Entering the Peckham CID office, Jane couldn’t help but notice they were running out of space on the far end wall, which was now covered with crime scene and pathology photographs of the three victims, as well as other notes about the investigation. The civilian clerk told Jane that DCI Moran had said he wanted a full office meeting when she returned, adding that he was not in a good mood. They were no nearer to finding Aiden Lang, even though they’d had a slew of calls about possible sightings of him after the press release. The press was also hounding Moran, demanding constant updates on the state of the investigation, as were the top brass at the Yard.
Jane took a deep breath and made her way to the meeting room. She’d just taken her place with the rest of the team when a weary-looking Moran entered with DI Gibbs, who in contrast seemed to have a spring in his step and looked quite animated. Jane wondered if it was Tamara who made him so perky, or, as she’d previously suspected, Andrew Hastings’ wife, Jo. If it was the latter, she had a terrible feeling he was playing with fire.
Moran laboriously went over all the developments since the last team meeting: the connections among the three women, the suspected sexual abuse of Simon Matthews, and the fact that Aiden Lang’s fingerprints had been found in both Helen Matthews’ and Eileen Summers’ flats, which had been ransacked.
Moran took a gulp of coffee before continuing. ‘Obviously we can’t tell when Lang left his fingerprints in the women’s flats. In my opinion, it’s more likely he entered Eileen Summers’ flat after she was murdered. With respect to Helen Matthews, it could have been before she was murdered. It’s also possible she knew Lang, allowed him in her flat and he abused Simon, then when Helen found out he murdered her.’ He turned to Jane. ‘Have you spoken with social services about interviewing Simon Matthews?’
‘Not yet, sir. I was visiting a dentist Helen Matthews worked for this morning. I was going to ring social services after the meeting.’
‘It needs to be done and quickly, so get it sorted. Simon Matthews may know a lot more about Lang than we bloody well do right now. Did the dentist have any useful information?’
Jane briefed the team about her visit to the Harley Street clinic, but without mentioning that she’d seen DCS Blake.
‘Did you show Simmonds Lang’s mugshot?’
‘He didn’t recognize him.’ Jane paused to find her notes of what the receptionist had told her about the man who looked like Lang.
‘Has anyone got anything positive to tell me about Lang’s whereabouts?’ Moran asked, with an edge of sarcasm in his voice.
‘Yes, sir,’ Jane said. ‘I just need to find the page.’ As she flicked through her notebook, Moran continued.
‘I want you to organize house-to-house enquiries in the blocks of flats where Helen Matthews and Eileen Summers lived, Tennison.’ He looked at Edwards. ‘I want you to make enquiries about Lang in every gay bar in the West End.’
Edwards didn’t look happy. ‘Gays don’t like the Old Bill, so it’s hard to get anything out of them.’
‘Unless you pay for it, sweetie,’ a detective chipped in, mimicking oral sex with an up and down hand movement whilst pushing his cheek out with his tongue.
There was more laughter in the room. Jane was on the point of telling them to grow up when Moran exploded.
‘The lot of you cut the jokes and start taking this fucking investigation seriously! Someone out there must know where Lang is — he can’t just disappear off the face of the earth. I’ve checked with the passport office and he hasn’t got one, which means he must still be in the country.’
Jane raised her hand.
‘What?’ Moran snapped.
‘I didn’t get to finish telling you about my enquiries at the dental clinic.’
Jane heard someone mutter, ‘Here we go. Miss Marple is off again.’
Jane ignored the remark. ‘I showed the receptionist Lang’s photo. She told me she’d seen a man who looked like Lang standing outside the clinic. This was about a week or so ago, around six thirty p.m. and he was standing next to a car with another slightly older white man in the driver’s seat, who she didn’t get a good look at. The man who looked like Lang wore a jacket with the hood up, so she couldn’t see the color of his hair.’
‘It could be any Tom, Dick or Harry then,’ Moran said sourly.
Jane felt Moran was unfairly taking his frustrations out on her. ‘Maybe. But the receptionist also said the man in the coat had a tooth missing. From what Simmonds told me, it’s possible Helen Matthews attended the clinic that evening with Simon.’
Jane felt vindicated as this new information brought silence to the room as everybody focused their attention on her.
‘Which tooth was missing?’ Moran asked.
It dawned on Jane the receptionist pointed to the right side of her mouth and Lang’s missing tooth was supposedly on the left. She began to wish she’d spoken in private with Moran, but realized she had to be honest about what happened at the clinic.
‘I’ve just realized the receptionist indicated the missing tooth was on the upper right side of his jaw,’ she admitted in a disconsolate tone.
There were a few sighs around the room and some officers shook their heads, which only made her feel worse, but then she remembered something she had come across many times when taking statements from a witness.
‘But it’s not uncommon for witnesses to mix up left and right when face-on to a suspect, and I believe that could be a possibility here. I don’t think we should rule out Lang as the person the receptionist saw.’
Gibbs nodded in agreement. ‘I was once at a PM with Prof Martin when he referred to the left hand as the right until DS Lawrence corrected him.’
‘I read in the news once about a man who had the wrong limb amputated because a doctor made the left/right error,’ Edwards chipped in.
Moran seemed pleased. ‘Any other revelations you’d like to share with us?’
‘It could be the man in the car was an accomplice who was involved in the murders,’ Jane said.
There were murmurs of disagreement around the room.
Moran shook his head. ‘Every piece of forensic evidence we have points to one killer. Professor Martin said all Hastings’ stab wounds were from the same weapon, plus Summers and Matthews were strangled with the same type of cord.’
Jane persisted. ‘I’m just suggesting two killers is a possibility we should consider. From what we know of Lang, he’s quite slight. Moving two bodies in one evening would have been hard work on his own.’
‘Stop muddying the water, Tennison,’ Gibbs said a little harshly. ‘Summers’ body was in his bloody hostel room.’
‘You also seem to be forgetting Lang’s fingerprints are all over Summers’ and Matthews’ flats, and jewelry was stolen,’ Moran added.
She looked at Gibbs. ‘You said Lang was gay. If that’s right, then maybe an accomplice raped Helen Matthews and Eileen Summers.’
‘Maybe Lang swings both ways.’ Gibbs shrugged.
Moran vented his frustration on Jane. ‘Maybe I should do a new press release and say: “Sorry, I screwed up, as one of my less experienced detectives thinks I’m wrong and there are two maniacs on the loose.” Let me assure you, Tennison, I’ve already considered that Lang may have had an accomplice, but you tell me one bit of hard evidence that supports that theory.’
Gibbs, fearing Jane was digging a hole for herself, changed the subject. ‘The workload is mounting up, sir. Is there any chance of extra staff on the team?’