‘I’m so sorry,’ Adrian said, the half-smile still lingering, trying to bust out, completely gobsmacked by what had just happened.

‘I should go home,’ she said awkwardly.

‘Wait, no, stay for a drink,’ he said, the smile appearing properly this time.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

She left and Adrian sat there, wondering what the fuck had just happened.

Chapter Thirteen

Adrian sat at his desk; Gary was on his way up and DI Walsh had called a meeting in one of the soundproofed rooms to discuss the case. Imogen still hadn’t made her way into the office yet; in fact he hadn’t heard from her since the other night. He had lain awake most of that night thinking about what had happened, thinking about what might happen in the future. He’d taken the day off work and had tried to put the case out of his mind. Had forcing their relationship to the surface taken it to a whole new level? All he knew was that he didn’t hate it and that maybe he wouldn’t mind if it happened again.

The door to the side room opened and several detectives came out. DI Walsh motioned to Adrian and Adrian went over to his desk.

‘Well?’ Adrian asked.

‘I found a witness who corroborated your version of events. The results of the rape kit were negative. Forensically speaking, there are no crossover points, which is strange, considering you were in a car together for some time.’

‘What do you mean the rape kit was negative?’ Adrian said, confused.

‘I mean there were no traces of semen or anyone else’s bodily fluids, bar her own.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It could mean any number of things; the point is we went over her statement several times and never once did she mention prophylaxis or penetration with a foreign object. Plus, there were no traces of lubricants.’

‘So, she’s lying?’

‘Something happened to that girl. There is no possible way she could have inflicted all of those wounds on herself. The bruises, the breaks – those are real, and we need to treat them as such.’

‘How do we find out the truth?’ Adrian probed.

‘We’ve spoken to the hospital, but they have said Caitlin is not well enough to be interviewed today. The bruising around her throat has made it almost impossible for her to speak. They think she should be fine by tomorrow morning, at which point I will go and interview her. She doesn’t want her grandfather present for the interview, so her psychology professor is coming.’

‘What about the CCTV? Or the camera from the bank? Did they corroborate my story?’

DI Walsh sighed and looked down. Adrian could tell that he wasn’t a man who liked to be put on the spot. Adrian also didn’t really care. He had to know.

‘Yes. Whatever happened to Caitlin Watts, it didn’t happen the way she said it did. If she is lying about that, then we have to ask ourselves why. What on earth would make a girl falsely accuse a police officer of rape?’ Matt Walsh said.