Jane nodded. ‘I’d like to speak to your wife about the two men she saw in Blake Hall Road just after the robbery.’
‘We were discussing the two men she saw and I went over everything with her in detail — as a result she’s remembered something else that caught her eye.’
‘What was it?’
‘Best Rita tells you herself, Sergeant Tennison. It would only be hearsay evidence coming from me.’ He stood back to let her in. ‘I used to be in the police myself, you know,’ he added proudly.
‘In the Met?’
‘No, the Royal Parks Keepers, which became known as the Royal Parks Constabulary in 1974. We trained alongside regular police officers, though, and wore a uniform. We had full powers of arrest and could instigate criminal proceedings for offences committed in the Royal Parks.’
He helped Jane out of her raincoat and hung it up on the hallway coat rack.
‘Are you still serving?’ she asked.
‘I did twenty years, then had to retire after a serious injury on duty. I’m a security guard manager on a big building site now.’
Jane noticed his limp as she followed him to the living room.
‘How did you injure yourself?’
He stopped and turned around before they reached the living room, then started speaking in a formal tone, almost as if he was giving evidence in court.
‘I was night patrol in St. James’s Park when I heard a load of quacking at two a.m. I instinctively knew the ducks were distressed and went to investigate, only to discover a man thieving the ducks. On seeing me he started to run, carrying a sack full of ducks in his right hand and one by the neck in his left. I had a flashlight, but it died on me and there was no moon or park lights, so it was really hard to see. The next thing I knew I ran into a low metal fence, fell over and smashed my right knee to bits on the pavement — it left me with a gammy leg ever since.’
‘Unfortunate way to end your career.’ Jane was trying not to laugh.
‘I got an ill-health pension and a commendation certificate for the suspect’s arrest and saving the ducks,’ he said, beaming.
‘You did well to arrest him with a smashed kneecap.’
‘Thank you, but as luck would have it he fell over the same fence and knocked himself out. He was a little Chinaman and wanted to sell the ducks to a Chinky restaurant in Soho for crispy duck pancakes.’
He sighed, and Jane found it even harder to keep a straight face.
The living room was the same shape and size as the Clarkes’, with similar decor, but not as bright. Rita Brown was sitting on a brown sofa eating a plate of ham, egg and chips covered in HP Sauce. Peter explained the purpose of Jane’s visit and offered her a seat. His own half-eaten tea was on a tray resting precariously on the edge of the armchair. A small Yorkshire terrier was standing on its hind legs with its paws on the armchair, sniffing at the food.
‘Get away, Spud!’ Peter ordered, and the terrier instantly lay down in front of the electric fire.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your meal. I can come back a bit later if you like,’ Jane offered.
Rita patted the sofa. ‘No, we’ve nearly finished — and there’s some ham left if you’d like a sandwich.’
‘I’m fine, thanks.’
Jane sat on the sofa, opened the house-to-house folder and got out the form.
‘Do you think the two men I saw were involved in the robbery?’
Rita handed her plate to her husband, who used his fork to push what was left onto his plate.
‘We don’t know for certain yet, but it’s possible. Your husband just mentioned you saw something else of interest.’
She nodded. ‘When I spoke to the sergeant, he told me about the armed robbery in Leytonstone and that a possible getaway car had been set alight in one of the garages, which I didn’t know about at the time I saw the two men in Blake Hall Road.’
Jane instantly realized the significance of the timing between her seeing the two men and the fire.
‘Did you see or smell any smoke when you returned to your flat after your shopping trip?’
‘No, not a thing, until I heard the fire engines. I went outside, and the firemen were putting out the garage fire. I asked a PC who was with them what was happening, and he advised it was best I return to my flat as inhaling the smoke wouldn’t be good for me.’
‘How long after you got home was it you heard the fire engines?’
‘A matter of minutes, but it wasn’t until I was discussing what happened with my husband that I remembered about the other two men I saw. Being a former Royal Parks Keeper, he went over everything with me in detail and he thinks these men might be involved as well.’
‘I was going to phone the station after tea, but now you’re here you can hear it from the horse’s mouth... so to speak.’
Peter put his food tray on the floor next to his armchair. Spud jumped up and started licking up the scraps of food. Jane knew there were four men who robbed the bank, but there was a strong possibility that after dumping the car they’d split up. She got out her pocket notebook and pen.
‘Can you tell me about these other two men, please? Firstly when and where you saw them.’
‘Well, I’d just got back to the flat and put the shopping in the kitchen when Spud started scratching at the door, so I knew he was bursting for a tinkle. I took him out on the lawn at the front of the flats. He was lifting his leg when I heard something behind me. I turned around and saw two men walking and talking quietly together.’
‘Rita told me she couldn’t make out what they were saying,’ Peter added. ‘But they stopped talking when she turned around, which is rather suspicious.’
‘Did you see where they came from?’
Rita shook her head. ‘No, but they were walking away from the estate towards Blake Hall Road.’
Peter sat up. ‘They could have come out of the flats at the far end of the estate if they’d been visiting someone, I suppose, but remember the garages are at the back of those end flats.’
Jane knew perfectly where the garages were and wished he’d shut up and let his wife speak, but managed to hide her irritation.
‘She didn’t get a good look at them, did you, luv?’ Peter prompted.
‘Not really — it was only a quick glimpse as Spud started yapping and chasing a squirrel, so I had to go after him and didn’t see them again.’
‘I need as much detail as you can recall about them, please, starting with their height?’ Jane asked, eager to get the details down in her pocket notebook. ‘Sometimes it helps to close your eyes, take your time and think about the moment you saw them.’
As Rita closed her eyes Jane could see her husband was about to say something. She politely put a finger to her lips and he reluctantly sat back in his chair.
Rita opened her eyes. ‘The man nearest me was just a bit taller than my husband and the other one was about this much taller.’ She held up two fingers, about eight inches apart.
Peter couldn’t help himself. ‘I’m five foot eight, which would make the taller man Rita saw six foot two or so.’
Jane smiled tightly as she wrote the men’s heights in her pocket notebook.
‘How old do you think they were?’
‘The shorter man was maybe in his mid-forties and the taller one quite a bit younger.’
Peter sat up and leaned towards his wife. ‘How much younger, luv?’
‘Eight, ten years, maybe.’
‘What about their clothing?’ Jane asked quickly, to stop Peter calculating their likely ages.
‘The tall man had on a dark blue waist-length jacket and the smaller one was wearing a long black raincoat. I’m sorry, but I can’t remember much about their trousers or shoes other than they were a dark color as well.’