Ridley looked out of his office window waiting for Jack to answer his mobile. Eventually, Maggie’s voice whispered in his ear. Her low tone told Ridley that Hannah must be sleeping close by. ‘Hi, Simon. Not sure where Jack is, but he’s left his mobile in the kitchen drawer again.’ This told Ridley exactly where Jack was – with De Voe! Ridley politely chatted to Maggie for another thirty seconds or so, before hanging up and leaving the squad room.

*

Jack leant casually with the palm of one hand flat on the desk, and his other hand pushed deep into the comfortable pocket of his £200 corduroy trousers. On his way to the emporium, he’d bought a £40 plain white T-shirt, as he knew he couldn’t be seen wearing the same outfit the last time. He hoped it would pass muster.

He casually crossed his bare, fake-tanned ankles and chatted to Betina about horse breeds. He let her do most of the talking, so as not to betray his ignorance on the subject. It was all he could do to look interested. Last time they met, she’d been chatty enough; now, there was no stopping her.

Once it was Jack’s turn to speak, he found himself starting a conversation that had no purpose other than to test his ability to lie convincingly. ‘The girlfriend has gone cold on me, Betina. She’s abroad with the family business, more than she’s with me. I’ve got the yacht this weekend but, well, with no one to share it with, I may give the whole thing a miss. Monaco; did I mention that? Parked her right next door to Philip Green’s. He’s a card. Have you met him?’

Betina began by saying that she hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Mr Green, although she had once seen him in a Monaco casino. ‘If you’re inviting me to your yacht, Richard, I’ll have to say no. I’m out of town this weekend.’

‘Anywhere nice?’ Jack asked – instantly regretting it as it made him sound like a chatty hairdresser.

‘Cheltenham way,’ Betina said. ‘And, from there I go straight to my family estate in Argentina for a couple of weeks. I’m due a long break.’

Jack was now sure that Betina was an active member of their gang of burglars and would be in the Cotswolds as of tomorrow. He also knew that if they failed to arrest her she’d be in Argentina before they could catch their breath, and subsequently impossible to extradite.

‘Well, my loss.’ Jack was beginning to realise how incredibly bad he was at flirting. But he’d not had much practice, seeing as he and Maggie had been together since their late teens. ‘Tell Michael I’m sorry I missed him. And I’m looking forward to our day at the races.’