Jane changed the subject to daily life, and as they spoke about films and sports they liked she realized they had a lot in common. They had another drink and spent nearly two hours in the restaurant. He seemed much more relaxed when he wasn’t speaking about his family, and had a sharp sense of humor. When the waitress gave Carl the bill, he insisted on paying and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
‘Would you like to go for a drink somewhere?’
‘I’d love to, but I’ve got to be up early and be at the cafe by seven.’
‘How are you getting home?’
‘On the Tube from Charing Cross.’
‘I’ll walk you to the station.’
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 leaned 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
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.
Jane got a call from Cam at 6 a.m., telling her that Kingston had persuaded Murphy to put her back in the cafe. Cam also said he’d tried to contact her the previous evening but she must have been out.
Driving to the cafe, she couldn’t stop thinking about her date with Carl and what a fool she’d been to go over Murphy’s head. She’d discovered nothing that might implicate the Ripleys in the Leytonstone or any future robbery, and clocking the mileage on motor cars was hardly a serious offence. There was no way she was going to tell Murphy what she’d done, and she hoped to God he never found out as he would undoubtedly throw her off the Flying Squad.
She got to the cafe just after 7 a.m., and by 8 a.m. it was very busy. Rachel came in just after 9 a.m. and Jane slipped her a thank you note for her information while serving her. Neither of the Ripley brothers came to the cafe, but Carl unexpectedly walked in at midday.
‘Hi, I was just passing by and thought I’d drop this off for you. It’s an official invite to the wedding. I didn’t know your surname, so I just put Jane.’
‘Thank you. It’s a beautifully designed card.’
‘Like I said — only the best will do for Tina.’
‘Would you like something to eat and a drink?’
‘No, I can’t stop. I’ve got to pick up some engine parts and get them back to the garage. Thanks again for last night, I really enjoyed your company.’
He leaned forward to kiss Jane’s cheek and she pulled her head away.
‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘It’s OK. It’s just that people are watching us and I’m quite shy about things like that.’
‘I understand, I won’t do it in public again,’ he said, then walked out.
Jane sighed. Reaching across a table to pick up a dirty plate, she knocked a half-full coffee cup, spilling some onto a customer’s lap.
‘Watch what you’re doing, you silly cow!’
The young man grabbed a napkin and started wiping himself down.
‘I’m really sorry. It was an accident. I’ll get a clean cloth for you.’
‘These are my best jeans and you’ve fucking ruined them!’
Nick strode over, a look of anger in his eyes, and picked up the young man’s plate of half-eaten food. Jane thought he was going to tell her off.
‘Getta out of my cafe!’
‘What for?’ he asked.
‘No one a speak to my staff like that! Now vaffanculo.’
Jane assumed that was ‘fuck off’ in Italian. As the man walked to the door, Nick told him never to come back.
‘Thanks,’ Jane said.
‘Is OK, accidents they happen, and I no like ignorant bastardi in my place.’
The day passed without any movement by the suspects from their work, until they returned home at the same time as the previous evening. The phone taps were also uneventful, with most calls being made by a stressed Maureen Ripley trying to organize the wedding. The man in the camel hair coat had not as yet been seen or identified.
Murphy wasn’t troubled. He knew that surveillance was often a long drawn-out waiting game, but he also knew Tommy Ripley needed money to pay his debts and George was greedy. He was certain they were planning something big after re-reading Jane’s report of what George said to Tommy after the man in the camel hair coat handed over an envelope.
‘...champagne and caviar for life.’
Murphy was already aware that over the next few weeks several security vans in London would be transporting large amounts of money, some with over a million pounds in them. He strongly suspected one of them would be the Ripleys’ target, and they might already have done a recce of the place they would hit. He knew that surveillance was a waiting game, which required the utmost patience, but when the day came his team would be ready to pounce, without fear, and take the Ripleys and their gang down.
It was Wednesday, April 30, and all the suspects went about their business as usual, arriving at work at the normal time, not making any suspicious detours or discreet phone calls. Although the members of Murphy’s team and officers from CO11 were feeling tired, they were buzzing with adrenaline, knowing that today could be the day.