‘I thought you said she didn’t hear anyone talking in the cafe?’

‘She didn’t – her deaf sister did.’

Katie laughed. ‘A deaf person heard them talking? Are you pulling my leg, Jane?’

‘No, she can lip-read. On Monday she saw two men in a Tottenham cafe moving condiments and sugar lumps around the table. From what she told me I think there’s a strong possibility it might be connected to our investigation.’

‘I see what you mean now when you said it was a bit surreal. Sounds like you did a good job though.’

Katie was trying to keep a straight face, knowing Murphy would be rolling on the floor with laughter when he heard about it.

‘It would have been a lot easier if the duty sergeant at Tottenham had done his job properly when he spoke to Emma Wilson. She went to the station on Tuesday evening and specifically told him it was her sister who was in the cafe and she was deaf, but he didn’t tell us until Thursday night and deliberately left out significant details. I reckon he knows he messed up and giving you the bare bones was an attempt to cover up his cock-up.’

‘I know Geoff Harris from when I was the CID clerk at Tottenham – he’s one of the older sergeants and was usually very competent. I should have asked for more details when he phoned over the information.’

‘It’s not your fault, Katie, you can only go by what he told you.’

‘Did you have a word with him about his attitude?’

‘I thought about it, but I was in a rush to get to Wood Green and back here, so I didn’t have the time. It’s probably best to just let it go now I’ve spoken to the Wilson sisters – two sergeants having a head to head won’t achieve anything.’

‘Well, if Harris phones again I’ll be giving him a piece of my mind.’

‘What’s happening about the weekend? Is everyone in, or half the team Saturday and half Sunday?’ Jane asked, wanting to change the subject.

‘Murphy told me to tell you to take the weekend off.’

‘Just me, or everyone?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I was hoping to make some follow-up enquiries on what I was told today and some of the names I’ve uncovered. Do you think it would be worth phoning him at home later, or in the morning, to update him and ask if I could work a voluntary shift on Saturday and Sunday?’

‘I wouldn’t – he gets really annoyed if his weekends are disturbed over something trivial. Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply what you just said is trivial, but Murphy only likes to act on really solid information, so you might want to reassess what you’ve got before speaking to him.’