Gina smiled as she thought back to the previous night. After she’d left Briggs, she’d spent what was left of her evening typing up notes in her cold kitchen. She’d eventually rolled into bed at about one in the morning, only to be back at the station for seven. Her whole night had been filled with one weird dream after another, with intermittent waking followed by constantly fidgeting in bed.
Wyre threw down her pen and smiled as she turned to face them both. The room went quiet as the other officers waited for her to speak. ‘We’ve had a call, ma’am. An Alice Lenton from number twelve Brookfield Avenue, the road that starts on the corner of Luke Jenkins’ road. She picked up the letter Smith dropped through her letter box yesterday while doing the rounds. She was at her daughter’s all day and only found it this morning. She said something about it being tangled up in her net curtain. Anyway, she claims she saw someone loitering at about two thirty in the morning on the same night that someone tried to break into the Jenkinses’ house.’
Slamming her cup down onto Jacob’s desk, Gina smiled. ‘We needed something and this is it. Come on, Jacob. Let’s go and pay this Alice a visit.’ Jacob stood with little energy, dragging his coat from the back of the chair. ‘O’Connor, when we get back, I want all details on rural businesses in the area fully collated and on my desk. We can’t delay any longer.’
‘I’ll have it all ready and waiting,’ he said. ‘Oh, and guv?’ Gina turned as she zipped up her coat. ‘Thanks for the money.’
Gina looked at him. ‘Sorry?’
‘My bike ride, this weekend. You sponsored me.’
‘Oh yes. No worries. I just hope you survive it with all the training you’re putting in.’ She laughed and grabbed a digestive biscuit off his desk.
‘You’ll see. I’ll show you all when I not only smash it, but come first,’ O’Connor replied as he shoved a whole biscuit in his mouth. Gina laughed as she and Jacob left the incident room.
Thirty-Nine
Jacob sucked on a lozenge as Alice Lenton passed Gina a mug of tea. ‘Thank you, Mrs Lenton, that’s very kind of you,’ Gina said as she took the cup from the trembling lady. Mrs Lenton’s bony hands reached for her own cup before she sat in what looked like an orthopaedic chair. It sat higher than the sofa they were sitting on, making the petite old woman look tall. ‘As you know, we need to talk to you about the morning of the fourth of December.’
‘Of course, Detective. I don’t know if I can add much to what you know, but as I did indeed see something, I though it only right and dutiful to call in.’ She put her tea down and straightened her collar, tucking a strand of long white hair behind her ear and sitting up straight with a smile.
Family photos and Christmas cards adorned the immaculate bookshelf behind her chair. Gina noticed a photo of a woman in her twenties standing with Mrs Lenton. She was holding a baby. ‘That’s a lovely photo of you and your family,’ Gina said as she pointed.
‘Taken last year. My third great-grandchild, a little boy. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family,’ she replied. Gina smiled and opened her notes. She could see Jacob out of the corner of her eye trying to suppress a cough. He cleared his throat and reached for the glass of water in front of him.
‘You certainly are. They’re beautiful. Anyway, back to that morning. Tell me what you saw.’
‘As I said on the phone, I often wake up in the night. I have sleeping pills but I try not to take them all the time as they really knock me out and, as you know, they’re addictive. I treat myself to one a couple of times a week, but that night, I hadn’t taken any. I’d watched a bit of telly in my chair, like I am now, and I’d fallen asleep. I awoke about two. The room was cold as the heating is on a timer, and all I had to keep me warm was a throw over my knees.’
‘What happened when you woke up?’ Gina asked.
Mrs Lenton twiddled her thumbs and stared at the window. ‘I was tired but knew I wouldn’t sleep once I went to bed, so I went into the kitchen and took one of my tablets. They act quite fast so I knew I’d have to get myself up the stairs and ready for bed as soon as possible. That’s what I did. I turned the light off on the landing and felt my way along the walls to my bedroom. I remember my bedroom curtains being open. I can’t rest with them open, even after one of my tablets. We all have our going-to-bed routines, don’t we?’
‘We certainly do, Mrs Lenton,’ Gina replied.
‘You can call me Alice. Mrs Lenton sounds too formal, like I’m a head teacher or something. I worked in a delicatessen that we used to own. Me and William, when he was alive. I’d serve; he’d present the goods and do the paperwork. We were a good team,’ Alice said as she smiled.
Gina cleared her throat and glanced at Jacob. ‘Alice it is. Can you tell me what you saw when you reached your bedroom?’
Alice pulled a small piece of fluff from her thick tights and looked up. ‘I was getting a little sleepy at this point, so I leaned on the windowsill. I was about to close the curtains when I saw a man leaning against the lamppost just outside my house. He didn’t look drunk or ill, he was just loitering. At this point I was a little suspicious so I watched him, hoping that he would soon go away from my house. Being on my own, you can appreciate that I’m terrified at the thought of being burgled, especially when I’m at home. I have a good security system but people are clever, especially the young when it comes to technology. I suppose you know all this in your profession, don’t you, Detectives?’
‘We certainly do,’ Jacob croaked.
‘So, he was leaning against the lamppost,’ Gina said, trying to bring the wavering conversation back on track.
‘He was. It was odd. He wasn’t wearing a coat and it was cold. He just had on one of those zip-up hooded tops. The hood was up. I remember it was a dark colour, maybe black or navy, definitely not a warm tone like brown. I could tell that much in the lamplight. I remember him turning to look up at the houses, my house. He looked right into my bedroom. I don’t think he saw me, as the light was off and I was standing behind the curtain, but he did make my heart skip a beat. By this time my tablets were making me woozy.’
Rain began to tap on the window. Gina took a swig of her tea. It was just as she remembered her mother making: sweet with full-fat milk. ‘Did you see his face?’ she asked.
Alice pulled an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her nose. ‘He had a scarf covering his mouth and nose. I didn’t catch his eyes but he scared me. Something about the time it took him to stare up at our houses, like he was checking for signs of life before committing a crime. But then he walked away, down the street in that direction.’ She pointed towards the Jenkinses’ house. ‘I was so tired by then, I almost pulled my curtains off the hook as I drew them. I stumbled to my bed and woke up with a thick head about seven.’ The woman paused. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t see more.’
‘You’ve been really helpful, Alice.’
‘Did he burgle a house? There have been rumours up and down the street that Mr Jenkins was burgled. He’s such a lovely man and his children are lovely too.’
Jacob closed his notebook, coughed and drank the rest of his water. Gina knew she needed to put Alice at ease. ‘He wasn’t burgled, luckily. If you see this person on your street again, could you please give me a call?’ Gina handed her card to Alice.
‘I certainly will, Detective Inspector. What a credit to your sex you are. I wished I’d done more than work in a deli.’
‘You did do more. You and your husband were businesspeople; you worked hard. You have a lovely house and a beautiful family. You should be very proud of what you’ve achieved. Your great-grandson is adorable, too,’ Gina said as she stood. ‘We will now leave you in peace. You have my number.’
* * *