He got up and removed her jacket from the back of her seat and helped her put it on.

As they cut through Leicester Square a busker playing a guitar was singing ‘Lyin’ Eyes’ by the Eagles. Carl took some change out of his pocket and dropped it in the busker’s guitar case.

‘That song reminds me of my last girlfriend.’

The song, about a woman who cheats on her husband, also hit a nerve with Jane. She wasn’t cheating on Carl, but she was certainly lying, and her smile was a thin disguise to get information out of him. As they walked to the station, Jane wondered if she should make an excuse and tell him she couldn’t go to the wedding. Standing him up on the day would be really hurtful. She had to remind herself that, nice bloke though he seemed to be, she was doing this to help catch the robbers.

‘Would you like to go out again before the wedding?’ he asked.

‘Sorry, I’ve got to do some typing and filing for my dad in the evenings. He was a bit miffed that I went out tonight, actually.’

‘Sure, I understand.’ He took a bit of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Jane. ‘I did a little map of where the wedding and George’s house are. The service starts at three. I could come over and pick you up—’

‘It’s fine, I’ll make my own way to the church and meet you there,’ she said, forcing a smile.

He leant forward, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and nervously stepped back.

‘Thanks for a lovely evening, Jane.’

He turned around and walked away.

Jane put her hand on her cheek where he’d kissed her. She didn’t feel offended; it was a nice gesture. Part of her wanted to call out to him to stop, so she could tell him the truth, but she knew it was too late for that.

Sitting on the Tube to Baker Street, Jane felt miserable. What she’d thought would be nothing more than a fact-finding evening had turned into something she’d never expected. Once she’d stopped trying to get information out of him and relaxed, she’d found herself genuinely enjoying Carl’s company.

You really know how to mess things up when it comes to men, don’t you? she thought to herself wryly.

Chapter Thirty-One

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

It was Tuesday morning and the surveillance operation was up and running again from 6 a.m., with all officers in their allocated positions. All the suspects left their premises and went straight to work, arriving at about the same time as they had the previous day.