‘What can you tell me about the young girl that was living with Mr Middleton?’
Mrs Delaney shrugged. ‘To be honest, I didn’t know she was living down there, but then I saw her a few times. I mean, it’s not against his lease, I don’t think. I haven’t seen the landlord here for years; I believe he owns properties all over London.’
‘What’s his name?’
Mrs Delaney tossed another peeled potato into a bowl of water. ‘William St Edwards. He’s got to be getting on in years... his lawyers handle everything.’
‘When you said that you had only seen Mr Middleton’s girlfriend a few times, can you tell me anything about her?’
‘There was an incident a few years back. Police came round — she had called them — but nothing came of it. In fact, they came a few times, but Rodney came up to see me and apologised. He said there had been an argument but it was just a misunderstanding.’
‘What did you make of Rodney?’
‘He was a hard one to make anything of, if you want my honest opinion. He was good about carrying all the bins up to the road, though. The bin men won’t go down to the basement now, and there’s no way I could do it, and Lionel has a bad chest... so I was very grateful that Rodney did it every week. You have to make sure you got the right bin out on the right collection day. In the old days coal used to be tipped into the coal hole at the side of the basement, but that was years ago now. And we no longer have a fire in here as it’s against the law.’
‘Did you talk to his girlfriend?’
‘I was a bit concerned about the coppers being called, so I went down to have a word with her one day after I saw him going out. I mean, I wasn’t scared of him. Like I said, he was always pleasant and helpful, but I’m the caretaker here and I need to know what’s what and if I should tell the lawyers there had been an altercation.’
‘I understand... and so you talked to her?’
‘Yes, she was a frail little thing, very nervous. She said it was all her fault because Rodney had met another girl, and she didn’t think it was right.’
‘Did you ever see another girl there?’
‘I didn’t, but Lionel did. He said he thought she was Jamaican like him, but I never saw her. The only other time I went down to check things out was because there had been a bad smell coming from outside their front door. I thought the drains might have been blocked. Rodney came out and said he had found rats, and he was getting some traps set in the coal hole.’
‘And did you find rats?’
Mrs Delaney shrugged her shoulders. ‘I wouldn’t go into the coal hole, but he told me he got rid of them and washed it down with bleach. From then on, he made sure there were traps set... you know, the boxes with poison in them? Some of the tenants put their food waste in the wrong bin... that’s what attracts the rats.’
‘Do you know anything about Rodney’s past?’
‘No, all I knew was that he was on benefits and didn’t seem to work or have a job of any kind. He told me once that he had a family tragedy that had made him ill and unable to work.’
‘Did you ever see him acting in an aggressive manner?’
‘No, but he’s very strong, lifting those bins up and down the basement stairs.’
‘Did you ever hear any arguments, or fights, from his flat?’
‘No, this is an old house with very thick walls. Like I said, I didn’t know anything when the coppers came round those few times. The last time they never even had to go inside his flat. He came out and they took him away in handcuffs. That night was the first time I had heard a ruckus going on because I was at the front door taking in an Amazon delivery. I keep telling them not to ring my bell as I don’t use Amazon, but the tenants up top are always getting deliveries and they leave them on the step. Round here that’s asking for trouble.’
‘This was the night Rodney was arrested?’
‘Yes. I heard her screaming, so I went down and banged on the door. Rodney comes out and I asked him what was going on. He told me she had burnt his dinner. He was very sorry about causing a problem and seemed really upset, so I just went back up the steps and before I got to the main front door he was heading out.’
‘This same night? What happened then?’
‘I’ve already told the copper exactly what I know. They had a blue light flashing on their police car and two of them was down in the basement. Rodney was outside his door, and they was arresting him, and I was told to get back inside.’
‘How long after you had seen him leaving did this happen?’
‘About three quarters of an hour, maybe less.’
‘Do you know when his girlfriend left?’
‘No, I just know the flat is empty now. As his rent is paid directly out of his benefits, I have no reason to go inside.’
‘So, who moves the bins now that he’s not living there?’
‘One of the other tenants agreed to do it, with Lionel.’
‘Was Rodney friendly with any of your other tenants?’
‘No, I don’t think so... kept himself very much to himself.’
‘But you have access to his flat?’
‘Yes, I have the keys for all the flats in case there’s an emergency, burst pipes or that kind of thing.’
‘In the past, have you ever had any need to go into the basement flat?’
‘No, Rodney was a very good tenant, and he didn’t like anyone being admitted without his permission.’
Jack was itching to enter the basement flat but knew he would be in trouble without a warrant. He intended to get one, and as Mrs Delaney had keys, the sooner the better.
On the way home, Jack decided to take a detour and stop off at Ridley’s. Jack had stayed there once, the night before his wedding, so he knew exactly where to go. He had been surprised about the dismal flat: the décor was all a dull cream, the furniture mostly G Plan, and the kitchen appeared to have hardly ever been used. He had slept in a cheerless box room with a small single bed.
He had also been moved when Ridley had told him that apart from his elderly mother he had no relatives, and he had also mentioned that should the cancer take over his life he would leave everything he had to Jack for his family. Jack had obviously been touched but then had joked about it; he said even if he was left the flat, it would be a hard one to sell as it hadn’t one single redeeming feature. Ridley laughed, explaining that he had at one time intended to smarten the place up, but as always work was his priority.
There weren’t any photographs or memorabilia around the flat and Jack had always found it difficult to draw any personal details from Ridley about his past, so it had been a surprise when Ridley, after a few glasses of whisky, appeared at the box room door.
‘I was close to getting married a long time ago,’ Ridley confided. ‘We had been childhood sweethearts, and I was never sure who broke whose heart, but I think it was her who broke mine because I’ve not had what I would describe as a loving relationship since. I envy you finding Maggie. You’re a very lucky man. Get a good night’s sleep, Jack. I’ll wake you in good time.’
Jack parked the car and headed up the path. He checked down the bells for the different flats. He recalled that Ridley had had no name plate, but he was sure it was on the second floor. Flat 2, however, seemed to belong to a TL Harvey. He rang the bell anyway, and a man answered who was clearly not Ridley. After a brief conversation, Jack dialled Maggie’s number.
Maggie answered Jack’s call sounding flustered. She was always concerned when he rang her at work, worrying that something had happened to him, but he quickly told her that he just wanted to ask her something.
‘Mags, I went to Ridley’s flat. You know, I spent the night before our wedding there, but I spoke to this bloke who told me he’s bought the flat more than six months ago, and he has no address for Ridley.’