‘Then they must have had someone in a vehicle parked up nearby waiting for them,’ Teflon said.

‘That makes five robbers, and the guards all said there were four,’ Bax remarked.

‘The driver would have stayed in the van while the others did the robbery,’ Jane suggested. ‘If they did, my guess is it’s a guy called Patrick O’Dwyer. He’s connected to O’Reilly and his prints were on Fiona Simpson’s keys.’

Jane did some calculations on a piece of paper.

‘The robbery started at eight o’clock, when the guard arrived at the depot. If they cut through the woods and got in a van on the second hole it would be about 7.15, which means they’d get to Shoreditch before eight and had at least two hours to do the robbery. If they left the depot at ten, they’d be back at the course by, say, 10.30 at the earliest to 10.45 latest.’

‘Which would mean they’d have to sneak back on the course at the seventeenth or eighteenth to finish at 10.50,’ Bax said.

Jane looked on the back of the supervisor’s statement to check the provider’s address and phone details. She picked up the phone and called him.

‘Hello, is that Mr Bridge?’

‘Yes, speaking.’

Jane turned on the speakerphone for Bax and Teflon to listen in.

‘It’s WDS Tennison from the Flying Squad. Some of my colleagues were with you this morning.’

‘What can I do for you, officer?’

‘I’m sorry to bother you after such a traumatic experience. I just need to ask you a couple more questions about the robbery.’

‘Certainly – I’ll do whatever I can to help catch those bastards.’

‘You said in your statement that the man with the deep voice, the one who threatened you, had a gold-coloured lighter in his hand.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘Was it butane gas, or a fluid lighter like a Zippo?’

‘Definitely gas – I watched the bastard light it in front of me, ’ he said, a tremor in his voice.

‘How did he light it?’

‘The way you do any lighter – by flicking the spark wheel with your thumb.’ He sounded bemused by the question.

‘And was the spark wheel on the top or side of the lighter?’

‘The side.’

‘Could you see if it had any writing on it?’

‘No, his hand was covering it.’

‘Can you describe the lighter to me in detail?’

‘It was about two or three inches long, an inch wide and chunky-looking.’

‘Thanks for your time, Mr Bridge.’ She put the phone down.

‘What was that about?’ Bax asked.

‘I’ve seen George Ripley use a gold lighter with his initials engraved on it in the cafe.’

‘That doesn’t mean the man who threatened the supervisor was him,’ Bax replied.

‘George’s lighter also had a spark wheel on the side.’

‘It’s just a bloody lighter – it doesn’t prove anything.’