‘It’s complicated,’ he breathed. He concentrated on the ceiling above her. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of throwing her off, or the satisfaction of succumbing to her. She wanted one or the other, it probably didn’t matter which.

‘How are you getting on with our little puzzle?’ she asked. ‘I take it you weren’t out late last night for social reasons.’

‘Tell me about Mims.’

‘Who? Oh, the girl with the blue hair. She was Simeon Ali’s lover. Sad really: she was all he had. Simeon had no family here, not even any real friends. He’s an only child. His mother is dead, his father is back in Turkey, and they were estranged. Mims will be the only one to mourn him.’

‘How do you know all that?’

She smirked, ran her tongue over her top lip. For a moment, she didn’t look all that attractive anymore. Nevertheless, Priest felt a burning in his groin.

‘If you must know,’ she said, leaning across him and putting her hands on his shoulders for support. Her hair dangled in his face. ‘I was following Simeon for months.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I was interested in the Elias case and I worked out who the whistle-blower was ages ago so I thought it would be useful to, you know, get a bit of background.’

Priest had had enough of her teasing, the smell of her cheap perfume, the overdramatic flirtation. That annoying flick of her hair. She knows more.

‘Did you find out how Simeon got roped into this mess?’ he asked, making sure she knew it wasn’t a casual question.

She sat up, put her finger to her lip. ‘Let me see now . . .’

‘Someone knew that Simeon had worked for the Elias Foundation and that he knew a lot about Alexia. That person persuaded him to come forward. Now this is important, Elinor: who was it?’

After he said it, a thought popped into his head. Was it Elinor? Had she been the one to persuade Simeon to come forward?

She laughed, but avoided his eyes. It was a curious noise, her laugh. She had such a neat, pretty face, making the hollow bark she emitted a complete juxtaposition. The noise grated on him, but as her lithe figure writhed over him, he could feel his own body respond.

‘Elinor,’ he prompted, trying to stay focused.

‘Did you know she has a degree in astrophysics? Mims, I mean.’

‘Was it you?’ he demanded.

‘Where’s your little friend today, by the way? The ginger one?’

Priest shook his head in disbelief. ‘Why do you care?’

‘Just wondered.’

‘Was it you, Elinor? Did you get Simeon into this case?’

Elinor laughed again. ‘No, darling, you did that, didn’t you?’

‘OK, fine. You said your mother thought Alexia was a bad person, that’s why you’re so interested in the case. Who is your mother? How is she connected to the Elias Foundation?’