They got no answer from flats four and five either. When they rang the doorbell of flat six there was the sound of a dog yapping. It continued its noise as they pressed the doorbell twice more before it was inched open.
‘Yes?’ The woman’s face was partly hidden.
‘Miss Jewell?’
‘Yes? What do you want?’
Anna showed her ID and introduced herself and Paul. The door closed, the safety chain was unlinked and the door opened wider.
Miss Jewell was no more than forty, but she was frail and very thin. She held a small terrier under her arm with one hand over its mouth as it gave a throttled growl.
‘Has there been a burglary?’
‘No. Could we just talk to you for a moment?’
Miss Jewell reluctantly led them into a beige-coloured sitting room, which had a lot of shabby furniture unlike Tina Brooks’s sparse flat. It was a smaller place in comparison, more like a studio, and, as it was at the top of the block, it had sloping ceilings.
Anna and Paul sat down as the small bedraggled dog was shut in the kitchen; it yapped for a while and then went quiet.
‘Don’t worry about Trigger, he doesn’t bite, but he’s a wonderful guard dog,’ Miss Jewell said as she perched on the edge of a bright green bucket chair. If she sat back any further her legs would have lifted off the ground. Anna and Paul were seated on a sofa covered with blankets and shawls. They explained briefly why they were there and asked if she knew Alan Rawlins.
‘No. I don’t know anyone living here apart from Mr and Mrs Maisell, they’re in flat three. There’s also two families of Iranians, but I don’t talk to them. They’ve only been here about six months.’
‘What about the tenant in flat one?’
‘I have never spoken to him, but he drives a big yellow car which makes a dreadful noise. I have also complained about the cooking smells from the Iranians. I don’t like to cause trouble, but my little flat stinks of their fried fish or whatever they cook down there.’
‘Do you know Tina Brooks who lives in flat two?’
‘Oh, her? Yes, I’ve met her. She pushed some leaflets through my door about special offers at her hairdressing salon. I never used them; put them straight in the bin.’
‘Tell me what you know about her.’
‘Nothing, really. She’s always quite friendly, but I wouldn’t say I’ve ever had a long conversation with her.’
‘And you never met Alan Rawlins?’
‘Not really. I know she had a chap living with her – I obviously have seen him come and go – but I keep myself to myself, apart from Mr and Mrs Maisell. In fact, I just talked to them earlier as they were going to go shopping and they often get my little things that I need. I am registered partially blind as I have tunnel vision. Basically, what that means is I have no peripheral vision and I can only see straight ahead.’
Anna had heard enough. She glanced at Paul and they both stood up.
‘Just one more thing, Miss Jewell: were the carpets provided when you rented?’
‘Yes, throughout, and all the same colour. I think the owner must have got a deal on them as they are apparently the same in all the flats.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Look, we’re not supposed to have pets, but he’s such a good companion and he never does a naughty inside. I take him out first thing to do his business and there have been no complaints about me having him.’
She gave an odd look and eased herself off the bucket seat. ‘It’s not about me having a pet, is it?’
‘No, not at all. We are looking into the fact that Alan Rawlins has disappeared.’
‘Oh really? I didn’t quite follow what you said earlier. Where’s he gone to?’
Anna smiled, repeating what she had told the caretaker – that they were concerned. Miss Jewell said that she wished she could help.
‘Do you think he’s had an accident, or something like that?’
‘Possibly.’
‘Have you tried the hospitals? He could have been knocked down and got concussion and not remembered anything.’
‘Thank you for your time,’ Anna said, heading out, and Paul followed. As they went into the hall the yapping started up again and Miss Jewell banged on the door and told the dog to shut up.
Anna looked at Paul and said that was a waste of time. He suggested they try Mr and Mrs Maisell as they might have returned from their food shop.
‘Why not,’ Anna agreed.
‘It’s odd, isn’t it, living cheek by jowl and nobody knows anybody else,’ Paul commented.
‘Yeah, but to be honest I don’t know any of my neighbours. Do you know yours?’
‘Not really. In fact, come to think of it, I wouldn’t know them if I fell over them.’
‘There you go.’
They rang Mr and Mrs Maisell’s bell and waited, and were about to turn away when the door was flung open. Mrs Maisell was about four foot five and as wide as she was tall.
‘I was just going to bring them up. Oh sorry, I thought you were Hester from upstairs.’
Anna did the introductions and Mrs Maisell ushered them inside. There were the same beige carpets, but theirs were covered by bright rugs of every shape and size, and the flat was crammed with furniture, paintings and bric-a-brac.
‘Morris? Morris! Can you come out, love?’
Mrs Maisell ushered them into the lounge and it was like an antique shop it was so crammed with furniture.
‘Sit down, dears. MORRIS?’
They heard him before he walked in.
‘Don’t tell me it was that ruddy woman upstairs, we’ve only just got back inside.’
‘It’s the police,’ Mrs Maisell said, wafting her hand as an equally short squat man appeared with a grocery bag. He put it down and looked from Anna to Paul.
‘Has there been an accident?’
‘No, they’re asking about that nice young man from flat two. He’s gone missing.’
‘I wouldn’t mind going missing. We can’t put a foot out of the door without that Miss Jewell coming down to ask us to pick up this or pick up that. She hardly goes out.’
‘Don’t be nasty, dear.’
‘It’s the truth though. And she shouldn’t have that rat of a dog. No pets is part of the lease agreement. In fact, I don’t think the landlord even knows she’s got it.’ Morris squatted down in a large comfortable-looking armchair as his wife scurried to stand beside him.
‘Do you know Mr Rawlins?’ Anna began.
‘Yes, lovely chap. He helped start my car once and gave me a good deal when I took it into his garage. Something was draining the battery.’
‘When did you last see him?’
The Maisells looked at each other and then both gave almost identical frowns.
‘A while back, it must be.’
It was extraordinary as they talked to each other; it was as if Anna and Paul weren’t present. They discussed somebody or other’s wedding and decided that wasn’t the right date. Mrs Maisell eventually said that it had to be a couple of months ago.
‘I was putting rubbish out by the bins and he was coming out to go to work – well, I
‘So you never really knew either Tina Brooks or Mr Rawlins?’
‘No, not really.’
‘Can you just try and recall if that last time you saw him he gave any indication that anything was
