Matt barked out a whirlwind of instructions, and dozens of people took notes and input information on laptops. The entire floor was run with precision, and Kelly felt dizzy already, and desperate to reach for her second sandwich. Her style at home was more relaxed and deliberate. Matt, by contrast, was a man possessed, and he sniffed a few good leads from yesterday and gave out jobs as if his life depended on it. He was far removed from the man who’d eaten sushi with her last night. She pushed the thought away.

The office cleared, and they were left alone again. Kelly opened her can of Coke and guzzled it.

‘Hangover?’

‘Yup. I never learn.’

‘Have you had an egg sandwich yet?’

‘This is my second,’ she said, taking another out of her bag and opening it.

‘Not in here! God, that stinks!’

‘Oh stop whining. It’s only eggs.’ She chewed and closed her eyes. Her headache was fading. She’d read somewhere years ago that the best thing for a hangover was eggs, and she’d stuck by it ever since. Matt’s memory of the fact only served to threaten intimacy once more, so she changed the subject.

‘Plan for today? Is it really necessary for the two of us to spend so much time together? Alone?’

‘Technically you’re my deputy SIO, and we’re on the same investigation, so long periods of time spent assessing progress is professionally necessary. We need to cooperate.’

He’d perched on the edge of a desk. Kelly could tell that he enjoyed getting under her skin, and she toyed with going home early. She’d learned so much already about George Murphy, about Ravensword and his colleagues. She could liaise with Matt over the net, hourly if need be. His constant angling was becoming tiresome, and she knew he wouldn’t give up.

‘I thought I’d go back to Ravensword today and see if I can get to see Philip Tooting. His secretary kindly let me know that he’s due in around midday,’ he said.

Work mode awarded her relief. ‘What are you going to ask him?’

‘I want to gauge the man. I’ll be looking for signs of infighting between the departments, and I want to know if his affair with Professor Cooper is ethical.’

‘I think the white van lead is more important,’ she said.

‘It’s as important. We’ll do both. I need you. You saw what happened yesterday; it’s better if we’re together. We get twice the number of decisions pushed out, in real time, to officers on the ground.’

‘Bullshit,’ Kelly said under her breath. Matt grinned. ‘Matt, you’ve been SIO on how many cases? Fifty? How many times did you share that role with a junior rank? I’m guessing never. Why now? Last night—’

‘We covered a lot of ground.’