‘I’m out for dinner this evening,’ Jane told him. ‘But I need to pop into work this morning to sort a couple of things out.’

‘Going anywhere nice for dinner?

‘A restaurant called the Fantail in Farnborough Village. I’ve not been there before.’

Gerry looked impressed. ‘A special occasion?’

‘Not really. Someone I met through work invited me,’ she replied.

‘Well, he must think a lot of you if he’s taking you there. I’ve heard it’s very fancy.’ Jane now felt even more uncomfortable about accepting Nick Durham’s invitation. She wondered if she should cancel it, and instead speak with DCS Barnes and Stanley on Monday and ask for permission to officially interview Thomas Durham and Lee Holland.

*

Arriving at Bromley, Jane went straight to the custody room and spoke with the uniformed sergeant.

‘There’s a couple of things I need to ask Barry May. Can I have a quick word with him in his cell?’

‘If it’s related to the offences with which he’s charged, it needs to be an official interview under caution,’ he told her.

‘It’s not. It’s an off-the-record chat about some of the people he works with.’

He handed her the cell keys. ‘That’s good enough for me. You might not get much out of him, though. He’s not been very happy since DI Stanley and Boony had a polite word in his ear about using his wife as a punch bag. All I got when I offered him breakfast was “Fuck off and leave me alone.” You want an officer with you in case he kicks off?’

‘I’ll be fine, thanks.’

Jane slid the cell wicket open and looked in. Barry’s lip curled when he saw her.

‘Barry, I need to have a word with you.’

‘I’ve already admitted what I done, so just leave me alone.’

‘It’s not about anything you’ve done.’

‘You deaf or something. I don’t want to speak to you!’

‘It would be in your interest to help me.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘If the answers you give me are helpful, I’ll tell the judge dealing with your case that you made a full and frank confession and assisted my inquiries. A good word from me could mean a suspended sentence as opposed to a custodial one.’

Barry thought about it. ‘All right. What do you wanna know?’

Jane opened the cell door and went in. ‘Is Thomas Durham involved in the current redevelopment at the old convent?’

‘He’s retired, but he still pokes his nose in on the site and moans if we ain’t doing things right.’

‘Does that upset Lee Holland?’

‘Nah. Thomas and Lee go way back. They’re old mates. It’s me and Dermot he moans at.’

‘Lee’s worked for him for a long time, then?’

‘Yeah. He was a labourer first and worked his way up to site manager.’