appearance, but he had thick glossy black hair parted on one side and had a habit of running his slender fingers through it. As she hadn’t spoken for a while she watched him pat his hair, tossing his head back slightly.
‘What is this about?’
‘You are a tenant and live next door to a Tina Brooks and her partner Alan Rawlins?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you aware that Mr Rawlins is missing?’
‘Sort of, yes.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Miss Brooks actually knocked on my door a while back asking if Mr Rawlins was with me, though why she would ask me didn’t really make any sense as I hardly knew him.’
‘But you did know him?’
‘I’d pass him going to work and sometimes when I returned. He once asked me about my car, and we chatted a bit, but I wouldn’t say I knew him.’
‘What did you make of him?’
‘Make of him? I don’t understand. I’ve just said I hardly even spoke to him.’
‘When was the last time you did that?’
He lolled back in his chair. ‘Erm … a few months ago.’
‘What happened on that occasion?’
‘As far as I can recall, I was coming into the block and he was leaving. He said hi or something like that and that’s it.’
‘What about Tina Brooks?’
‘I know they lived together, but that’s all I knew about them.’
‘So you didn’t socialise with them?’
‘No. To be honest, I can’t wait to leave, but it was very useful for me when I was at my previous job in Hounslow. I was working not too far away, but with all the present banking fiasco I was one of the first they let go, so I applied for numerous positions and got lucky here.’
‘What exactly do you do?’
‘Investments.’
Anna tapped her notebook and then gave a smile. ‘You look fit, Mr Phillips. Do you work out?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you use the same gym as Tina and Alan?’
He nodded and then ran his hand through his hair.
‘I was a member at the local gym, but we have our own here in the basement, so I didn’t renew my membership.’
‘So you must have met Tina there?’
‘Yes, she was there on a number of occasions, I think, but like I said I didn’t really know either of them, and I used a personal trainer there so I didn’t really mix with anyone else.’
‘Did you ever hear any arguments between them?’
He sighed and shook his head. ‘No. I’m not wall to wall to them but opposite, so even if they had argued I doubt if I’d have heard them. They live in flat two and I am in flat one.’
‘Have you ever seen anything suspicious with regard to them?’
‘No. I leave early and I get back around seven. To be honest, the block is a bit of a dead zone apart from some tenants above; apparently their cooking smells drift upward. I don’t think I’ve ever even met them. I know there’s a woman with a small yapping dog and a Mr and Mrs Maisell who I’ve bumped into a few times.’
‘But you didn’t know either Tina or Alan well?’
‘No. I’ve already said that I didn’t.’
‘Your flat is the same size as theirs?’
‘Yes.’
‘Quite large for a bachelor, isn’t it?’
‘Not at all. In fact, when I first looked over the place I was with a friend and it was sort of a situation of us maybe moving there together, but it didn’t work out.’
‘Girlfriend?’
‘Yes.’
‘So you’re not engaged?’
‘Been almost caught,’ he grinned, ‘but no, I’m single.’
‘Do you have an ongoing relationship now?’
‘No, actually I don’t. I’m playing the field, as they say.’
‘Did you ever play with Tina Brooks?’
His face tightened. ‘No—and if there is nothing more you need to ask me, I should get back to work.’
Anna stood up and gathered her notebook and pen, which she had not used, and slipped them into her briefcase.
‘What do you think happened to him?’ Phillips asked.
‘Well, we are trying to find out. Thank you for your time. Do you have a card in case we need to contact you again?’
When he stood up he towered above Anna,
‘What is this about?’
‘You are a tenant and live next door to a Tina Brooks and her partner Alan Rawlins?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you aware that Mr Rawlins is missing?’
‘Sort of, yes.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Miss Brooks actually knocked on my door a while back asking if Mr Rawlins was with me, though why she would ask me didn’t really make any sense as I hardly knew him.’
‘But you did know him?’
‘I’d pass him going to work and sometimes when I returned. He once asked me about my car, and we chatted a bit, but I wouldn’t say I knew him.’
‘What did you make of him?’
‘Make of him? I don’t understand. I’ve just said I hardly even spoke to him.’
‘When was the last time you did that?’
He lolled back in his chair. ‘Erm … a few months ago.’
‘What happened on that occasion?’
‘As far as I can recall, I was coming into the block and he was leaving. He said hi or something like that and that’s it.’
‘What about Tina Brooks?’
‘I know they lived together, but that’s all I knew about them.’
‘So you didn’t socialise with them?’
‘No. To be honest, I can’t wait to leave, but it was very useful for me when I was at my previous job in Hounslow. I was working not too far away, but with all the present banking fiasco I was one of the first they let go, so I applied for numerous positions and got lucky here.’
‘What exactly do you do?’
‘Investments.’
Anna tapped her notebook and then gave a smile. ‘You look fit, Mr Phillips. Do you work out?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you use the same gym as Tina and Alan?’
He nodded and then ran his hand through his hair.
‘I was a member at the local gym, but we have our own here in the basement, so I didn’t renew my membership.’
‘So you must have met Tina there?’
‘Yes, she was there on a number of occasions, I think, but like I said I didn’t really know either of them, and I used a personal trainer there so I didn’t really mix with anyone else.’
‘Did you ever hear any arguments between them?’
He sighed and shook his head. ‘No. I’m not wall to wall to them but opposite, so even if they had argued I doubt if I’d have heard them. They live in flat two and I am in flat one.’
‘Have you ever seen anything suspicious with regard to them?’
‘No. I leave early and I get back around seven. To be honest, the block is a bit of a dead zone apart from some tenants above; apparently their cooking smells drift upward. I don’t think I’ve ever even met them. I know there’s a woman with a small yapping dog and a Mr and Mrs Maisell who I’ve bumped into a few times.’
‘But you didn’t know either Tina or Alan well?’
‘No. I’ve already said that I didn’t.’
‘Your flat is the same size as theirs?’
‘Yes.’
‘Quite large for a bachelor, isn’t it?’
‘Not at all. In fact, when I first looked over the place I was with a friend and it was sort of a situation of us maybe moving there together, but it didn’t work out.’
‘Girlfriend?’
‘Yes.’
‘So you’re not engaged?’
‘Been almost caught,’ he grinned, ‘but no, I’m single.’
‘Do you have an ongoing relationship now?’
‘No, actually I don’t. I’m playing the field, as they say.’
‘Did you ever play with Tina Brooks?’
His face tightened. ‘No—and if there is nothing more you need to ask me, I should get back to work.’
Anna stood up and gathered her notebook and pen, which she had not used, and slipped them into her briefcase.
‘What do you think happened to him?’ Phillips asked.
‘Well, we are trying to find out. Thank you for your time. Do you have a card in case we need to contact you again?’
When he stood up he towered above Anna,
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