‘Didn’t the dentist kill himself before he stood trial?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’
‘So technically he was never proven guilty of any crimes.’
‘Correct, but it was definitely him and there were certainly no more murders after his death.’
Murphy looked skeptical. ‘You may be a competent murder investigator — but have you ever arrested anyone for robbery?’
‘Yes, a few times when I worked at Peckham and Hackney.’
‘Street muggers, no doubt?’ He smirked.
‘Yes, but some of them used knives in the commission of the crimes.’
‘Were they pavement arrests or a result of your investigations?’
‘One was pavement during a team operation and the others were through good detective work.’
‘Flying Squad officers are renowned for their knowledge of the underworld and cultivating informants within it. “Snouts” are the jewel in the crown of our intelligence operations. Do you have any registered informants?’
‘No, sir, but I have been given information by people I have arrested, which has led to further arrests, convictions and the recovery of stolen property.’
‘How many years’ service have you got?’
‘Just over six and a half.’
‘And as a DS?’
‘Just over a year.’
Murphy toyed with his glass for a moment.
‘Apart from DC Baxter, who was also a police cadet, there’s none of my team with less than ten years in the job. On top of that, Stanley has six years as a DS and the sergeant you replaced had been a DS for fifteen years. All of them are seasoned detectives... unlike you.’ He said the last word as if it left a nasty taste in his mouth.
Jane felt she was standing up for herself well but couldn’t help being a bit intimidated by his dismissal of her police record. Even though Murphy would have had to agree to her joining the Rigg Approach team, it was abundantly clear he thought she shouldn’t be on the Flying Squad and she wanted to know why.
‘I went through the selection process like everyone else who applied for the squad. There were many officers with more service than me who didn’t get selected. I was successful because of my abilities as a detective — not my length of service.’
He laughed dismissively, shaking his head.
Jane fought to control her anger.
‘If you don’t want me here, sir, why did you allow me to join your team?’
‘I don’t think you’d like the answer. Besides, you’re on the squad now so it doesn’t matter anyway.’
He took a sip of his whisky and a long drag on his cigarette.
But Jane was determined to get a straight answer.
‘Being frank and honest matters to me, sir. As a female officer I’ve put up with more than my fair share of insults and male chauvinism during my six years’ police service, so let me assure you, I’m not easily offended.’
He leaned forward and looked her in the eye.
‘I don’t doubt that, but do I have your word that what I say goes no further than this room?’
‘I’m not one to complain about fellow officers, so if that’s what you want, then yes, I won’t say a word to anyone.’
‘I don’t have anything against you as a person, Tennison, and from what I was told you are a very competent divisional detective, but the truth is your appointment to the Flying Squad is nothing more than an experiment, which I personally disagreed with, but to no avail.’
He leaned back in his chair to let her digest what he’d said.
She was surprised. ‘What do you mean, I’m an experiment?’
‘Have you heard of Commander Kenneth Drury?’
‘Yes, he was a former head of the Flying Squad, who was found guilty of corruption a few years ago.’
She wondered what on earth that had to do with her.
‘Several other officers were also arrested and convicted for taking bribes — a couple were from the Flying Squad, but the majority were from Obscene Publications and the Porn Squad. Have you heard of Operation Countryman?’
Jane nodded. ‘Yes, it’s an investigation by two county forces into police corruption in London. They recently arrested and interviewed some Flying Squad officers—’
He looked annoyed. ‘None of them were on my squad, and not one of the officers arrested has been charged with any offences. The fact is the whole Countryman investigation is a bloody farce, based on the uncorroborated word of a career criminal who has it in for the Flying Squad because he was caught committing armed robbery. The two county forces investigating are on a fucking crusade to find some dirt on the squad — and it’s pissing me off.’
He paused to light a cigarette.
Jane could understand Murphy not being happy about Countryman, but he seemed to be protesting a bit too much. It made her wonder if he knew, or suspected, Countryman were investigating members of his team.
‘I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t see what Operation Countryman has to do with me being an experiment.’
He inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out in Jane’s direction.
‘Some idiot in the Commissioner’s inner circle persuaded him having a woman on the squad might be a calming influence and make the men think twice before giving a suspect a slap, fitting them up, or taking a bribe. The Commissioner decided a sergeant would be better as they have the authority of rank as well. Out of the sixteen WDSs in the Met, you were the only one who applied to join the squad when my DS got a promotion.’
Jane tried to hide her shock. For a moment she wondered if he was making it up just to belittle her, but from the way he spoke it sounded true. She presumed Murphy had goaded her into demanding the truth, so she’d know the ‘experiment’ was not his idea.
‘Have you told me this in the hope that I’ll resign from the squad?’
He shrugged. ‘No, not at all. You asked me to tell you the truth, so I did. Personally I don’t think it’s fair on you to be put in a position where you will be out of your depth — but as I said, my hands were tied by the top brass.’
‘Is that why no one on the team knew I was starting today?’
‘Partly, but I can assure you none of them know the real reason you’re here. If I’d told them before you started there would have been uproar and I’d have had a barrage of questions wanting to know why. I probably still will, especially from the Colonel.’
Jane remembered Kingston asking her if she was Tennison when she first met him on the stairs that morning.
‘Does DI Kingston know about me being an experiment?’
‘Yes, but he’s the only one besides me. He believes what’s done is done, therefore we should accept it and move on.’
‘What will you tell the rest of the team if they ask why I was accepted for the squad?’
‘I know you’d like me to say it was on merit, but they’ll smell a rat as soon as they find out your length of service. They’ve got women in traffic patrol now, mounted branch also and in the dog section as handlers, so I’ll say the Metropolitan Women Police Association made a complaint to the Commissioner that none of the central squads had any females on it and—’
She shook her head in disbelief. ‘Thinking they have a token female in the office should fill them with bags of confidence about my detective abilities and leadership skills. It’s not much better than telling them I’m an experiment!’
‘Don’t get me wrong, Tennison. I don’t have a problem with woman police officers in the CID, and I appreciate they can often resolve a difficult situation with the least possible upset or confrontation — but that’s not a lot of use when a violent criminal is pointing a gun at you, is it?’
‘I won’t know until it happens — will I?’ she said, making it clear that she was staying put.
‘It won’t happen, because you won’t be on the front line during a pavement ambush.’