I’ll call you,’ he said, hovering.
‘I’d like that. Thank you for dinner.’
‘My pleasure.’ He leaned forwards and kissed her cheek. He stepped back and looked at her with his head cocked to one side. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’d just have preferred not to have been clocked by my boss.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, he’s very… I don’t know, forget it.’
‘If you need any help trying to track down that advert, just give me a ring; maybe I can call in a few favours for you.’
‘Thank you, I will. Goodnight.’
Dick gave her a lovely smile and then was gone. She shut the door and leaned against it. Why had it rattled her so, seeing Langton? Was it just seeing him, or was it the way he was behaving with Professor Marshe? And exactly how was he behaving? she asked herself sharply; well, truth was that he was being courteous. He had looked very smart; handsome, if she was being honest. There had been no one else since she had ended their affair until Dick Reynolds, but she was unsure how that would work out. She wasn’t even sure if he felt anything towards her. It hadn’t appeared as if he had fancied her; moreover, did she fancy him? Though Langton had wanted to continue seeing her after the Alan Daniels case, she had not wanted to jeopardise her career; she felt that, as a very junior officer, it would have become common gossip. She was now wondering, however, if she should have let the relationship run its course…
DAY TWELVE
Langton leaned back in his chair. ‘Let me get this straight; you want to check every advert for a PA from nine months ago, but you don’t know which newspaper or magazine she might have seen it in? And just how many people do you think I can free up to do this?’
‘It’s a long shot, I know,’ she said, sheepishly.
‘Long? It’s the bloody Ml motorway, Travis! For Chrissakes, see if you can at the very least narrow it down to a couple of possible papers; go back to the dentist, back to that silly cow Sharon — we can’t get stuck tracking down every fucking advert for a PA!’
‘Yes sir.’
‘That journalist you were with last night?’
‘Yes?’
‘I hope he wasn’t pumping you for information.’
‘No, he’s just an old friend,’ she lied.
‘Really. Well, keep your mouth shut around him; when we want the press involved, we will rope them in. Don’t go spilling any beans they are not supposed to be privy to.’
‘I wouldn’t do that.’
‘Good, I hope not. So how old a friend is he?’
‘Oh, we’ve known each other for quite a while.’ The fib made her blush and she was unable to meet his eyes.
He looked at her, then gave a tight, unfriendly smile. ‘They’re all the same as far as I’m concerned: I hate them; they’re like leeches, sucking on blood. You watch what you say to him.’
‘I will; thank you for the advice.’
‘And don’t you be shirty with me, Travis!’
‘I wasn’t aware that I was!’
He laughed and wafted his hand for her to leave his office. He flicked open her lengthy report on her day at Bognor Regis.
There had been no further press reports about the case; if, as Professor Marshe had suggested, their killer would be eager to read about their lack of progress, he would not have been getting any satisfaction. He was not alone: the rest of the team were still not making any headway. Checking out every doctor in the area past and present, paying particular attention to any allegations of malpractice, was time-consuming and, to date, had yielded no result.
Langton slammed out of his office and paused as he passed Anna’s desk.
‘Do you make a habit of retaining local taxis to chauffeur you around? The Bognor Regis taxi receipt is ridiculous. Why didn’t you get in touch with the local cop shop and use one of their patrol cars?’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to be at Mrs Pennel’s for so long.’
‘You have to anticipate these kind of things, Travis: we’re not a bloody charity!’
He took
‘I’d like that. Thank you for dinner.’
‘My pleasure.’ He leaned forwards and kissed her cheek. He stepped back and looked at her with his head cocked to one side. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’d just have preferred not to have been clocked by my boss.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, he’s very… I don’t know, forget it.’
‘If you need any help trying to track down that advert, just give me a ring; maybe I can call in a few favours for you.’
‘Thank you, I will. Goodnight.’
Dick gave her a lovely smile and then was gone. She shut the door and leaned against it. Why had it rattled her so, seeing Langton? Was it just seeing him, or was it the way he was behaving with Professor Marshe? And exactly how was he behaving? she asked herself sharply; well, truth was that he was being courteous. He had looked very smart; handsome, if she was being honest. There had been no one else since she had ended their affair until Dick Reynolds, but she was unsure how that would work out. She wasn’t even sure if he felt anything towards her. It hadn’t appeared as if he had fancied her; moreover, did she fancy him? Though Langton had wanted to continue seeing her after the Alan Daniels case, she had not wanted to jeopardise her career; she felt that, as a very junior officer, it would have become common gossip. She was now wondering, however, if she should have let the relationship run its course…
DAY TWELVE
Langton leaned back in his chair. ‘Let me get this straight; you want to check every advert for a PA from nine months ago, but you don’t know which newspaper or magazine she might have seen it in? And just how many people do you think I can free up to do this?’
‘It’s a long shot, I know,’ she said, sheepishly.
‘Long? It’s the bloody Ml motorway, Travis! For Chrissakes, see if you can at the very least narrow it down to a couple of possible papers; go back to the dentist, back to that silly cow Sharon — we can’t get stuck tracking down every fucking advert for a PA!’
‘Yes sir.’
‘That journalist you were with last night?’
‘Yes?’
‘I hope he wasn’t pumping you for information.’
‘No, he’s just an old friend,’ she lied.
‘Really. Well, keep your mouth shut around him; when we want the press involved, we will rope them in. Don’t go spilling any beans they are not supposed to be privy to.’
‘I wouldn’t do that.’
‘Good, I hope not. So how old a friend is he?’
‘Oh, we’ve known each other for quite a while.’ The fib made her blush and she was unable to meet his eyes.
He looked at her, then gave a tight, unfriendly smile. ‘They’re all the same as far as I’m concerned: I hate them; they’re like leeches, sucking on blood. You watch what you say to him.’
‘I will; thank you for the advice.’
‘And don’t you be shirty with me, Travis!’
‘I wasn’t aware that I was!’
He laughed and wafted his hand for her to leave his office. He flicked open her lengthy report on her day at Bognor Regis.
There had been no further press reports about the case; if, as Professor Marshe had suggested, their killer would be eager to read about their lack of progress, he would not have been getting any satisfaction. He was not alone: the rest of the team were still not making any headway. Checking out every doctor in the area past and present, paying particular attention to any allegations of malpractice, was time-consuming and, to date, had yielded no result.
Langton slammed out of his office and paused as he passed Anna’s desk.
‘Do you make a habit of retaining local taxis to chauffeur you around? The Bognor Regis taxi receipt is ridiculous. Why didn’t you get in touch with the local cop shop and use one of their patrol cars?’
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to be at Mrs Pennel’s for so long.’
‘You have to anticipate these kind of things, Travis: we’re not a bloody charity!’
He took
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