‘Your senior officer will be DI Joseph Gifford,’ Ridley told Jack. ‘He’s based in Gloucestershire, but he and his team are working this case from Chipping Norton. Over the past three years, there have been thirty-four known burglaries, but, in the past six months, there have been eleven. So, they’re either getting cocky, or they’re blitzing the place before moving on. And Gifford knows they’re not cocky, so he’s potentially on the brink of losing them.’

Jack sat with the Cotswolds file open on his lap. It was clear that he’d already got a good steer on the case. ‘DI Gifford has got some big names to deal with around here,’ he mused. With ex-prime ministers, famous authors, actors and half of the Top Gear presenters all owning homes inside the target area, kid gloves would be needed if he was to successfully help a community that demanded solutions whilst also insisting on privacy. ‘His biggest problem is surveillance,’ Jack surmised. ‘The Wimbledon Prowler used the Common as cover; DI Gifford’s crew have got half of the Cotswolds to hide in. No CCTV, houses several miles apart, long driveways that aren’t overlooked on any side for at least half a mile. This will be all about thinking like them and making them come to us.’

‘How’s Maggie?’ Ridley’s question had another, unspoken question attached, and that was the one Jack heard and chose to answer.

‘She’ll be glad to get rid of me for a while, sir. I’m best out of the way whilst they establish a routine for Hannah.’ Jack stood. ‘I’ll discuss it with Maggie, of course, but she won’t say no.’ Ridley remained silent as he sensed that Jack had something more to say. ‘Hannah’s not going to be christened exactly, ’cos we’re not religious, but there’ll be a naming ceremony of some kind to celebrate her birth . . .’

Ridley misunderstood, quickly saying, ‘I’ll make sure you’re back in time. What’s the date?’

‘Oh, nothing’s arranged yet, sir. I was actually mentioning it because Maggie and I would like you to be Hannah’s guardian. Her godfather, really.’ Ridley was visibly shocked; he never imagined in a million years that he’d be asked to do anything so personal by a member of his team, especially not Jack – they’d butted heads numerous times and been firmly on opposing sides in many cases. But their working relationship had always proved fruitful, so perhaps being each other’s biggest critic actually made for a closeness that Ridley had overlooked. He sounded nervous as he asked what being a guardian actually meant.