Tennison (20 page)

David shuffled to his room and awkwardly lowered himself onto the bed. He thought about what his ma had said and wished he’d kept his mouth shut about Florida, but that’s where he’d always dreamed of flying to. Not only for the sun and sea, but also the specialist treatment he’d been reading about. He had been given very little information or medical advice on his badly broken legs either in the hospital or the prison. The doctors and wardens said he deserved what he got for thieving. Whilst he was in prison the plaster cast on his right leg had been cut off and replaced twice due to the agonizing pain it caused. The doctors had attempted to straighten his leg, but it became deformed and twisted along the bone and knee joint. It had been eighteen months of torture until he could stand unaided, but his foot was permanently arched, the leg bent and he was in constant pain.

David eventually started to work out at a men-only gym, and the trainer encouraged him to concentrate on his upper-body strength. He soon became hooked on the high he got from working out hard and enjoyed the release that the physical exercise gave him from his daily stress and depression. At home, in the privacy of his bedroom mirror, he would proudly display his six pack and muscular arms to himself, but no amount of pornography lifted his flaccid member.

David remembered with humiliation the time he’d decided to pay a prostitute, but found himself unable to get an erection. His doctor told him that his inability to have an erection, and his depression, were physically and mentally linked to his accident and lame leg. He had left his local doctor’s surgery refusing to believe he was impotent. Walking home he recognized some of the slags off the estate who he knew were toms that used a squat to do their business with clients. He had foolishly tried again, paying a blonde prostitute upfront, but this time the anger at his inability to perform made him physically abusive towards her. She threatened to report him to the police but he knew she never would, never could, as she was a cheap junkie selling her body for sex.

Feeling a fresh rush of frustration he thought instead about how he’d like a joint now, so he could dream about Florida. If they pulled the job off, it was going to be a reality – first class all the way. As he slowly drifted off to sleep he thought about the risk of them being caught. He knew that he would never survive another prison sentence. It was a sad comfort, but nevertheless a decision he had made – if they failed he would take his own life.

On her journey to the station Jane couldn’t stop thinking about Dr Harker’s lecture. Her quiet evening at home with her mother after the wedding rehearsal had ended on a note of amusement when a drunken Pam had returned home, picked up a wedding magazine and started moaning that she was unsure about her choice of wedding dress.

Mrs Tennison had had to persuade Pam that it was too late now to change her mind.

‘It’s gorgeous and you’ve made the right choice. It’s just pre-wedding nerves.’

Jane had laughed and said to herself, wait until you see the state of my cleavage in my tight bridesmaid dress!

She had gone to her bedroom, leaving her mother and Pam to discuss the final details, bouquets and veils. For the first time in weeks she had not, as usual, gone straight to sleep. Instead she lay on her bed and thought about how she could use what she had learnt from the Harker lecture on the Julie Ann Collins case, especially as it helped to take her mind off the hideous bridesmaid dress.

Refreshed and eager to get back to work, Jane arrived at the station at 8 a.m. She was unsure whether DCI Bradfield would still want, or need her, to continue with the indexing of statements and information on the Collins investigation. She was about to knock on his door when Kath saw her in the corridor and scooted out from the incident room.

‘Shush, Jane, don’t wake him up. He’s having a kip in his armchair.’

They both went into the incident room and Kath continued to update Jane about Bradfield.

‘He didn’t finish in the mortuary until 2 a.m., and then he had to write up his report cos the DCS is on his back. He’s been here all night and God knows what time he eventually got to sleep. I’ve had a pretty rough night of it – Spencer Gibbs had me looking after Mrs Phillips after she threw a wobbly, but mind you I don’t blame her under the circumstances.’

Jane had a puzzled look on her face. ‘Kath, can you please slow down and start at the beginning as I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about regarding Mrs Phillips.’

‘Sorry, I totally forgot you were at Harker’s lecture yesterday. Bloody brilliant, isn’t he? Did you spot the crucial clue with the suspect’s trainers?’

‘Yes to the talk and no to the trainers. Tell me more about what’s been happening here.’

‘Well, it wasn’t exactly here, over at Regent’s Canal to be exact. Anyway get a couple of coffees and a bacon roll for us both, an egg in mine as well, and then I’ll give you the whole story,’ Kath said, handing Jane some money.

She returned from the canteen fifteen minutes later and listened intently as Kath told her everything that had occurred the previous evening concerning Eddie Phillips and his grandmother.

‘She was in tears but calm at first, well, more in a sort of catatonic shock, I’d say. Then when she ID-ed Eddie’s body at the mortuary she really went off on one, screamed her head off and went for poor old Spencer. Her personality change was unbelievable.’

‘Did she hit DS Gibbs?’ Jane asked with surprise.

‘Tried to slap him and then kicked him in the shins. It was quite funny as he was hopping about on one leg because it hurt so much!’

‘Why did she react like that?’

‘Do me a favour, Eddie’s face was bloated and discoloured from being in the water. Anyway she was convinced Bradfield and Gibbs had beaten him to death then dumped his body in the Regent’s Canal.’ Kath went on to explain how she’d had to restrain Nancy and get the police surgeon out to sedate her.

‘I felt so sorry for her I took her home and stayed the night with her. The drugs calmed her down, but she still had tears spilling down her cheeks and kept saying, ‘My poor little fella, what a waste.’ Eddie was all she had and even though he was a druggie she obviously loved him. She even told me that looking after him was what kept her going. Eventually she fell asleep, but when she woke up at the crack of dawn the drugs had worn off. She saw me as the enemy cos I was connected to Bradfield and Gibbs. She screamed that she’d tell the papers and get a petition up from everyone on the estate about how the police had murdered her grandson.’

‘What happened then?’ Jane asked.

‘She told me to eff off out of her flat, so I did before she went for me as well.’

‘Regent’s Park is a bit off Eddie’s usual patch for shooting up, isn’t it? From what I read he normally used the squat on the Pembridge,’ Jane remarked.

Kath cocked her head to one side, noting Jane’s use of ‘shooting up’, proving that she had picked up the drug lingo Kath had explained to her.

‘A dog walker found him face down between two barges, more towards Camden than by the Zoo side. Who knows what he was doing over that way. In fact Mrs Phillips came to the station yesterday morning as she thought he was still in custody, but he’d been released the day before.’

‘I think it’s really strange. I mean do they reckon he died where they found him, or elsewhere and was dumped?’ Jane asked.

Kath shrugged. ‘Gibbs told me they don’t know for sure, but they think that whatever happened to him occurred on the canal path. So far there are no witnesses. All he had on him was a few coins and a bus ticket from Hackney, bought shortly after he was released from here.’

‘How long had he been in the water?’

‘No idea as I didn’t get to stay for the post-mortem. But you know they got those two big markets in Camden and they’re both fairly new, very trendy and the sort of place drug dealers might hang out.’

Jane remembered something. ‘Didn’t Eddie Phillips give DCI Bradfield the names of some dealers?’

‘Yeah, and the drug squad came in and were with him for a couple of hours. They were going to do some digging and speak to informants and see what they could find out, but I don’t think he’s heard back from them.’

Jane sifted through the indexing carousel and finding the card she was looking for showed it to Kath.

‘Eddie said two men, one nicknamed Big Daddy and someone called Dwayne.’

Kath nodded, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘Do you think Eddie got scared and went to see this Big Daddy?’

Kath had a drip of egg yolk on her chin and she wiped it off with her paper napkin before answering.

‘Why would Eddie go see someone he’s scared of?’

Jane shrugged. ‘He might tell him about being arrested as a murder suspect, or that the police were asking questions about Julie Ann’s dealer. He could say he kept quiet and didn’t tell the police anything so—’

‘He wouldn’t look like a grass? I dunno, Jane, it’s possible, but what I do know is the poor little bastard ended up dead.’

‘We should have had him followed after he left here.’

‘Yeah maybe, but I wouldn’t go saying that to Bradfield. He was really pissed off last night because he still thinks Eddie was withholding information.’

‘And I’ll be more pissed off if you two don’t get on with some work!’ Bradfield said.

Kath and Jane were so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them had seen him standing in the doorway. He was rubbing his hair dry with a towel and had obviously just had a shower in the men’s locker room. He threw his Eddie Phillips death-scene and post-mortem reports down on the desk and told Jane to get them typed up and indexed. He then turned to Kath and asked her to call the drug squad and tell them to pull their fingers out, as it was now possible that this Big Daddy character, or his sidekick Dwayne, had murdered Eddie Phillips.

Jane got out some blank index cards, placed two sheets of plain paper and carbon in the typewriter and began typing. Kath was straight on the phone to the drug squad whilst Bradfield asked Jane if Kath had updated her on the death of Eddie Phillips.

‘Yes, sir,’ she replied nervously, wondering how much he’d heard of her conversation with Kath.

‘This case is going from bad to worse. Tell the team as they come in that I want an office meeting at 10 a.m. I’m going to the canteen for some breakfast,’ he said gruffly.

Kath put the phone down. ‘Two drug squad officers are already on their way from the Yard to see you, guv.’

He said nothing, simply raising his hand in acknowledgement as he left the room.

‘Do you think he’d been standing there for long?’ Jane asked.

‘Na, otherwise he’d have had you over the coals for the remark about tailing Eddie. So tell me, how did it go with Dr Harker?’

‘It was really interesting and informative when he discussed fibres being left behind and picked up at a scene by suspects. Especially as there were red carpet fibres on Julie Ann’s socks. Dr Harker was very nice and I liked him . . . he even asked if I would like to go for a drink.’

‘Wow! Teacher’s pet! So where did you go?’

‘I didn’t – I had a rehearsal for my sister’s wedding.’

‘So you turned him down? Couldn’t the rehearsal have waited?’

‘No way – you have no idea how obsessed my family have been with it all – the church arrangements, the reception venue, the invitations . . . My sister is behaving like a prima donna and I can’t think of anything worse than being a bridesmaid.’

‘Ah well, she’s your sister and it’ll be her big day.’

‘The only hope I have is of some major incident happening so that my leave gets cancelled and I have to come to work.’

‘Don’t be so cruel! You never know, you might get a leg-over with the best man.’

‘For goodness’ sake, Kath, if he’s anything like the guy she’s getting married to that is definitely not going to be on the agenda.’

‘Well, maybe you’ll get another date with Harker – mind you, rumour has it he’s married with kids.’

‘What?’

‘It’s only what I heard. You gotta watch these forensic scientists – they’re all smooth talk and touchy-feely. I think he’s attractive in a sort of public-school way. Why not put yourself down for another one of his lectures?’

‘I wouldn’t mind another lecture but there’s no date if he’s married.’

Kath pursed her lips, smiling.

‘Well, you’re quite a prude, aren’t you, Jane Tennison?’

‘I don’t think not dating a married man, children or not, has anything to do with being a prude. Why get into something that isn’t going to do anything but cause hurt and emotional stress?’

‘You’re not gay, are you?’

‘No I am not! Honestly, Kath, you’re really embarrassing me.’

‘Well, I don’t know, you could be, as I’ve never seen you out with any of the guys from this station. Mind you, I can’t say I blame you as most of them are only interested in havin’ a quick shag. Are you dating a fella or shacked up with anyone?’

‘You know that I live at home with my parents.’

‘Oh Christ yes, I forgot. Did you fill in that request form for a section-house room?’

‘Yes, but I haven’t heard back yet.’

‘I know there’s a space coming up, and you’ll have your pick of three floors of guys. Lotta drinking and sex goes on, but there’s a uniform sergeant in charge who’s like Godzilla. Heaven forbid if he catches you going in or coming out of one of the men’s rooms, and vice versa for the blokes. Mind you I suppose living at home is not conducive to having a hot fling.’

‘Kath, for heaven’s sake!’

‘My God, don’t tell me you’re a virgin?’

Jane had her back to the door. She was about to reply when she realized there were two men listening in behind her. They were both dressed scruffily in jeans and T-shirts and one had long, manky-looking hair and a droopy moustache. Kath burst into giggles, as Jane flushed bright red having been caught out twice in the space of minutes. The younger of the two detectives winked at Jane and said he lived in room 12 at the section house on the first floor. His mate commented that unfortunately he was married and lived at home, but having heard what Kath had just said he was now thinking of moving to the section house. They both laughed loudly and asked where DCI Bradfield was. Kath, still laughing, said he was in the canteen and they left the room.