Lynda La Plante: Hidden Killers

‘Come on, out with it!’

Jane tapped Moran’s elbow.

‘Sir, could I possibly have a word with you in private?’

‘What?’

‘Marie is incredibly shy, but she has admitted that they have been unable to have sexual intercourse for some time.’

Moran looked quizzically at Jane.

‘For Chrissakes, Tennison! She’s going to be cross-examined in court if she gives evidence for the defence. If she can’t tell me about it, you tell me.’

Jane looked at Marie regretfully, sad that she was having to breach her confidence so openly.

She went on to tell Moran about Marie’s ovarian cyst, how she pleasured her husband, and that he’d asked her for anal sex. Moran gestured towards one of the hardcore magazines entitled Anal Pleasures and, holding it up sarcastically, said that it was obvious where her husband got that idea from. An embarrassed and tearful Marie looked at Jane with disgust, saying that if they’d finished searching they could get out of her house. By now Moran had really lost his patience and held up more of the magazines in front of her.

‘You see the sort of filth that your husband likes to look at and wank over, Mrs Allard… just because you can’t satisfy him? He takes these pills and gets so worked up he prowls the streets in a mask then molests and rapes defenceless young women. I find it hard to believe you didn’t suspect something was wrong.’

Marie began sobbing and demanded that they get out of the house.

‘I not want you here any more… You bad people… You been in my children’s bedroom.’

In the car Moran was jubilant at what they had uncovered. Although circumstantial, the porn magazines and the steroid pills were all good enough evidence to show Allard’s state of mind and propensity to commit sexual assaults. Jane was quiet and Moran asked her what the problem was.

‘I’m sorry but I just felt for Mrs Allard. In effect she is an innocent victim. I mean, maybe at one time her husband was a good man.’

‘Grow up! That’s utter bollocks! There have probably been more sexual assaults carried out by him in and around London that we don’t know about. Indecent assault wasn’t enough for him so he went on to rape, and if we hadn’t caught him when we did there would have been more rapes and probably a murder committed by him as well. Mrs Allard’s state of mind is not your problem. Her husband brought this on himself and if she at any point suspected something was amiss she should have told someone. Like that tough-looking mother-in-law… judging by the size of her hands I wouldn’t be surprised if she could give someone a walloping.’

It was nearly 4 p.m. when they returned to the station.

‘You both head up to the canteen and get something to eat while you write up your notes. I’ll join you after I’ve booked in the property we seized from Allard’s house,’ DI Moran instructed DC Edwards and Jane.

Sergeant Harris was at his desk in the front office and on seeing Moran he mentioned, ‘Allard has been asking to speak with a solicitor.’

‘I want to do a further interview first, before getting a solicitor involved,’ Moran replied as they walked together through to the charge room.

‘But now we know Allard’s identity and address he should legally be allowed to consult with a solicitor,’ Harris pushed.

‘I know the rules, Sergeant Harris, but with the evidence I found at Allard’s house, and what his wife told us, I reckon I can get him to confess to all the indecent assaults… and the rape. A solicitor is just going to tell him to say nothing.’

‘I’ll stick my neck out if you think you can get him to roll over. I’ll mark up on his sheet that he hasn’t requested a solicitor. He’s allowed one phone call so let me tell him that after the search of his house his wife was in a hell of a state and he should phone her. You never know, it might work in your favour and get him to finally tell the truth.’

Moran was on a high so he told Harris to go ahead, as after what he’d said to Allard’s wife she probably thought her precious husband was now the scum of the earth. He also hoped that her emotional distress would make Allard feel at his lowest ebb, and that would make it easier to break him during an interview.

Moran put the small travelling case down on the charge room table, opened it up and showed Harris the pornographic magazines, balisong knives and the tablets. Harris picked up a magazine and flicked through it, pausing here and there to take a good look. Moran asked Harris if he’d mind listing the property as he wanted to get some food in his stomach before the second interview with Allard. Harris nodded and asked how Tennison was. Moran shrugged.

‘She needs to toughen up a bit.’

Surprised by Moran’s comment Harris remarked, ‘Jane must have thought she was going to be raped, though.’

‘No, not about that… she was terrific last night. But her attitude with Mrs Allard… she was a bit soft and kind of pussy-footed around with the woman. I think she needs to be tougher in those kind of situations and not get emotionally involved.’

‘You know Tennison has expressed an interest in joining the CID, but I don’t think she’s ready for it yet. What do you think?’ Harris asked.

‘In some ways I agree. She’s obviously not afraid of the rough end of the job, but investigative-wise she’s got a lot to learn yet, which could make her a liability in certain situations.’

Harris didn’t need to say anything. He knew what Moran meant by ‘certain situations’ and finding missing evidence if and when necessary. Moran went up to the canteen, leaving Harris checking over the items from the suitcase. It was quite a lengthy process as he was spending time studying the porno magazines, and paying even more attention to the fitness and body building magazines.

DS Lawrence had called from the lab to say that they had found fibres from the suspect’s clothes on two of the indecent assault victims, but nothing, as yet, connecting him to the rape. Moran, accompanied by Jane, got ready to re-interview Allard. Harris informed them that Allard had phoned his wife and had spoken with her for at least ten minutes, and appeared to be quite distressed both during and after the call. Harris had tried to listen in but it was difficult as he was booking in a noisy drunk who kept singing ‘Underneath the Arches’ at the top of his voice. However, Harris said that he thought Allard may have confessed to his wife, and most surprisingly he hadn’t asked for a solicitor after the call.

Moran booked out the property seized from the martial arts room for the interview. A clearly subdued Allard was brought up from the cells and taken to Moran’s office.

Moran opened the interview by getting right to the point. ‘Have you changed your mind and decided to finally tell the truth and admit these assaults?’

‘Why were you so horrible to my wife?’

‘You’ve no one but yourself to blame for this situation. If you had admitted the offences before we went to your house then things may have been different,’ Moran calmly responded.

The suitcase was then placed on the desk in front of Allard.

‘Do the porn magazines and the two martial arts knives belong to you?’

‘Yeah. I like to keep fit by training at Wing Chun. I use the balisong knives and nunchucks on the wooden dummy I have in the spare room.’

Moran glanced at Jane as she made notes.

‘Thing is, Peter, that doesn’t explain the hardcore porn magazines,’ Moran said in an amiable way, which surprised Jane after his approach and attitude in the first interview and at the house during the search.

‘I bought them from a sex shop in Soho.’

‘For masturbating?’