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Simmonds looked offended and shook his head. ‘No, no, no. Sybil didn’t think I’d abused him. She never thought for one minute the teacher was talking about me. I’m her grandchildren’s dentist. They adore me.’

Jane was confused. ‘So why had Mrs. Hastings come to see you?’

‘I’m trying to make this as clear as possible, Jane. You have to listen to what I’m saying. Sybil Hastings had come to me because she wanted to ask me if there was any dentist in Peckham I thought might be capable of such a monstrous act. I told her I would make some discreet enquires and get back to her, and then if necessary we could go to the police together. She thanked me and got up to leave.’ He ran his hands through his hair.

‘So Sybil Hastings was murdered after she left your Peckham practice? Who by?’

Simmonds slowly looked up. His eyes were cold. ‘I never said she left.’

Jane wondered if he was starting to play mind games again. ‘If you’re saying you killed her, then why? Sybil Hastings didn’t suspect you of anything.’

‘She suddenly heard a noise coming from my surgery. I realized in an instant that Helen Matthews must still be alive. Before I could stop her, Sybil opened the surgery door and saw Helen lying on the floor. She was struggling to breathe and trying to remove the cord from around her neck.’

Simmonds took a sip of his water.

Jane couldn’t begin to imagine the sheer terror the two women must have felt at that moment in time. She wondered if Simmonds was deliberately pausing to see if the horror of what he was describing was upsetting her. She was determined not to show it.

‘You must have been panic-stricken.’

‘You have no idea. I was hysterical. I... picked up a dental chisel and stabbed Sybil. She was screeching and waving her arms as she backed away into the waiting room. Then she stumbled and fell to the floor. I will never forget what I did next... She lay there looking up at me and I couldn’t help myself, I just kept stabbing her.’ He raised his right arm and made several quick stabbing gestures.

Jane could hardly believe Simmonds was admitting to brutally murdering two women, with no emotion in his voice. It was as if he considered himself to be the victim, and his actions had been forced on him by the predicament he had found himself in. Before Jane could say anything, he continued.

‘I went back into the surgery. Helen was on her stomach, dragging herself towards the door. I was forced to pull the cord tighter around her neck until I was sure she was dead. I don’t think you can believe what a nightmare situation I found myself in, suddenly having two dead bodies to dispose of. I had to compose myself and think what to do next. I found Sybil Hastings’ car keys in her pocket. I looked out of the window and could see that she’d parked it outside the surgery. I waited until after midnight when there was no one about, then I carried Helen Matthews’ body to Sybil’s car and put her in the passenger seat. I went back and got Sybil’s body and put it in the boot. It was a tight squeeze because she had a thick fur coat on, but I was now working on automatic pilot. I had decided that I would dump Helen Matthews’ body in Bussey Alley, then drive out to the Kent countryside to hide Sybil’s body in woodland and set her car alight with a can of petrol I’d already got from my own car. After I’d dumped Helen’s body, I discovered the Allegro had a flat tire and I panicked. A man was walking past the car, so I decided to just leave it where it was. I went back to the surgery, cleaned up Sybil’s blood, then drove home to Harley Street.’

Simmonds had spittle forming in the corners of his mouth. He wiped it with his forefinger and suddenly seemed disinclined to continue.

‘Did you rape or sexually assault Helen Matthews before you killed her?’

He glared at Jane. ‘No, I did not. I’m not a rapist. I had to protect myself. I needed to make it look as if someone else had raped her. She was already dead when I scratched the inside of her thighs and ripped her clothing. And I obviously did a good job of it, because all the headlines reported that a rape victim had been found in Bussey Alley.’

After everything he’d just described, the pride in his voice was unmistakable. Jane’s desire to physically assault him was almost overwhelming. She decided she needed a break to compose herself.

‘Please excuse me, Mr. Simmonds, I need to take a break.’

‘I hope you’re not using it as an excuse to tell DCI Moran or your colleagues about our conversation. I’ve got more to tell you and if you come back with anyone else I will deny everything.’

‘I’m not going to tell Moran. If I did, he’d stop the interview,’ Jane said, knowing that she still needed Simmonds to tell her about how he killed Eileen Simmonds and Aiden Lang.

She walked to the door and asked the custody PC to enter the room until she returned. She quickly went into the ladies’. Having to listen to Simmonds’ litany of horrific assaults had really shaken her. She washed her hands and splashed cold water over her face. She took several deep breaths, then checked her appearance in the mirror.

‘You can do this.’ She gripped the edge of the basin. ‘Get back in there, Tennison.’ She stared in the mirror at her ashen face. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to hear what Simmonds was going to tell her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jane met Gibbs in the stairwell down from the canteen.

‘I’ve been looking for you,’ she said.

‘Moran is getting himself really pumped up for the interrogation. We’ve now got even more incriminating evidence from forensics, so we can charge that bastard for all four murders. Did he sign the interview yet?’

Jane nodded. ‘I need to talk to you, Gibbs. Simmonds is still in the interview room... and he’s making a full confession.’

Gibbs whistled. ‘Does Moran know about this?’

Jane clenched her fists. ‘No, not yet. Simmonds is getting some kind of sick pleasure in telling me in graphic detail about exactly how he murdered Helen Matthews and Sybil Hastings. He hasn’t even got to Eileen Summers or Aiden Lang yet. I had to get out of the room for some air.’

‘Who’s doing the interview with you?’

‘Please, Spence, just listen to me. After Simmonds signed the record of interview, he suddenly decided to confess to me. I told him I needed another officer present and wanted to get Moran, but he was insistent he would only tell me what happened alone. He threatened that if I left the room or told Moran, he wouldn’t say another word.’

‘What the fuck are you playing at, Jane? You know it’s against police regs to do solo interviews in major crime investigations.’

‘I know, but it’s not a legal requirement per se. The man’s a sick psychopath. He’s cold and calculating, but he wants me to believe he killed out of panic and didn’t know what he was doing.’

‘Sounds like he’s trying to run a diminished responsibility defense, so the murders get dropped to manslaughter. You’ve got everything he’s said recorded word for word in the interview book, right?’

Jane shook her head. ‘Simmonds wouldn’t let me take notes. He said he’ll make a full handwritten confession after he’s told me everything.’

‘Jesus Christ! If he doesn’t, you’re screwed, Jane. It will be his word against yours.’

‘I know that, Spence, but what would you have done? Just walk away with nothing?’ Jane was frustrated.

‘You’d better go and tell Moran what’s been happening right now.’

‘I told Simmonds I needed a break. If I’m away too long he might think I’ve spoken with Moran and then he’ll say nothing. He’s telling me things only the killer could know. I’m confident a court will believe me even if he doesn’t make a written confession,’ Jane said with conviction.