Lynda La Plante - Hidden Killers

Jane couldn’t look at him.

‘I wanted him for the rape of that seventeen-year-old innocent girl. I wanted him charged with sexual assaults that I had no evidence to prove he did, but I knew he did them. Look at the way he attacked you and how he acted in court and what you were subjected to by his defence council. So you tell me, why would I not use Janet Brown as a witness?’

‘I don’t know, sir?’

‘She is a tart… but she’s also an informer and has been for years. One court appearance and she’s no use to us. You have no idea just how useful she has been. And you think after one conversation with her that you know her?’

‘But she was blackmailing Marie Allard, sir.’

Moran threw up his hands and laughed, becoming increasingly impatient.

‘That’s how she survives, Tennison! Allard cut her breasts and scarred her… he would have killed her if we hadn’t stopped him.’

Jane was unable to hold back.

‘So you knew what Allard had done to Janet Brown, and yet you made me wear her blue fur coat and planted me as a decoy, knowing that he had almost killed her?’

Moran lifted his arms up again.

‘Yes, I own up to that. We lost sight of you for a few minutes. But it was only a few minutes…’

‘So, I’m wearing Janet Brown’s blue fur coat… you want Allard to think I am her and for him to attack me, so that you can arrest him? Because you already had the knife he used in the rape, and when he slashed Janet.’

Moran folded his arms. After a long pause he spoke. For the first time she could see he was uneasy, eventually choosing his words carefully.

‘What choice do I have? I’m pretty certain he may be connected to a murder that occurred five years ago. If I don’t put him away he’s going to kill again.’

Moran stood up and opened his office door. Jane didn’t know how to react to the fact that he had just virtually admitted to planting evidence. As if he was reading her mind Moran gently touched her shoulder.

‘It was all on the level, OK? Now, come with me. I want to show you something.’

Moran walked ahead of her and went into the incident room. DC Brian Edwards was standing in front of the information board.

‘It’s not positive news from Maidstone, guv. The Chief Superintendent there said we would need a lot more incriminating evidence to excavate the garden at the house the Allards used to rent.’

Moran sighed as Edwards moved away from the board. Pinned up were the photographs they had pulled out from the cold files at Maidstone. Moran tapped the board with his pencil.

‘This is what we’re looking into, Tennison, and we need to question-’

Jane interrupted as she saw the photograph of Susie Luna with the rose in her hair.

‘Marie Allard?’’

Moran hesitated. ‘What did you just say?’

‘That’s a photograph of Marie Allard.’

‘No, it isn’t, it’s the missing girl from five years ago. Her name is Susie Luna.’

‘Oh, sorry… they look so similar.’

Moran glanced at Edwards, then back to Jane.

‘Marie Allard gave her husband a cast-iron alibi for the day Susie Luna went missing. I think we need to go and have a chat with her.’

‘I would really appreciate it if I was allowed to accompany you – Marie Allard trusts me. In fact, she called me personally to tell me she was being blackmailed by Janet Brown who referred to herself as Angie and sang a song and-’

‘Did she now?’

Edwards raised his hand. ‘Can I have a quiet word, guv, in your office?’

‘Sure. DC Ashton, show Tennison the files we’ve got on Susie Luna.’

Edwards closed Moran’s office door behind them.

‘Did everything go all right, guv?’

‘Yes. Just a misunderstanding. What did you want to talk to me about?’

‘Two things… we received confirmation this morning of a trial date for Peter Allard, in two weeks’ time.’

‘That doesn’t give us much time to investigate the Susie Luna connection, does it?’

‘I’m afraid there may be another problem, sir. Apparently the barrister who represents Allard has raised doubts about his confession and has requested an independent forensic examination of the interview notes. In particular, the confession that Allard supposedly signed.’

‘Shit… that’s all I bloody need. I’m going to take Tennison with me to interview Marie Allard. The last time we were there with SOCO we pulled the bloody house apart, so I’m taking Tennison along to give the gentle touch… maybe have a woman to woman chat with her.’ Moran smiled.

‘I wouldn’t mind coming along after all the new information we’ve uncovered…’

‘No, I want you to man the fort here, Edwards. I’m only taking Tennison with me to keep her sweet.’

‘Gone sour on you, has she, sir?’

‘You could say that.’

Moran parked up outside the Allards’ house.

‘She’s very nervous, sir. It might take a while for her to come to the front door.’

‘Take as long as you like, I’ll be here.’

‘Thank you.’

Moran watched Jane walk away, then down the small pathway leading to the doorway where she rang the bell. He saw her step back and look up at the first-floor window, and then move closer to the door. It was another few minutes before the door opened and Jane stepped inside.

Marie replaced the chain lock. Jane waited for her to turn, and was taken aback by the way she looked. Her hair was lank, she had lost even more weight and seemed shrunken and shaking with nerves. Jane dropped her bag to the floor and held out her arms, hugging Marie.

‘I am so sorry not to get back to you before now, but it has taken such a long time and I wanted to come to see you personally as I didn’t want any of the officers here when I tell you what I have found out. I know how much it will affect you.’

Marie stepped away, her eyes wide with anxiety. Jane put an arm around her shoulders and suggested that they went into the lounge to sit down. Marie seemed to calm down as Jane sat on the sofa opposite her.

‘I am so sorry to be the one to tell you, but the woman that was blackmailing you is not connected to the police. She was attacked by your husband and suffered a terrible beating that has scarred her for life. She was not prepared to identify him before, but she is now prepared to go to court.’

Jane was surprised at how easily she was able to lie, because in reality she knew that Janet Brown would not go to court.

Marie pressed her body back in the easy chair and clasped her hands together.

‘He has lied to you, terrible lies… the rape victim was just a young, vulnerable teenager. She won’t ever recover from the ordeal, and you know that he also attacked me, and if the police officer hadn’t been there…’ Jane’s performance was getting better by the second as she lowered her head and ran her fingers over her lips, reminding Marie about when she had first seen her with her lips cut.

‘Oh my God,’ Marie said, clasping and unclasping her hands.

Jane left a long pause, taking out a handkerchief from her pocket and blowing her nose. Marie seemed unable to look directly at her; she was so tiny and vulnerable and trembling, but even though Jane felt sorry for her she had to use that to get some answers.

‘How long did you know, Marie, that he was leaving you and your two children and going out to attack and rape women? How long have you known he was evil? Do you realize that you made the reality invisible to yourself, refused to smell the sex? You could smell them on him, couldn’t you?’

‘No… no… that’s not true.’

‘Yes, it is, Marie, don’t lie. You kept that room upstairs locked. You said it was to protect your children but you knew what was in there, and you used to go into that room when you were here alone… didn’t you?’