‘I thought you said the flat isn’t a crime scene.’

‘And I thought I told you that doesn’t mean you can go poking around in there!’

‘Jesus Christ, Tiff. Have you any idea how pissed off Sarah’s going to be when she finds out your boys have been wading through there?’

‘Why do I get the distinct feeling that you’re not taking this seriously, Priest?’

Charlie laughed. He had an endearing laugh, Georgie thought, and he only laughed when he meant it. You knew where you were with that.

‘Look,’ said Rowlinson. ‘You can have the damn thing back by the end of next week but for now it’s being treated as a crime scene until I say otherwise.’

‘Fine, but can you keep it low profile? A murder really does reduce a dwelling’s marketability, you know.’

Rowlinson made a noise that suggested he didn’t like being mocked. ‘I’ll see what I can do. How about I ask SOCO to redecorate while they’re in there?’

‘That would be swell.’

He hit the END CALL button before Rowlinson had a chance to respond, then turned to Georgie.

‘And now we know that the flat’s empty, save for the police officer stationed in the coffee shop over there watching for anyone poking around who shouldn’t be.’

Georgie looked in the direction Charlie pointed, past the gaggle of drunks to the Starbucks approximately half the distance between them and the computer shop underneath the flat on the opposite side.

‘How do you know there’s someone there?’ she asked.

‘SOCO have just left. They won’t leave someone actually in the flat. They’ll put someone there to watch over it for the next twenty-four hours.’

‘So murderers do return to the scene of the crime,’ Georgie murmured.

‘Almost always. And Georgie—’ Charlie put his hand on her shoulder. She wasn’t expecting it but she reacted instantly to the warmth of his hand. She turned and he was staring at her intently, his eyes shining like blue lights and for a moment she thought that . . .

‘I need you to create a small distraction,’ he said.

She blinked twice. ‘Sorry? You want me to what?’ Is he serious?

Without warning he released his hand and jumped out of the Volvo. Realising he was quite serious she hurriedly undid her seat belt and climbed out of the car.

‘Just a few minutes,’ he told her. ‘That’s all I need.’

She looked at him, perplexed. ‘How do you propose I distract a police officer on a stake-out?’

‘Oh, you’ll think of something.’ He was about to walk off but, seeing her hesitate, turned back around. ‘It’s best not to overthink plans like this. Just see what comes to mind when you get there. If you spend the next hour planning something, you’ll realise how ridiculous this is.’

‘What?’