‘No, he just picked up the notepad and said he’d pass the information on to CID and they would get in touch with me, and then he just walked off, so I left.’

Jane was infuriated by the duty sergeant’s attitude. He could have got someone from the CID office in the station to speak to her, but clearly couldn’t be bothered and had just sat on it. She wondered if he’d then heard about the robbery on the security van in Leytonstone on Thursday, and decided to pass Emma’s information on to cover his back in case it was connected. He’d either lied about the date Emma attended the station when he spoke to Katie, or deliberately didn’t mention it and Katie had just assumed it was the same evening as the robbery.

‘Can you tell me the name and address of the cafe and what time Rachel was in on Monday?’ Jane asked, ready to write the details down.

‘It’s called the Bluebird and it’s in Bruce Grove, near the Royal Mail sorting office where she works.’

‘And what did the men say to each other about robbing a van?’

‘Rachel could only lip-read what one of them was saying as the other man was sitting with his back to her. She has a very retentive memory, but I can’t remember everything she told me in detail now. When we discussed it that evening, she wrote everything down in a notebook she always carries with her in case she needs to have a conversation with someone who can’t sign.’

‘Did Rachel write down a description of the men?’

‘I don’t think so. She said she often sees them in there, but she doesn’t like to sit near them.’

‘Why is that?’

‘Because one of them smokes a big stinky cigar and it puts her off her food.’

Jane tried not to get too excited, knowing that what Emma was saying was merely second-hand information.

‘Did Rachel think these men were planning a robbery or had already committed one?’

‘From what she told me it sounded like they were planning one.’

‘What exactly did Rachel say that made you think that?’

‘She said the one whose lips she could see was moving things round the table and talking as if they represented people and a van. She also thought he said the word “robbed”.’

Trying to play devil’s advocate, Jane wondered if the man could have been saying the name Rob instead of ‘robbery’, but the details were definitely beginning to mount up, particularly as the getaway car had been stolen in Tottenham.

‘Did Rachel say anything else about these two men?’

Emma thought about it. ‘She said they looked similar.’

Jane nodded. ‘Anything else?’

‘She thought one of them might be connected to the snooker or bingo hall in Bruce Grove.’

‘Are they next door to each other?’