Did he notice the clinic next door had been closed down? Barbara asked him. Yes? Well, the Met was trying to track down the woman who worked there and it was reckoned that the landlord would have her name and address on a lease. But they needed the landlord’s name.
“What’s she done, this woman at the clinic?”
Nothing, as far as the Met knew. But there were a few questions about the clinic wanting answers, and as this woman worked there, she was the person most likely able to answer them.
“Can’t help you,” was the reply. “I can try to find out. Were they up to funny business? Got to say there was a bit of coming and going from the place, but it always seemed on the up and up. Jesus, this isn’t about trafficking is it? Sex slaves? Foreign women believing they were being brought here for decent jobs? You know what I mean. Far as I ever saw, was only ever foreign women going in there.”
No, no. It was nothing like that. Barbara recited her phone number so, in case the landlord was identified, someone could notify her at once.
Her listener took the number and promised to ring if he discovered anything. He asked if someone in particular was in trouble and then answered his own question with, “Well, why bloody else is the Met ringing, eh?” before he rang off.
Nkata joined her, fresh from his experience with Sir David Hillier, and on his heels came Lynley. Lynley spoke first with, “What’s the joy?”
“Winnie’s had to role-play you with Hillier just now.”
Lynley looked at Nkata and said, “Ah. Thank you, Winston. That was above and beyond.”
“How’d it go?” Barbara asked her colleague. “Did you bend the knee? Bow from the neck? Kiss the ring? I do hope you backed out of the office, at least.”
“I slouched,” Nkata said. He slid his paperwork onto his desktop.
“Slouched?”
“Yeah. Was recommended, it was.”
“Judi-with-an-i?”
“It was s’posed to improve his state ’f mind. Bit short, i’n’t he?”
“I’ve always got the impression it was a case of I’m-short-but-I’m-mean with Hillier. Or, p’rhaps, I’m-mean-cos-I’m-short. ’Course, being short has never bothered me, but then I’m the exception to most rules.”
“That puts the matter mildly,” Lynley noted. And to Nkata, “What did the AC want?”
“The clear ones. Pitchers, I mean. I tol’ him the good ones came in late from digital forensics, which is why you gave him th’ others. But he wants the new ones.”
“Ah. Well, we did manage to buy ourselves a day.”
“We need summat to distract his attention,” Nkata noted. “I did get us two more DCs, though.”
“Excellent work, Winston.” Lynley pulled a chair over and sat. He took a mobile phone from his pocket and set it on Barbara’s desk. “Where are we, then?”
Barbara said, “Nothing on the sculptures. Teo’s fingerprints but no head-bashing DNA. The sculptures could’ve been washed, ’course. But I don’t see how someone could wash off their DNA while leaving someone else’s fingerprints in place. I reckon that ticks sudden rage off the list. I’m having the sculptures back at the flat tomorrow. I s’pose I could take a Ouija board with me and hope for the best.”
“It may come to that,” Lynley said. “Winston?”
Nkata said, “We’re down to the CCTV in Streatham High Road. Prior to the killing, this is. And we got Mark Phinney’s motor in the area four times. Once two days in advance ’f the attack, once on the day he found her, and two after Teo got taken to hospital.”
Lynley frowned. “Taken to hospital? Or after she died?”
“Taken to hospital. How’d you get on with him?”
Lynley nodded at the phone. “It’s Teo’s. Phinney had it. He says he took it just after the paramedics carried her out of the flat.”
“How’d you manage to get it off him?” Barbara asked.
“I asked for it, and he didn’t lie about taking it or having it. He claims it was to keep his relationship with Teo under wraps and to protect his wife from knowing anything about Teo.”
“Doesn’t make much sense, that,” Barbara said. “Was he planning to delete details or what? And f’r all he knew, Teo was going to recover, right? She was going to wonder where her mobile had gone to at that point, eh?”
“Unless, of course, he knew she wasn’t going to recover,” Lynley said.