‘Bloody hell, our star witness is the daughter of a cop killer,’ Bax said.

‘Looks like you might have been lied to, Tennison,’ Murphy said with a hint of a smile.

‘But surely you can understand why they might want to hide their past . . .’ she argued.

‘Did those girls ask for any favours in return for making a statement?’ Murphy asked.

She was in two minds about whether to lie, but she’d already spoken to Kingston about helping the twins get a move off the Broadwater, and he might have told Murphy.

‘Emma’s manager at the Co-op told me that she and Rachel were being harassed by local youths. He’d helped her write some letters to the council to get a move, but nothing happened—’

‘You’re not answering my question, Tennison,’ Murphy interrupted. ‘Did either of them ask you to help them?’

Jane knew she was in a corner.

‘Emma asked if I could write a letter to the council. I advised her it was best to report the abuse incidents to Tottenham CID, as the local police would be in a better position to assist them.’

Murphy frowned. ‘They never reported any of these alleged abusive incidents?’

‘Only because they feared further harassment if they did.’

‘This raises serious questions about Rachel Wilson’s credibility as a witness. And offering to help her could be regarded as an inducement for her to lie.’

‘Rachel never told me about the abuse incidents or asked me to write a letter to the council—’

‘She could have been encouraged by her sister to make the whole thing up after they read about the robbery in the paper,’ Murphy said.

Jane tried hard to keep her emotions under control. She knew Murphy didn’t really believe what he was saying; it was just a way to belittle her in front of the team. But she was determined not to let him.

‘What she lip-read in the cafe was on the Monday before the robbery. If she’s making it all up, she seems to have got a lot right.’

Teflon stepped forward and handed Murphy a PNC printout.