‘What happens now?’ she said, licking her lips. Her mouth felt so dry.
‘Depends on whether Murphy puts his hands up and pleads guilty, which is unlikely. Whatever happens, I’ll make sure you get the credit you deserve. Without your input, we wouldn’t have got an arrest.’
‘You’ll probably need me to give evidence in court, then,’ Jane said.
‘Yes, but we won’t go broadcasting what you did around the Met. There are some officers who would regard you as a turncoat.’
‘Then they’re no better than Murphy.’
He nodded. ‘That’s the attitude.’
There was a tap on the door. Elliott opened it, then turned to Jane. ‘I’ve got a car here to take you home.’
‘But I should be at work at the station.’
‘Up to you, but don’t make it too celebratory. The fireworks may be over, but this is still a covert operation.’
Jane gave him a small nod. ‘Will I see you again?’
‘Sometime, maybe.’
She could feel he was eager for her to leave. There seemed nothing else to say. He passed her her bag as the driver started up the engine.
‘Got to get this truck back. It’s needed,’ he said as he helped her down, where there was a car waiting.
There was so much more she wanted to ask him, but the door shut behind him.
As she got in beside the driver, Tommy called over from his mobile burger van: ‘See you again soon!’
*
As Jane arrived back at the station, she was in time to see Tyler and Detective Chief Superintendent Walker returning from the magistrates’ court, where Farook had pleaded guilty to the murder charge. Bail had been refused, and he had been taken to Wandsworth prison to await trial.
‘Could I have a word, please?’ Jane asked them both.
‘What about?’ Tyler replied with a note of impatience.
‘Er, could we speak in your office?’
Tyler sighed. ‘The boardroom. Two minutes.’
She was waiting for them nervously when Spencer walked in, looking pleased with himself. He pulled out a chair and sat with his legs either side of it.
‘Walker’s just congratulated me on all my good work. He’s going to encourage my application to the regional crime squad. I’ve never mentioned this to you, Jane, but deep down that’s where I’ve always wanted to go.’
She cocked her head to one side. ‘Really?’
He nodded. ‘You see, Jane, I have this obsession with firearms and the training is absolutely shit hot. If I’m accepted, I know it will change my life.’
Jane wanted to congratulate him but found it hard to believe his demotion wouldn’t go against him.
Before she could say anything, Walker and Tyler walked in carrying mugs of coffee. They sat down side by side opposite Jane.
‘You’ve got the floor,’ Tyler began, ‘but make it brief. We’ve had a long day and an even longer night. I, for one, would like to spend the weekend with my kids.’ He touched the bruise on his cheek, as if to underline his point.
Walker seemed more intent on the cleanliness of his nails.
Jane cleared her throat. ‘I may not have had your approval but I was nevertheless determined to uncover what I now believe to be the motive for the murder of Charles Foxley.’
Tyler sighed, while Walker just folded his arms. Spencer was the only one who looked interested, leaning over the back of his chair with an expectant look on his face.
Jane knew she had to keep it concise and get through it without disclosing that Farah had revealed the new information. She got out her notebook and, trying to keep her voice under control, began by explaining how Farook’s brother-in-law, Ameer Fareedi, had brought Farook’s wife and daughter to England after Farook had been released from prison, and how the family had been financially dependent on him.
‘I think, Tennison, we already have all that in Farook’s statements, so can you get to the point?’ Walker said, making his irritation obvious.
‘Yes, sir.’ Jane gritted her teeth, determined to make them listen. ‘Yasmin Farook was exceptionally beautiful. She was only fifteen years old and had begun to distress her family because of her refusal to obey them and follow their strict religious code.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Walker sighed and glanced at his wristwatch.
‘I do think this is very important, sir. I found out that Farook himself was often away for lengthy periods and I believe this could be down to him securing drugs for Mandy Pilkington. Whatever the reasons, he was often absent at weekends.’
‘We already know this,’ snapped Tyler.
‘Yes, sir, of course. But one of these weekends, Yasmin met Tanya Lyons. Tanya managed to persuade Yasmin, who was eager to get out of her home, to agree to accompany her to a film premiere.’
It was now Spencer’s turn to look sceptical. ‘I don’t know about this.’
Jane ploughed on. ‘At this event, Yasmin was sexually molested.’
Tyler held up his hand. ‘This hasn’t come up before. Do we have a witness?’
Jane felt like shouting, but instead took a deep breath. ‘Sir, it’s not in any report because I have only just found it out. Yasmin managed to hide what had happened from her family until she told Tanya.’
Spencer was frowning as he started to piece it all together.
‘Tanya encouraged her to talk to Charles Foxley, who gave her a large sum of money to keep quiet. I think it’s possible that later he gave her more money, because according to Tanya, Yasmin wanted to run away.’
Jane, at last, had their full attention. She continued to explain that Farook had uncovered the money his daughter had hidden, and found out she had been assaulted.
‘For a man like Farook, if a woman loses her honour, it is gone forever. Farook believed that Charles Foxley was responsible and I believe this was the motive behind Foxley’s murder.’
‘And will this girl Tanya confirm everything you have just told us?’ Detective Chief Superintendent Walker asked.
‘Yes, sir, I am sure she will.’
‘Have you spoken to Yasmin Farook?’ Tyler asked.
‘No, sir. I’ve been unable to trace her. She has no belongings left at the family flat. I was told that she has returned to live with relatives in Pakistan.’
‘Do you believe that?’ Tyler asked.
‘No, sir. Her aunt and her cousin both said that she had gone to live with relatives but they didn’t give any details.’
There was an uneasy atmosphere in the room. Tyler glanced at Walker and Spencer, avoiding eye contact with Jane.
‘Have we had any alarms raised by the family regarding this young girl’s whereabouts?’
‘No, sir. This is why I really feel it is necessary for us to make finding her a priority.’
Jane watched as Walker slowly got to his feet, pointedly looking at his wristwatch again. ‘I recommend, Detective Tennison, that you should immediately contact Missing Persons and—’
‘But I do have grave concerns, sir,’ Jane interrupted. ‘Yasmin hadn’t been seen for a considerable time before the murder.’
Now Tyler stood up. ‘But you have only this Tanya’s word that she was paid off for something that happened at a film premiere. Have we ever had any complaint regarding this incident?’
Jane could hardly contain her frustration. ‘No, sir, because they were paid off by Foxley to keep quiet. You have to understand how very young and naive these girls were.’
‘Yet again, Detective Tennison, your intentions are good, but in reality we will require much more solid evidence. Hopefully we will gain that when Missing Persons are brought on board. Until that time, we have a man pleading guilty.’
Jane watched in astonishment as Walker and Tyler left the room.
Spencer got off his chair and swung it around to place it back under the table.
‘You’re not OK with all that, are you?’ he said quietly.
‘No, I’m not,’ Jane said, sha
king her head in frustration. ‘I have a strong feeling that something bad happened to that girl. She was an innocent fifteen-year-old . . . If you could have seen that hideous room her parents kept her in . . . But I don’t have any evidence.’
Spencer walked to the door. ‘You know, I think Foxley was a scumbag. I’m not saying he got what he deserved, but maybe we have to leave it to the family.’
Jane banged her chair down, shouting, ‘Leave it to the family? Spencer, her father has pleaded guilty to disembowelling the man we suspect of paying Yasmin hush money.’
Spencer shouted back, pointing at her. ‘This is all hearsay. You don’t have any evidence. I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel for this girl, but you have to leave it to her mother, aunt and uncle to report her missing, if that’s what she is.’ He turned on his heel, slamming the door behind him.
Jane sat for a few minutes, trying to get her emotions under control. Then she completed a report and filed it. There was a buoyancy in the incident room as it was going to be the first weekend off a lot of the officers had had for a while, and they were hell-bent on enjoying it.
Jane slipped out as quietly as she could and went home.
By the time she had had a shower and washed her hair, it was almost 8 p.m. Yet again she was on her own; she thought about ringing her parents but knew she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go and see them. She hadn’t had time to think about what had happened earlier that morning, and she didn’t know if she would ever see Elliott again. She doubted if Dabs would call again. She wasn’t even sure she would continue going to the rifle club. But the one positive was that she would finally have her name cleared and get the credit she was due.
The doorbell rang. Jane checked the time, wondering who it was. She went to her bedroom window to look down into the street. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t resist. She went to the intercom and picked it up.
‘Hello, Dexter.’
‘Hello, Jane. Long time, no see. I’ve got a chilled bottle of Chablis. Can I come up?’
‘Sure.’
She replaced the phone and opened the front door. She could hear his footfalls on the first, second and lastly the third floor. He smiled, holding up the bottle of wine.
‘Have you had a good day?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘But I think it’s getting better.’
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Operation Countryman
Operation Countryman was an investigation into police corruption in London. The operation was conducted from 1978 to the late 1980s. Eight high-ranking police officers were prosecuted, along with many uniforms, due to evidence provided by a ‘Supergrass’, an informer occupying an important position in the criminal underworld. The ‘Supergrass’ claimed that many officers, including members of the elite Flying Squad, which dealt with commercial armed robberies, were receiving bribes from criminals in return for warnings of imminent police raids or arrests. They were also charged with fabrication of evidence against innocent men and having charges against guilty criminals dropped.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank, as always, Nigel Stoneman, Tory Macdonald and Veronica Goldstein, the team I work with at La Plante Global.
All the forensic scientists and members of the Met Police who help with my research. I could not write without their valuable input.
Cass Sutherland for his valuable advice on police procedures and forensics. He is always there when I need him.
The entire team at my publisher, Bonnier Books UK, who work together to have my books edited, marketed, publicised and sold. A special thank you to Kate Parkin and Bill Massey for their great editorial advice and guidance.
Francesca Russell and Blake Brooks, who have introduced me to the world of social media – my Facebook Live sessions have been so much fun.
The audio team, Jon Watt and Laura Makela, for bringing my entire backlist to a new audience in audiobooks. Thanks also for giving me my first podcast series, Listening to the Dead, which can be downloaded globally.
Allen and Unwin in Australia and Jonathan Ball in South Africa – thank you for doing such fantastic work with my books.
All the reviewers, journalists, bloggers and broadcasters who interview me, write reviews and promote my books. Thank you for your time and work.
Finally, a huge than you to my readers. Your feedback, messages, and enthusiasm for my characters and books is what keeps me writing.
About the Author
Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National Theatre and RDC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series Widows. She has written over thirty international novels, all of which have been bestsellers, and is the creator of the Anna Travis, Lorraine Page and the Trial and Retribution series. Her original script for the much-acclaimed Prime Suspect won awards from BAFTA, Emmy, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society, as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Lynda is one of only three screenwriters to have been made an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Best Writer Award in 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and Charity.
Join the Lynda La Plante Readers’ Club at
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Dear Reader,
Thank you very much for picking up Blunt Force, the sixth book in the Jane Tennison thriller series. I have loved exploring the beginnings of Jane’s police career and how she became the strong woman we know from the Prime Suspect series. I have also been delighted by the response I have had from readers who were curious to find out more about the early days of her career. I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In Blunt Force, Jane has been unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad after the events of The Dirty Dozen. Now working at a quiet police station in Knightsbridge, she finds herself relegated to solving petty crimes and desperate for a case she can get her teeth into. That is, until she discovers that big-time theatrical agent Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat, dismembered and disembowelled. Suddenly Jane is thrust into the salacious world of show business, with a brutal murder to solve – and a chance to prove herself as the smart, skilled officer she is. I enjoyed exploring how Jane deals with a hit to her policing career and manages to prove herself once again in a society where women often struggled to climb the career ladder.
If you enjoyed Blunt Force, then please do read the first five novels in the series: Tennison, Hidden Killers, Good Friday, Murder Mile and The Dirty Dozen are all available in paperback, ebook and audio now. I have also reworked my first ever novel, Widows, which was turned into a major feature film directed by Steve McQueen. This is followed by Widows’ Revenge and She’s Out, which are also out now. I also recently published Buried, the first book in a whole new series which introduces DC Jack Warr, a brand new character who has really taken hold of my imagination. In Buried, Jack is drawn into an investigation into the aftermath of a fire at an isolated cottage, where a badly charred body is discovered, along with the burnt remains of millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes. Jack’s search leads him deep into a murky criminal underworld, but as the line of the law becomes blurred, how far will he go to find the answers? The book is available now, and do keep an eye out for the next in the series, which will be published in 2021.
If you would like more information on what I’m working on, about the Jane Tennison thriller series, or about my new series featuring Jack Warr, you can visit www.bit.ly/LyndaLaPlanteClub where you can join my Readers’ Club. It only takes a few moments to sign up, there are no catches or costs and new members will automatically receive an exclusive message from
me. Zaffre will keep your data private and confidential, and it will never be passed on to a third party. We won’t spam you with loads of emails, just get in touch now and again with news about my books, and you can unsubscribe any time you want. And if you would like to get involved in a wider conversation about my books, please do review Blunt Force on Amazon, on GoodReads, on any other e-store, on your own blog and social media accounts, or talk about it with friends, family or reader groups! Sharing your thoughts helps other readers, and I always enjoy hearing about what people experience from my writing.
With many thanks again for reading Blunt Force, and I hope you’ll return for the next Jane Tennison adventure.
With my very best wishes,
Lynda
The groundbreaking thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama
WIDOWS
Facing life alone, they turned to crime together.
Dolly Rawlins, Linda Perelli and Shirley Miller are left devastated when their husbands are killed in a security van heist that goes disastrously wrong.
When Dolly discovers her husband's bank deposit box containing a gun, money and detailed plans for the hijack, she has three options. She could hand over the ledgers to the Detective. She could hand them over to the thugs who want to take over Harry's turf. Or, she and the other widows could finish the job their husbands started.
As they rehearse the raid, the women discover that Harry's plan required four people and recruit hooker Bella O'Reilly. But only three bodies were discovered in the carnage of the original hijack – so who was the fourth man, and where is he now?
Available now in paperback and ebook
WIDOWS’ REVENGE
Dolly, Linda, Shirley and Bella are back. And this time it’s a fight to the finish.
Against all the odds, Dolly Rawlins and her gangland widows managed the impossible: a heist their husbands had failed to pull off – at the cost of their lives.
Blunt Force Page 41
