‘You think Simmonds murdered Mrs. Hastings as well?’ Moran asked in surprise.
‘This just gets better and better,’ Blake muttered sarcastically.
‘I don’t know for certain. But I know for a fact Simmonds knew Sybil Hastings.’
‘How?’ Moran asked.
Blake answered for her. ‘She and Simmonds are members of my golf club, so it’s not surprising he knew her.’
‘Simmonds told me he’d listened to the news on the radio about the murders in Peckham,’ Jane continued. ‘Sybil Hastings was named as a victim, and yet Simmonds never told me she was a patient of his. I only found out they played golf together because of a photograph at Mrs. Hastings’ flat. If Simmonds had nothing to hide, then why not tell me he knew Mrs. Hastings?’
‘News of the murders was also on the radio before any of the victims were officially named. Do you know exactly when Simmonds listened to the news report?’ Blake asked.
Jane realized he’d made a valid point. ‘No, sir.’
‘What time did Helen Matthews leave her mother’s flat, Jane?’ Lawrence asked.
Jane got her notebook and flicked through it. ‘Brenda Matthews said it was between four and four thirty p.m.’
‘And Sybil Hastings? What time did she go out on the Friday?’
Jane flicked back through her notebook again. ‘Agnes, the housekeeper, said it was late afternoon. She couldn’t remember if Mrs. Hastings said she was going to see a friend from the golf club,’ Jane added meaningfully.
‘What are you thinking, Paul?’ Moran asked.
‘Professor Martin said Matthews and Hastings died within the same time frame, which was anywhere between two and eight p.m. From what Jane just said, we can now narrow it down to anywhere between four and eight p.m.’
Jane picked up on Paul’s observation. ‘When I was at Simmonds’ Peckham practice, I noticed bleach had been used to clean something off the carpet in the living room. Sybil Hastings was stabbed to death.’
Blake shook his head. ‘The stains could be from anything and goodness knows how old.’
Jane shook her head. ‘The stains had to be recent. Plus Simmonds was dressed in a tweed outfit in the photograph I saw in his mother’s bedroom. DS Lawrence found the same type of jacket in Lang’s hostel room, even though I was told that it wasn’t Lang’s style.’
Moran looked at Lawrence. ‘What did the lab say about the fibers on the tweed jacket you recovered?’
‘After microscopic examination of both longitudinal and cross-sectional samples of the fibers, the lab concluded the ones from Lang’s jacket are exactly the same as the one’s found on the victims.’
Jane shook her head. ‘But we don’t know for certain it’s Lang’s jacket.’
Blake looked exasperated. ‘Are you seriously suggesting Simmonds planted the tweed jacket in Lang’s room?’
‘I don’t know for certain, but I do know there are things that just don’t add up or make sense at the moment. The only thing that’s clear is that Simmonds has been lying to me.’
Blake was rubbing his cheek uneasily.
‘Something troubling you, sir?’ Moran asked innocently.
Blake hesitated before speaking. ‘On the Thursday morning I visited him in Harley Street, Simmonds asked me if I was working on any interesting cases. I was in pain with my tooth and didn’t say much. I only told him I was in overall charge of the murders in Peckham. I didn’t know Sybil Hastings was a patient of his, but I didn’t bring up her name — I just wanted him to sort my toothache out.’
Moran looked him in the eyes. ‘Did he ask you anything else?’
Blake sighed. ‘Just how the investigation was going. I told him we were looking for a suspect, and the forensic evidence, by way of fibers and fingerprints, was overwhelming proof he was the murderer.’
‘Did you mention the name Aiden Lang or Ben Smith to him?’ Jane asked.
‘I can’t remember for certain. But I probably did refer to Lang since we’d released his name at the press conference,’ Blake answered.
Jane was taken aback. ‘I asked Simmonds if he knew Aiden Lang just minutes after you’d been with him. He told me the name wasn’t familiar.’
Moran sat back in his chair. ‘Well, I have to admit, from what Jane’s told us, it seems Simmonds is hiding something. The thing is, all the forensic evidence points towards Aiden Lang killing Hastings and Matthews — not to mention the fact that Summers’ body was found in his hostel room.’
‘All you have against Simmonds is supposition, whereas the evidence against Lang is solid. I doubt a magistrate would grant a search warrant for Simmonds’ Peckham and Harley Street premises,’ Blake said.
Moran agreed. ‘We don’t even have anything to connect Simmonds and Lang.’
‘Lang had a tooth knocked out. Maybe he was a patient of Simmonds at the Peckham clinic,’ Jane suggested.
Moran shrugged. ‘But even if Lang was a patient, then it’s only circumstantial evidence. We need to directly connect the two of them to the murders.’
Blake stood up. ‘If they are working together, your priority must be to arrest Lang. He’ll be the weaker of the two, and easier to crack in an interview, especially with all the forensic evidence against him. He won’t want to take the blame on his own and may turn Queen’s evidence against Simmonds. Right, I’m going back to the Yard to update the Commissioner.’
Jane was surprised he had accepted that Simmonds was a legitimate target of the investigation.
‘What about the dismembered body? Is another team taking it over?’ Moran asked.
‘Yes. I’ll arrange for a handover tomorrow morning.’ Blake left the room.
Moran looked at Jane and Lawrence. ‘Neither of you say a fucking word. I for one am very relieved he’s handing the case over. I don’t know about you two, but I could do with a coffee and sandwich after that. Either of you want anything?’
Jane and Lawrence both said a coffee would be great.
‘Stretch your legs and we’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes. Jane, can you tell Gibbs to join me in the canteen. I’ll bring him up to speed, then we can all discuss a plan of action regarding Simmonds.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Lawrence asked Moran if he could use his desk phone to ring Fingerprint Bureau at the Yard to find something out.
‘Help yourself.’ Moran left them alone.
Lawrence was just picking up the phone when Jane put a hand on his arm.
‘Paul, do you think someone with a partially clasped thumb could tie a slip knot and strangle someone?’
Paul put the phone down. ‘What else haven’t you told us?’
Jane explained what Hilary Peters had told her about her brother’s disability, adding that she hadn’t yet said anything to Moran.
‘It depends how bad the disability with his thumb is, I guess. Also, if someone else had tied the slip knot, then Lang would still be able to pull the rope and tighten it round the victim’s neck. The landlord at the Golden Lion never said anything about Lang’s thumb, so he was clearly able to serve drinks.’
‘Did you recover any shoes from Lang’s hostel room?’
‘I think so. All the items seized will be recorded in the exhibits book by the SOCO.’
‘Can I borrow your magnifying glass?’ Jane asked.
‘My case is in the CID office. Help yourself.’
Jane went to the CID office. There were a few members of the team at their desks, writing up reports or making phone enquiries. Gibbs was talking to the CID clerk. Jane told him Moran was in the canteen and wanted to speak with him. She was getting Lawrence’s magnifying glass from his case when Edwards approached her.
‘We all thought that tosser Blake was wrong to call you out in front of the team like that. Is everything OK?’