Glynn turned to Mike and smiled. ‘Just biding my time, mate. Let’s see what he comes up with, then we’ll take it from there.’

*

One of the first things Adele did when she was back at work was to sneak into Peter’s office when no one was around. Peter had told her he was out on business so she had a bit of time. He’d also trusted her with a spare set of keys in case she needed anything while he was away.

She slipped through the office door, closing it quietly behind her, then had a quick look around the room. His desk was the best place to start. Where else would she expect him to hide something he didn’t want anyone else to see? She tried each of the drawers but to her consternation they were locked until she got to the pen tray concealed in the top of the desk.

Amongst the assortment of pens, pencils and rulers was a keyring with two keys on it; a silver one and another, which was small and bronze coloured. Adele quickly inserted the silver key into the top drawer of the desk with shaking hands. But she had no joy so she tried the bronze key, then each key in turn in the next drawer down.

Her heart sped up as she felt the bronze key ease its way into the lock and then catch when she turned it. She pulled the drawer open and flicked through the assortment of musty files. Nothing.

Next she went to the filing cabinet, which was also locked. Adele pushed the silver key into the lock and eased it open, then pulled the top drawer out. It was full of files. As she began to flick through them she heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor, and stopped dead. She glanced at the door, expecting it to swing open any moment. Her heart was pounding.

She stood still, her breath catching in her throat. It was too late to hide. She’d be caught in the act. Adele’s eyes switched back to the row of files in the cabinet. She was about to slam the drawer shut. While she was frantically trying to think up an excuse for why she was in the office, she spotted it: the file she had been looking for.

She quickly grabbed the file and slid it under the desk. She’d come back for it later. Then she shut the drawer and waited. But the footsteps faded. Whoever it was had walked past and were on their way up the corridor.

She grabbed the file from under the desk and placed another on top of it. If someone spotted her they’d think she’d come to collect the other file, which related to one of the sunbed salons. Then she left the office as quietly as she could and made her way back to her own office.