Gibbs held his hands up. ‘You better hope to Christ he does make a full confession. When you go back in there with Simmonds, keep calm and let him think he’s running the show. I’ve every confidence in you, Jane. Simmonds might never have been arrested if it wasn’t for you.’
‘Thanks, Spence. Can you do me a favor? I still haven’t heard back from the lab about the indented writing on the Samaritans call sheet. Could you ring DS Lawrence and ask if he’ll chase it up for me?’
‘Will do. Are you sure you can handle this?’
‘I don’t have any other option.’
‘Don’t let Simmonds get to you. He’s not worth it.’
Gibbs watched Jane walk away and immediately went in search of Moran.
Jane paused by the door of the interview room and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She opened the door, told the custody PC to wait outside and sat down opposite Simmonds. She checked her pen, pencils and the interview book were still on the desk.
‘Are you willing to continue with your confession, Mr. Simmonds?’
‘Of course. Why shouldn’t I be?’
Jane got straight to the point. ‘Did you murder Simon Matthews’ teacher, Eileen Summers?’
Simmonds looked at Jane as if she’d asked a ridiculous question. ‘I wouldn’t have hurt anyone if that woman hadn’t stuck her nose in. After disposing of Helen’s and Sybil’s bodies, I was totally exhausted, but I knew I somehow had to get Eileen Summers to agree to meet me, and believe me, it took a great deal of planning. Would you like to know how I lured her to the hostel?’
‘You know I would,’ Jane replied calmly.
‘It was simple, really. As a dentist I always try and relax my patients and engage them in conversation before carrying out any treatment. From previous conversations with Simon, I already knew he went to Southfield Primary School in Kentish Town, and his teacher was called Miss Summers. I have a very retentive memory, you know.’
‘You rang the school, didn’t you?’ Jane recalled Mrs. Rowlands saying that a Mr. Smith had phoned the school and asked to speak to Miss Summers.
‘Yes, I called on the Monday morning and spoke to Eileen Summers. I told her I was a friend of Helen Matthews and that I had information about Simon being abused. I said I’d rather speak to her in person and gave her the hostel address. We arranged to meet in Ben’s room at seven o’clock that evening.’
Jane held up her hand. ‘You told me and DCI Moran earlier that you only knew Smith as Benjamin.’
‘I was lying. He told me his name was Benjamin Smith, but everyone called him Ben.’
Jane was curious, and more than a little confused. ‘Was Ben — or rather, Aiden Lang — still alive when you made that call to Eileen Summers?’
Simmonds seemed irritated by the question. ‘Yes, he was still alive.’
‘Was he involved in the murders?’ Jane asked.
‘Would you stop interrupting and let me finish telling you about Eileen Summers?’ he snapped.
Jane put her hands up in a calming gesture. ‘I’m sorry, carry on.’
‘I had Ben’s keys for the hostel. I made my way past the porter at about ten minutes to seven, then waited in Ben’s room. At exactly seven o’clock there was a knock on the door and I opened it. The young woman said she was Eileen Summers and that the hostel porter had kindly allowed her to come to the room. I introduced myself as Ben Smith and invited her in. She hesitated at first, maybe because I didn’t look like a resident of the hostel. But when I told her I thought I knew who had been abusing Simon, she walked straight in. She didn’t like it when I asked if Simon had said anything about a dentist abusing him, though. When she turned to leave the room, I had that terrible feeling of panic sweeping over me again. You have no notion of what it feels like — the sheer terror. I hardly remember picking up the wine bottle and hitting her with it.’ Simmonds blinked rapidly and took a deep breath. ‘Well, you obviously know I strangled her as well.’
Jane recalled the ligature mark around Eileen Summers’ neck. ‘Did you use the other curtain tie from your waiting room?’
Simmonds snorted. ‘I’d say that was pretty obvious, wouldn’t you? But this time I made the slip knot and cut the tassels off beforehand, so it wouldn’t be obvious it was a curtain tie.’
Jane knew Simmonds was lying about the panic attack. He had pre-prepared the curtain tie and taken it to the hostel with the intention of strangling Eileen Summers. It was premeditated murder.
She rolled a pencil back and forth on the desk in front of her, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘Did you also make it look as if Eileen had been sexually assaulted?’
‘Yes, God help me, I did. I used an empty Coca-Cola bottle I found in the room. I took the bottle and her handbag with me when I left via the fire escape, and threw them in a dustbin.’
Jane felt sick. She didn’t want to know if he had defiled Eileen Summers with the Coca-Cola bottle before or after she had died.
‘You’ve gone very quiet, Jane.’
Jane made an effort to compose herself. ‘I was just wondering where Aiden Lang was while you were at the hostel? He obviously gave you his keys.’
‘Well, he had to be in one of two places...’ Simmonds paused.
Jane wondered if he was playing games again. ‘Where?’
He smiled. ‘Well, as he was already dead, it had to be either heaven... or hell. Take your pick.’
Jane tried not to look shocked by his callousness. ‘So when did you last see him?’
‘He came to the Peckham surgery on the same Monday I called Eileen Summers. He was my last patient of the day. I was going to fit a new plate with a porcelain tooth, to replace the temporary plastic one he had been wearing. But I never got to fit it. I killed him instead.’
‘Was this before you went to the hostel?’
‘Well, obviously. As I’ve already told you, I’d agreed to meet Eileen Summers at seven p.m., and I don’t think Lang would have given me his room key willingly — do you?’
‘Did Aiden Lang know you’d killed Matthews and Hastings?’
‘No.’
‘Then why did you kill Lang? He’d done nothing to upset or distress you like the three other victims.’
Simmonds ground his teeth. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, Jane. Aiden Lang was scum. He was blackmailing me — that was why he had to die.’
Jane was dubious. ‘What was he blackmailing you about?’
‘It doesn’t matter now he’s dead. The thing is, I needed a scapegoat, and Ben — or Aiden Lang — was it. I couldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, could I, Jane?’ Simmonds said, smiling at his play on words.
Jane hesitated before asking her next question. ‘I’m just trying to piece everything together, David. We know that Aiden Lang was a homosexual prostitute, a rent boy. Were you in a relationship with him?’
Simmonds looked shocked. ‘No, I was not! I didn’t even know he was a homosexual.’
Jane wanted to press him further about his sexuality and his relationship with Aiden Lang, but if he got angry he would stop talking. She decided to change the subject, but before she could ask another question, he continued.
‘I never intended to kill Helen Matthews or Sybil Hastings, you know. But after I did, it made me realize how easy it was to take someone’s life. It makes you feel very powerful, as if you can do anything you want. Do you understand what I mean?’
Jane kept her face blank, even though her heart was racing. ‘I suppose it’s even more empowering when you actually plan to kill someone?’
He nodded enthusiastically. ‘Absolutely. The planning must be meticulous. As I’m sure you appreciate, Jane, the devil is in the detail.’