She studied his handsome face and tried to think of a suitable compliment to reciprocate with. Up close, she noticed for the first time that his teeth were perfect and white.

‘You have beautiful teeth,’ she said.

‘Why, thank you,’ he replied, smiling even wider, flashing even more of his pristine enamel.

Realising that her heart was beating a little too fast, she clamoured for something innocuous to dial down the sexual tension a bit. She noticed a small gold ring on the little finger of his left hand.

‘That’s a nice ring.’

He looked at it as if it was the first time he’d seen it.

‘Oh this?’ He pulled it off and handed it to her.

She turned it over in her fingers. It was set with a flat black stone, which, she realised on closer examination, was actually reversible. She flipped it over to reveal a small symbol inlaid in gold on the other side. A set square and compasses. She’d seen those kinds of symbols before.

‘Is this Masonic?’ She looked up at him in surprise. ‘Are you a Mason?’

He laughed. ‘You got me. I am indeed a Mason.’ He nodded at the ring. ‘Don’t you think it’s pretty neat, the way it flips over like that?’

‘A Mason, huh? The boys’ club.’

Perhaps she shouldn’t have been too surprised that he, as a policeman, was a member of the Freemasons. After all, that secretive fraternal organisation had a long and well-known tradition of association with the police force. Whatever little she knew about Freemasonry, her overriding view was coloured mainly by the perception that it was an exclusively male affair.

‘Women can also become Masons these days,’ he said.

‘No thanks.’ She handed the ring back to him and he slipped it back on.

He shrugged. ‘I guess it’s not for everyone.’

‘Why did you join?’

‘Well, I got asked, actually. A tap on the shoulder, if you know what I mean. That’s the way it works a lot of the time. And I thought, why not?’

‘Is that how you got ahead in your career so quickly?’ she teased. ‘Am I at a disadvantage if I’m not a member?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘No, of course not. It’s not like the old days any more when the Masons virtually ran CID. These days, it’s more of just a social thing.’

She raised an eyebrow doubtingly, not entirely won over. The whole thing still sounded a bit too cabalistic for her liking.

‘But doesn’t it still create competing loyalties?’ she said. ‘The law and the public on one side and your fellow Masons on the other?’

He shook his head. ‘That’s all just paranoia. People are under the impression that it’s some sinister self-serving boys’ club. But it’s not like that at all.’

She eyed him sceptically. ‘If you say so.’ She paused with a cheeky smile. ‘Do you really have a special handshake?’

He smiled and nodded. ‘I’ll show you if you want.’