‘So, where are we with the fires?’ Tartaglia asked, looking over at Justin Chang.
It was early evening and Tartaglia had called an impromptu meeting for those members of his team who weren’t still out on the road. The small room was stuffy, the heating having decided to work overtime for a change.
‘I’ve been in touch with the Coroners’ Association and asked for details of all fires in the various jurisdictions involving human fatalities over the last two years,’ Chang said. ‘It’s roughly eight hundred incidents. The majority were fires in the home caused by poor wiring, cigarettes, chip pans catching alight. That sort of thing. There were less than a hundred cases where deliberate ignition was suspected.’
‘Anything interesting?’
Chang looked unenthusiastic. ‘It’s difficult to tell. There’s a heck of a lot of stuff to get through and it’s not straightforward. So far, I’ve found three incidents worth checking into further, but I’m waiting for more info.’
‘What about you, Sharon?’
Fuller yawned. ‘Nothing new to report from the Scrubs, although both inmates I saw remembered Finnigan talking about having some hot Russian babe come to see him. Sounds like he wasn’t discreet with the photos of her either. Finnigan wasn’t a popular guy, by all accounts, but neither of them could think of anybody with a specific grudge. According to the warder, Finnigan mixed with a pretty heavy crowd inside, but he didn’t cause any actual trouble and kept himself to himself for the most part. He’d been transferred there from Pentonville because of some sort of incident. I’m waiting for the details.’
‘Any news on finding Smart’s daughter Rose, Hannah?’ he asked, turning to Hannah Bird who was leaning against the door, arms folded. Everything about her face and body language spoke of tiredness. He couldn’t remember what her previous role had been before she joined the murder squad, but he guessed she was unused to the pace and the hours. He had seen it before, and wondered if she would learn to cope. It was either sink or swim and his bet was on the former.
‘There’s only one Rose, or Rosie, in John Smart’s contacts,’ she said, trying not to yawn. ‘I’ve left messages on her home number and mobile but she hasn’t called me back yet. Do you want to send someone over to her address? She lives in Frome, in Somerset.’
‘Keep trying, but if you don’t get a reply by tomorrow morning, get somebody over from the local station. It’s important we find her. Smart may have told her something.’
As he spoke, the door behind Bird was pushed open and she moved aside to let Minderedes in.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said. ‘I’ve been over at the house next door to Jane Waterman’s. The woman who lives there had just got back from work. She and her husband haven’t been there that long and didn’t know John Smart, but she did remember the Polish gardener, Marek Nowak, because he did a few hours of gardening and DIY for them as well. She described him as always cheerful and hardworking and said she was very surprised to hear he’d run off with some of Jane Waterman’s things. I’ve also dug out the crime report for the burglary. Waterman’s nephew alleged that various items of silver and jewellery had been stolen from the house by Nowak.’
‘This was when?’
‘About three months after Smart disappeared. According to the report, Nowak hadn’t been staying at the house long, but he had worked for Jane Waterman on and off before, so he may have crossed over with Smart at some point.’
‘Did they check to see if he had a criminal record back home?’
‘I don’t think so. Nowak apparently did a runner, so charges were never brought. But there is mention of a girlfriend being interviewed, although she wasn’t very helpful.’
‘You’d better go and talk to her in the morning. She might be more cooperative if she knows it’s a murder investigation.’
As he finished speaking, Carolyn Steele put her head around the door. ‘Sorry to interrupt, Mark, but I’ve had Ian Armstrong on the phone. Someone has tipped him off that Richard English may be a victim of the Jigsaw Killer, as the press are now calling the perpetrator. I told Armstrong there was no DNA match with the London fire, but that didn’t satisfy him. Is there any news from Hampshire?’
He shook his head. ‘We should get the results this evening, or tomorrow morning at the latest. I spoke to Ramsey earlier and he’s chasing his end too.’
‘Has anyone managed to trace the tramp?’
‘Still no luck.’
‘OK. Let me know as soon as you hear from Ramsey. I said I’d call Armstrong back. I didn’t, of course, tell him we’re treating English as a possible suspect.’
When the meeting was over, Tartaglia headed back to his office just in time to see Chang bounding down the main stairs two at a time towards the exit. He found Fuller standing by the coffee machine further along the corridor, punching buttons.
‘Where’s Justin off to so fast?’ he asked.
‘Keeping an eye on Sam. It’s his turn tonight.’