Leticia Mountjoy was running a little late. Too many appointments, not enough time. She slotted her Mini into the car park outside Swan House and hurried into the building with a cheery wave to the ground-floor security guy. She was beginning to understand why Verity never made it anywhere on time.

She had only just got to her desk when she saw at the far end of the office a uniformed police officer talking to the receptionist. Ah, that’s why a patrol car was parked right outside. There was something familiar about the man, which was immediately apparent the moment he turned towards her. Shit! PC Wickens, one of the cops who had interviewed her about being in the car last Friday. She ducked down into her cubicle, her back to him, and picked up the phone. Face close to her screen, she pretended to make a call, while praying he wouldn’t see her. She felt her face go hot with embarrassment as she heard the approaching sound of heavy male feet. He can’t be here for me, can he?

Wickens walked past and spoke to Tina in the cubicle opposite. ‘I’m looking for Verity Winter’s office,’ he said. Tina pointed out Verity’s glass-fronted office a few yards further on but added. ‘I’m not sure she’s here yet. I’ve not seen her.’

Leticia blew an enormous sigh of relief. The palpitations she was suffering began to lessen, although she still didn’t want to risk being seen or be caught up in any embarrassing conversation.

‘I’ll just go in and wait for her,’ Wickens said and, opening Verity’s door, went and sat in the room.

Tina caught Leticia’s eye and they exchanged helpless shrugs about the effrontery of the officer. ‘I’m going to ring Jill,’ Tina said. It was only one minute after the admin officer had put the phone down when Jill Allsop, only five-five even in her heels, marched into Verity’s office and asked PC Wickens to leave and wait in the reception area. The constable meekly followed as the probation manager politely but loudly put him in his place. ‘The receptionist asked you to wait there for Verity, and police officer or no police officer that is where you will stay. Is that understood?’

Tina and Leticia shared a delicious moment of giggles.

It was only a moment later when Verity herself arrived, saw the constable in reception and, in a brief exchange, seemingly gave him short shrift. He didn’t follow her when she strode up the corridor towards her office, but instead headed off to the gents’.

‘He went into your office. I tried to stop him,’ Tina said to her.

‘Thank you. The case he was asking about isn’t even mine any more, it’s been transferred to Reading, something he could have discovered for himself if he’d read all the documents.’