‘That bloody siege is still going on,’ Stanley said. ‘They’ve threatened to shoot a hostage if they don’t get what they want. I wouldn’t want to be that poor PC they grabbed. He’ll probably be the first.’
Stanley folded the paper, put it down and took over watching with the binoculars. At ten to eleven he saw the four men walking up to the eighteenth green.
‘They’re on the green,’ he said.
Teflon picked up the camera and started taking photographs.
‘The way that Smudge bloke plays, I thought they’d be a lot longer,’ he remarked.
They watched as the four targets finished their game and shook hands with each other. Ten minutes later they all left the course in the same vehicles they had come in.
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was nearly 1:30 p.m. Jane stood in front of her bedroom mirror, put her wide-brimmed hat on and did a left and right half-twirl.
‘You look good,’ she said to herself with a smile. She went to the living room, looked out of the window to the street below and saw Teflon pull up in the black cab. She picked up her coat, then checked her Kodak Instamatic camera was in her clutch bag, along with spare film before leaving the flat.
Teflon waved when he saw her walking towards the cab.
‘You look absolutely stunning,’ he said, his eyes wide.
‘No need to look so surprised,’ she laughed, getting in the back. ‘I last wore this outfit when I was godmother at my nephew’s christening.’
‘Where to, lady?’ Teflon asked in a cockney accent, as if he was a real cabbie.
‘All Saints Church, Chigwell, please.’ She smiled.
‘Right you are,’ he said and moved off.
Teflon drove slowly so he didn’t arrive at the church too early.
‘You be careful, Jane. No matter what Murphy said, the wedding surveillance isn’t worth putting your neck on the line for. All we really need is the camel hair coat guy’s car registration so we can identify him. If he doesn’t turn up, then you may as well call it a day.’
‘I was only intending to stay until the evening reception starts, then I’ll make an excuse to pull out.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll wait in the canteen at Chigwell nick. Call me when you want picking up.’
He handed her the station phone number.
The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as they pulled up on the road outside the church. Jane saw Carl outside, anxiously pacing up and down the gravel path. He had a top hat in his hand and was wearing a black and grey morning suit. As soon as he saw her he smiled broadly and waved.
‘You look gorgeous, Jane,’ he said as he helped her out of the cab.
‘Thanks. You look very elegant in your suit.’
She winced as if feeling a sudden sharp pain.
‘You all right?’ he asked, looking concerned.
‘It’s just a bad stomach cramp.’
‘Is it something you ate?’
‘No, it’s just that time of the month.’
He looked embarrassed. ‘Oh, right, I see...’
‘Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll go away.’
‘We’d best go into the church. Tina will be here soon.’
She followed him inside, feeling bad that she was lying to him about period pains, but she needed to lay down an excuse she could use later. Carl escorted her down the aisle to the front row on the left. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he would want her to sit next to him and his family. He introduced Jane to his mother, Maureen. She shook Jane’s hand limply.
‘Pleased to meet you, darlin’. My Carl can’t stop talkin’ about you. He was right, as well — you’re a real looker.’
Jane sat at the end of the pew and a minute later she felt a tap on her shoulder, making her jump. She turned around and saw a smiling Tommy behind her with the much younger Maria Fernandez, who was wearing a red dress with a low-cut neckline that showed off her full figure.
Tommy whispered to Jane, ‘Thanks for coming, luv, you’ve made Carl’s day. I’ve not seen him as happy in a long while. This is Maria, me girlfriend. Maria, this is...’ He paused, awaiting a reply.
‘Jane. Pleased to meet you, Maria.’
As they shook hands, Jane recognized Graham Smith and Aidan O’Reilly from the surveillance photographs. They were sitting in the row behind Tommy. O’Reilly still had visible signs of the cut to his forehead, but he also had a rash all over his face, which he was rubbing with his hand.
The room was suddenly filled with the sound of the organ playing Mendelssohn’s ‘Wedding March’ and everyone stood up. Jane thought Tina looked beautiful in her wedding dress, though she felt nothing but contempt for George Ripley when she saw him. She wondered if Tina knew what her father was really like, and how the proceeds of crime had probably paid for her extravagant wedding.
The service was over in half an hour. Carl linked arms with Jane as they walked out of the church, then shook the vicar’s hand and said it was a lovely service. The bride and groom, bridesmaids, best man and ushers had a few pictures taken outside the church, and George announced that the family’s and friends’ photos would be taken in the grounds of Farthings.
Jane scanned the church car park to see if the Jensen Interceptor was there, but couldn’t see it. She looked around the guests for a man resembling Bela Lugosi, but again with no joy.
When the photos were done, Jane travelled with Carl to the house in a wedding limousine. The six-bedroom mock Tudor house was approached via electric gates and a sweeping gravel driveway, and surrounded by over an acre of land, with a small fishing lake and woods at the bottom of the vast gardens. The impressive marquee was close to the house and several waitresses and waiters were serving champagne and canapes. Carl picked up two glasses from a tray and handed one to Jane.
‘Thanks again for coming, it really means a lot to me. George reckoned you’d give me the boot after our first date.’
‘Well, he reckoned wrong... Cheers.’
She raised her glass and he did the same.
George’s booming deep voice filled the air.
‘Right, listen up, you bunch of reprobates. If anyone wants a piss, the ladies’ is in the entrance hallway to the left of the staircase, and the gents’ is in the utility room off the kitchen. Have an enjoyable day and make sure you drink all the booze.’
The photographer called out that he’d like the Ripley family to gather around for a photograph.
‘Come on, Jane,’ Carl said, taking her gently by the hand.
‘I’m not part of your family, Carl, I wouldn’t feel right being—’
‘Maria will be in it and she’s not family. Please, I’d like a proper photo of us together.’
She didn’t have the heart to say no, and also realized she could use the moment to her advantage. She handed her pocket camera to a guest and asked if they’d take some pictures for her. Carl asked the guest to take a quick one of him and Jane before they joined the family.
Although Jane forced a smile, inside she was mortified — standing in the Ripley family photograph next to Tommy, with George only a few feet away. After the photograph was taken she started to move off, but the photographer told everyone to stay where they were, then asked for close friends of the bride’s family to join them for a group shot. It went from bad to worse as she watched Graham Smith and Aidan O’Reilly join the group and stand right behind her.
‘You should put some of Maria’s make-up on that rash for the photo,’ George told Aidan and laughed, as did Tommy.
‘Now we know why he prefers the soft touch of nylon,’ Tommy added in a simpering voice.
‘Fuck off, the pair of ya,’ Aidan grumbled.
‘Right, everyone smile at the camera,’ the photographer said.