‘Thanks, love.’

‘Anything else?’ It was a loaded question and Kelly knew it.

No, thank you.’ He smiled at her crestfallen countenance. Before he had met Kate Burrows, she had been on his list of ‘things to do’. He had put her down as Tiffany’s successor. Now he just wished she would leave him alone.

‘Off you go then, Debbie.’

She stamped from the room. Physically she had a lot more to offer than Kate, but for some unknown reason he really fancied the policewoman. There was something about her. When he was with her, buried inside her, Mandy, Renée and everything else was gone from his mind.

For that he was supremely thankful.

Kate heard Caitlin before she saw him. Since the news had spread about him working on the case, the whole of the station had been in a state of excitement. She groaned inwardly. He was like something from a Boy’s Own comic. A real macho man. She stayed seated until the excitement wore off. Caitlin’s loud Irish accent boomed over everyone’s heads.

‘Sure Jesus, would you let a man get some air here!’

Everyone was greeting him. He was a living legend. Poor old Fabian and Spilsbury weren’t even in the running where Caitlin was concerned. He made Sherlock Holmes look amateurish! Kate saw his bulky form moving towards her desk. She had worked with him once before, when she had been a Detective Sergeant. After she had been introduced to him he had sent her to get him a cup of coffee, but not before patting her behind. He had solved the case with a male DS and a DC. Or that was how it had looked on the final report. Kate fixed a smile on her face.

‘Katie! How are you?’ His voice sounded genuinely pleased to see her. She stood up and held out her hand.

‘Chief Inspector Caitlin.’

He looked old. Kate was shocked. The man looked positively ancient. His head was nearly bald, his full mouth had that loose-lipped look peculiar to ageing men, and his startling green eyes were now watery-looking. The lids were wrinkled above them like old venetian blinds.

‘You don’t look a day older than the last time I worked with you.’ The Irish burr was more pronounced than she remembered. ‘I’ve been hearing great things about you, great things.’

Kate smiled.

Caitlin pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her.

‘As we’ll be working together, I thought we could share a desk. Make it more personal.’

Kate felt the smile freeze on her face. The smell of Teacher’s and cheap cigars wafted across the confined space and she cringed inwardly.

Caitlin settled himself in the chair.

‘Now what’s this I hear about this madman driving an Irish Ford?’

Kate’s heavy brows knitted together.

‘I’m sorry? An Irish Ford?’

‘An O’Ryan . . . Orion.’

Kate burst out laughing, causing many pairs of eyes to focus on her. Caitlin laughed with her. He leant across the desk in a confidential manner, scanning the room shrewdly. He tapped his nose.