The landlord’s story had the ring of truth to it. Bliss thought about the wardrobe and chest of drawers crammed with clothes, and the makeup on the dressing table. He wondered why they’d been left untouched. But he was more interested in Beaumont’s compliance at the time.
‘So, let me get this straight,’ he said. ‘At no point did you lay eyes on the girl who lived here, yet for some reason you were quite happy for these strangers to clear out her flat?’
‘I didn’t think burglars would be cleaning up after themselves.’ Beaumont seemed pleased with his reply.
‘And neither did you think of giving us a bell, apparently. Yet you had no evidence to confirm they were doing any of it with the permission of the young woman who lived here.’
‘I told you. I didn’t think there was an issue.’
‘Thinking is clearly not your speciality,’ Bishop said. ‘That much is obvious. But even you can’t be that dumb. You must have known you’d be leaving yourself wide open to all manner of legal repercussions if your tenant arrived home to find her flat cleared out while you’d stood by watching them do it.’
‘But she wasn’t coming back, was she? She’d been snatched up by the border cops.’
‘Which didn’t necessarily mean she’d be detained and deported, even if it were true.’
For the first time, the man appeared edgy. ‘Are you telling me it’s not true? She isn’t being held by immigration?’
Bishop made no immediate reply. Bliss said nothing, either.
After an awkward silence, the man seemed to crumble. ‘Look, I’m sorry. All right? There were four of them and only one of me. I was being straight when I told you how it happened, and about what they told me. But yeah, of course I knew it was dodgy. I’ve had these foreigners come and go like this before, and they don’t clean up after themselves that way. I’m not saying they all leave the flats like shitholes, but they certainly don’t send in cleaning crews behind them.’
‘So you knew it was off, but you stood aside and allowed it to happen anyway?’
‘Yes. It wasn’t something I wanted to get involved with.’
‘Did you get any names at all?’
‘No.’
‘How about the registration plate of their vehicle?’
‘No. I didn’t think to look.’
On a hunch, Bliss pulled out his phone. Seconds later he was showing the man a photo of Nicola Parkinson. ‘Is this the woman you spoke to?’
Beaumont barely glanced at the image before shaking his head. ‘No. That’s not her.’
‘Are you sure? Take another look. Closer this time.’
Again the man shook his head. ‘It’s nothing like her. The woman I spoke to was much younger. A blonde.’
‘So what did you think was going on?’ Bishop asked him. ‘Or didn’t you care at all?’
‘Or did they give you something to look the other way?’ Bliss suggested. ‘Is that why you’re so nervous?’
Beaumont looked between them. Finally his shoulders dipped. ‘I asked about the damage deposit and who I should return it to. They said I could keep it. That’s all, I swear.’
‘And you didn’t regard that as a bribe to turn a blind eye?’
‘No.’
Bishop snorted. ‘You’re either a plank of the highest order, Mr Beaumont, or you’re bent. Either way, we’re not done with you.’
The man’s face screwed up so much Bliss thought he might cry. ‘Are you arresting me?’
‘Did I say that? No. I won’t be placing you under arrest today, sir. But I will be authorising an investigation into you. I will also expect a fully detailed statement from you, and if you haven’t presented yourself at Thorpe Wood police station by noon tomorrow, I will send officers out looking for you. I can assure you they won’t be as charming as myself or DI – DS Bliss here. I hope I’ve made myself clear.’
The landlord gave a sullen nod. ‘I didn’t do nothing wrong. Not knowingly. What happened to her, anyway? To Majidah? Can you at least tell me that?’
Bliss regarded the man closely; he searched for a spark of humanity, but saw none. He knew then that Beaumont had most likely used their victim’s services, and that what he was attempting to pass off as concern was merely fear of discovery. He took a step towards him.
‘It’s none of your business,’ Bliss said. ‘But you’d better hope we don’t end up making you our number one suspect. Because if that happens, you become our business. And believe me, that’s when things start to turn ugly for you.’
Before leaving, they spoke to the upstairs tenant, who had little more to add to what they already knew. He’d heard movement from downstairs, and from his window overlooking the street had spotted bags and other items being taken into and from the flat below. His involvement ended when he contacted Beaumont, and he had no memory of the vehicle they were using. He confirmed that he had not seen Rassooli in days; he’d assumed she was visiting family or had gone on holiday.
When they were back in the car, Bliss continued to fret about what they had learned. ‘You know what bothers me most, Bish?’ he said.
‘The keys?’
‘Precisely. Whoever cleaned up had keys to the front door and the flat.’
Bishop nodded, but when he spoke his tone was one of caution. ‘But not necessarily hers,’ he said. ‘I can guess what you’re thinking: they let themselves in, so they must be connected to our killer. But her agency are bound to have their own keys. It could be them who were here.’
Bliss
