George Ripley closed up GR Motors at 6 p.m. and drove home. His daughter Tina had not been seen at work by Teflon, who’d been keeping observation on the garage. However, the CROPS officer in the field had seen Maureen Ripley and a young woman, who was assumed to be Tina, leaving and then returning to Farthings in a green Range Rover. Murphy guessed that Tina had the week off work before her wedding and was shopping with her mother. Graham Smith was tailed to a three-bedroom semi in Enfield. The CO11 officers following him remarked that he drove his Capri ‘like a madman’ but knew how to handle the car. Carl was followed to a one-bedroom flat in Stoke Newington. And a subsequent check in the electoral register revealed his surname was Winter and he had no criminal record. Murphy stood the firearms officers down at 5 p.m. as the banks were all closed. Tommy Ripley left the snooker hall at 6 p.m. with Maria Fernandez and returned home to his flat in Chingford, while Aidan O’Reilly remained at the snooker club, which closed at 10 p.m. on weekdays.
‘Can you fucking believe it? Going to the wedding with Carl Winter? Either she’s mad or she thinks I am.’
Murphy slugged down a mouthful of whisky and offered the bottle to Kingston. Kingston filled his glass.
‘She’s got plenty of spunk, that’s for sure.’
‘It’s not funny, Stewart. I’ll admit she’s better than I ever imagined she’d be and as tenacious as hell, but she acts on impulse without thinking about the consequences.’
‘Tell me about it... But letting her go to the wedding might not actually be a bad idea.’
‘Whose side are you on?’ Murphy scowled.
‘Yours, of course, Guv. But don’t go cutting off your nose to spite your face. Pulling her out of the cafe is going to look suspicious if the Ripleys turn up again and find she’s not there.’
Murphy had to admit he was right.
‘For fuck’s sake, get Cam to ring her and tell her to get her pinny out again.’
Jane decided on a pastel floral midi-dress, which had a pleated skirt and loosely nipped-in waist. She chose a chunky brown belt to go with it, and a blue jacket as there was a slight nip in the air. She knew if she’d managed to tell Murphy about the drink with Carl he’d have said no to that too, but Murphy hadn’t given her the chance. She was on thin ice, but her anger had made her reckless.
Leicester Square was busy, with a crowd of people outside the Empire Ballroom watching some street entertainers doing a juggling act. She looked at her watch: it was nearly 7:45 p.m. and she wondered if Carl wasn’t going to show up, then about fifty meters away she saw him jogging towards her. He was smartly dressed in a blue blazer, white open-neck shirt, black trousers and black ankle boots.
‘I’m really sorry, I had to get a bus, and then it got stuck in traffic.’
He was out of breath and Jane could see a few drops of perspiration on his forehead.
‘It’s all right, I’ve only just got here myself.’
‘You look lovely,’ he said with a nervous smile.
‘Thank you, and you look very smart too.’
‘Would you like to go for a drink or something to eat?’
‘I’m quite hungry as it happens.’
‘Anything you especially like?’
‘I love Chinese.’
‘Well, we’re spoilt for choice with Chinatown around the corner.’
‘Let’s go then,’ she said, slipping her arm into his.
‘Did you have a busy day at work?’ she asked as they walked up Wardour Street.
‘Same as usual, really: running errands for my stepfather George, picking up car parts and working in the garage.’
‘Are you a mechanic, then?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How long have you been doing that?’
‘Since I left school at sixteen. George owns a car sales showroom and his mate Smudge runs the repairs, servicing and inspection side of it. If you’ve got a problem with your car, whatever it is, I can fix it for you.’
‘I’ll remember that.’
‘Shall we try this one?’
He pointed to the Lotus Garden.
Inside, the waitress led them to a table for two and Carl pulled out a chair for Jane to sit on before gently easing it forward. Carl ordered a pint of lager and Jane said she’d have a half. They looked through the menu in silence as the waitress served their drinks.
‘Cheers,’ he said, raising his glass.
‘Cheers.’ She clinked her glass against his.
‘Do you want to choose your own or have a set meal for two?’ asked Carl.
‘Meal B looks good to me.’
‘Some crispy duck pancakes to start?’
‘My favorite!’
He called over the waitress and she took the order.
‘So, you’ve just started at Nick’s cafe?’
‘I’m only there for a week or so, just helping out until he gets a new waitress.’
‘Oh, that’s a shame. What do you do otherwise?’
‘I work for my father as his secretary. He’s an accountant, but I used to do waitressing during my school holidays.’
Carl made a sour face. ‘I hope he’s nicer than my stepfather.’
‘I have to say, I didn’t like him. He was really rude, and I thought the way he spoke to you in front of me was appalling.’
‘He does it all the time, he’s an ignorant bully.’
‘Why don’t you work somewhere else?’
‘I can’t afford to just now. He bought a shitty one-bedroom flat to get me out of the house and charges me a nominal rent to live there. I’ve been saving every penny I can as I’d like to start a garage of my own, or maybe buy a van and do mobile servicing and repairs.’
‘That’s a brilliant idea.’
The waitress served the crispy duck.
‘Tuck in.’
He offered Jane a pancake.
The food was delicious, and Carl behaved like a perfect gentleman. There was a part of her that felt bad about what she was doing, but it was her job. Now Jane knew Carl disliked George, she wondered if he would say more that might be useful.
‘Your uncle Tommy seemed a bit nicer.’
‘He’s OK, but him and George are as thick as thieves, like my father and Smudge, which is another reason I want to get away from the garage.’
‘You make it sound like they’re up to no good.’
He hesitated for a moment. ‘George and Smudge were in prison together.’
‘What for?’ she asked, feigning surprise.
‘I didn’t know at the time, but I later found out it was for robbing a jeweler’s. I was seven when George went in and fourteen when he got out. Prison changed him. He was a bitter man and I was on the wrong end of his anger on a regular basis.’
‘He beat you up?’ Jane asked, genuinely shocked.
He nodded, clearly disturbed by the memory. ‘Usually with a leather belt and sometimes his hands... It stopped when I was about eighteen, but the verbal abuse didn’t.’
‘Did your mother know what he was doing to you?’
‘Yes, but he also knocked her about, just not as often. She told him to stop or she would leave — but in the end she likes the good life too much: nice car, big house and plenty of money.’
‘Does he hit your sister?’
‘God, no, he treats her like a princess. What Tina wants, Tina gets.’
‘If he was in prison how did he end up doing so well for himself?’
‘I don’t know, and I definitely don’t ask. George likes to make out he’s the bad boy done good, but once a criminal, always a criminal, I reckon. He sells high-end second-hand cars like Jags, Mercs and BMWs. I’m pretty sure Smudge clocks the mileage. I’ve seen people hand over cash when they buy them.’
Jane wondered if other criminals were laundering the proceeds of their crimes by paying cash for George’s cars.
The waitress served them their set meal of chili beef, chicken with cashew nuts, stir-fried vegetables and egg fried rice. The food was so good they didn’t talk much as they ate. Jane was already convinced that Carl was nothing to do with the robbery or part of the ‘gang’. He clearly suspected the Ripley brothers and Smudge were still committing crimes, but for his own self-preservation turned a blind eye to it and didn’t ask questions. She wanted to probe Carl more and ask about Tommy’s snooker hall to see if he knew anything about Aidan O’Reilly, but worried she might be pushing her luck and making him suspicious.