Sterling woke up when Flowers left the bed. ‘Stay there,’ he said, leaning over and speaking in a quiet voice. ‘I’m going to jump in the shower. Can I borrow some of your girlie deodorant?’

She smiled. ‘You can borrow anything you like.’

‘Thanks.’

She struggled up onto her elbow. ‘Mitch?’

‘Yeah?’ He hesitated in the doorway, still wearing the white bathrobe.

‘Thank you. That’s the best sleep I’ve had since I moved to Khancoban.’

He smiled a little, his hair flopping over his forehead. ‘You’re welcome.’

Sterling lay back on the pillows listening to the sounds of him turning on the shower and moving around the bathroom. Nothing physical had happened. She hadn’t needed that from him last night, and he knew it. She gingerly turned onto her side. It would happen though, whenever they felt they were ready. More importantly, their emotional connection had grown stronger during this time.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom dressed in yesterday’s clothes. ‘Bathroom’s all yours,’ he said, glancing at her as she sat up and swung her feet to the floor. ‘You have a bad case of bed hair,’ he said with a laugh.

Sterling padded over to the mirror and stared at her reflection. ‘Oh my God,’ she said, pushing back the curls that had sprung up overnight. ‘This is what happens when I don’t blow-dry my hair.’

‘Now I know your weak spot,’ he said, moving to the door. ‘See you in bit. I’ll get back to my room before Sarge wakes up.’

Less than two hours later, Flowers threw open the door to the small room where Elijah Jones sat waiting to be interviewed.

‘Good morning,’ Flowers said, holding the door open for Sterling to go in ahead of him.

‘Hello, Elijah,’ he heard her say as he closed the door.

‘Oh my God, Ida, I feel like such an idiot,’ Elijah said, his cheeks and forehead glowing red with embarrassment. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Sterling smiled as they both sat down. ‘Don’t worry. I didn’t take it personally.’ She glanced at Flowers. ‘It is the first job I’ve ever been fired from though.’

‘There’s a first time for everything,’ said Flowers, feeling sorry for the publican squirming in his seat. He’d always struck Flowers as a decent kind of guy.

‘So, Elijah,’ Sterling said, when the formalities had been sorted and they were ready to get underway, ‘Can you tell us about the conversation you had with Heidi Lorrimer on the phone yesterday?’

He nodded. ‘Sure, what do you need to know?’

‘Just run through it,’ said Sterling. ‘What happened after I left your office?’