‘That’s OK, she’ll have no problem with police officers knowing.’
‘Why doesn’t Rachel like to tell people she can lip-read?’
‘She reckons the big advantage of people not knowing is it allows her to judge their personalities when they realize she is deaf.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘She can lip-read their rude comments about her deafness.’
‘I bet she feels like giving them a piece of her mind when that happens.’
Emma frowned. ‘She would if she could, but she can’t speak.’
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—’
‘It’s not your fault. Life would be easier for the deaf if more people learned to use sign language. That’s the way Rachel and I mostly communicate, apart from leaving little notes for each other — especially after we’ve had an argument.’
‘What did you tell the uniform sergeant when you spoke to him yesterday?’
‘I spoke to him on Tuesday evening after work.’
‘Are you sure about that? The information sheet I was given said you were at the station yesterday evening.’
Emma shook her head. ‘I know it was Tuesday evening. Rachel told me about the men in the cafe on Monday evening after I got home from work.’
‘What exactly happened at the station?’
‘Rachel didn’t want to go in and waited outside. The sergeant at the front counter asked how he could help me. I told him my sister was in a cafe on Bruce Grove on Monday morning and saw two men talking and she thought it was about robbing a van. He asked what I meant by “saw” and I told him she was deaf. He gave me a funny look and said there was no CID on duty who dealt with robberies.’
Jane knew there would have been at least two detectives minimum on late turn CID duties, but what annoyed her even more was the fact that the information sheet had nothing on it about Rachel being deaf or a van being robbed.
‘Did you tell him Rachel could lip-read?’
‘I was about to, but his desk phone rang, and he said he had to answer it. He handed me a police notepad and pen and said to write down my name and address, which I did while he was on the phone.’
‘And he didn’t speak to you in more detail after he finished his phone call?’
‘No, he just picked up the notepad and said he’d pass the information on to CID and they would get in touch with me, and then he just walked off, so I left.’
Jane was infuriated by the duty sergeant’s attitude. He could have got someone from the CID office in the station to speak to her, but clearly couldn’t be bothered and had just sat on it. She wondered if he’d then heard about the robbery on the security van in Leytonstone on Thursday, and decided to pass Emma’s information on to cover his back in case it was connected. He’d either lied about the date Emma attended the station when he spoke to Katie, or deliberately didn’t mention it and Katie had just assumed it was the same evening as the robbery.
‘Can you tell me the name and address of the cafe and what time Rachel was in on Monday?’ Jane asked, ready to write the details down.
‘It’s called the Bluebird and it’s in Bruce Grove, near the Royal Mail sorting office where she works.’
‘And what did the men say to each other about robbing a van?’
‘Rachel could only lip-read what one of them was saying as the other man was sitting with his back to her. She has a very retentive memory, but I can’t remember everything she told me in detail now. When we discussed it that evening, she wrote everything down in a notebook she always carries with her in case she needs to have a conversation with someone who can’t sign.’
‘Did Rachel write down a description of the men?’
‘I don’t think so. She said she often sees them in there, but she doesn’t like to sit near them.’
‘Why is that?’
‘Because one of them smokes a big stinky cigar and it puts her off her food.’
Jane tried not to get too excited, knowing that what Emma was saying was merely second-hand information.
‘Did Rachel think these men were planning a robbery or had already committed one?’
‘From what she told me it sounded like they were planning one.’
‘What exactly did Rachel say that made you think that?’
‘She said the one whose lips she could see was moving things round the table and talking as if they represented people and a van. She also thought he said the word “robbed”.’
Trying to play devil’s advocate, Jane wondered if the man could have been saying the name Rob instead of ‘robbery,’ but the details were definitely beginning to mount up, particularly as the getaway car had been stolen in Tottenham.
‘Did Rachel say anything else about these two men?’
Emma thought about it. ‘She said they looked similar.’
Jane nodded. ‘Anything else?’
‘She thought one of them might be connected to the snooker or bingo hall in Bruce Grove.’
‘Are they next door to each other?’
‘No, they’re in one building, which was originally a cinema. They converted the downstairs for bingo and the upstairs for snooker.’
‘Why did she think one of the men was connected to the premises?’
‘You can see the building from the cafe and Rachel said she’d seen him coming and going from there when she was in the cafe.’
‘What hours does Rachel work in the sorting office?’
‘Six a.m. to two p.m.’
Jane looked at her watch and saw it was 1:15 p.m.
‘What Rachel lip-read on Monday could be connected to a robbery I’m investigating.’
Emma looked worried. ‘Do you think the men Rachel saw in the cafe are the robbers?’
‘It’s possible, but I can’t be certain until I speak to her in detail about what she was able to lip-read at the time. My car is parked up near the sorting office. If you are agreeable, we could meet Rachel outside and go to Tottenham Police Station, where I can speak to her in private and you could do the sign language for us. Would you be happy to do that?’
Emma nodded but she looked apprehensive. ‘OK... if Mr. Dobbs will let me go early.’
‘I’m sure he will, and I’ll stick to the verbal abuse and kids throwing food story for now. Do you think Rachel would be willing to make an official statement and attend an identity parade if necessary?’
‘I don’t know. She wasn’t sure about me going to the police. She was worried they would find out who she was and where she works due to her Post Office uniform. That’s why she wouldn’t come into the station with me. I told her they could be planning a robbery and the right thing to do was tell the police. If she hadn’t agreed I wouldn’t have gone to the station, though I think she was actually relieved when no one contacted us.’
‘I can assure you I won’t pressure Rachel into making a statement or doing anything she doesn’t want to. The same goes for you, Emma. But your sister’s evidence could be really important.’
Chapter Fifteen
A light sprinkle of rain started to fall as Jane and Emma walked briskly along Tottenham High Road. Emma was wearing a warm black ankle-length mac and headscarf, and offered Jane her umbrella, but Jane moved closer and suggested they share it. As Emma transferred the umbrella to her left hand, Jane noticed that she had to place it into the palm, as her fingers were curled into a fist and she didn’t seem to be able to move them.
‘I know you don’t want to report the abuse incidents you and Rachel have suffered to the police but you really should so there’s an official record. You also need to explain you’re worried any investigation would lead to further abuse. That way you’d also have the police on your side when you ask for a move.’
Emma stopped walking and looked at Jane.