Li drove a custom-made bright yellow Mini Cooper S Roadster with black stripes on the bonnet and black and yellow leather seats to match the paintwork. It was the most ridiculous and fun car Georgie had ever seen and if it wasn’t for the fact that she knew Li had paid for it from prostitution, she might have even enjoyed the roar of the two-litre engine as the little mechanical bumble bee surged into the fast lane of the M11.

They had, mistakenly in Georgie’s view, put the soft top down and she had to shout to be heard above the howl of the wind, her hair flapping around her face. Somehow Li didn’t seem affected and looked perfectly at home in her Gucci leather jacket and skinny jeans as the car advanced beyond ninety-five miles an hour.

‘This is a long way to drive to go to a library,’ Li shouted.

‘The Norfolk Record Office, not a library,’ Georgie called back. ‘It’s the county archives.’

‘An archaic building with lots of archaic books, Georgie. Ergo, a library.’

Georgie shrugged – Li was probably right.

‘What are we looking for, anyway?’ Li asked.

‘Newspaper articles from 1989.’

‘And this is work?’ Li sounded genuinely surprised.

‘I appreciate it’s a bit different from what you do,’ Georgie shouted back. Li laughed, although Georgie wasn’t sure she had intended it to be funny. ‘Anyway, I’m really grateful for you driving me but you don’t have to stay, you know. Just drop me off and pick me up again in a couple of hours. You can look up your friend.’

‘I’ll help you, you silly cow. My friend can wait. Anyway, if it’s for that hunky boss of yours then maybe in return you can introduce me, properly.’

‘Sure.’

Georgie knew it didn’t sound convincing, although she wasn’t sure why the thought of Charlie meeting Li bothered her. Was it because she was slightly ashamed of Li’s profession, or the fact that Li was extraordinarily attractive?

Maybe a bit of both.

*

As they turned off the motorway, Georgie was thankful that Li was forced to slow down, although she found herself gripping the door handle a few times as Li hauled the Mini round an S-bend.

‘Did you know the chevrons warn you about the angle of corners?’ Georgie shouted, pulling her hair out of her eyes for the umpteenth time.

‘You worry too much, Georgie. Anyway, have you had any more thoughts about our chat the other night?’