‘We can’t have it so they need to find poppers every time they want it backwards. We’re on the clock, remember? You’ll get used to it after a while … Homos do it their whole life like that, don’t they? Bite on your lip. Or on the grass, or sheet, whatever. Just grab something to chew on when you turn around.’

I sneeze as I drop my head into my jumper. Even I can’t pretend anymore that I don’t know the real reasons why we keep doing everything we are told, no matter what it is.

‘Is that what tonight is about, then?’ I say into the thick ribs of my neckline. I don’t care if it makes me sneeze again. It’s like a cat is stroking my cheek.

‘Uh-huh,’ Rach replies through her teeth. Suddenly my jumper feels itchy and hot.

‘Let’s just go. They’ll let us in early, get it over with. Drina did good last week at least,’ I say.

Rach starts to walk again. The night darkens round us as clouds roll over the moon.

85

Marie ~ London ~ 2006

‘You beauty,’ Dominic sighs, holding his umbrella over me as I hand him a takeaway cup. ‘Were you in Costa? I got your message just as we ditched the cab so I stuck my head in to look for you. That said, I didn’t look too hard. The queue was so long I almost lost the will to live just looking at it.’

He slurps as we huddle in the steady rain outside New Scotland Yard, sign revolving above our heads like it thinks it’s a lighthouse.

‘Why did it bother becoming New Scotland Yard?’ I say, eyeing the sign mindlessly rotating over Mary, who’s whisking round a patch of pavement with yellow hazard tape, planting her tripod square in the middle. ‘Seems like it’s been making the same mistakes for years.’

Dominic snorts as he sips. ‘Very good. You should’ve waited for Jonas to arrive before unleashing that one. She’ll be here soon enough.’

‘I thought you guys were going to bring her?’ I clutch the other coffee cooling in my hand.

‘The traffic was appalling, and besides, I had to dodge Olivia. I’d already hung up so many times I could practically smell her on the war path. Surely anything to do with Andromeda should be considered as my territory, and mine alone? It’s a police investigation. Unless I’ve misread my contract, I’m still in the pay of our esteemed state broadcaster as home affairs editor, so how is it that any Dick, Harry or Thomas can fuck around in all my leads? I just wish it wasn’t all kicking off seconds before we were about to land another scoop.’

‘That’s the point, isn’t it? That’s what you think, anyway? They’re trying to bury us…?’ I trail off as he frowns.86