‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Brown, you’re doing really well. This is all very helpful for the investigation.’
‘You forgot to tell her about the newsboy!’
Peter stood up and limped off into the hallway.
‘Was someone delivering papers at the time?’ Jane asked, wondering if there was another potential witness she could speak to.
Rita laughed. ‘No, it’s what the smaller man was wearing. Peter’s got one just like it.’
Peter quickly returned with a black cloth cap, which he handed to Jane. Jane remembered that Kingston had spoken to Fiona Simpson, who’d said the driver of the getaway car was wearing a gray cloth cap.
‘Was it black like this one?’
Rita shook her head. ‘No, it was gray.’
Peter took the cap from Jane.
‘This isn’t a flat cap, it’s called a newsboy cap. They both have the same overall shape and stiff peak in front, but the newsboy is rounder and made up of six or eight triangle-style panels with a cloth button on top.’
He pointed out the differences to Jane as he spoke.
‘And you’re sure it was a cap like this?’ she asked Rita.
‘Yes, Peter’s got some other style flat caps as well, that’s how I know the difference.’
‘This is really helpful, Mrs. Brown. Is there anything you can remember about the smaller man’s facial features?’
‘No, like I said I only got a quick look at them, but I think the taller man had dark blond or brown hair.’
‘How long was it?’
‘Above his jacket collar, I think.’
Jane told Rita she’d like to go over the details of the men she saw in Blake Hall Road when she got off the bus, then read out what the uniform sergeant had written on the house-to-house form.
‘You were on the opposite side of the road and only saw them from behind. They were both white men, about five foot eight to five foot ten in height, one had dark hair and the other lighter colored hair. Both were smartly dressed in casual clothes and the one who had a green jacket was carrying a black duffle bag.’
Rita agreed that what the sergeant had written was correct.
‘The one with the duffle bag, can you describe his clothing in any more detail?’
Rita thought about it before answering. ‘His jacket was thigh-length and dark green, like the ones posh people wear, and his trousers were gray.’
‘When you say like posh people wear — what do you mean, exactly?’
‘Like the ones that Audrey Forbes-Hamilton and Richard DeVere wear in that TV show.’
Peter sighed. ‘She’s talking about To the Manor Born with Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles.’
Jane had watched the comedy show a couple of times.
‘Do you mean a green waxed Barbour jacket?’
‘Yes, that’s what they call them — Prince Philip and Charles wear them as well.’
‘You also told the sergeant that you thought one of them was smoking a cigar — how sure are you of that?’
‘It was definitely a cigar,’ she replied without hesitation. ‘I saw the thick smoke and could smell it when I crossed the road from the bus stop.’
‘Did you actually see either of them holding a cigar?’
‘No, but when I worked as a secretary my boss smoked cigars, so I know the smell.’
‘Can you describe the other man’s clothing?’
‘His jacket was black and waist-length, and his trousers were the same color. You certainly ask a lot more questions than your uniform colleague,’ she remarked.
‘That’s why she’s a detective, dear,’ Peter said, nodding sagely.
‘Did you tell the uniform sergeant what you’ve just told me?’ Jane asked, wondering why he hadn’t written it down on the form.
‘He never asked and said he had a lot of flats to visit, then left.’
Jane wasn’t surprised about the sergeant’s behavior, having experienced his lousy attitude for herself.
‘Did you happen to notice if there was anyone else in Blake Hall Road at the time?’
‘I know the postman was. I saw him come from Felstead Road and walk past the two men towards the estate. I stopped to wait for him and asked if he had anything for number 14, but he didn’t.’
‘Did you see where the two men went while you were waiting for the postman?’
‘Into Felstead Road, but since you’ve made me think about everything in detail, I’ve a feeling I might have seen them again.’
‘Where and when was that?’
‘While I was talking to the postman.’
She wondered if Rita was getting confused.
‘You saw them twice in Blake Hall Road?’
‘Well, I think it was them.’
‘Did they still have the black duffle bag?’
‘I don’t know, but it might have been in the car.’
‘So, you saw them in a car?’
‘Yes, but only briefly. It was a fancy sports car — it caught my eye as it came up the street and went past me.’
‘What makes you think the two men were in it?’
‘The man driving was wearing the same green butcher jacket and there was a man in the passenger seat.’
Peter sighed. ‘Sergeant Tennison already told you it’s a Barbour jacket.’
‘Did you get a better look at their faces this time?’
‘No, they went past quite quickly, and it was the car that caught my eye, not them.’
‘Can you describe the make and color of the car?’
‘I don’t know much about cars, but it only had one door on the driver’s side and was gold.’
‘Close your eyes again and think hard, Mrs. Brown,’ Jane encouraged her.
She opened her eyes after a few seconds. ‘It had one of them black cloth roofs that you can put down in the summer and a big upside-down silver Y in a circle on the front grille bit.’
‘Sounds like a Mercedes 450SL convertible,’ Peter said.
Jane didn’t know much about cars herself, though having heard Peter suggest it was a Mercedes, the ‘upside down silver Y’ now made sense. To be sure she asked Rita to draw the emblem exactly as she remembered.
‘What about the registration plate on the car? Can you recall any of the letters or numbers?’
‘I’m sorry, I can’t.’
‘There’s no need to apologize, you’ve given us a lot of information already. Do you know if the postman saw the car?’
‘He might have done when it went past, but he had his back to it as it came up the road.’
Jane asked Rita if there was anything else she could remember, but Rita was certain she’d told her everything.
‘Will you be getting Rita to help with an artist’s impression of the men?’ Peter asked.
‘I’d have to ask my DI first. Mrs. Brown didn’t get a good look at their faces, so an artist’s impression may not help much.’ She looked at Rita. ‘What you have told me could be crucial to the investigation. The men you saw may, or may not, have been involved in the robbery, but either way we need to trace and interview them. If you think you see them again, on or off the estate, don’t approach them. Just dial 999, say it’s about the bank robbery, and uniform officers will attend and deal with them.’
Peter accompanied Jane to the front door and held her coat open while she put it on.
‘Rita did well, didn’t she?’
‘Yes, she did, and you going over everything with her again before I got here certainly helped.’
‘I like to think I can still do my bit for Queen and country. You know, I’d love to have been a detective like you — it must be so much more interesting than pounding the beat.’
‘Well, it’s each to their own, and uniform work is very rewarding as well. Do the Parks Police have a central CID?’
‘We didn’t have a CID at all. If anything major happened the local Met detectives dealt with it.’
Jane wondered if Peter regretted not applying for the Met, but thought it was probably just as well he hadn’t. She thanked him again for his help and left.