That evening, Jack and Ridley were back at Jack’s kitchen table drinking their way through a six-pack of beer. There was a chilli bubbling away in one pan and cooked, drained rice waiting in another. ‘I’ve only met De Voe once, sir,’ Jack said, ‘but I know he’s catchable. I mean, he’s smart and we can’t underestimate him, but his problem is that he thinks he’s untouchable. He’s arrogant, and he’s greedy. He doesn’t need to sell an emerald ring and matching necklace to Richard Delaware, but he will. He can’t help himself. Another Achilles heel is Betina. He likes her, trusts her, but she clearly comes as a package with Alberto. He’s their weak link. If he’s our killer, and I think he is, then he’s the one with the most to lose and the most to gain from talking to us. But the best thing about Alberto Barro is his selfishness. If we get Alberto alive, he’ll give us De Voe.’

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

The squad room in Chipping Norton was a hive of activity. Bevan was in charge of updating the information on the whiteboards: one was now dedicated to the timeline, one to the identification of potential gang members and the third board was for outlining the operational tactics that would ultimately catch this gang in the act of robbing five, preselected target houses, all at once. While everyone threw information at Bevan on various subjects, she listened to every word, noted every detail and added it in exactly the right place on exactly the right whiteboard.

When Jack walked into the room, Oaks rushed to his side, eager to get him up to speed on the recent job he’d been personally assigned. ‘Justin Estrada couldn’t pick Alberto Barro as being the man in the Adidas trainers he saw collecting the trailer from Goodwin’s yard. I think, sir, that if the security lighting in the yard was good enough to see that a pair of trainers had a red sole, then maybe Estrada is right. Adidas trainers don’t seem very “Alberto Barro” anyway, if you ask me. He’s a higher-end designer label man, isn’t he?’

DI Lee sidled up and listened with a frown on his face. ‘I’d prefer it, DC Oaks, if you relay any relevant information via the proper channels, rather than skip about reporting dribs and drabs to a select few. Inadequate reporting is how cases fall apart . . . wouldn’t you agree, DS Warr?’