It was longer, three quarters of an hour later, when the vicar ended the service with a bidding prayer and he and Mr and Mrs Collins left the church to stand outside and thank everyone for coming. Mrs Collins was visibly upset, her eyes red-rimmed from weeping.
Jane and Bradfield were the last to exit the church and George and Mary Collins were just getting into a friend’s car. The vicar approached Bradfield with a weak smile.
‘Thank you for coming to pay your respects to Julie Ann. It meant a lot to Mr and Mrs Collins. They are having a small gathering at home, family and close friends, and they asked me to say that you’re both welcome.’
‘Well, I’m not sure—’ Bradfield started to say.
‘I think it would be most helpful to their state of mind if you were there. I know they are finding it difficult to cope with the fact Julie Ann’s body has not yet been released for burial, and they feel there are still so many unanswered questions.’
‘Yes I understand, but—’
‘Good. I’ve a few things to attend to, but I will see you there,’ the vicar interrupted and sauntered off.
‘Shit, I suppose we have to show our faces now,’ Bradfield said belligerently.
‘Well, if it helps Mr and Mrs Collins through the day it can’t be a bad thing,’ Jane said.
‘All right, we stay no more than ten minutes and I’m only speaking to them about the case. You can fend off anyone who’s nosy and wants to know how the investigation is going.’
‘But what should I say?’
‘That it’s sub judice to talk about it with anyone other than the parents.’
‘I thought that only referred to a case already under judicial consideration?’
‘I know that, but they don’t. If you don’t like it then you can stay in the car for all I care.’
It took a while to get to the address as Bradfield made a wrong turning, which didn’t help his already irritable mood.
Cars were parked in the Collinses’ drive and on the road. Bradfield parked opposite in the street, got out and ran his hands through his hair before heading towards the house. He stopped and turned to see where Jane was and she was still sitting in the car. He walked back and tapped on the passenger window, which she wound down.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked.
‘I thought you wanted me to wait in the car.’
‘I was being sarcastic, Tennison, but please yourself. I won’t be long anyway.’ Bradfield walked off.
Jane was upset by his attitude and, feeling she’d be a hindrance rather than a help, stayed put.
The front door of the house was wide open, people going in and some still parking outside. Jane sat looking from the car window, watching the mourners walking sedately up the path. Ten minutes passed and Jane crossed and uncrossed her legs as she desperately needed to go to the bathroom. She began to feel uncomfortable and eventually couldn’t wait any longer.
She left the car and entered the house where she saw the young girl who had sung the solo holding a tray of white wine ready for the guests to take into the living room.
‘I need to use the bathroom,’ Jane said, feeling embarrassed.
The young girl grinned. ‘The vicar just went into the downstairs one. He’ll probably be a while, what with his cassock and surplice to contend with, but if you go straight up the stairs there’s a bathroom just along the landing.’
‘Thank you,’ Jane said and hurried up the stairs.
Bradfield felt cornered as Mr Collins stood close to him. Everyone else was talking quietly and Mrs Collins was sitting on the sofa crying profusely. Mr Collins was eager to know if there were any developments in the police investigation. Bradfield told him that they were still trying to track down whoever supplied Julie Ann with drugs and they had a couple of positive leads they were currently following up on. Mr Collins asked what had happened to the young boy they had arrested. Bradfield knew he was referring to Eddie Phillips and not wanting to distress Mr Collins further just said he had been released pending further enquiries, but it would seem he wasn’t involved in her death.
Bradfield saw Jane attempting to attract his attention from across the crowded living room. She was surreptitiously raising her hand, but when he didn’t respond she threaded her way through the guests and moved to stand just behind him.
‘Sir, could I have a word with you, please?’
He turned to face her, and excused himself to Mr Collins.
‘Can’t you see I’m busy talking with Mr Collins, and take your ruddy hat off inside the house,’ he whispered.
‘Please – it is very important I speak with you in private.’ Jane removed her hat, causing her hair to fall loose.
‘I’ll be with you in a minute,’ he said sternly and turned back to Mr Collins.
He made his excuse to leave and shook hands with him and then spoke briefly with Mrs Collins telling her how nice the service for Julie Ann had been.
At last he made his way to the front door, placing his empty wine glass onto the young girl’s tray as he edged past her.
‘That was a very nice solo,’ he remarked as Jane trailed behind him feeling something akin to a lap dog.
As they walked down the front path towards the car Jane tapped his arm.
‘I think you need to look in the garage at Mr Collins’ car before we leave, sir.’
He stopped and turned abruptly.
‘What on earth for, Tennison?’
‘It may not have been a Jaguar XJ6 or 12 we should have been looking for.’
He glared at her, but at the same time he was curious, and gestured for her to move out of the way as he crossed the small section of grass towards the garage door which was closed. Jane stepped in front of him. She had a quick look round before grabbing the handle and pulling the door halfway open. She ducked underneath and into the garage followed by Bradfield who saw the only thing in it was a vehicle covered by a fitted tarpaulin. The garage was dimly lit by the natural daylight filtering in. He looked at Jane in a manner that made it clear she’d better get to the point quickly as he was beginning to lose patience. She lifted back a section of the cover over the offside front wheel, pulling it back further for him to clearly see the dark maroon colour. He snatched the tarpaulin from her and whipped it back to reveal the front registration plate and maker’s badge.
‘It’s a two-door 1960s Bristol?’ he said.
‘Eddie Phillips only ever saw the car from behind, sir. We may have been wrongly assuming that it was a four-door Jaguar.’
Bradfield pulled even more of the cover back onto the car roof to reveal the driver’s door and offside of the vehicle. He tried the door-handle but the car was locked.
‘Can you see the colour of the carpet?’ Jane asked.
He shaded his eyes with both hands and peering into the car could just about see the matching maroon carpet surrounding the gear stick. He stepped away, chewing at his lips. He checked his watch.
‘Right, we need to get back to the station and get a search team organized and a warrant before we come back here,’ he said, pulling the tarpaulin over the car. He slid out under the garage door followed by Jane.
As they headed towards the patrol car he stopped and cocked his head to one side.
‘You have very nice hair, but keep it tied back when on duty.’
He didn’t ask how she had come to suggest he look in the garage, or even say well done, but he did hold open the passenger door for her to get into the patrol car.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
On the return journey to the station Bradfield stopped at Old Street Magistrates’ Court. Jane waited in the car whilst he spoke with one of the magistrates who, after hearing his information on oath, signed and issued a search warrant for the Collinses’ house and car.
Bradfield got back into the driving seat and handed Jane the search warrant. ‘OK, what made you suspicious about the car?’ he asked.
‘To be honest I wasn’t actually sure if there would be a car i
n the garage.’
‘Just answer the question.’
She started to explain about needing the bathroom, and how she had gone upstairs because the vicar was using the one downstairs. He impatiently pushed her to get to the point.
‘At first I went into the master bedroom by mistake, and I noticed a few framed photographs on the dresser. One was of Mr Collins standing beside a red car which at a glance looked like a Jaguar, but when I took a closer look I realized it wasn’t. Then I remembered you asking him what vehicle he drove.’
‘He said it was an old Bristol that belonged to his father.’
‘I’d never seen a Bristol car before today, and it made me think that, maybe, Eddie Phillips was mistaken.’
‘Listen, I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us – I should have asked him what colour his car was and I should have picked up on the similarities in shape when Mr Collins told me he owned a Bristol.’
Jane nodded in agreement to his request and he remarked that it would be a positive move forward if they got a match on the Bristol car’s carpet to the fibres on Julie Ann’s body.
Jane hesitated before continuing. He’d leaned over so close she felt the need to move away from him a fraction.
‘There’s another bedroom next to the master bedroom which must be Julie Ann’s.’
‘You had a look in there as well?’ he asked, somewhat surprised.
‘No . . . I really needed the bathroom.’
‘Is there a point to this apart from your bladder?’
‘Yes, sir, there’s a box room, which I thought would be the bathroom, but it wasn’t.’
‘Get on with it.’
‘The box room contained a small single bed and a wardrobe, but I didn’t have the time to look round. As I closed the door I noticed four screw marks on the outside and two sort of straight-line indentations. Also on the doorframe at the same height were two more screw marks. I had a closer look and—’
‘Don’t tell me, you couldn’t hold it in any longer and had an accident?’ he said, exasperated by her waffling.
She was offended by his remark as she was being serious. ‘No I did not. I wondered if there were similar marks on the inside as well so I had a quick look. No screw marks but quite a few rubber scuff marks and scratches, like someone had been trying to kick the door open.’
He looked at her. ‘From the sound of it that door had a lock on the outside at some time.’
‘Yes, that’s exactly what I thought, sir. Most likely to keep someone locked in. I wondered if that’s where Julie Ann had been kept while she was missing for the two weeks before her body was found.’
He leant back against the seat. ‘Well, that puts a whole new perspective on the case. George Collins was really having a go at me about not finding his daughter’s killer or coming up with any new evidence. I never got so much as a hint that he or his wife could be involved. If they are they’ve both lied from day one.’
Jane thought of her discussion with Dr Harker. ‘Sometimes the guilty use anger, criticism or confrontation to detract from their guilt and the suspicion of others. They are even capable of weeping, not for the crime they have committed but for themselves.’
Bradfield smiled. He knew she was repeating Harker’s words.
‘Don’t treat everything you read or hear as gospel – people don’t all react in the same way and I find it hard to believe his wife’s grief is in any way a cover.’
‘What about his, though?’ Jane asked cautiously.
Bradfield said nothing. He made no acknowledgement of her input and sat staring ahead as he drove, mulling over his interaction so far with George Collins. He suddenly turned, took his hand off the gear stick and patted Jane’s knee.
‘When I told him we believed his daughter was dead he seemed shocked and distressed. Then when he left the room to go upstairs I thought he was going to collapse and I just got to him before he toppled over. If he was acting it was an Oscar-winning performance. Also there’s that scene at the mortuary, hurling the chair? If you are right he had to have known all along she was dead, which means he fucking locked her up in the bedroom, gave her a good beating with something then strangled her before dumping the body.’
‘Do you think he raped her as well?’
‘God forbid, but it’s possible. I have to say that was the most opportune piss you ever needed.’
She didn’t find it amusing, but had no time to reply as he pulled into the station yard, screeched to a halt, grabbed the warrant from her hand and was out of the vehicle like a shot, heading for the incident room.
Striding in, Bradfield asked Kath where everyone was. She replied that they were all out on enquiries by the Regent’s Canal, or on their way to Coventry. As Jane came in behind him he told her to go back downstairs and arrange for a uniform officer to be on standby to drive them to the Collinses’ house. He also wanted her to use the control-room radio and get two detectives to park up near the Collinses’ house and notify him when the guests were all gone.
‘Yes, sir. Which two officers do you want?’
‘I don’t give a toss – any two will do. I’ll be in my office and get someone to bring me a coffee,’ said Bradfield, raising his voice, impatient now to search the house.
Just over an hour passed before all the guests were gone. Jane was about to inform Bradfield when he walked in snapping an elastic band between his fingers as he approached her.
‘I want you on the search to deal with Mrs Collins as she’s likely to have a nervous breakdown when she hears why we’re there. Here, for you – tie your hair back, Veronica.’
He flicked the elastic band onto her desk and she looked at him, puzzled.
‘Veronica Lake was a movie star who always had her long hair loose. Oh never mind, she was well before your time anyway,’ he said, and went to his office to get his jacket.
Kath looked over with raised eyebrows.
‘Getting on well with the guv, I see? Sergeant Harris’s nose will be even more out of joint. What exactly is the big development?’
Jane was collecting her bag from the drawer and was about to explain everything to Kath when she heard a loud whistle from the corridor and Bradfield’s voice.
‘Come on, come on, let’s go, Veronica!’
When they arrived at the Collinses’ house there were no cars in the drive and the garage door was shut. Bradfield spoke with the two detectives assisting him and they all walked up the path together. He rang the doorbell and stepped back with the warrant in his hand. The sound of a dog barking went on for a few moments before George Collins opened the door. He was wearing an apron and rubber gloves, and looked taken aback. Bradfield explained that he had a search warrant and that he needed to speak to him.
‘It really isn’t convenient – my wife is sleeping and I have to finish the washing up. We’re both very tired—’
‘I’m sure you’d rather I spoke with you here than down at the station, Mr Collins,’ Bradfield said in a stern manner as he stepped into the house forcing Mr Collins to move backwards.
‘What’s happening? Is this to do with my daughter? Have you got some new information?’ Collins asked nervously.
Bradfield didn’t answer his question but introduced the two detectives and told the uniform officer to remain by the front door. Jane thought it strange that a clearly agitated Mr Collins didn’t even ask why they wanted to search his house. He just led them into the living room which had now been cleared of all the glasses and dirty plates.
He started to remove his apron. ‘I won’t be a moment. I need to let the dog out as he scratches at the door.’
Bradfield made him even more uneasy as he followed him into the kitchen where there was a small white elderly terrier who yapped for a moment before he was put out into the garden. Mr Collins removed his rubber gloves and tossed them onto the side of the sink. Rows of wine glasses had been rinsed and neatly placed on the draining board ready to be dried.
As they both retu
rned to the lounge Mr Collins rolled down his shirtsleeves, buttoning the cuffs.
‘My wife is sleeping,’ he repeated, looking as if he didn’t really understand what was going on.
‘My officers need to search Julie Ann’s room.’
He looked surprised. ‘Why?’
‘We didn’t do it before because she hadn’t been home for over a year. It’s just in case there are any little notes, bits of paper, etc – anything that might help us track down her killer as it could have been someone she’s known for years.’
Collins said her room was second on the left upstairs and sat nervously on a wing chair by the fireplace, his bony hands clenched together.
A relaxed Bradfield gestured for Jane to sit on the sofa as he stood in front of the fireplace. She was interested as to how he was going to approach questioning Mr Collins and the news that he was now a suspect in his daughter’s murder.
DS Lawrence popped his head into the living room and Bradfield introduced him to Mr Collins before taking him to one side and saying he wanted Paul to start on the Bristol car which was in the garage. Lawrence said he’d have a cursory look at the carpet, but to give it a thorough examination he’d need to have it removed to the lab.
Bradfield turned back to Mr Collins. ‘DS Lawrence will need to take a carpet sample from inside your car, so if you could give him the keys we can make a start.’
‘What on earth for?’
‘We have a witness who saw your daughter getting into a vehicle of a similar colour and shape to yours, and we also found red carpet fibres on her clothing,’ he said, and paused to gauge Collins’ reaction.
‘They could have got on her when she was last home,’ Mr Collins said defensively.
‘Well, according to you and your wife that was well over a year ago and it would be unlikely any fibres from your car would still be on her,’ DS Lawrence remarked.
‘Then why do you need to examine it?’
Bradfield spoke quietly, lying. ‘It’s just for elimination purposes and standard procedure in this sort of case. Now if you would kindly give us the keys to your car we can make a start.’
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