فصل 05

Jane Tennison was nervous as she waited in the television studio. The programme was going to start soon.

She knew what she had to do but she was frightened of making a mistake.

She was the first woman police officer to appear on a television crime programme and she had to do well.

Jane’s parents, her sister Pam and Peter were watching the television, waiting for the programme to begin.

The birthday party had started earlier, but they wanted Jane to arrive before they cut the birthday cake.

‘Peter,’ Jane’s mother said, ‘can you check the video? Jane wants us to record the programme so that she can watch it later.’

‘Is the video on the right programme, Mr Tennison?’ Peter asked.

‘Of course it is. Now be quiet so we can watch.’

Otley sat with the other police officers who were watching the programme. He hated seeing Tennison on television.

Tennison was doing well.

‘We know that Karen Howard left the office where she was working at six-thirty on the evening of the thirteenth of January.

She told the people she worked with that she was going home. She never returned to her apartment. Were you in Ladbroke Grove that night, at around six-thirty?

Did you see her?’

A woman police officer, dressed in the same clothes as Karen had worn, appeared on the screen.

‘We know that Karen had problems starting her car. A man saw her trying to start it.’

On the television, a man went over to the girl dressed as Karen.

‘Got a problem?’

‘Yes. It won’t start.’

The man tried to help but still the car would not move. He shook his head. ‘I think you’d better call a garage.’

‘We know that Karen locked her car and walked to the main road. She was never seen again,’ Tennison went on.

George Marlow stood in front of the television watching the programme.

‘Turn it off!’ Moyra said. ‘What are you watching that for?’

‘Because I want to see what she’s saying. Somebody out there knows what happened - they know who killed her.’

‘The police think it was you.’

‘Well, it wasn’t. You have to believe me.’

Moyra watched the television with horror as a car like George’s appeared on the screen. Tennison was saying that the police needed to find the car as part of the investigation.

‘George!’ she screamed. They’ve got a car like yours! They’re giving out the car number!’

Marlow put his head in his hands. ‘Why are they doing this to me? Why?’

After the programme finished, Jane drove quickly to her parents’ home. She had forgotten to send her father a birthday card and present, so she bought two bottles of wine from the shop near their house.

‘Well, was I OK?’ she asked. ‘Did you see me on television? Have you recorded it on the video? Switch it on - let me see myself.’

Peter switched on the video. Jane sat on the edge of her chair. The television showed a football match.

‘What’s this? You’ve recorded the wrong programme!’ Then she began to shout at her father.

There were only ten phone calls to the police station after the programme finished. One of them was useful. A woman called Helen Masters remembered seeing Karen getting into a car. She gave a description of the driver.

He was about five feet ten inches tall, rather handsome, with very dark hair. She described George Marlow.

Jane and Peter argued all the way home.

‘Your father just made a mistake,’ Peter said. ‘He didn’t record the wrong programme on purpose.’

‘He knew how important it was. He always gets it wrong!’

‘You are so selfish! Don’t you ever think about anyone except yourself? It was your father’s birthday and all you could do was shout at him.’

‘It’s always the same. They don’t care about my job. They think I should be like Pam and have children.’ Suddenly Jane began to laugh.

‘He’s done this before, you know. He recorded part of a football match over the video of Pam’s wedding.’

When she opened the door to the apartment, the telephone was ringing. ‘We’ve got a witness,’ she said to Peter.

‘A woman saw Karen get into a man’s car. She says the man knew Karen - he called out her name. And he looked like George Marlow. I’m going to question him again.’

‘Tonight? You’re going back to the station now?’

Quickly, Jane changed her clothes, kissed Peter and left the apartment. Peter lay back on the bed and sighed. Sometimes she really annoyed him - her moods, her temper.