‘Did Wilde tell you she had been in Ireland?’
‘No, she didn’t. But I presumed she must have hired a dress from Mrs Hunt at some time as she seemed to know her quite well.’
‘Did it never occur to you that Natalie was being over helpful… especially as you hadn’t seen her since being at Hendon in 1972?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Well, it’s clear to me that she may have had you over big time. She weaselled her way back into your life and slowly tapped you for information. As a result you may not only have put yourself at risk, but your colleagues and the public. We don’t know for certain yet if Natalie is part of an IRA ASU, but from what you have just told me I’d say it’s highly probable.’
Jane felt awful; there was nothing she could say, She knew he was right. She had messed up terribly and was now terrified her career in the police could be over. As Crowley continued to question Jane her head began to throb. She told him about the next meeting, their lunch yesterday, which she realised had again been instigated by Natalie. She remembered with a lurch in her stomach that they’d talked — over yet more wine — about her dinner date with Michael, and about the emergency call from the hospital regarding Daphne Millbank. She could not look at Crowley as she admitted she’d told Natalie that an important patient had died and that Natalie had seemed interested in this news.
‘Did this not trigger your suspicions about her?’
‘Not directly… it was only when I was left alone in her bedroom that I accidentally came across the scarf.’
‘Does she know you’ve seen it?’
‘No. I made an excuse to leave when I remembered the description the witness who saw the woman in the phone box had given. Although I knew about the headscarf, I didn’t know that two Kool cigarette stubs had been found in the phone box until DS Dexter told me. Natalie smokes that brand.’
‘Yes, yes… we’ve already discussed that. I’m concerned that she may have been aware of what you found.’
‘No, she wasn’t. I said when I left that I would hopefully be back later. I told her that my parents were leaving for Harwich to embark on a cruise and I had to help them.’
‘How did you explain about your parents?’
‘I pretended to make a phone call to them whilst she was in the kitchen.’
Crowley nodded as she told him again the events of the previous evening, and about the phone call she’d made from Dexter’s flat.
‘What did you tell her?’
‘That I was staying over at my parents’ flat because I had drunk too much wine and I didn’t want to drive all the way back to Belsize Park.’
Crowley lit another cigarette and inhaled deeply.
‘I’m sorry if this seems to be pedantic of me, but I need you to go over everything you’ve told me again. You’ve admitted that you were drinking on virtually every occasion you met with Natalie Wilde. As a result, you divulged information about the officers investigating the Covent Garden bombing, and you gave her details that would allow her to conclude that our star witness was deceased.’
Jane was close to tears, but Crowley got up and stood behind her.
‘Tennison, listen to me. You’re still inexperienced and Natalie Wilde, if she is a sleeper, will undoubtedly have been coached. I can’t condone or make excuses for your unprofessional conduct… It might have severe repercussions for your future with the CID. That said…’
He rested both of his hands on her shoulders and they felt like dead weights.
‘If we find evidence that Natalie Wilde was involved in, or detonated the Covent Garden bomb, she could lead us to the IRA unit she is working with. Your reacquaintance with Natalie could be our first major step towards finding the bomber and ASU. On the other hand, it might just be a wild goose chase. If that’s the case, there’s nothing for you to worry about.’
Crowley squeezed her shoulders, then returned to his seat. Jane was not comforted by his encouragement because he had hinted at repercussions and if things fell apart she was certain he would make her the scapegoat and put her back in uniform.
There was a knock on the door. DCI Church entered and said they were ready in the conference room. Jane remained seated as Crowley picked up his notebook and pen and started to walk towards the door.
‘Shall I wait here until your meeting’s over, sir?’
‘No, Tennison, you’re very much a part of it. Come along. And don’t look so worried… I’ll be doing the talking.’
Jane was glad to have DCI Church with her, but as they entered the conference room she felt overwhelmed with nerves. There were several men sitting around an oval table, and they all fell silent as she walked in. Crowley guided her towards a vacant chair and drew it out as he gestured towards Dexter.
‘You obviously know DS Alan Dexter and DS Lawrence from forensics… Next to him is Commander Gregson, head of the Bomb Squad, a representative from the Intelligence services, Mr Quick from the Home Office, and Chief Superintendent Jones from Special Branch.’
Jane could hardly take in the introductions, but kept nodding politely. Only DS Lawrence acknowledged her with a small smile. Church sat in a chair further round the table and Crowley sat next to Jane.
‘Right, let’s get moving on this…’ Crowley said and gestured to Jane with the palm of his hand. ‘This is WDC Tennison, who came forward with information that may be important to our investigation concerning the Covent Garden bombing and the IRA Active Service Unit responsible. So, let me make it clear that this entire discussion is, and must remain, highly confidential, until we are ready to take an agreed and appropriate course of action. I assume DS Dexter has already briefed you concerning Natalie Wilde and her association with WDC Tennison?’ He paused while everyone in the room nodded.
‘It’s possible Wilde may be an IRA sleeper and deliberately rekindled her friendship with Tennison to surreptitiously gain information about our investigation. She may also be the woman seen in the telephone box close to Covent Garden just before the bomb exploded. If she is, then she could lead us directly, not only to the bomber, but, the whole ASU. We need to check out her background and movements to be certain. If she is a sleeper she will be wary of anything untoward. One slip-up could leave us with nothing. Let me reiterate, we have to move with extreme caution… With that in mind, I have put together a plan of action.’
Crowley removed some sheets of paper from a file marked ‘Highly Confidential’ and handed them out to everyone in the room apart from Jane. She glanced discreetly towards Dexter but he was lighting up one of his cigars. The intelligence officer sitting next to her asked if he could get her a coffee and indicated that there were some doughnuts on the trolley if she was hungry. He refilled his own cup as Crowley began to go through the notes he had handed out.
‘First on the agenda is to get a surveillance photograph of our suspect…’
Jane nervously raised her hand. ‘You could contact training school, sir… they may still have her photo from when she joined the police.’
There were a few nods of approval at her suggestion but Crowley dismissed it.
‘We need an up-to-date photograph. To that end I will be using DCI Church’s Dip Squad, who are highly skilled in surveillance operations. Detectives on the Bomb Squad will compile a full intelligence docket on Wilde’s background, covering family history, current and previous employment and places of residence. Special Branch and the Intelligence services will liaise with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to see if Wilde has connections over there.’