and Calter in turn. ‘No. Three-fifty at least. I won’t go lower and if they piss me around any more you can tell them it’s off the fucking market, understand?’
Savage produced her warrant card and held the identification out for Foster to read.
‘Right then. Be seeing you.’ Foster reached up and unhooked the headset from his ear. ‘’bout the girl, isn’t it? Worried myself, to be honest. Good-looking lass like that goes missing you can only think one thing, can’t you? So when one of your lads came round earlier and told me the bad news I was only too pleased to help. Do anything to find her killer, I would.’
‘May we, Mr Foster?’ Savage gestured inside and Foster nodded and indicated they should come in. He showed them through to the front room, which was some kind of office. To one side of the room several computers, each with multiple screens, sat atop an array of glass tables. On the other side a large leather sofa was angled towards a wall-mounted screen on which a twenty-four-hour news channel played in silence. Foster pulled out a swivel chair and sat down while Savage and Calter plonked themselves down on the sofa.
‘Anasztáz Róka was a tenant of yours, correct?’
‘Yes,’ Foster said. ‘Although she was behind with the rent. She hadn’t paid for three months.’
‘I see. But you let her stay anyway for free.’
‘Well, I’m not an ogre. Bloody nightmare now though, isn’t it?’
Ana, he explained, had come to him pleading poverty. Money she’d been expecting from Hungary hadn’t come through and she’d begged for a grace period. One month became two and then three. Foster tutted to himself.
‘I was too soft, but the lass was foreign and I felt sorry for her.’
‘And was that all you felt?’
‘Hey? I don’t get your drift?’
‘What about her, Mr Foster?’ Calter said. ‘Did
she
get your drift?’
‘I—’
‘“Good-looking lass like her goes missing you can only think one thing.” Wasn’t that what you just said to us, Mr Foster? Sounded a little bit like a confession to me.’
‘Don’t be bloody ridiculous. As soon as Ana went missing I was concerned about her.’
Savage pointed at the office set-up. ‘What is it you do, Mr Foster?’
‘This and that. A bit of trading, a few properties, some other stuff.’
‘This other stuff, wouldn’t happen to involve the internet, would it?’
‘Sure. What doesn’t these days? I used to work up in London, but now I do everything from here. Some people moan about progress, but I say bring it on.’
‘So you know a bit about technology then?’ Savage looked across at the computers again. ‘You know how to set up networks and that sort of thing?’
‘Of course.’ Foster swivelled his chair from side to side, something like a nervous twitch. ‘What’s this got to do with Ana’s disappearance?’
‘We’ve found a hidden webcam in her room,’ Savage said. ‘Was that part of the deal? Is that the reason you were quite happy for her to stay, despite her being in arrears? Or maybe there were other reasons. Maybe you had something else in mind too.’
‘Web—’ Foster coughed and then swivelled back to face his desk. He reached for a bottle of spring water and unscrewed the top. Three gulps, and he’d composed himself. ‘Don’t know nothing about no webcam. Those girls, well they get up to all sorts, you know. Little minxes, the lot of them.’
‘Minxes, really? So if we were to examine the camera for fingerprints we wouldn’t find any of yours on there? If we took a look at your computers or phone there’d be nothing to indicate you’ve ever accessed this webcam?’
‘There … I …’ Foster raised the bottle to his lips again.
‘Yes?’
‘Accidental. Might have just taken a look when my laptop connected without me knowing.’
‘You take your laptop to the property, do you?’
‘Yes, I mean no. Not usually. Now and again maybe if I need to sort out the internet connection in
Savage produced her warrant card and held the identification out for Foster to read.
‘Right then. Be seeing you.’ Foster reached up and unhooked the headset from his ear. ‘’bout the girl, isn’t it? Worried myself, to be honest. Good-looking lass like that goes missing you can only think one thing, can’t you? So when one of your lads came round earlier and told me the bad news I was only too pleased to help. Do anything to find her killer, I would.’
‘May we, Mr Foster?’ Savage gestured inside and Foster nodded and indicated they should come in. He showed them through to the front room, which was some kind of office. To one side of the room several computers, each with multiple screens, sat atop an array of glass tables. On the other side a large leather sofa was angled towards a wall-mounted screen on which a twenty-four-hour news channel played in silence. Foster pulled out a swivel chair and sat down while Savage and Calter plonked themselves down on the sofa.
‘Anasztáz Róka was a tenant of yours, correct?’
‘Yes,’ Foster said. ‘Although she was behind with the rent. She hadn’t paid for three months.’
‘I see. But you let her stay anyway for free.’
‘Well, I’m not an ogre. Bloody nightmare now though, isn’t it?’
Ana, he explained, had come to him pleading poverty. Money she’d been expecting from Hungary hadn’t come through and she’d begged for a grace period. One month became two and then three. Foster tutted to himself.
‘I was too soft, but the lass was foreign and I felt sorry for her.’
‘And was that all you felt?’
‘Hey? I don’t get your drift?’
‘What about her, Mr Foster?’ Calter said. ‘Did
she
get your drift?’
‘I—’
‘“Good-looking lass like her goes missing you can only think one thing.” Wasn’t that what you just said to us, Mr Foster? Sounded a little bit like a confession to me.’
‘Don’t be bloody ridiculous. As soon as Ana went missing I was concerned about her.’
Savage pointed at the office set-up. ‘What is it you do, Mr Foster?’
‘This and that. A bit of trading, a few properties, some other stuff.’
‘This other stuff, wouldn’t happen to involve the internet, would it?’
‘Sure. What doesn’t these days? I used to work up in London, but now I do everything from here. Some people moan about progress, but I say bring it on.’
‘So you know a bit about technology then?’ Savage looked across at the computers again. ‘You know how to set up networks and that sort of thing?’
‘Of course.’ Foster swivelled his chair from side to side, something like a nervous twitch. ‘What’s this got to do with Ana’s disappearance?’
‘We’ve found a hidden webcam in her room,’ Savage said. ‘Was that part of the deal? Is that the reason you were quite happy for her to stay, despite her being in arrears? Or maybe there were other reasons. Maybe you had something else in mind too.’
‘Web—’ Foster coughed and then swivelled back to face his desk. He reached for a bottle of spring water and unscrewed the top. Three gulps, and he’d composed himself. ‘Don’t know nothing about no webcam. Those girls, well they get up to all sorts, you know. Little minxes, the lot of them.’
‘Minxes, really? So if we were to examine the camera for fingerprints we wouldn’t find any of yours on there? If we took a look at your computers or phone there’d be nothing to indicate you’ve ever accessed this webcam?’
‘There … I …’ Foster raised the bottle to his lips again.
‘Yes?’
‘Accidental. Might have just taken a look when my laptop connected without me knowing.’
‘You take your laptop to the property, do you?’
‘Yes, I mean no. Not usually. Now and again maybe if I need to sort out the internet connection in
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