The following morning Jane needed two strong black coffees and a couple of Paracetamol before she could function, but she still managed to get herself to the station by a quarter past eight, as the rest of the team began to come on duty. She was relieved to discover that DCI Carter was due in court on an existing case, so wouldn’t be in his office.
Jane asked Detective Sergeant Hunt to make sure the team was ready for a briefing and by nine o’clock the room was filled with all the officers connected to the investigation. Jane stood waiting, trying not to show her nervousness as they all waited expectantly. She gave a slight cough and licked her lips.
‘I feel I should properly introduce myself to you all, perhaps rather belatedly. I am Detective Inspector Jane Tennison. Although we’ve been working towards the same result, we’ve all been allocated various assignments meaning that I’ve not had time to get to know you. I want to congratulate everyone on what we have accomplished so far, particularly given the difficulty in tracing all the previous tenants of the property and everything to do with the demolition. I know we’ve been able to have a conversation with Rachit Agrawal and through him we’ve learned that he believed the eviction of nearly all the tenants had been accomplished by mid-August 1980. There was a married couple that had occupied the middle-floor flat, Mr and Mrs Abdul and their two children, but he thought that maybe they weren’t evicted until after Brian Forgham’s murder. That would mean this couple was in residence and might possibly have information regarding Samantha Forgham. I’m aware that we have so far been unable to trace the Abdul family and the search is ongoing, so please, make this a priority. Brian Forgham was hired by Jason Thorpe who was registered as the previous owner of the property. However, I have subsequently discovered that Mr Thorpe had been granted power of attorney by his aunt Miss Helena Lanark, and that in reality she owned the property, though Mr Thorpe dealt with the sale.’
Jane waited as the team took notes. DS Hunt raised his hand and asked if Mrs Forgham had been formally told that they now had a match for the dental records of their victim, confirming it was her daughter. Jane looked at the investigation board showing Mrs Forgham’s details from her interview. She felt that Hunt should be the one to relay this news.
‘Detective Sergeant, I’d like you to go and see Mrs Forgham accompanied by a female officer. Ask her about the white Transit van owned by her husband, which I believe was sold four years ago.’
There was a murmur around the room and Jane waited for it to go silent.
‘We need to ascertain if there is any evidence still contained in the Transit van. I also think we should ask Mrs Forgham if we can search her property.’
Jane pointed to the photographs taken at the site, showing the iron chain and leg cuff bolted to the floor.
‘This is not standard issue or sold in hardware stores, so it would be good if we had some clue as to where it came from. It is still just a supposition that Brian Forgham was the only person who knew where his daughter was.’
Again, Hunt raised his hand. ‘Ma’am, do we know if the demolition company are back at work? I believe DCI Carter was getting ready to give them permission.’
Jane nodded. ‘I’ve received a memo from DCI Carter stating that he had given permission for work to continue on the house itself, but they were to cordon off the shelter until forensics and everyone else were satisfied no further evidence would be forthcoming.’
Jane then smiled broadly and said she had brought in a large box of pastries that she hoped they would all enjoy with their coffee.
As Jane stepped into her office, feeling that she had now at least made them all aware of her presence, her desk phone rang. It was the duty sergeant calling to say that Rachit Agrawal was in reception and was asking to speak to her. Jane immediately went to the front desk and as soon as Rachit saw her, he got to his feet.
‘You must excuse me coming here because it is possible I am wasting your time, but this morning my eldest daughter told me there is a new girl in her class who she remembered, because they had lived in the flat above them. Her name is Renata Singh.’
Jane looked puzzled. ‘I thought the tenant’s surname was Abdul.’
He shrugged. ‘All I am saying is my daughter remembers her. If they changed their name, I don’t know. I thought as a good citizen I should inform you.’
Jane thanked him and took down the name and address of the school, then hurried back to the incident room. DC Taylor was at his desk typing when she asked him to contact St Mary’s Secondary School and ask about a pupil called Renata Singh. She was a new pupil and they needed to confirm her family’s name and address.
Overhearing, Barbara got up from her desk. ‘That school is literally five minutes away.’
Jane glanced at her. She was eating a jam puff pastry. ‘Thank you, Barbara. Perhaps, Tim, to avoid delay, you should just take yourself there. We need to verify that this young girl, Renata Singh, lived at the property and had a previous surname of Abdul.’
Jane was now on her way to another high-rise estate. Tim Taylor had quickly been able to confirm that Renata Singh was the youngest daughter of Mrs Omala Singh, and she had two siblings aged fifteen and sixteen.
The headmistress had no information regarding whether Renata and her family had previously been in residence at the Stockwell property, but she was able to tell Tim that they had only moved into their present council flat two months earlier. She could not supply a contact number and Jane had no option but to go and visit Mrs Singh in person.
The high-rise estate was in surprisingly good condition and looked to Jane as if it had been built in the sixties. Even the lift was working, which was a blessing given that Mrs Singh occupied a flat on the eighth floor. Jane was impressed at the cleanliness of the communal corridor and flat 862 appeared to have a freshly painted front door and a new door mat. The doorbell also looked as if it had been recently installed and after ringing it Jane only had to wait a moment before the door was opened by an Asian woman.
‘I’m DI Tennison,’ Jane said, showing her identification. ‘Are you Mrs Singh?’
The woman nodded nervously.
‘I’m working out of Stockwell police station and need to ask you a few questions regarding a property I believe you previously lived in which is now being demolished.’
Mrs Singh ushered Jane into the flat. She was very attractive and wore her long dark hair in a braid reaching to her waist. It was hard to determine her age, but there were grey strands intertwined with her black hair. She was wearing Western clothes and had heavy makeup with a dark eye liner.
‘I assure you it’s nothing to worry about,’ Jane reassured her, ‘and nothing to do with your children. I just want to ask a few questions about your tenancy at the property, and to confirm whether your surname was previously Abdul.’
The mention of the name seemed to make Mrs Singh shudder.
‘He was my husband,’ Mrs Singh said, coldly.
‘Is there somewhere we can sit down?’ Jane asked.
Mrs Singh led her into a small but brightly decorated living room with a sofa and a single armchair. Jane sat on the sofa and waited for Mrs Singh to take the armchair.
‘I have nothing to say about that man,’ Mrs Singh said. ‘My life has changed, and whatever criminal act he has been involved with... I no longer have any association with him and have not seen him for over four years.’
Mrs Singh pursed her lips and looked as if she had nothing more to say, but with patient encouragement from Jane she gradually opened up, explaining that her husband had been unable to pay the rent for many months and had been equally unable to provide for his family. At that time she had had three young children, but any benefits they received had been frittered away by her husband on gambling and drink. Mrs Singh was almost in tears as she explained there was often little food for her children.