Alberto was in the tiny en suite toilet adjoining De Voe’s office. Inside, on hangers, was a selection of fresh white shirts. He removed his own shirt, which was now patterned with arterial spray, and washed his hands and upper body. He then dressed in one of De Voe’s clean shirts and, as he fastened the expensive pearl buttons, he watched a thick, red pool of blood around De Voe’s upper body gradually congeal. Alberto regained his senses, snatched the rucksack of money from the desk and reached for the office door. But then he heard the familiar gentle noise of the shop door opening.

Jack pushed the shop door open just an inch, then reached up to silence the bell before entering. The office door was shut and a thin strip of light shone from beneath it.

Propped against the wall was a retractable metal window pole used for opening the skylight – Jack grabbed it, then opened the door cautiously, slowly revealing De Voe’s body lying in a pool of his own blood. No doubt this was Alberto’s work, but he didn’t imagine that Alberto was still there; he’d surely be long gone, hopefully heading to Heathrow where he’d run straight into the hands of the waiting police.

Still, Jack remained wary as he pushed the office door wide until it was flat against the wall. The room was empty. Jack took a few moments to make certain it was safe to enter, then saw the open safe in the wall behind the desk. He thought he could see the diamond bracelet he’d stolen from the police evidence room and was so relieved at the thought of getting it back, he stepped across the room without even noticing the door to the tiny en suite. He laid the metal pole on the desk, reached into the safe and put the diamond bracelet into his pocket. The safe also contained a black velvet bag, and inside was a handful of large emeralds that Jack presumed to be from the stolen necklace that had once belonged to Barbara Hutton.

As Jack examined the emeralds, Alberto emerged silently from the en suite and stepped towards him, raising his hand with the buckle knife above his head. As Alberto prepared to strike, Jack heard an intake of breath and instinctively grabbed the metal pole, and spun round, swinging the pole at the blurry figure he now saw before him. The pole met thin air, sending Jack off-balance and making him see stars, as a wave of nausea hit him from the sudden movement. He stumbled against a low filing cabinet, catching his ankle painfully, but the throbbing in his head was so intense, he hardly noticed. As he turned to try and focus on his assailant again, he knew that although he’d evaded one attack, he was no match for Alberto in his current state.