Hidden Killers

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jane looked out of the window; the leaves were falling now and the warmth of September had long gone and an autumn chill was in the air. She was sitting nervously in a small ante-room at Scotland Yard, wearing full uniform. While a PA was working busily at a nearby desk, Jane took a final look at some small note cards she had written. A male uniform officer came out of the interview room in a state of distress. Pulling off his clip-on police tie he kicked at a chair, and Jane, now even more nervous, got up to go in, but the PA told her to wait and said that she would be called when they were ready.

Over the PA’s intercom Jane heard a gruff male voice asking for WPC Tennison to be sent in. She stood up and smoothed out her uniform, picking off some fluff from her jacket. She took a deep breath and entered the room.

Three men, a Commander, a Detective Chief Superintendent and a DCI, sat behind a long table. Jane was invited to take a seat opposite them and the Commander, who was sitting between the two other officers, flipped open a file with her name on it. ‘WPC Tennison, we know your name, would you be kind enough to tell us who will be interviewing you today?’

Jane looked puzzled as there were no name cards. However, she’d done her research and knew the three senior officers’ names. She looked at each of them as she gave their names.

‘You’d be surprised how many people don’t do their homework and get it wrong, like the last officer.’

Next the Commander asked why she thought she should be made detective. Jane swallowed. ‘During my time in uniform I feel I have proved myself capable through hard work and tenacity.’

The DCI asked, ‘Have you any registered informants?’

‘No, sir, I reacted on anonymous information. I did some research before obtaining a search warrant which resulted in the discovery of a quantity of stolen goods.’

She was then asked what the goods were and sheepishly replied they were clothes from Woolworths, but it was an organized gang of women shoplifters who were selling the goods on a market stall.

‘Hardly the crime of the century,’ said the DCI. ‘Well, I expected to hear something a bit more interesting and worthy of someone who wants to become a Met detective.’

‘I recently acted as a decoy and subsequently arrested a man who was wanted for a series of indecent assaults on women, as well as a rape.’

‘Did he indecently assault you?’ the Commander asked.

‘Yes,’ Jane replied, blushing and wondering if they already knew about the case.

‘What exactly did he do?’ the Superintendent asked. It felt as if he was revelling in Jane’s obvious embarrassment.

‘He touched me, sir…’

He smirked. ‘How did he touch you? Was it a quick squeeze or a full-on grope?’

‘He grabbed me from behind, and he groped my breast. Then he tried to drag me to a darkened area by the Lido. When I attempted to break away from him he hit me in the mouth with his elbow, splitting my lip. I thought he was going to rape me, sir.’

The Commander looked at her file and then glanced up at her, tapping the page with his finger.

‘It states here that the suspect alleged that in actual fact you assaulted him?’

Jane was tight-lipped as she informed them that the suspect attacked her first and that she had defended herself.

The Commander turned over another page, again tapping it with his forefinger.

‘According to this report it says that you hit him across the head with a truncheon, also delivering a well-aimed kick to his groin?’

One of the other two men sitting at the table winced, saying that he didn’t know women carried truncheons. Jane was becoming very tense.

‘I borrowed one from a colleague and had it tucked up my coat sleeve.’

They smiled.

‘Forward thinking and good planning – well done. No doubt he deserved a good whack across the head.’

The Detective Chief Superintendent asked, ‘Has he been convicted?’

‘The magistrate committed him for sentencing in custody at the higher court on completion of the rape trial.’

He turned to another page, and whispered to his colleagues.

The DCI picked up the report, and took over the questioning. He remarked that Jane had previously been interviewed by A10 department over an allegation that a DS Gibbs had assaulted a drug dealer and had stolen his money.

Jane was very defensive, but maintained her control, as she explained, ‘The drug dealer withdrew the allegation and DS Gibbs has been reinstated to duty.’

The Commander pointed out that this didn’t mean it hadn’t happened. He took the report back and flicked to yet another page. It seemed like an age before he looked up again.

‘You were interviewed by A10 a second time over a botched bank raid, during which an explosion occurred and a DCI Bradfield and WPC Morgan were both killed?’

Jane became very subdued. ‘I was the officer who initiated the investigation when I recognized the main suspect’s voice from an audio tape.’ It was very difficult to ascertain what all three men were thinking. They whispered to one another, and passed the reports back and forth, reading and turning pages.

The Commander then quoted from DCS Metcalf’s report, which said that Jane had stuck to her guns about the suspect and although the investigation had ended in tragedy she was above reproach and had acted in a professional manner at all times. He was recommending her for the rank of detective. She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. Metcalf had done as he had promised after all. The Commander added, ‘The final decision, however, rests with us. Please wait outside.’

Jane stood up, gave a slight nod, and walked out. As she closed the door behind her, her legs felt like jelly. She sat back down in the chair outside the interview room.

The PA looked up. ‘You’re the final candidate, how did it go?’ she asked sympathetically.

Jane frowned. ‘Not too well.’

‘Well, don’t look so worried. There’s another board for detective in a year’s time.’

Jane sank back in her seat, convinced she had failed. The intercom buzzed and she was called back into the interview room again. She stood in front of the panel trying to hide the shake in her legs.

The Commander spoke. ‘It has been a tough decision and we are not all in agreement. The CID in London only has a handful of women within their ranks and you have been recommended by DCS Metcalf, a highly respected and astute senior officer. However, you’re still young in service compared to so many of the other candidates, and there are only a limited number of vacancies to be filled…’ He paused before asking Jane for her warrant card, which she handed to him. He took it, smiled, and handed her back a new one. When she looked at it she saw the words ‘Detective Constable Tennison’.

The panel congratulated her and told her that as from Monday she would be posted to Bow Street Police Station CID. She was to report there at 10 a.m. to meet her new DCI. Jane’s legs still felt very wobbly as she left, this time not with trepidation but with sheer excitement. She was so happy that she wanted to shout the news out to the world, and dance down the wide staircase.

After her interview, lightheaded with relief, she’d headed to Oxford Street and decided to treat herself to some clothes before going to see her parents to tell them the good news. That Friday evening Jane stood at the familiar front door, still wearing her uniform under a new raincoat. She had a bag of new clothes in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. She didn’t use her key as she wanted to give her parents a surprise. She couldn’t wait to tell them the good news. Mrs Tennison opened the front door and, seeing the bottle of champagne, she clapped her hands before Jane could say a word.

‘Oh! Pam didn’t tell me she’d spoken to you!’

Jane was confused.

‘About what?’ she asked, as she dropped the shopping bags in the hallway and took off her raincoat.

Her mother rushed into the living room to announce that Jane had arrived with a bottle of champagne. Jane followed her mother into the room, holding her new warrant card in one hand and the champagne bottle in the other.

‘I’m really excited about this!… Look at my new-’

Pam grabbed the bottle, grinning, as Mrs Tennison said, ‘So are we! It’s such wonderful news, isn’t it?’

‘How did you know?’ Jane asked.

‘Pam told us, of course! We’re absolutely thrilled! I’ll get some champagne glasses so we can all celebrate.’

‘How did she know I’d passed the interview board?’ Jane asked, somewhat confused. There was a stunned silence in the room.

‘I’ll be starting at the famous Bow Street Police Station on Monday.’

‘Oh… we thought you’d come to celebrate Pam’s wonderful news.’

‘What news?’ Jane asked.

‘She’s pregnant, so you’ll soon be an auntie.’

Mrs Tennison went into the kitchen and opened the cupboards looking for champagne glasses. Almost as if it was an afterthought she asked, ‘Will you still be in uniform at Bow Street?’

Jane patiently explained that she was now a member of the plain-clothed CID and that she’d been made detective. She proudly held up her new warrant card. Mrs Tennison glanced at it and then handed it back.

‘I think it’s safer in uniform, dear, after what happened to those detectives in the bank explosion.’

Pam now joined them.

‘I would think that central London isn’t a very safe place, what with that bank explosion. And now you’re really going to have to take care of yourself as you’ll have responsibilities as an auntie. If you agree we both want to have you as Godmother.’

Mrs Tennison very obviously didn’t want to talk about Jane’s work and told her father to get a tray for the glasses and open the bottle of champagne so that they could celebrate Pam’s pregnancy.

Jane felt totally deflated. It was as if her news was trivial in comparison. She tried to put on a brave face, smiling and then toasting Pam with her champagne. Mrs Tennison asked Jane if she would be moving back home.

‘Not at present.’

‘How will you get to and from Bow Street?’

Jane said that she hadn’t had time to look at the best route yet. Mr Tennison opened a drawer in the kitchen and took out an A – Z.

‘Right, always best to be prepared… let’s have a look. You can get the Central Line to Holborn, then change onto the Piccadilly Line for one stop to Covent Garden, then walk through Covent Garden to Bow Street.’

It was unbelievable. Suddenly everyone was concentrating on the route for her to get to her new job.

Mrs Tennison was quick to point out that the Bakerloo Line from Maida Vale was just down the road and went directly to Charing Cross. Bow Street was only a short walk from there. So Jane should move back home.

Mr Tennison changed the subject. Pam, who always liked being in the spotlight and had just snatched it from Jane with her news about being pregnant, began asking everyone to list the names they all liked best for either a boy or a girl. Jane sipped the rather tepid champagne and glanced at her father. He raised his glass to her.

‘Congratulations, my darling… You must be very proud, as am I. You’re going to be Detective Jane Tennison… good girl, shows they must think a lot of you.’

‘Thank you, Daddy, I am very proud.’

‘I know, if Pam has a girl let’s call her Jane!’

‘Oh no!’ Pam objected. ‘Plain Jane? No. I think she should be called Tiffany.’

‘You don’t want to call a baby girl after a lampshade!’ Jane’s mother said, horrified.

‘A Tiffany shade, Mother, is of great value.’

As usual Jane saw her sister dominating the conversation and stealing her limelight. ‘What about Victoria?’ She might as well add her own two pennies worth, she thought, smiling as she sipped her champagne.