‘He looked at the paperwork. ‘Two flat door keys and one garage key.’

‘Thanks for your assistance, Mr Petty, you’ve been very helpful.’ Jane smiled. ‘Could I have Julie Lane’s contact details, please? I may need to speak to her.’

‘Certainly. Is Mr Smith involved in some sort of fraud?’

‘We think so, and we’d be grateful if you could keep what we’ve spoken about to yourself,’ Teflon said.

‘Of course – my lips are sealed,’ he said, handing over Julie Lane’s details.

‘One more thing: do you sell property in Snaresbrook and Wood Green?’ Jane asked.

‘Yes, and beyond. Is there a particular premise or name you’re interested in?’ he asked, thinking it was crime-related.

‘It’s a personal question. I live in a one-bedroom flat in Marylebone and was thinking of looking for a house in those kind of areas – two, maybe three bedrooms with a garden.’

Petty looked pleased he finally had a potential customer on his hands.

‘Please sit down and I’ll show you what we’ve got.’

‘Unfortunately, I’ve got another appointment to go to. Could I take some brochures with me?’

Petty quickly went through some filing cabinets and removed a number of sales brochures, which he put in a folder and handed to Jane.

‘If you’d like to view any let me know and I’ll make sure it’s arranged for a time that’s convenient for you. We can help as well in selling your flat and I’ll halve our normal fees, as we do for all police officers we deal with.’

Jane nodded her thanks and they left.

‘That long shot sounds like it was worth it – you thinking Mrs Smith’s son might have the other key?’ Teflon asked as they walked to the car.

‘Could be, but if he’s got rid of it there’s no way I can prove he used it to lock or unlock the garage before the fire.’

‘It’s still worth making some more discreet enquiries about him. Sounds like he’s crooked if he can stump up ten and a half K cash for a flat.’

‘I totally agree. Can I borrow your pocket notebook please? I want to ring Cam and ask him to make enquiries with the Post Office and trace the owner and address for that 808 number Mr Petty gave us.’

He handed Jane his pocket notebook and she used a public phone booth to call Cam.

‘I’ll get straight on it and let you know the result when you next call in or return to the office.’

‘How’s the Wilson twins enquiry progressing?’

‘I’ve got the details of two children’s homes in Tottenham and was just about to ring one of them.’

‘Good – I’ll expect the results to be typed up by the time I get back!’

*

‘What now?’ Frank Braun asked when he saw the Colonel and Baxter at his front door.