It was the happiest she’d been in a long time.

Chapter 6

She would never forget how she’d felt that day and even the memory of what had followed couldn’t entirely tarnish the joy of their first encounter. She hoped she’d feel that way again, but right now there was no sign of romance on the horizon, and she wasn’t sure she wanted it after running into Ben. Seeing him had reminded her just how much she’d been hurt and she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to endure such pain again. Not now, with the rest of her life in tatters. She focused instead on her investigation into the death of Elizabeth Asha.

It was 8 p.m. on a Tuesday and people were already wasted. Harri swerved to avoid a couple who staggered along the pavement. The glassy-eyed woman had wild red hair that came to her waist and she was grinning as a puckish man slurred bawdy propositions at her. His arm was coiled around her shoulder and he clasped her possessively. Harri longed for love, though she knew it wouldn’t come from a meaningless encounter with someone she didn’t care about. But at least she’d have companionship, and maybe that was the next best thing? Even companionship, however fleeting, seemed unattainable. Men used to approach her, but they didn’t any more. Maybe they could sense the cop in her? Maybe they could tell she was looking for something deeper than a night of casual lust? Or perhaps they could tell she was damaged?

She didn’t think herself beautiful, but she knew she wasn’t unattractive. Her light-brown hair looked good when she brushed it, her skin was clear and her features were small and refined. Only her eyes were big, and they had been described as ‘endless’ by a pathetically hopeless romantic she’d dated for a while back in London, and ‘like Betty Boo’s’ by an unimaginative dolt during a particularly hostile break-up. She wasn’t sure whether she had it, but she definitely didn’t flaunt it if she did, and years of police work had taught her the importance of sensible clothes for chasing down a suspect or winning a street fight. She was used to being anonymous, and over time anonymity had become an addiction. She wasn’t sure she had the confidence for attention any more. Another reason she’d liked Ben so much. He’d seemed to value her as a person and hadn’t just been after her body. As it turned out, though, he hadn’t been after her at all.

She drew a couple of glances when she entered the Moon on the Hill, a busy, modern pub on the outskirts of Hanley. Most of the people who’d looked at her returned to their conversations immediately, but three sets of eyes stayed on her as she pushed her way through the crowd. They belonged to Neil Watson, Ian Romney and Ishan Juneja, her former colleagues. Watson and Romney nudged their neighbours, and soon all eight men, police detectives from Hanley, were eyeing her. Sabih Khan was the last to notice her arrival, and she thought there was a flash of embarrassment as he hurried towards her.