag, stepped out of the prison gates. Unshaven and already over-anxious because of the wait he had been subjected to before he was released, he hurried to get to the nearest phone kiosk. He had only a small amount of change which had been taken from his pocket when he was brought in to the prison.
DC Edwards drove DI Moran in a patrol car to the Allards’ house. They parked up outside, and DC Ashton approached the car and opened the back passenger door.
‘He hasn’t shown yet, guv… We’ve got her and the kids in a safe house. When I told her he had been released, she was terrified. I thought she was going to collapse.’
‘This is bloody unbelievable, isn’t it? They let a killer out on the loose, they don’t tell his wife, and even I wasn’t told until this morning.’
‘We don’t yet know for sure if he is a killer.’
‘Yes, thank you, Edwards. Either way they’ve bloody released a man accused of indecent sexual assault, a man who’s also been told the name of the key witness in the case against him.’
‘How did Allard manage to get out?’ Ashton asked.
‘His confession was thrown out due to inconsistencies, and as he has been on remand for some time, and the only firmed-up evidence we’ve got is sexual assault, he was granted bail. He just needs to go back for his trial in two weeks. If he finds out that we’re on to him regarding the Susie Luna case, he’ll do a bloody runner. You go back to the station and keep in contact on the radio if you hear anything.’
‘Yes, sir, I’ll get the Underground then. I’ve been here since early this morning.’
‘Get back any way you can, go on, but stand by as we might need you, I’ve only got a handful of officers.’
Ashton, rather disgruntled, walked off down the road as he was also supposed to have the weekend off. He was tired out having been up all night with his new baby girl and his wife was exhausted. She would be really pissed off with him as he was now on standby at the station.