The squad room was not designed to cater for the numbers of officers currently occupying it. As Jack and Oaks pushed past the extra chairs and made their way to the front of the room, Jack could see that CCTV from in and around Wychwood train station was being fed to several large screens, and the B4437 temporary traffic lights were now also covered by hidden cameras. He remembered the wildlife survey done in Wimbledon Common, where cameras had been rigged in trees and left to watch owls and kestrels come and go from their nests. The same principle was now being used here to watch the traffic lights.

Jack paused next to Bevan. She was hard at work, compiling a spreadsheet of figures that would no doubt make sense to everyone else once complete. The source material was scattered across her desk, comprising Betina’s bank statements and a list of passenger names, airports and flight numbers from Rio. These had to be the extra hands she’d been asked to bring in, to carry out the five burglaries in one evening. Bevan had even managed to get all of their passport images; although, in truth, after a good haircut and shave, they’d be unrecognisable.

Once at the front of the room, Jack asked to speak with Gifford, Lee and Mason in private. Oaks was allowed to join them, as he knew about the phone call from Charlotte. This ‘summoning’ immediately got Lee’s back up; but he was determined to control his temper long enough to hear what lies Jack was going to come out with this time.

‘Has Bevan ever done any undercover work?’ Jack asked. The blank look shared by Gifford and Oaks said that she hadn’t. ‘The Yardley house will be occupied on the day of Barrowman’s charity buffet. De Voe knows this and has said he doesn’t care, so we can’t give him another address . . .’

Lee couldn’t hold his tongue a moment longer.

‘You mean to say your snout’s been chatting to our prime suspect, without your knowledge?’

‘She’s not a snout and he called her,’ Jack said firmly. ‘She’s scared.’

‘We only have her word for anything,’ Lee shot back, ‘because she isn’t under our control. She isn’t in police custody and her phone calls aren’t being monitored.’

Jack ignored Lee’s glare. For now, he was more concerned about sharing the solution he’d come up with. ‘I say we put the Yardleys in a hotel, and leave Oaks and Bevan in their place, posing as the occupants.’

‘Absolutely not.’ Gifford’s response was instantaneous. ‘They’re far too inexperienced to be put in harm’s way like that.’ Jack glanced at Oaks, suggesting that he was able to make up his own mind, but Gifford remained firm, holding Jack’s gaze. ‘The answer is no.’ Jack couldn’t believe it. What a time for Gifford to grow a backbone!