 
Prologue

My eyes fluttered open and consciousness slowly returned. I lifted my head and tried to move, but couldn't. I was tied to a chair. Slowly, I tried to examine my surroundings. I had no idea where I was, only that I appeared to be in a dimly lit outbuilding of some kind. Strangely, I wasn't as afraid as I should have been. My immediate feeling was one of intense relief. Why wasn't I dead already?

My memory of how I got to be here was clear. A car had forced me off the road and despite my best efforts I had been incapacitated, thrown into the boot of a car and injected with a substance that I had truly believed would take my life. Yet here I was.

I heard a sound come from a corner of the room. I wasn't alone. The relief of being alive was replaced in an instant by a fear that flashed through every cell in my body. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself.

"I know you're there, I can hear you," I said. I sounded so much braver than I felt.

The room was suddenly flooded with light. A figure walked over and stood in front of me. I was looking into the eyes of a killer. This wasn't how I had planned our meeting. I had really hoped that when this moment came, there would be nice, big, metal bars between us and such it might have been if I hadn't gotten careless. This person had been hunting me for almost two weeks, but I had tried to find them first. In a stupid and impulsive moment I had dropped my guard. A moment was all it had taken.

Was this how it was going to end? Was the killer finally going to claim their second victim? Would anyone find me in time?

Day 1

I read somewhere that it was every cat's sacred duty to be as annoying as possible while being completely endearing at the same time. If that was the case then Jem had his duty down to a fine art. Jem was my gorgeous ginger and white tabby cat and he was the reason my alarm clock had been made redundant. At the same time each morning I was awoken by a warm, moist, incredibly rough tongue licking my ear. Of course, Hugh Jackman would have been my first choice, but in his absence, Jem would have to do. It drove me crazy and made me smile in equal measure.

My other cat, Scout, a beautiful calico girl, watched Jem's attempts to wake me with total disdain. Scout would never lower herself to such behaviour. Scout thinks she's a princess and acts accordingly. Jem and I let her get away with it. What they did have in common was a strong desire to be given their breakfast, so I swung my legs out of bed and headed for the bathroom. My bathroom pit stop was brief and I soon returned to the bedroom, where I grabbed my dressing gown and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was bathed in golden sunshine. Summer wasn't giving in gracefully to the rapidly approaching Autumn and it looked like it was going to be another glorious day. It had been a wonderfully hot week. I opened the French doors, and kicked the coffee machine into action. Jem and Scout reminded me that feeding them was far more important than anything else so I filled some fresh bowls with their current favourite cat meat. The way they tucked in you'd think they hadn't eaten for a week.

They weren't the only ones ready to fill their bellies, I was feeling pretty peckish too. Reluctantly, I decided that muesli had to be my choice this morning. I'd gained a couple of pounds lately and thought I'd better get rid of them before the couple of pounds became half a stone. So, as the wonderful smell of coffee started to fill the air, I went into the pantry to get the cereal. I returned to the kitchen with a Danish pastry. Well, it was the last one, and resistance had been futile. I would start the diet tomorrow, honestly I would.

I put the pastry onto a plate, poured myself a coffee and carried them both into my sun-drenched garden. I sat at my garden table and relaxed as I admired my surroundings. My garden was medium sized and a mix of lawn, patio and veggie patch. Thanks to the long, warm summer many plants were still thriving. I enjoyed gardening and I was surrounded by terracotta pots of various sizes that were filled by all sorts of plants from geraniums to dahlias to Japanese maples. The veggie patch was a little sparse this year as I just hadn't had the time to do much with it. I'd had to resort to getting a man in to cut the lawn. It was all looking lovely. I couldn't think of a better way to start the day than sitting out here.

I guess this would be a good time to introduce myself. My name is Rosetta Wild, but I am known by all as Rosa. I'm half British, half Italian. I'm thirty years old and a librarian. I'm about five feet seven inches tall with dark brown bobbed hair, olive skin and green eyes. My figure is like my favourite type of wine, full bodied. I live in a spacious, three bedroomed, Edwardian house in a place called Penkhull in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I had inherited an equal share of the house from my nanna. My brother had inherited the other half and I had promptly bought it from him.

As I admired my garden and soaked in the warmth of the sun, I took a moment to appreciate that life was good right now. I had great friends, a job I enjoyed and a home I loved. OK, so my love life was pretty non-existent at the moment, but you can't have everything. I was instantly reminded that I was meeting Quinn for lunch today and my stomach did a little somersault. Quinn was my on-off boyfriend of the last eight years. We were currently in an off phase, but still saw each other often. Let's just say it was complicated.

Before I knew it my cup was empty and there were only crumbs on my plate. I spent five minutes catching a few more rays while letting the caffeine and sugar do their thing. Eventually though, I had to focus on the day ahead and getting to the office. I returned to the kitchen and popped the plate and cup into the dishwasher. I checked the cats were in, then closed and locked the French doors. Time for a shower.

___________________________

I'd spent a little too long in the garden, so my shower had to be a quick one. I'd spent a small fortune installing a fabulous shower in my large period bathroom. It was so fabulous, in fact, that quick showers were almost impossible. As the Danish pastry incident showed, my willpower was a no show today, so by the time I dragged myself out of the shower I was officially running late.

Back in my bedroom I did a quick blow dry on my very straight hair and got dressed. I was a big lover of all things antique and vintage; that included clothes. Today, I chose a pretty blue and white 1950's style summer dress and slipped on my matching blue shoes. Then I applied my usual daytime make-up which consisted of a light mineral foundation, a flick of blusher, a swipe of lid liner, subtle eyebrow enhancement, light mascara and my trademark red lipstick. I felt naked without my lipstick. As soon as I applied it I felt ready to face the World. I finished off with a quick spray of Chanel No.5 and grabbed my almost matching blue shoulder bag. I was good to go. I said a quick farewell to Jem and Scout, picked up my keys and left the house.

Sitting on the drive was the car I had also inherited from my nanna. It was a forty five year old, cream VW Beetle convertible. My nan had called her Flo. Flo wasn't in the best shape and she cost me a small fortune to keep running, but I just couldn't bear to part with her. Anyway, I was saving to get her restored to her former glory. I climbed into her, started the engine, put on my sunglasses and off we went.

Keele University, where I worked, was only about four miles from my house and depending on the traffic it could take between ten and twenty minutes to do the journey. This morning the traffic wasn't too bad and it took just under fifteen. I managed to find a parking space quite easily thanks to the fact that term time was still three weeks away. In three weeks the place would be heaving with students. You could almost feel the campus girding its loins in readiness for the onslaught. Preparations for the new term were well under way all around and there was already a sense of anticipation in the air.

The library was situated pretty much in the centre of the campus. The Students Union and shops were a stone's throw away. The Chapel was situated to the side, only separated by the main thoroughfare that connected to some of the departments and halls of residence. The library was quite an imposing building with its clock tower and double sweeping outer staircases that lead to the main service areas on the first floor.

Once I'd entered the building I made my usual trip to the kitchen to grab my second coffee of the day. It seemed like I was the first to arrive as usual. I filled the kettle and while it was boiling I decided to pop next door to the staff common room to see if there were any biscuits left. Well, I'd already blown the diet, so why not? As I opened the door I came across Todd, the Porter, in a state of half undress. He was changing his shirt.

"Oops, sorry," I said.

I quickly backed out of the room and shut the door. Then, I jumped out of my skin as I bumped right into Jo, one of the library assistants. She'd been about to follow me into the room.

"Jeez Jo, you scared me to death."

"You OK, you look a bit flushed?"

Just then the common room door flew open.

"Sorry Rosa, I shouldn't have changed in there, but I thought I had time before anyone came," said Todd.

"Don't worry about it. There are worse ways to start the day."

Todd smiled and walked down the hall.

"You caught Todd changing?" said Jo.

"I did"

"Come on Rosa, spill the beans, top half or bottom half.....or was it all of him?" she asked me with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Just the top half."

"I bet he looked gorgeous. Go on, tell me how gorgeous he was."

Jo, a very pretty blonde, always seemed to have some quite obsessive crush on one man or another and had dated many Keele personnel since I'd known her. Todd was obviously her latest and I just had to tease her.

"It's unseemly to discuss his semi naked body. It doesn't seem fair."

"It's not like I'm asking if he had three nipples or anything. All you have to do now is tell me he has lots of tattoos and my fantasy will be complete".

"Actually, I think he did, one on the top of his arm. I think I caught a glimpse of something. I really didn't see any more than that."

"That man is perfect."

"He is single. We're quite good friends. Would you like me to put in a word for you?"

"I'll think about it. By the way, he doesn't does he?" she asked.

"Doesn't what?"

"Have a third nipple?"

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry Jo, but there are some things you're just going to have to find out for yourself."

_________________________

My office was on the first floor at the back of the main service area. There was a large room where newly arrived library stock was processed and along the back were three glass-walled offices. One of those offices was mine. The other three belonged to the other Liaison Librarians. It gave us an open plan feel whilst giving us our own space. We had our own windows, but the view was lousy. The library was built onto the side of a small hill so all we could see was a bank of shrubs on a slope, but at least we got some natural light.

I had already booted up my computer, answered a few emails and assessed the day's work by the time Eric arrived. Eric is Norwegian. He was a few years older than me at thirty six. He was a couple of inches over six foot, very butch and had shoulder length blonde hair that he wore in a ponytail for work. He was a great guy and I socialised outside of work with him and his family on a regular basis.

"Morning! Another lovely day," he said as he stood in the doorway to my office.

"Morning yourself! Yes, this weather is amazing. We should appreciate it while we can. I suspect that once it breaks that will be it for the summer."

"You're probably right. I was thinking I might have a barbecue tonight. Fancy coming over?"

"That sounds like a fantastic idea. I'd love to, but I'll be a bit late as I've promised to meet with Professor Gilmore over in Chemistry at six o'clock."

"Why so late?"

"He's broken his leg and can't get around very well. Today's the first time he's made it to the office for two weeks and he's planned meetings all day. He's fitting me in last thing to discuss some reading lists and new publications."

"OK, well just get to us when you can. The kids will love to see you."

"Great! Looking forward to it already."

Eric was just about to go to his own office when one of our other colleagues, Mo, arrived.

"Morning!" she said

"Morning!" Eric and I replied in unison.

Mo, was short for Maureen. She was a very petite lady aged about sixty. Her hair was light brown and flecked with grey. She wore it up in a bun. She wore very dated glasses and no make-up. She looked like a typical mousey librarian. With Mo, 'Eric the Viking', and me, as the single woman living alone with two cats, you could say that stereotypes were alive and well in Keele University Library.

"What's in the box today Mo?" Eric was looking longingly at the cake tin she was carrying.

"Chocolate and black cherry muffins."

Mo loved baking and every day she brought cakes into work that she had baked either that morning or the night before. They were always delicious.

She placed the box on the table by the side of her office door as she went inside. Mo was lovely, but she was a lady of few words. Eric went over to the cake tin, grabbed a muffin and went into his office. Determined to convince myself that my will power hadn't deserted me for good, I resisted the temptation. I wasn't convinced that my determination would last long.

I looked down at my work plan for the day. It was one of my busiest times of the year. I would be spending most of the morning checking up on the progress of reading lists. The teaching academics would submit lists of all the essential reading for the coming semester. It was my job to ensure that all items on those lists were actually in library stock and in sufficient quantities. That should keep me busy until lunchtime. I was meeting Quinn at twelve thirty.

_________________________

When I put down the phone it was quarter past twelve. I had fifteen minutes to spare. It wasn't worth starting anything new so I had a quick tidy of my desk. While I did this I started thinking about Quinn. I was excited about seeing him. We hadn't met up for about a month, but we had talked on the phone a few times. Even when we were in an 'off' phase we usually had lunch together every week, but he'd been to a couple of conferences, one in the US and one in Japan. He had holidayed in Hawaii in between time. I didn't like how much I had missed him.

Daniel Quinn was his full name, but I had only ever known him as Quinn. Quinn is what everyone called him. He was a couple of years older than me. His family had moved to this country from Ireland when he was seventeen years old. His father had started working at Rolls Royce in Crewe with my dad. They had bought a house close to us in Alsager. Quinn had joined my brother's school and from the minute they met they were the best of friends. Of course, I was the annoying little sister and they teased me relentlessly.

As time went by the teasing between Quinn and I turned into flirting. Eventually, our flirting turned into kissing. We seemed to end up kissing a lot. When he went off to university he promised to visit often and stay in touch. For three years I hardly saw or heard from him. When he and my brother graduated they moved back to their respective parental homes for a while and we were thrown together again.

Within a couple of months we were an item. One weekend he took me camping in the Lake District. All it took was a romantic camp fire and a bottle of wine to get me into his sleeping bag. I was such a push over, but I fancied myself in love. One week later I received a note telling me he'd been offered an amazing job in California and he was leaving immediately. He said he'd be in touch and that I should 'take care'. He didn't contact me for six months! And after that it was sporadic. I was heartbroken. I resolved to never speak to him again. I threw myself into my studies and swore myself off men. Perhaps he did me a favour as I graduated with a first class honours degree from Keele.

Whilst I was in London reading for a Master's degree in Library and Information Studies, I heard from my brother that Quinn was back in the country. His dad was suffering with terminal cancer and he had come back to spend some time with him and to help with his care. It wasn't a time to hold a grudge.

After a visit to his family home, Quinn and I grew close again. I helped him with his grief and so began eight years of an off and on relationship. It was like we couldn't be without each other, but couldn't quite take that extra step. Right now I didn't know if we ever would. We had both dated other people, but nothing had ever worked out for either of us. I don't know if it was the same for Quinn, but for me no-one could ever come close to what I had with him.

I had ten minutes to get to the Terrace Restaurant in Keele Hall. It would only take me five so I took a moment to apply some lippy. Further mulling over of my relationship with Quinn would have to wait. I grabbed my bag and as I got up to leave Eric appeared at my door.

"Hot date?"

"I'm meeting Quinn for lunch."

"You two getting back together again?"

"Who knows?"

"Your relationship is like the Middle East, there's no solution. Say 'hi' to him for me. Tell him I'll give him a call in the next few days. In fact, why don't you bring him with you tonight?"

"I'll pass on your message, but I don't know about the tonight part. I'm feeling a bit confused right now."

"Like I said, 'no solution'."

I smiled and dashed off. As I walked through the main foyer and headed towards the doors Jo stopped me and asked a question about a reading list she was working on. By the time I'd answered her I was late.

_________________________

I saw Quinn before he saw me and I stopped to look at him for a moment. He was gorgeous as usual. Quinn wasn't gorgeous in the normal sense, he just had something. He was now an academic at Keele specializing in computing and electronics. He was actually Doctor Daniel Quinn because he had studied for a PhD whilst out in California. He was a nerd, a geek, but it suited him. His hair was dark like mine, but wavy and always unruly no matter what he did to it. He was always slightly stubbly and sometimes let himself get a hint of a beard. He had very dark eyes and was about six foot tall. Today he was wearing smart jeans and a polo shirt. I guess you could call Quinn's style, shabby chic.

The something that Quinn had was intangible, but I think it may have had something to do with the fact that he was totally comfortable with himself. He was relaxed, confident and self-assured. He was also totally oblivious of the effect he had on women. Quinn looked up and saw me. He waved and I walked over to the table. He got up and gave me a big hug.

"Rosa! Are you a sight for sore eyes."

"Hi Quinn, good to see you too."

Quinn pulled my chair out for me and I sat down.

"I've already ordered. We have better things to talk about than the menu."

I was notoriously indecisive when it came to choosing food from menus. I always wanted at least five things on them so it was easier and quicker to let him choose for me.

"So, what am I getting?"

"Well, you've no doubt eaten a few too many of Mo's cakes whilst I was away; comfort eating, pining for me. You're getting a goats cheese and beetroot salad."

"The salad sounds good, but pining?"

Really, that man can be so exasperating.

"How are the guys?" he asked, referring to Jem and Scout.

"Great. I think Scout has missed you."

To my slight annoyance the usually dignified and slightly distant Scout was a mass of purrs and demands for attention from Quinn when he was at my place. She seemed to adore him.

"Well at least one of my girls missed me. Is Jem still licking your ear in the morning?"

"He is. He does make me smile."

"I could make you smile more." Quinn was looking at me, his eyes becoming darker and more intense.

I rolled my eyes at him and for a fleeting moment I knew exactly how he could make me smile more and suddenly the room felt rather warm.

"Was that an offer?"

"Do you want it to be?"

I can't tell you how much I wanted it to be, but this was how us getting back together always started. It was the merry-go-round of our relationship. Quinn was like my drug of choice and I was addicted. I was dying for a fix. However, I was thinking it was time to do things differently, break the pattern and see where it took us.

"Not just now. Anyway, tell me all about your trip."

_________________________

Back at my desk I reflected on my lunch with Quinn. I think Eric was right, there really was no solution. Quinn and I couldn't seem to keep away from each other. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to commit either. I was still crazy about him. If there was a solution I had a feeling it involved me moving to the other side of the World. Alone.

Sugar, I needed sugar. The salad was delicious, but everyone knows you have to follow salad with cake, right? I went to Mo's cake tin and took one muffin for now and one for later. Well, I was going to be at the office late and I would be hungry by the time I was due at the Chemistry Department.

It was almost quarter to two. Right, it was time to put my professional hat back on and focus on my work. I ran through a reading list that Jo had left on my desk, I answered a couple of emails and popped to the ladies room for a quick freshen up.

Shortly after returning to my desk I received a call from the front desk telling me that my afternoon appointment had arrived. I would be spending the next hour or so with two programme leaders from the computing and maths departments discussing training sessions for the new intake of students. I put on my name badge, picked up my folder and headed towards the foyer.

_________________________

My meeting with the programme leaders had gone really well and had run on for much longer than planned. Now, I needed to get ready for my meeting with Professor Gilmore. Professor Gilmore was one of those academics that was so full of his own self-importance that no one else's deadlines mattered. Rules were for other people, not him. He had missed the deadline for submitting his reading list before he broke his leg, so he was only getting around to it now.

It was just after five o'clock and Eric, who was on his way home, popped his head around my door.

"Right, I'm off to get the barbie going."

"OK, I'll try not to be too long."

"Oh yes, Professor Gilmore. Be careful there Rosa, I've heard he likes the ladies and can be very charming. He's a married man and should know better."

"Oh, is this fact or rumour? What have you heard?"

"Not much really, but I believe it to be fact. Sorry I said anything. I think you're probably way too sensible to be taken in by the likes of him. Don't rush to get to us, we'll see you when we see you."

So, Professor Gilmore was a bit of a player. I had to say it didn't surprise me. I had met with him a few times since he joined the University about a year ago and hadn't warmed to him. Now that I thought about it there was something quite predatory about him. I was determined to get my meeting with him over as quickly as possible. To kill half an hour I spent a little time looking over my schedule for the week ahead.

It was soon time to go. I shut down my computer and quickly filed some reading lists. I grabbed my bag and relevant folder and left the building waving to Trevor the Porter on my way out. Trevor took over from Todd after lunch and would close up the building later that evening.

It was still wonderfully warm and balmy outside. I was suddenly desperate to get to Eric's house and sit down with a nice large glass of wine. The walk to the Chemistry Department only took a few minutes and before long I was climbing the stairs to the second floor where the Professor's office was situated. Despite the sunshine outside, the corridor to his office was incredibly dark. The tiny windows in the doors cast little light and none of the doors were open. If I could have found a switch for the lights I would have turned them on, but I decided I could make out the numbers on the doors so I carried on.

The Professor's office was at the bottom end of the corridor. I had been there a few times before without any problems, but for some reason I found the darkness quite eerie and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. I gave myself a mental shake and continued walking. As I approached the Professor's door I thought it must be closed as there was little light coming out. I was surprised to find his door wide open. I could now see why it was so dark. He appeared to have his blinds drawn. I stepped inside and was about knock on the open door when I noticed the outline of a man. This man was leaning over a body on the floor. Something seemed to have happened to the Professor and someone was trying to help him.

"Oh my God, what happened? Let me get the lights," I said.

I turned to reach for the light switches. I don't remember if I ever actually managed to turn the lights on or not. What I do remember is a pain on the back of my head. I really did see stars and stumbled. Everything became very blurry. Then I felt a thump to the front of my face. The stars disappeared and darkness descended as my legs gave way and I crumpled to the floor. Just before I totally lost consciousness someone whispered:

"I'm so sorry Rosa."

Day 2

When I woke up my whole head was throbbing. I reluctantly opened my eyes and found that they felt swollen. I also felt confused, not by the obvious bump on my head, but because I had absolutely no idea what was happening. I knew I was in hospital. I knew I had gained a head and face injury. What I didn't know was how or why I had come to be where I was. When I had initially woken up I was in an ambulance. I remembered being taken into A&E and assessed by nurses and doctors. I remembered that they wouldn't let me close my eyes to sleep in what felt like forever. Quinn had arrived in a total panic. He had stayed with me the entire time. Eventually, they must have decided that it was alright to let me sleep and they moved me to a side room. All they kept telling me was that I had been involved in an accident. To be honest I don't think any of them knew how I had come to be there, including Quinn.

I was suddenly aware that I was very thirsty. I gently turned my head to find that Quinn was in an armchair next to me. He was asleep.

"Quinn," I whispered.

No response.

"Quinn!" I said, a bit louder.

He opened his eyes and it took him a second or two to realise where he was.

"Rosa! Are you OK?" He leaned forward and took hold of my hand.

"Can you get me some water please?"

He got up and poured some water into a glass. Then he raised my bed so that I was sitting up slightly. The water felt like the best I'd ever drunk in my life.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better. How did I get here Quinn? What the hell happened to me?"

"Don't you remember anything?"

"I remember leaving my office to go to a meeting, but after that it's all a bit fuzzy."

"Look, I don't know where you were going or who you were going to meet. I only know what the police told me."

"The police! What did the police have to do with this?"

"They arrived a couple of hours after you'd been moved in here. They wanted to talk to you, but you were asleep. They said that someone had been killed and that you'd been attacked." Quinn's voice was shaking.

"But I don't understand."

I felt lost for words. My mind was racing with all sorts of questions. Quinn realised that I was about to ask him things he had no answers for.

"Someone from the police is coming back in the morning to talk to you. I'm sure they'll be able to tell you more about what happened. You had a right clout on your head and you were punched in the face. The docs wanted to keep an eye on you overnight. You should be able to go home tomorrow."

"What time is it?"

"One in the morning."

"What about Jem and Scout? They'll need feeding."

"It's OK, they're fine. I asked Dot to pop round and see to them. I told her you'd had a bit of an accident and wouldn't be home tonight. She said you weren't to worry yourself, she'll see to them."

A feeling of relief swept over me. Dot, or Aunty Dot as I called her, was my seventy five year old neighbour. She had lived in the house next to me for over thirty years. She had a key to my place and would be able to call in easily.

"Quinn, you don't have to stay, I'll be fine. You need to get some sleep. I know how busy you are at the moment."

"I'm going nowhere. I couldn't sleep if I went home anyway. You however, have concussion and must try to sleep. The doc said you would need to get as much rest as possible."

Just then a nurse came into my room. She asked how I was doing and checked a few things. She seemed happy with me by the time she left.

"Quinn, you haven't called my parents have you? I don't want them worrying."

"No, I didn't, you kept telling me not to, but I came close I can tell you."

With my parents having retired to Northumberland and my brother living in Australia, Quinn was listed as my next of kin. Anyone who looked in my handbag or checked the personnel files at Keele would have been able to discover that and get his contact details.

"You did the right thing."

"You look beat. Try and get some sleep."

He was right. I felt exhausted and my head was throbbing. He lowered my bed for me and made sure I was comfortable. I must have fallen asleep instantly. I didn't wake up again until just after six o'clock.

__________________________

By the time I'd had some toast, a mug of coffee, and a couple of pain killers I was feeling much better. Don't get me wrong, I was by no means my usual chipper self, but my head wasn't throbbing quite as much. Now, I mostly felt groggy, like I had a bad hangover. Compared to how I had felt a few hours ago it was a big improvement.

I had made Quinn go home, but he had promised he'd be back soon whether I liked it or not. Then, he would wait with me until I was discharged and he could take me home. It was ten o'clock when the police arrived and I was starting to feel cranky. I wanted to go home; I could rest just as easily there. The man who walked into my room introduced himself as DCI Nate Dexter of Staffordshire Police, Major Investigation Department. He was pleasant, but after asking how I was feeling he quickly got down to the matter at hand.

"Miss Wild, can you tell me what you remember about your attack yesterday?"

"I wish I could. I've been racking my brain all morning and I'm afraid I can't remember anything. Perhaps it would jog my memory if I had a few facts to go on. Could you please tell me what happened yesterday? I have no idea how or why I ended up here in hospital and I would really love to have it explained to me."

"Sorry Miss Wild, I didn't realise how little you knew," he said, his voice softening slightly. "The police received a call at about six o'clock yesterday evening from a lady who was very distressed. She said that two people had been attacked and could we come quickly to the Lennard-Jones building at Keele University. She also requested an ambulance. By the time I arrived at the scene you were already on your way to hospital. The body was still where it had been found. Someone had been killed, and you, unlike the other person in the room, survived. From what we know so far there was one attacker."

Something in my brain was triggered and I remembered who I had been going to meet.

"Professor Gilmore."

"Yes, Miss Wild, the body has been identified as him."

"So, he was murdered?"

"Without a doubt."

I started to feel a little strange.

"Are you alright Miss Wild?"

"Sorry, yes, this is all just a little overwhelming. Why did they attack me? Why did I survive?"

"I would rather not say anything else at this point as it would just be speculation on my part. We are still talking to witnesses and collecting evidence. I will tell you more when I can. Miss Wild, I know this must be very difficult for you, but I have to ask if you can remember anything at all about what happened."

All morning I had been trying to remember what had happened to me, but the memories just weren't there. I still couldn't remember anything beyond leaving my office. Apparently, this was quite common with the mild to moderate concussion that I had received, and should improve over the next few hours or days. I got the impression that the Inspector was used to such things. He snapped closed his notebook.

"Miss Wild, I can tell that you can't be much help to us in our enquires right now. If you remember anything at all, no matter how inconsequential it may seem, please contact me right away. Here's my card. Contact me any time. I have an address and phone number where you can be reached. Please let me know if there are any changes."

"I will. Thank you."

"Hope you feel better soon."

No sooner had the Inspector left than Quinn arrived with what appeared to be a small picnic hamper.

"Unless I am very much mistaken that looked like a plain clothed cop walking away from here."

"It was. I think he was a bit disappointed that I couldn't tell him anything. It's frustrating for me too not to be able to remember. And, before you ask, he had very little to tell me either. He did tell me that Professor Gilmore, who I was going to meet, was found murdered in his office. He will apparently keep me informed of any developments."

"Murdered?! Bloody hell, I didn't see that coming. Are you OK?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. Physically I was coping, but mentally and emotionally I wasn't doing so great. The reality of what had happened was starting to sink in. A man I knew had died and his killer had attacked me. I didn't want Quinn to worry about me. I needed to distract myself.

"I'm fine. So, what goodies have you brought me? I assume the hamper is for me."

"Well, I can't have my girl eating this naff hospital food, so I have brought you some sandwiches and juice from RAWR."

"Wow. You made a special trip to my favourite café. Thank you. You must have been worried about me."

"I wasn't worried about you Rosa, I was freaking terrified! Now that you're OK I can tell you. You looked pretty shocking when I got to the emergency room. You were covered in blood. I thought your skull must have been cracked in half."

When Quinn was angry or upset the Irish accent that he had pretty much lost over the years returned slightly. It was always a give-away to the depth of his feelings.

"Sorry you had to see that."

"Don't be daft, it wasn't your fault, but if I ever find out who did this to you......."

I reached out my hand to Quinn and he took it.

"Right, it was three hours ago since I had my breakfast and I'm starving, pass me that hamper."

__________________________

After a final inspection by a doctor I had finally been allowed home. I had been released into the care of Quinn who had been told to keep an eye on me. Looks like I would be stuck with him for a while. What a chore that would be.

The greatest indignity was that I had had to travel home in a hospital robe and slippers from lost and found. My bloodied dress and shoes had been confiscated by the police as evidence. I hadn't been allowed to look in the mirror either. I must have looked a complete fright. This was confirmed when I walked in my front door to be greeted by Aunty Dot. Her face was one of utter shock when she saw me. She'd quickly tried to hide her reaction, but she wasn't quick enough.

My home had never felt better. I was convinced that it had wrapped its welcoming arms around me. I felt safe. Jem and Scout were fine. I don't think they'd missed me. Maybe Jem had a little. Even if Scout had missed me there was no way she'd ever show it. Anyway, she was too busy fawning all over Quinn.

The first thing I wanted to do was have a shower and change out of this awful hospital robe, so I headed straight up the stairs. Quinn said he'd check on me in ten minutes to make sure I was alright. I could tell he was going to take his promise of keeping an eye on me very seriously.

Before I walked into the bathroom I took a deep breath and braced myself for what I would see in the mirror. At the hospital they told me that my nose had a slight crack in the bone, but that it should heal fine. I knew I would look rough, but I have to admit that I did gasp on seeing the state of my face. My eyes and nose were swollen and red. A cut on the top of my nose was taped. There was a slight hint of the bruising that would follow. I was quite a sight. Again, the intensity of what had happened swept over me and I fought the tears that were on the brink of appearing. There was a gentle knock on the door.

"You OK in there?"

"Fine," I lied.

He popped his head around the door.

"You'll soon be back to your normal gorgeous self."

But Professor Gilmore will always be dead, I thought. I turned to face Quinn.

"Thanks Quinn. I know you're right, it's just that it's a reminder of what an awful thing happened yesterday."

"I'm sure there must be something I can do to help take your mind off things. Perhaps I can help you in the shower."

I threw a towel at him.

"Get out of here! Go make me a cup of tea. I'll be down in ten minutes." I couldn't help but smile and I suspected that had been his intention.

I let the hot water run over me in the shower and tried to imagine the horribleness of the last twenty four hours being washed away. It was incredibly soothing. Once I'd dried off I slipped into a pair of fleece pyjamas and woolly socks. Despite the hot shower and the late Summer heat I felt chilled to the bone.

Once downstairs I surrendered my usual china cup and saucer in favour of a huge mug of hot, sweet tea. I drank it with the help of half a packet of chocolate digestives. The emotional healing process had begun. Aunty Dot had gone home while I was upstairs. Quinn and I then spent what was left of the afternoon lounging on my big sofa watching several episodes of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. It was my very guilty pleasure. I was feeling quite relaxed until Quinn brought me a cold compress for my nose. He then made me sit with it on my face for ten minutes. Now, I felt cold again. Apparently, I was going to have to get used to it as I had to use the cold compress every couple of hours to help with the swelling. Oh joy.

The rest of the day went by in a bit of a blur. Quinn continued to be ultra-attentive. He cooked dinner and pretty much attended to my every whim, bringing me drinks, giving me my medication and cold compresses. If I hadn't been feeling so rough I would have enjoyed it immensely. Instead, I felt comforted and was very grateful for his care.

Around nine o'clock Quinn told me it was time for bed. I realised that Quinn must be exhausted too. He had been awake for much of the night and had looked after me all day.

"Do you want to stay?"

"Would you like me to?"

"Very much."

"Well, knowing you the spare room is ready to receive guests."

"It is, but I'd like you to stay with me if that's OK?"

"You wouldn't be trying to take advantage of me by acting all weak and vulnerable would you?"

"Absolutely."

"Why do I have a feeling that you might have a headache tonight."

"That's because you're much more clever than you look."

Day 3

I don't know if it was my pounding head or the smell of bacon and coffee wafting up from the kitchen that had woken me. One thing for sure, it wasn't Jem. Jem and Scout were nowhere to be seen. They had another willing slave to attend to their every need this morning.

As a result of many hours without a pain killer my head and face ached a lot. I gently got out of bed fearing that extreme movement might make the pain worse. I slipped on my dressing gown and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. I brushed my teeth and splashed some cold water onto my face. Anything more would have to wait till I felt a little better. As I came out of the bathroom I met Quinn who had just come up the stairs carrying a tray.

"Don't even think of going downstairs. Get back into bed like a good girl and eat some breakfast. You need to rest and bed is the best place for you."

"Yes sir," I said, saluting him, then wincing as I think I shook my fragile brain too hard in the process.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit on the head and punched in the face. Nothing I can't deal with though. Just keep the paracetamol coming."

I removed my dressing gown and crawled back into bed. Quinn placed a tray on my lap that was full of delicious food. There was my much needed coffee with an almond croissant and a plate of bacon and eggs with mushrooms and a grilled tomato. Oh heck, the diet would have to start tomorrow. Fortunately, painkillers were also on the tray along with a fresh glass of water and they were my first port of call.

"I could get used to this. It looks amazing. Thank you so much for looking after me, you've been great."

"I like looking after you. Obviously, I wish the circumstances were different, but I've enjoyed feeling needed."

Just then Jem and Scout appeared. They had clearly realised two things. Firstly, that they were alone downstairs and something exciting could be happening upstairs with their human slaves. Secondly, that there was bacon upstairs and if they bothered me enough they would likely scrounge some off me. I might be able to resist Quinn, but the cats had me totally wrapped around their little paws.

Quinn handed me the remote to the TV and left me alone saying he'd return for the tray in a few minutes. As he left, Scout and Jem looked conflicted. In the end Jem stayed with me and Scout followed Quinn. I tried to convince myself that it was me Jem wanted and not my bacon scraps. I put on the TV hoping to find some local news, but I was out of luck. It was after nine and most of the local news programs had finished. I'd have to wait until later.

I'd just finished breakfast when I heard a knock at the front door. Quinn answered it and I heard voices. I'd expected it to be Aunty Dot, but it was two mens' voices I could hear. Quinn came up the stairs and into my room.

"That policeman bloke from the hospital is here to see you. Are you up to talking to him?"

"Now that the tablets and caffeine have kicked in I'll be fine. Just ask him to wait a few minutes and I'll be down. I don't have anything to tell him, but he might have something to tell me."

I got out of bed. I was already feeling a bit more human. I looked in the mirror. There was no hope of looking respectable. My hair had decided to offer moral support to my face and was sticking out at all angles. Oh well, I don't suppose it mattered what I looked like to talk to the police. I did however change into a pair of old leggings and a long baggy shirt. I looked slightly more respectable. By the time I walked into the sitting room DCI Dexter was sitting on the sofa with a mug of coffee. He looked like he needed it. Quinn was sitting in the armchair opposite.

"How are you today?" asked the Inspector, getting up to greet me.

"I'm doing fine thank you, but I'm afraid that I haven't remembered a thing. I really have tried." I went and sat next to him on the sofa.

"I'm sure something will come to you in time. I didn't just come here to pick your brain. I thought you might like to know a little more about the attack the other night. Perhaps what I tell you might trigger a memory."

"I'm all ears."

"I've also brought your handbag. It had dropped to the floor and spilled its contents. It was taken as evidence, but it's been processed so you can have it back. I put it on the table in the hall."

"I hadn't even realised it was missing. Thank you."

The Inspector opened a notebook and started talking, occasionally glancing down at the page to make sure he got the story straight.

"All we have to go on right now is the statement of our only other eye witness. One of the department secretaries, an Alison Doorbar, had forgotten something in her office and returned to collect it. Whilst she was there she saw you enter the building. Apparently you dropped your sunglasses, but didn't notice and carried on walking. She grabbed what she'd returned to the office for, went to the foyer, picked up your glasses and went after you. She knew you were meeting Professor Gilmore. As she turned into the corridor that led to his office she saw the outline of someone dash out and disappear down the fire escape at the end. She walked into the office and tripped over you lying on the floor. She got up and turned on the lights to the room and got quite a fright. Both you and the Professor were in quite a state."

"Poor Alison, that must have been awful for her. Is she alright?"

"Miss Doorbar was very distressed by the time campus security and the police arrived."

"Was she able to tell you anything about the person she saw run away?"

"I'm afraid not. It was very dark apparently and she just saw a shadow."

"Why do you think the killer attacked me?"

"I couldn't say for sure. Perhaps you simply disturbed them and they panicked. Perhaps they thought you'd seen them and could identify them. If that's the case then just be a little careful. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but just be a little cautious in your daily activities."

"You think Rosa might be in danger?" asked Quinn.

"It's unlikely, but we can't rule anything out at this point. It won't hurt to be a little bit cautious for a few days."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I probably just interrupted the killer and they lashed out at me. I'm not going to let myself get in a state about this. Besides, I don't think I'll be going far from the house for a few days so I should be safe."

It was then that something occurred to me.

"Inspector, would I be right in thinking that if Alison hadn't walked down that corridor at that point I might not be alive right now?"

"Who knows? We can't say for sure what the intentions of the killer were towards you. They may just have wanted to knock you out so that they could escape, or they might have felt they needed to take you out permanently. If that's the case then it would seem Miss Doorbar disturbed them and they had to leave their business unfinished."

I shuddered. This was all so intense. I could have been killed.

"Do you have any questions Miss Wild, or anything to add?"

"Not right now, no."

"Lastly, I have to ask if you would mind going to Hanley Police Station to have your finger prints and DNA taken. As soon as you feel well enough, of course. We need to be able to eliminate your physical evidence from the scene."

"I'll try to get over there today. Thank you for coming to see me and good luck with the investigation. I hope you catch who did this quickly."

"So do I. Goodbye."

Quinn escorted the Inspector to the front door and came back to the living room.

"I don't suppose I have any chance of persuading you to go back to bed do I?" He said.

"I don't suppose you do. I can rest just as well down here."

"I know better than to argue with you."

"Quinn, you've done so much for me the last couple of days, and I'm sure you have your own life to go to, but can I ask if you'd mind taking me to the police station later? I'm not sure I'm up to driving at the moment and I'd like to get it out of the way. Perhaps we could go after lunch. Speaking of driving, where's Flo?"

"Flo is out front. I had someone drive her back from Keele for you. And, yes, I will take you to the police station, as much to keep an eye on you as anything else."

"Don't tell me you're taking what the Inspector said seriously? I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Well, I intend to keep a close eye on you anyway."

This is where being a modern woman can be very confusing. Half of me was annoyed that Quinn felt I needed protecting and the other half of me loved that he wanted to do it. Go figure.

"You're very sexy when you go all protective like that."

"No, I'm just very sexy, full stop," he replied with a grin.

"Not to mention modest."

__________________________

Quinn had brought his laptop with him to my house, so whilst he did some important work in the dining room, I lay on the couch and watched an old Bette Davis movie on TV. She was one sassy lady. The titles were just rolling when there was a knock at the front door. Quinn answered and I could tell from the voices that Aunty Dot had arrived. She entered the sitting room like a force of nature. She might be in her mid seventies, but she had bags of energy and the mental age of a twenty year old. She was quite tall and slender, and she was still very attractive. It was really only her white hair and slightly stooped posture that gave away her advancing years. She was also a hippy, and had never wanted to allow the free love era of the sixties to leave. She was a self-confessed tart with a heart who had never married. She had her long white hair in plaits and was dressed in a long blue tie-dyed kaftan dress.

"Rosa, my lovely, how are you feeling today? I've been so worried about you."

"I'm fine Aunty Dot, I didn't mean to worry you."

"Well at least you have the divine Mr Quinn taking care of you. Every cloud and all that. I've brought you some lobby and freshly baked bread."

That would explain why I could hear Quinn in the kitchen getting crocks out of the cupboard.

"That sounds wonderful. Thanks Dot. Will you stay and have some with us?"

"Can't I'm afraid. I have a friend visiting in ten minutes. I'm doing her a reading. She's met a man at bingo and wants to know if there's any future in it."

Aunty Dot read all kinds of things from palms to tea leaves to tarot cards and auras. Sometimes she was spookily accurate in her predictions.

"Well thanks so much for dropping in and bringing lunch. Good luck with the reading."

She turned and swept out of the house calling good bye to Quinn as she went. As it was still warm and sunny outside Quinn and I sat in the garden to eat our food. It was delicious. The lobby was basically a lamb stew and was the ultimate comfort food. We slathered the warm bread with butter and I was in heaven. The warmth of the sun was lovely on my stiff and achy body. I stayed outside for half an hour soaking up the sunshine.

I soon decided that I'd better get my act together and get changed to go to the police station. Once upstairs I had a very quick shower. I left my hair to dry naturally and slipped on a summer dress and some sandals. I looked at my face in the mirror and decided that there really wasn't anything I could do to hide its horror. I couldn't even wear sunglasses because of my swollen nose.

When I got downstairs I examined my handbag. It looked fine and its contents were all present and correct. I grabbed my mobile phone and switched it on. I had nine messages. They would have to wait till I got back. Quinn met me in the hall and off we went.

__________________________

It hadn't taken long for me to sort out my finger prints at the station. DCI Dexter wasn't there, but I was processed by another officer quickly and efficiently. The police also swabbed my cheek for a DNA sample. I'd never had my finger prints or DNA taken before and it was an interesting experience. I couldn't help wonder what it must feel like if you're actually going through the process after you've been arrested. I doubted the police would be quite as friendly as they had been with me.

I had been in and out of the station within half an hour and I was now back home, alone. I had managed to persuade Quinn to leave. I knew he had important business to attend to and I didn't want to keep him from it any longer. He had protested vigorously and muttered something about the problem with independent women. With a hug and a kiss he was gone. I hadn't really wanted him to go and had our relationship been back on I would have let him stay. However, right now we were just doing the friend thing and I didn't want to impose any longer. I knew I could call him if I needed to and that would be enough for now. I did miss him though, and the house was quiet without him. As if reading my thoughts, Jem appeared, jumped up onto the sofa and snuggled up next to me. I felt better already.

It was late afternoon and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. If I was going to get well I should follow the doctor's orders and get plenty of rest, but I wasn't someone who enjoyed doing nothing so it was going to be difficult. I decided that the best option was to go and sit in the garden and read for an hour or so. I left Jem on the sofa, chose a paperback from the book case and headed outside. I hadn't been out in the garden long when a head popped over the wall. Aunty Dot.

"Would you like some company?"

"I'd love some."

There was a gate between the two gardens so it only took her a few moments to join me. I was relieved to have the company as I was finding it difficult to relax.

"How did your reading go?"

"Well it depends on your point of view. It was a good strong reading, but Ethel didn't like it when I told her that the future didn't look good with this new man of hers. She had a complete tantrum. I asked why she'd bothered coming to me if she wasn't prepared to take the advice."

"And what did she say?"

"She said she was so sure he was the one. I told her that at our age it shouldn't matter? She should have a good time with him and not worry about if he's 'the one' or not. Less Mr Right more Mr Right Now. Then she just said that not everyone was a tart and left."

Dot had never believed her happiness depended on a man. She hadn't been prepared to compromise her life in any way. To her, a man was to be enjoyed. When things had become too serious or boring she had moved on. She had no regrets and still liked to enjoy the company of men. I had to admire her.

"How's your head?"

"Not too bad as long as I take the painkillers regularly. I think the cold compresses are helping with the swelling."

"Has Quinn gone home?"

"Yes, I made him go and get on with his own stuff. He's busy at the moment."

"That is one mighty fine man. I wouldn't have sent him home. What a waste! Instead of sitting out here with an old woman you should be upstairs having a good roll in the hay."

I started laughing.

"OK Dot, how long has it been? You sound like a woman who is in need of some action."

"Too long. I was thinking I might become one of those cougars I keep hearing about. You know, women who have much younger men. Perhaps I could practice on Quinn."

I choked on the drink I was just taking a sip of. Now I was really laughing. I could only imagine Quinn's face at the prospect. A naughty thought entered my mind. I could have a bit of fun with this.

"Well, you never know Dot. You could always ask him. What's the worst thing he could say? Nothing ventured, nothing gained right?"

"And you wouldn't mind?"

"No, we're not an item right now. Quinn is a free agent."

Obviously I'd mind a lot if it was an offer I thought he'd take up. I also knew that Dot wouldn't be phased by a rejection. Her attitude was that there were plenty of fish in the sea, and she'd move straight on to her next victim. I could only hope I'd be there when she propositioned him.

__________________________

Aunty Dot and I spent another fun hour in the garden chatting before it started to get a bit chilly. We retreated indoors and Dot insisted on cooking some dinner for the two of us. She managed to find some beef mince in my fridge and rustled us up a yummy spag bol. It could only have been bettered with a glass of red wine on the side, but I thought I'd better avoid that at the moment.

It was after eight o'clock when Dot finally went home. As much as I'd enjoyed her company she had worn me out and I felt exhausted. The phone rang and it was Quinn checking up on me. I reassured him that I was fine and that I was going to bed. I said I'd call him as soon as I was up in the morning.

I quickly freshened up before slipping into my pyjamas. My bed welcomed me with open arms and Jem joined me for a cuddle. The house felt quiet without Quinn or Dot and I found myself turning on the TV for company. A Bridget Jones film was starting and I thought that would be perfect to fall asleep to. After about an hour I was struggling to keep my eyes open. The neighbour's dog, Ralph, kept barking and was driving me crazy. He wasn't usually a nuisance like this so something was really getting his attention. I decided to put my ear plugs in. I retrieved them from my bedside drawer and in a matter of minutes I'd drowned out the World. I flicked off the TV and drifted into a deep sleep.

__________________________

I woke up with my heart racing. I felt disoriented. I was coughing. The room was hazy with smoke. Fear gripped me as I realised my house must be on fire. I was struggling to breathe. I hurled myself out of bed. Why didn't I hear the smoke alarm? I put my hands up to my ears. Ear plugs. I removed them and discovered that the smoke alarm was working just fine. The smoke was getting thicker. I headed for the top of the stairs. Then I remembered. Jem. Scout. Where were they? I had to get them. Jem had been on the bed. I headed back towards the bedroom, my coughing getting worse. Just then I heard a loud bang followed by a noise I didn't recognise. Jem, Scout, where were they? A fireman appeared on the stairs. He was wearing breathing apparatus. He grabbed me and guided me towards the stairs. At first I tried to resist, I couldn't leave my guys. Despite my intentions, breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and I had to let the man take me out of the house.

Once outside I was immediately handed over to a couple of paramedics who tried to put an oxygen mask on me. I was terrified. All I could think about was the cats. Between coughs and sobs I begged the fireman to help them. He turned and headed back into the house with another man. I started to feel dizzy and I had to let the paramedics do their thing. They put a mask onto my face and I sucked the oxygen into my lungs. I looked up and saw a fireman come out of my house with a cat in his arms. The cat was unconscious. A moment later, so was I.

Day 4

For the second time in two days I woke up in an ambulance. I still had the oxygen mask on my face, and I felt that I could now breathe pretty well. I immediately remembered seeing an unconscious Jem being carried out of the house and my heart broke into a million pieces. I started to cry. The paramedics tried to comfort me, but nothing they said or did helped. I had no friend or family member with me and I don't think I'd ever felt so alone in my life.

I was wheeled out of the ambulance and into the accident unit. I wanted to phone Quinn, but they wouldn't let me until I had been examined. A stressed looking doctor arrived. He checked me over, got a nurse to take some blood and said that he would arrange for me to have an x-ray on my chest. I can't say I paid too much attention to what was happening around me. I think I was slightly in shock and I couldn't stop thinking about Jem and Scout. I had to find out what had happened. I was about to ask the nurse where the nearest pay phone was and if she'd lend me twenty pence, when Quinn rushed in.

"Are you OK? What the hell happened?"

I so wanted to be brave. I so wanted to say I was fine and that he needn't have come. Instead, I burst into tears. He put his arms around me and held me tight.

"Oh Quinn, they brought Jem out of the house unconscious. I have no idea what's happened to him or Scout. I'm so worried. Please can you find out how they are? Please?"

We parted and he looked at me. He wiped a tear from my cheek.

"First, tell me how you are. I heard that you were unconscious and were brought here by ambulance."

"Yes, do you know about the fire?"

"Dot phoned me as you were taken away in the ambulance. She explained what had happened."

"I passed out. I don't think it was because of lack of oxygen or anything, I think I was just overwhelmed by what was happening. I saw them bring Jem out and after that I remember nothing."

"Dot didn't say anything about the cats. Look, I'll drive over to the house and see what's going on. Hopefully, I'll be able to find out what happened. I'll be as quick as I can. Will you be alright?"

"Go Quinn, please. I need to know."

He gave me a hug, kissed my cheek and left.

__________________________

It was a little after three in the morning when Quinn returned. I had been moved to a different cubicle in another part of the A&E unit. I was still coughing, but that was to be expected as my chest had been irritated by the smoke. My head was aching terribly too. As soon as our eyes met he smiled. That had to be a good sign.

"Well?"

"They're fine. Jem and Scout are at a vets close by somewhere. Jem was almost unconscious, but apparently a fireman managed to bring him round with some oxygen. He isn't out of the woods yet, but they're keeping an eye on him. Scout's with him and she's fine, apart from being a little shaken up. She must have managed to hide away from the smoke."

I can't describe the relief that washed over me. Tears started running down my cheeks again. I must have been a shock for Quinn as he'd never seen me in such a state before. Then again, I'd never been in this kind of state before.

"Thank you Quinn. Thank you for going to check for me. You've been so amazing the past couple of days, but you've done enough. I want you to go home; get some rest. I'll be fine here."

"I'd rather stay."

"No Quinn, there's no point. I'm sure I'll be asleep for a while."

"Fine, but I'll be back first thing. Don't you want to know about the house."

"Some things can wait until later. I don't think I want to hear any bad news right now."

"I'll see you in the morning." He gave me a kiss and left.

Jem and Scout were safe and well. As for everything else, it was a complete mess. It was hard to process what had happened to me over the past couple of days. The attack at Keele felt like a lifetime ago already. Three days ago life was so good. Now, my life had fallen apart. What on Earth was going on? With that thought still echoing in my head, I somehow managed to fall asleep.

_____________________________

My sleep had been fitful thanks to the coughing, but I still woke feeling a little refreshed. After I'd had some coffee and toast I was taken down to radiology for an x-ray on my chest. I returned to find that I had been moved to a private room and that I had two visitors. Quinn and DCI Dexter. There was also a police officer outside the door.

"A welcoming committee. I like it."

"Morning Miss Wild, this is getting to be a bit of a habit."

"It is, and one I'd like to break as soon as possible. If you've come to ask me about the attack, I still haven't remembered anything."

"I'm not here about the attack. I'm here about the fire last night. It would seem they're probably connected."

"Connected?"

"The fire at your home was no accident Miss Wild. It was arson. It looks like someone set fire to your home in the hope of hurting you, or worse."

I just looked at the Inspector. I really couldn't take in what he was saying. I was willing my mind to work, but it was overloaded. I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, and had to force myself to take a couple of slow calming breaths. The menfolk were allowing me a moment and the room was silent. The breathing helped and I managed to pull myself together.

"Right, so you're telling me that the person that tried to kill me a couple of nights ago, has decided I really am a problem and wants rid of me."

"Yes."

"So, what happens now? I assume that you aren't on the brink of making an arrest. Until then it would seem that I'm in danger."

"I am duty bound to issue you an Osman warning which basically means that we believe your life is at risk. That is why I have placed a police officer at your door. He will stay there until you are discharged. At that point you have various options."

The Inspector then spent a considerable amount of time talking to me about the protection that the police could offer me. I focused hard, determined to take in every word he said. None of what he told me was very appealing. Amongst the options were: being guarded in my own home, being placed in a safe house or even given a new identity. When he had finished he left me to think about things, saying he'd return later.

"Wow," I said, turning to look at Quinn.

"This is getting way too serious. You need to get away from here. Go and stay with your parents."

"Run away and hide in Northumberland? No. I love my mum and dad, but we'd drive each other crazy in no time. Besides, it wouldn't take much for the killer to trace my family would it?"

"Right, so that's not an option. You could come to stay with me."

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea. I think it would be easy for someone to find out about you too and again that would lead them to me. Besides, I don't want to put you in any danger. I worry that you'd take things into your own hands if the situation warranted it."

"True, but we could have an armed guard at the house."

"I could have an armed guard at my house too."

"Actually, you couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Rosa, your place is trashed. I went there early this morning to look things over in the day light. The house just isn't habitable right now. The fire damage isn't too bad, but there's water damage and the whole place reeks of smoke."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'm going to have to think of another option."

"I met a man at the house who was investigating the fire and he told me his thoughts about how it started. It was me that contacted DCI Dexter. It occurred to me that the fire might have something to do with the murder; it was just too much of a coincidence."

"I can't believe it hadn't occurred to me. I know I should think about the house, but I can't right now. I'm more worried about Jem and Scout. I need to find out how they are."

"As it happens, Dot has given me the vet's phone number. She had the foresight to ask where they were being taken last night. Do you realise that it was Dot who called the fire brigade? She heard the smoke alarm through the wall. If she hadn't things could have been a whole lot worse."

Before I had chance to respond a doctor entered the room. He had the results of my tests. Apparently, my bloods were fine and my chest x-ray was clear. He believed that I had nothing more than an irritation to my lungs and bronchial tubes, all of which would settle in time. He prescribed me an inhaler and some painkillers. Then he advised me about what symptoms I should look out for that would warrant an immediate return to the hospital. Finally, he said I could go home. That was easier said than done.

I couldn't really leave the hospital until I knew what I wanted to do about protecting myself. I knew I had to take the threat to my life seriously, but I couldn't bear the thought of being a prisoner. Who knew how long this business could go on for? I couldn't opt out of my life indefinitely.

Then an idea popped into my head. Shirley. Shirley was my best friend. We met at sixth form college when we both joined the amateur dramatics society. I hadn't seen Shirley for over twelve months. Not long before then her husband had died. Naturally she was devastated. Rather than turn to me or her other friends and family, Shirl decided she wanted to be alone. For a while I called and texted, but she firmly told me she was fine and she just needed time. She had assured me that she knew I was there for her and when she was ready she'd be in touch. I had had to respect her decision, even though I was very worried. Anyway, a couple of months ago she contacted me. We had exchanged a few emails and text messages and had agreed to meet up really soon.

The reason that Shirl popped into my head now, was that she had a large Georgian farmhouse a few miles away that was like Fort Knox. Shirl, and her late husband Simon, had had a break-in a couple of years ago. As a consequence they had installed a huge amount of security at vast expense. It could be the perfect place for me to go, if Shirl didn't mind.

"Quinn, I've had an idea. I could go and stay with Shirl."

"It's been a while since you two talked. Do you think she'd be up for it?"

"I have no idea. There's only one way to find out. I'll call her."

After we'd checked that we were allowed to use mobiles Quinn gave me his phone and I called Shirl. It was wonderful to hear her voice and she seemed just as happy to hear mine. I explained the situation and she didn't hesitate to invite me to stay with her. She said she would be home all day, so I could arrive at any time.

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. Keeping Quinn's phone I called the vets. Apparently, Scout was doing great, but Jem was quiet. The vet was positive that he would be alright. I explained my situation and was told that they could stay at the practice until I could collect them. I promised the vet that I'd keep her posted and ended the call. I had a safe place to move to and the cats were fine. I started to relax.

"I don't suppose you have any food in that bag of yours Quinn, I'm starving."

"Ah, it just so happens that the white witch sent you some banana cake."

"Quinn! You mustn't call her that." He was referring to Aunty Dot. "Is it normal cake?"

"If you mean does it lack the special ingredient, I can answer 'yes'."

Dot was known to occasionally doctor her baking by adding home grown cannabis. She believed it made her cakes more interesting and allowed her recipients to experience a wide range of sensations. Why limit it to just taste and texture she would say.

"And another thing, she grabbed my arse and made me an offer I was happy to refuse!"

I couldn't help myself, I burst out laughing. The expression on his face was priceless. Bless Dot, subtle she wasn't.

"Why do I get the feeling I was set up? You wouldn't know anything about it would you?"

I smiled and gave him the 'who, me?' look.

"Then, she said she'd read my cards and told me to beware of a blast from the past! I really do think she's losing her marbles."

"Stop moaning and give me a piece of that cake."

_____________________________

It was after lunch when DCI Dexter returned. His arrival meant that I could finally leave the hospital. I think Quinn was as relieved to see him as I was. Neither of us were particularly fond of hospitals and we'd been spending way too much time in one lately.

The Inspector didn't seem too impressed by my decision to stay with Shirley, especially when I refused to have anyone guarding the property. However, he did persuade me to be escorted to my new address by the police.

I asked both men if they would mind leaving the room so that I could get dressed. Once alone, I suddenly realised that all I had with me were the pyjamas I was wearing. I hadn't even been wearing slippers when I was dragged out of the house. It hadn't occurred to me to ask Quinn to bring some clothes. Whether I wanted to see my poor house now or not, I was going to have to call in and get some basic things. There was a knock at the door and Quinn popped his head round.

"Jeez Rosa, is that all you've got to wear?"

"This is how I arrived and this is how I'm going to have to leave. You might have to give me a piggy back though as I have nothing to wear on my feet."

"Hang on. Give me five minutes."

He was gone for ten, but when he returned he was carrying a pair of black wellies and a pair of thick socks.

"Here, put these on."

"Where on earth have these come from?"

"I keep them in the back of the car for emergencies. I don't think you're in a position to be fussy."

I suppose he was right. I couldn't help, but wonder if cotton pyjamas covered in pink roses, worn with black wellies three sizes too big would ever catch on in the fashion world. Throw in a face that looked like it had done a couple of rounds with Mike Tyson and I looked a picture. When I walked out of the hospital I couldn't be sure if it was the fashion statement, the face or the police escort that got me the most looks.

_____________________________________

A very nice policeman called PC Ian Strong had drawn the short straw and was now responsible for my protection. I explained to him that I needed to call in at my home to collect a few items and he agreed to drive me there. I don't really think he had any choice as I was convinced DCI Dexter had told him not to let me out of his sight. Quinn followed us.

We were back at my house in about ten minutes. Fortunately, Quinn had my spare key with him. Once PC Strong had checked it was safe to do so, we went inside. Quinn had been right, the fire damage wasn't too bad. The fire had obviously started by the front door. I could only assume that something had been pushed through the letter box. The door curtains, which hadn't been drawn at the time, had caught fire, as had the sideboard and hall rug. The worst damage had been caused by the water and smoke. The house smelt awful. Fortunately, I felt too exhausted to care.

I kicked off the wellies and climbed the stairs to my bedroom. The room was exactly how I'd left it; bed unmade, curtains drawn, water glass on the bedside table. I opened the curtains, but resisted the temptation to do further tidying up. Instead I reached up and pulled the suitcase off the top of the wardrobe. I put it on the bed, opened it and started packing. Everything smelt of smoke. I selected a couple of dresses, my only two pairs of jeans, a pair of black trousers, some shoes, boots and a variety of tops. I pretty much emptied my underwear drawer. I grabbed my make-up, some toiletries from the bathroom and my mobile phone charger. I only just managed to shut the case.

The case was incredibly heavy, but I was determined not to ask either of the men downstairs for help. I was tired of being the damsel in distress. So, I dragged it down the stairs myself and left it in the hall next to my handbag. I walked into the sitting room where Quinn and PC Strong were waiting for me.

"Right guys, I think I'm sorted. We can go now."

"I think you might have forgotten something." Quinn was looking at me and smiling.

"What? I've got my handbag, phone and plenty of clothes and stuff."

"You might want to get changed and put some shoes on? Just a thought."

I think I actually blushed with embarrassment. So much for not being the damsel in distress. I had been so busy packing that I had forgotten to dress myself. I ran up the stairs to see what clothes I hadn't packed. My only two pairs of jeans were in the case downstairs. I couldn't wear a dress as I hadn't shaved my legs for four days. Also, everything stank really badly. I dug around in the bottom of my wardrobe where things were less likely to smell of smoke. I found an old pair of dungarees and a sweatshirt that I sometimes wore for gardening. The only thing that would go with them was an old pair of trainers. It would have to do. As I walked into the sitting room I saw a smirk cross Quinn's face.

"Don't you dare say a word."

"You look great, never better."

"Everything smells of smoke, even my undies!"

"Smoky knickers. Always said you were hot stuff."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the same time. It made me so dizzy that I almost fell over. Men.

_______________________________

The journey to Shirl's house took about twenty minutes. As I sat in the police car next to PC Strong it was difficult not to dwell on the events of the last couple of days. Realising I was sinking into a bit of a depression, my lovely body guard tried to distract me by talking about films. It actually worked and by the time we arrived at our destination I was feeling slightly more cheerful.

Shirl's house was in a lovely place called Butterton, which was about seven miles from Stoke. Shirl, and her late husband Simon, had inherited the large Georgian farmhouse from Simon's parents. They had done a huge amount of work to it and it was gorgeous. You reached the house via a long driveway, but first you had to get through the two large iron gates. My driver pulled up, leaned out of his window and pressed a buzzer.

"Identify yourself." The voice came from the intercom next to the buzzer.

"I'm Police Constable Ian Strong. I have a Miss Rosetta Wild for you."

"Come in, come in."

The big iron gates started to open and the police car, followed by Quinn's blue Jensen Intercepter, swept down her gravel, tree lined driveway. We pulled up at the front of the house. Shirl was outside waiting for us. I was so excited to see her. I got out of the car and she just looked at me.

"Rosa? Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, who else are you expecting?"

"Yikes, it looks like things have really gone downhill for you. I did wonder how you'd cope without me, but I never expected things would be this bad. Nevermind, I'm back in your life now, things can only get better." She gave me a big hug.

Quinn walked over with my suitcase.

"Well, some things sure haven't changed. Quinn, you're still a hottie. Come in, all of you. You too, PC thingy."

At that point I turned to PC Strong and told him that he was more than welcome to join us for a drink, but I didn't need him to stay as my protector. He hesitated. I had a feeling he was thinking about the instructions that DCI Dexter had given him. I assured him that I would be fine, but he didn't look convinced. I thanked him for his help and reluctantly he bid us good bye and drove away. The rest of us entered the house.

Quinn left my suitcase in the large hall and we walked through it into the kitchen. It was a glorious, large farmhouse kitchen with a range cooker and large pine dining table. The walls were painted in a lovely gold colour. Whilst it was a great room at any time of the year, it really came into its own in the winter when it was warm and cosy. Shirl and I had spent many a winter's night at the table sharing wine and good conversation.

Shirl's greyhound, Bonnie, walked up to us and had a good sniff. Her two cats, Morse and Lewis, were basking in the sun on one of the window sills. It felt safe and cosy, just what I needed. Quinn and I sat ourselves down at the table while Shirl put the kettle on.

"So, you guys in an 'on' phase are you?"

"No, Quinn's just been a really good friend the past few days."

"MMmmm, well it's hardly surprising when you've let yourself go so badly Rosa."

I'd forgotten Shirl's habit of telling it like she saw it.

"Shirl, why do you think I'm here?"

"You said something about a murder and a house fire and that you needed a place to stay. I'll admit that I was a bit distracted by an episode of Jeremy Kyle when you rang."

"Shirl, I witnessed a murder and was then attacked myself by the killer. That accounts for the state of my face. Last night the killer tried to kill me again by setting fire to my house. That accounts for my homelessness and the state of my clothes."

"Seriously?"

"Do I look like I'm making it up?"

Then came a barrage of questions which I felt too exhausted to answer.

"Shirl, I know I just got here, and we have so much to catch up on, but can I answer these questions later? Right now I'd just love a cup of tea followed by a long hot bath."

"Sorry. Tea is it and then I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

Ten minutes later Quinn said he'd better get going. He asked if I was alright and I did my best to assure him that I was. We both knew he'd have to stay away from me for a while as he couldn't risk leading the killer here. We promised to keep in close contact and he told me to keep my mobile phone charged. Then, we did the hugging and kissing thing and he drove away. I was going to miss him.

"That guy is even more delicious than I remembered. I can't believe you haven't bagged him yet."

"Shirl, don't start. You know it's complicated."

"Complicated my ass. One of these days I'm going to bang your beautiful heads together. The pair of you need someone to make you see sense."

"And I suppose you think that person is you?"

"Damn straight! I'll sort you out."

"Can't wait. I don't suppose you can show me where my room is now do you? As soon as I've had a bath and a nap you can sort my life to your heart's content. It's never needed so much sorting."

"Deal. Come on, let's go upstairs."

________________________________

Shirl lead me up her sweeping staircase and took me to a very large room at the back of the house. It was actually two rooms knocked into one. One half was a bedroom area, the other half a sitting room area. It was decorated in keeping with the period of the house, but it wasn't chintzy. The floor was stripped oak and covered with old Persian rugs. The walls combined different shades of blue and the curtains were made from a luxurious fabric in terracotta colours. The effect was lovely. Dominating the room was a huge oak four poster bed. A dressing room lead to an en-suite bathroom. This would do very nicely indeed.

"Shirl, this room is gorgeous, but isn't this the master suite?"

"It is, but after Simon died I hated being in here by myself so I moved lock, stock and barrel down the hall. I'm fine there."

I put my suitcase on the bed and felt slightly light-headed for a moment.

"You look knackered. Do whatever it is you need to do to feel better. It's just after four o'clock now. Why don't we rendezvous in the kitchen in a couple of hours for dinner and then we can have a good gossip like old times."

"Thanks Shirl, that sounds great. And, thank you so much for letting me come here." I gave her a big hug.

When Shirl left I explored the beautiful bathroom. Like the bedroom, it was tasteful and expensively done. The wooden floor followed through. The blue and terracotta colours were continued there too. There was an antique mahogany vanity unit with two sinks, a huge enamel roll-top bath, enormous shower and a marble fireplace. Everything I needed was in there; bath oils, candles, lotions, potions, fresh towels and a bath robe. I started running the bath and added a few drops of lavender oil. I walked back into the bedroom and shed my clothes. I opened my suitcase and removed my wash bag and returned to the bathroom that now smelt heavenly. I climbed into the bath and immersed myself in the hot water. Within a few minutes I was starting to feel human again.

As I lay there it was hard not to think about what had happened during the past few days. I was resolved to be strong and deal with it. I had become a real cry baby lately, but no more. I went back to the initial attack. I closed my eyes and tried to relive what had happened, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember anything beyond entering the Chemistry Department building. I could only hope that I would remember something in time.

My thoughts went to Jem and Scout. I missed them so much. I would ask Shirl if they could join me in my room. There was plenty of space for all of us. I also realised that I'd better phone my mum and dad. I spoke to them often and they would be starting to wonder why I hadn't called. They may even have tried to call me. If that was the case they might have started to worry.

When I felt warm in my bones and my skin was all shrivelled, I climbed out of the bath and wrapped myself in the thick bath robe. I went over to the sink and unpacked my wash bag. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I looked at the face staring back at me. I almost didn't recognise myself. My face was turning a good shade of purple and blue. At least the swelling had gone down some.

I walked into the bedroom and as I approached the bed I could smell smoke, but it was only my clothes. I should have left my case in the utility room downstairs, now I'd have to drag it down the stairs again. After a bit of a rummage I managed to find a pair of pyjamas that didn't smell too badly. I sprayed them with perfume and they were acceptable. I dressed and dried my hair.

I grabbed my handbag and walked over to the sofa. I got my phone out and turned it on. It started to beep like crazy. I had fifteen messages from my mum and one from Quinn that arrived half an hour ago. Quinn's message said 'phone your mum!!!!' That could only mean one thing; that my mum had been worried enough about me to phone him. I'd better call her. I was going to have to tell her the situation in case someone turned up at their house looking for me. I had to tell them to be careful. How was I going to manage that without scaring them?

Thankfully, it was my dad who answered the phone. My mum had a tendency to get a little over excited by the smallest thing. We can blame her Italian genes for that. I explained to him that I was hiding out at Shirl's house. I said that I had witnessed a crime and the perpetrator was trying to intimidate me. The police had advised me to leave my home for a little while, just to be on the safe side. I asked him not to tell anyone where I was. If anyone asked them, they should let me know right away. I omitted the attack and the arson. If I'd been totally honest with him, they would have been on their way down here within the hour and I just couldn't contend with my mum and dad right now. My dad wasn't stupid, and I could tell he thought there was something I wasn't telling him. He told me to be careful, and I promised I would be. I also promised I'd call them again in a couple of days and we said our farewells. I was so glad to get that call out of the way.

I had forty five minutes to kill before I was due to meet Shirl in the kitchen, but I didn't feel like hanging around in the bedroom. I decided to take my clothes downstairs and load the washing machine. I removed a few things from my case and closed the lid. I dragged it through the house and when I reached the kitchen Shirl was in there sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of wine.

"You're looking at my glass like it's containing the secret to eternal life. Shall I poor you one?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Is it alright if I put some clothes in the wash?"

"That's fine. Don't stand on ceremony Rosa, you don't need to ask. My place is your place. Do you want some help?"

"No thanks, I can manage. You can pour me some wine while I sort my washing. I'll be back in a flash."

With the incentive of a glass of wine waiting for me, I loaded the washing machine in record time. I returned to the kitchen, sat at the kitchen table and downed the whole glass in one go.

"Blimey, looks like you needed that."

"You have no idea."

I could actually feel the effect of the wine spread through my body and it was heaven.

"Right, I'll get cracking with dinner. Sausage and mash alright for you?"

"That sounds fantastic, but you don't have to wait on me while I'm here."

"I know, but let me at least cook for you tonight. Cooking for just me has been so boring, it's great to have company for a change."

"OK, but you could have had company at any time, you only had to ask."

"I know, but I wasn't ready."

"And now you are?"

"I am. Now you're here I realise how lonely I've been."

I watched Shirl while she cooked. She was so different to me in almost every way. She was much smaller than me at five foot two inches and she was a bottle blonde. Her hair had grown very long. I don't think she'd had it cut since I'd last seen her. She was petite in every way except for her very ample bosom. That was probably our only similarity. She was also very outgoing, and not afraid of voicing every opinion she had as soon as she had it. She could be quite confrontational at times. I tended to be more polite and diplomatic. I think we complimented each other somehow.

I knew Shirl had lots of questions to ask me regarding what had happened over the last few days. I think she was saving them until we had finished dinner. Until then we filled the time catching up on what we'd been doing during the last twelve months. It seems that Shirl had thrown herself into her art. She was a very successful artist and there was always a demand for her work. The last twelve months had probably been quite lucrative as well as healing.

Dinner was delicious and went down a treat with the rest of the bottle of wine. A dessert of apple pie followed, but I resisted a coffee as I really wanted to sleep that night.

When the dishwasher was loaded, Shirl asked about what had happened to me. I told her what little I could remember about the murder and the attack. I told her about the fire that had turned out to be arson and how terrified I had been that Jem and Scout had died. When I finished, Shirl just sat quietly for a moment.

"You've been to Hell and back. No wonder you looked such a mess when you arrived."

"I forgot I could always count on you for the brutal truth."

"You look much better now, apart from the bruises. You'll be right as rain soon. To think what might have happened though. I bet Quinn would like to get hold of whoever did this to you."

"I'm trying not to dwell on what might have been, and yes, Quinn is beyond angry. Shirl, I need to get the cats from the vets. Can they come here? There's plenty of space for them in my room and that would keep them out of the way of your guys."

"Don't see why not. I think I have a spare cat litter tray somewhere and I have plenty of food."

"Thank you so much. You have been amazing taking me in like this."

"I don't think you realise how much you are doing for me by being here. Let's just agree that we're helping each other."

"Sounds good to me. Right, I'm going to put my clothes in the drier and go to bed. I suddenly feel really tired and I want to give Quinn a call."

"I think I'll have an early night too. The house is alarmed, so we should be fine. Tomorrow I'll show you how all the security works, where the guns are and where the safe room is."

"Guns! My God Shirl, are you serious?"

"Oh yes, Simon took our security very seriously. You've come to the right place to be safe Rosa. Goodnight, see you in the morning." She disappeared into the hall.

I sorted my clothes, grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and went to my room. I phoned Quinn.

"Hi Quinn."

"I was just thinking about you. You all settled in?"

"Yes. I've had a long bath, a delicious dinner and half a bottle of wine, so I can't complain. I've spoken to Dad. I assume Mum called you?"

"Yes, I told her that there had been an incident at the University that had taken your time, but that you were OK and I'd get you to call her."

"Thanks. Shirl said I can bring Jem and Scout here so I'll go and collect them tomorrow. Quinn, I just want to thank you again for everything. I don't think I'd have gotten through it without you."

"Yes, you would, you're tough."

"Don't know about that. I just remember a lot of crying."

"You had pretty good reason to get upset. Anyway, I phoned DCI Dexter and told him you were safe. I suggested he give you a break tonight unless there was something important."

"Thanks, I don't think I could have coped with him tonight. Right, I'm going to phone Dot and get into bed. Take care."

"You too. 'Night Rosa."

I sat looking at the phone for a couple of minutes. I missed him. I loved him. Why couldn't we make things work? Anyway, I wasn't going to get on the merry-go-round of thoughts that always go with that question. Instead, I phoned Aunty Dot. I thanked her for saving my life and told her I was safe and not to worry about me. In turn she told me that Quinn had turned down her proposition. She said she was disappointed as she'd been looking forward to getting her hands on his 'buns'. As someone who'd had her hands on Quinn's 'buns' many times, I felt her loss. I could always count on Dot to make me smile.

I watched TV for a couple of hours until I could barely keep my eyes open. Then I climbed into the most divine bed and was asleep in minutes.

Day 5

When I woke up I didn't know where I was. It was only when I heard Shirl's voice that I remembered. I was at her place. She had been knocking on my bedroom door and calling to me. Then she just burst in.

"Thank God, you're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive. What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock. I didn't want to wake you, but you've been up here over twelve hours. I just wanted to make sure you were alright and not dead or something. I've brought you a coffee."

"Ten o'clock! I don't think I've ever slept that long in my life. I'm glad you came up. I really don't want to spend all day in bed."

"You obviously need the rest. Don't forget, you've been through a traumatic experience. Two of them actually."

I sat myself up in bed a little too quickly and I became all too aware of my pounding head and face. Then I started coughing.

"You alright?"

"I will be when I've had a couple of tablets and a puff on my inhaler. I don't suppose you've got any paracetamol with you?"

"It just so happens that I brought some up with me."

I propped myself up on my pillows and gratefully accepted the coffee and pills. Shirl walked over to one of the windows and opened the curtains. The room was flooded with light.

"Are you sure you don't want a bit more kip. You look like you need the rest."

"Thanks for that. No, I'll feel better in a few mins. I'll drink this and then I'll have a quick shower and get dressed. I want to call the vets and arrange to pick up Jem and Scout. I don't suppose you'd be able to take me? Or perhaps I could borrow a car?"

"I promised Quinn that I wouldn't let you out of my sight, so I'll take you. We can go after lunch if you like. I need to pop out in a bit to get some art supplies, but I won't be gone long. I'll leave you to it."

When Shirl had left the room I reached over to the bedside table and picked up my phone. I called the vets. Jem and Scout were fine and I arranged to collect them later. I suddenly felt so excited at the prospect of having them back with me.

As I lay in bed drinking my coffee, I started thinking about the last few days. Instead of feeling sad I found myself feeling increasingly angry. Professor Gilmore was dead. His killer had also tried to kill me twice. They had damaged my beloved home, almost killed Jem and Scout and were forcing me to stay away from a job and people I liked. I felt like a victim and a prisoner, and I didn't like it.

How long was I going to have to hide away in this house? I couldn't stay away from my job indefinitely. It could take months to find the killer and it was always possible that he or she would find me first. The more I thought about things, the angrier I became.

I downed my coffee and jumped out of bed as quickly as my injuries would allow. My head still ached and I could feel a slight tickle in my chest, but they would soon pass. I went into the bathroom and had a shower. By the time I returned to the bedroom I had a plan. I was going to find the killer. I wasn't going to stay in this house powerlessly waiting for the police, or the killer, to do their thing.

Phase one was to get dressed. Phase one hit a glitch straight away. Not a great start. Where were my clothes? Downstairs, all crumpled up in the drier. I put on the bath robe and went down to the kitchen. Shirl was feeding Bonnie.

"Crikey, you look like a girl with a plan."

"That's me, 'plan girl'. As soon as I'm dressed I'll tell you all about it. I'm going to need your help, so get your brain into gear."

"If you're going to get your clothes they're all ironed and ready for you."

"Shirl, you do not need to do my ironing for me."

"Don't go all independent miss on me. I had some of my own to do and I was up at six as I don't always sleep well. I still can't get used to being on my own in bed. I just thought I'd do some ironing and got carried away. I think the words you're looking for are 'thanks Shirl, that's great'."

"Thank's Shirl, that's great."

I went into the utility room and the first thing I did was sniff the neatly folded pile of clothes. I was relieved to find that the smoky smell had reduced considerably. I put them in a basket and carried them upstairs.

Once back in my bedroom I looked at the pile of clean clothes. What did a girl wear to catch a killer? I decided on some jeans and an old white shirt. I didn't wear jeans very often, but they seemed like the best choice. There was no point trying to hide my bruised face, but I tidied my hair, put on some lipstick and added a quick spray of Chanel.

I glanced out of the window and was greeted by a murky looking day. It matched my state of mind perfectly; cloudy, with a chance of rain. Summer seemed to have ended. The sky was distinctly overcast and it looked like a storm was brewing. My head was racing with thoughts about how to conduct a murder investigation. If I was going to stand a chance of catching a killer I would need to calm down and be methodical.

I walked into the kitchen to find the table set with mugs, plates, Danish pastries and a cafetiere of fresh coffee. Shirl followed me in and we sat down together.

"So, how do you fancy solving a murder?"

"Oohh, a murder mystery party! That's a fantastic idea. We haven't had one of those in forever. Who would we invite?"

I just looked at Shirl with my eyebrows raised.

"You didn't mean a party did you?"

"No, I didn't."

Before Simon had died we used to occasionally have themed murder mystery party nights where myself, Shirl and other friends would dress up and role play while trying to solve a pretend murder. You could buy kits and they were great fun.

"I'm guessing you mean your murder. The real one," said Shirl.

"We are. Is that OK?"

"Why not? Where do we start?"

I poured us coffees and put a pecan and maple pastry on my plate.

"Well, surely we have to start with motive, means and opportunity," I said.

"What about physical evidence? These days isn't it all about finger prints, DNA and trace evidence?"

"Shirl, you've been watching too much CSI. Poirot and Miss Marple didn't rely on physical evidence. Poirot just needed his 'little grey cells'. Having said that, you're probably right, to some degree. It would help if we knew some basic things, like how the Professor was killed and with what. I tell you what, before we go any further with this I'll call DCI Dexter and try to get some details from him. You never know, they might be on the brink of making an arrest. If that's the case, then we can go out for a slap up lunch instead of sitting here solving crime."

"Sounds like a plan."

In the meantime Shirl told me about a big commission she was working on for a local celebrity. She had to paint a picture of them riding one of their horses. It was the first time she'd been asked to paint a horse and she was both terrified and excited about it.

While Shirl cleared the plates I phoned the Inspector. I asked him how the investigation was going. I don't think he really wanted to tell me much, but I pushed him on it saying that it was only fair he keep me informed when I was basically a prisoner in my friend's house. He told me that they had a couple of suspects, and that enquires were still ongoing. They certainly weren't about to arrest anyone. I bit the bullet and asked if he would come to Shirl's house the next day. He wanted to know why. In order to get him to come I suggested that I might have something to tell him. With a sigh he said he'd see me in the morning.

"It didn't sound too peachy as regards the investigation," said Shirl.

"No, I don't think they're getting very far. Looks like you might be stuck with me for quite a while. Right, let's get a pen and some paper, and make some notes, we need to come up with a serious plan."

Shirl went to her office and fetched a notepad. We settled down at the table and were joined by Morse, her ginger tabby, who decided he wanted to see what was going on.

"Right, what are you thinking?" Shirl was primed with pen at the ready.

"Well, let's consider motives first for a moment. What could motivate someone to murder?"

"Well, you can't beat the old classics; passion, power and money."

"And let's not forget revenge. We'll just have to hope it wasn't a random killing or it could make things really difficult, if not impossible. The police would start by gathering physical evidence. We don't have that resource, but I can see how much I can get out of the Inspector tomorrow. Then they would interview witnesses. I'm one witness and I can't remember anything useful, and I don't think the other witness saw anything useful. I guess that the police would then widen their net as regards the people they talked to. I know he's married so they would talk to his wife, who is always a suspect, and they would talk to other people in the Professor's life like friends, family and work colleagues. They would be trying to find out if anyone could think of a reason why someone would want to kill him."

"Which brings us back to motive. If we take jealousy then the wife is the obvious place to start. We need to find out if the Prof. was putting it about. Perhaps the Mrs found out he was fooling around," said Shirl.

"Well, I can't say what the wife knew, but I was told on the day he died that he was a bit of a player, so the wife might have every reason to be displeased with her philandering husband. I think we should talk to Mrs Gilmore. We should also talk to the admin staff in the Chemistry Department. Keele is full of gossip, so if there is anything scandalous about the Professor, or any rumours, they will know about it."

"Can't say it's looking good for the wife. I bet she did it. Wonder if she has an alibi for the time of the murder."

"I'll see what the Inspector says, but hopefully we'll get the chance to ask her ourselves. It would really help if we could see the Professor's emails, text messages, social media sites and phone details. I wouldn't mind betting we could learn a lot from those sources about the Professor's lifestyle. If there was anything or anyone significant in his life, that's where we'll find it."

"Talking of significant others, what about the divine Mr Quinn?"

"What about him?"

"Isn't he always bragging that there's nothing he can't do with a computer? Perhaps he could do some snooping in cyberspace and see if he can find something juicy."

"Good thinking. Yes, he is a bit of a wiz on the computer."

"If ever a wiz there was."

"Right, I think we have plan!"

"Hit me with it."

"Firstly, I prise as much information as I can from the Inspector. Secondly, we talk to Mrs Gilmore, and the Chemistry Department admin staff. Thirdly, we see what we can get Quinn to find out for us. Hopefully, some motives and possible suspects will pop up. Then, we can start looking to see if any of those possible suspects had the means and the opportunity. How does that sound?"

"Excellent! When can we get started? This is actually very exciting. We are so going to kick this killer's ass."

"I have to admit that I am definitely in the mood for kicking some ass, but I don't think we should do anything much until I've spoken to the Inspector. Think I might leave the ass kicking part out when I talk to him. He'll hopefully give us a good picture of where the investigation is. We don't want to repeat too much of what he's already done. Then we can get stuck in. I could phone Quinn now and ask him to dig around on the computer."

"Any excuse to talk to him."

"This call will be strictly business."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before."

My mobile phone was upstairs so I grabbed the cordless handset to the land line. I curled up on the sofa in the sun room that was just off the kitchen and dialled Quinn's number. He answered the phone straight away and he sounded stressed.

"Hi Quinn, it's me, is this a bad time?"

"No, I was just engrossed in something. You OK?"

"I'm fine. I need to ask you for a favour, or should I say for another favour."

"Fire away."

"OK, you're not going to like this, but I've decided to do some investigating into the murder of Professor Gilmore. The Inspector is coming to the house tomorrow and I'm going to talk to him about it, but I'm going to need your computer expertise."

The phone line was quiet. I had a feeling that Quinn was trying to compose himself before responding.

"I don't suppose I can do or say anything to talk you out of this?"

"I can't sit around this house all day waiting for the police to do their thing, you know that isn't my style Quinn."

"I know you're a control freak. Let's face it, that's what this is all about. You're taking an unnecessary risk."

"You might be right, but it doesn't change anything. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Do I really have any choice in the matter?"

"Not if you love me."

"Don't play the love card with me. I'm not prepared to let you do something stupid like getting yourself killed."

"Let me?"

"Poor choice of words. I don't like this Rosa."

"I promise I'll be careful."

There was a sigh at the other end of the line and I knew I had him.

"What do you need to know?"

"Well, I'm sure the police will be doing these checks, but perhaps a fresh pair of eyes will notice something they've missed. I need to see the emails and text messages for Professor Gilmore. I'd also like a list of phone numbers called to and from all his phones; home, work and mobile. Lastly, I'd like to see his financial records. It might be good to have that information for his wife too."

"Jeez Rosa, you don't want much do you?"

"I thought there was nothing you couldn't do with a computer."

"There isn't."

"Then prove it to me gorgeous."

"You are playing me big time. You think you can use your ample charms to get your way?"

"It wouldn't be the first time. Is it working?"

"How far are you prepared to go?"

"All the way, but you'd have to find me first. I'll be incognito for a while."

"I love a challenge. I'll see what I can find for you, but you need to be careful Rosa, stay alert and don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Don't worry, I won't. I'll be in touch."

We hung up.

"Oh yeah, very business-like." Shirl had clearly been eaves dropping.

I stuck out my tongue at her. She was so annoying when she was right.

____________________________

We spent the next hour sorting out my room so that it was ready for Jem and Scout's arrival. I was so looking forward to sharing my living space with them again. They had been through so much and I had no idea how they would react to being at Shirl's house. We decided to put the litter tray in the bathroom and their feeding bowls in the dressing room area. Shirl found a couple of old, but clean, cat beds which we tucked into a couple of hiding places. We wanted them to be able to feel safe.

Once that was done we rustled up a lunch of tomato soup and toasted cheese. Simple, but delicious. We ate with the TV on and watched a hilarious episode of 'Don't tell the Bride'. It was the perfect antidote to murder.

Once we'd finished and the dishes had been cleared I went upstairs and put on some boots. It was only when I went to put on a jacket that I realised that I hadn't brought one to Shirls. The heavens looked like they were about to open at any moment so I definitely needed something to wear. I went down to the kitchen and asked Shirl if she had anything I could borrow.

"Rosa, I've been thinking."

"Never a good sign."

"Be serious a minute. There is a possibility that the killer might be watching the vets, waiting for you to collect the cats. I think I should go there alone, and then make sure I'm not followed home."

I stood quietly for a moment weighing up what she'd said.

"You might have a point. This is all so crazy. How did this become my life? I'll only agree to let you go alone if you call me when you arrive at the surgery and call again when you're on your way back. If you get held up, let me know so that I don't panic."

"I shouldn't be long, no more than an hour."

Shirl and I each carried a cat basket out to her Mercedes SUV. We put them on the back seat and I waved as she drove away.

I entered the house and reset the alarm. I hadn't seen the guns yet, but at least I knew how to secure the house. I realised that I hadn't paid the surgery for Jem and Scout's care so I called the vets and paid over the phone with my debit card. Hopefully, that would mean a swifter exit for Shirl. Twenty minutes later the phone rang and she announced her arrival. Fifteen minutes later they were on their way home.

It wasn't long before Shirl arrived back. I was waiting for her as she pulled up outside and I rushed over to open the back door almost before she'd stopped the car. Jem and Scout were crying their hearts out.

"Good grief, your pals here don't half have a good pair of lungs on them. They never stopped moaning from the minute we set off."

"They've never been great travellers."

We whisked them up to my room and shut the door behind us. We placed the baskets on the floor and opened the doors. If we were expecting Jem and Scout to come rushing out we were mistaken. The most we got was Jem's nose sticking out sniffing the air of his new surroundings. I looked in at Scout and she wasn't the least bit impressed. Neither of them seemed thrilled to see me.

"Now Rosa, don't sulk. They've had a crappy couple of days too. Give them time. Why don't you come downstairs and have a drink. By the time you get back up here they'll have come out."

So, Shirl and I went downstairs together and put the kettle on. We sat at the table with tea and a few chocolate digestives.

"Shirl, I thought you had to go out and get some art supplies?"

"Well I was going to, but then we got talking about investigating a murder and that was much more exciting. I'll go in the morning instead. When's this Dexter chappy coming?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing it will be in the morning sometime."

"What does he look like?"

"I've met the man twice and I can't remember much about him. I know he was quite tall and I think he had dark blonde hair. Beyond that I can't remember."

"He can't be much of a looker then."

"Why? Are you looking for a man?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, just because I didn't notice him doesn't mean you won't. Right, I'm going upstairs to watch some TV with the guys. Hopefully, they'll start coming round if I sit with them for a while."

"Good idea, I'll see you later. I'm going to try to finish a painting I started a week ago."

_________________________

I had just watched 'Gone with the Wind'. Rhett Butler no longer gave a damn and the titles were rolling. Scout was hiding under the bed, but Jem, after sniffing every inch of the room, was now sitting on the window sill admiring the view of the open countryside. I don't think he'd ever seen so much grass. Much to my frustration, both of them were still giving me a wide berth. Scout kept peeping out from her hiding place and I knew it was only a matter of time before curiosity or hunger got the better of her.

Despite all the sleep I'd had last night I was hit by a wave of fatigue. I decided to have a quick nap before dinner. I had a feeling that I was going to need a lot of energy to catch a killer so it seemed a good idea to get as much rest as I could now. I got up from the sofa and walked over to the bed. I lay down and was just getting comfy when I felt the bed move. I looked up and saw that Jem had joined me. He walked across the bed and snuggled up next to me. I raised my hand to stroke him and he rubbed his face against it. I could have cried I was so happy. My boy was back.

With my arm around Jem I started to drift into a lovely sleep. Images began to swirl around my mind. There was a corridor, darkness and shadows. Then, there was pain and a voice; "I'm so sorry Rosa."

My eyes shot open. My heart was racing and I actually felt afraid. I had to sit up and try to calm myself. I might be mistaken, but I very much believed that my memory of my attack had started to return. I guess it could have been a dream, but it felt incredibly real.

I apologised to Jem for leaving him so quickly and went downstairs to find Shirl. She wasn't in the kitchen so I tried her studio. I found her painting.

"You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I feel like I've seen a ghost. The strangest thing just happened. I think I might have started to remember things about the murder, but I'm not sure."

"What do you mean 'not sure'?"

"Well, I think I was sleeping. It could have been a dream, but it was in glorious technicolour and was so vivid and real. I was frightened Shirl, really frightened."

Shirl went over to a cupboard and opened a door. There were some bottles in the cupboard and she took one out, followed by a glass and poured a drink. She handed it to me and I sniffed it. Brandy.

"You keep a drinks cabinet in your studio?"

"Well, I went through an experimental phase of seeing how I painted when I was inebriated. It was interesting. Anyway, you don't want to hear about that now. Come on, don't keep me in suspense any longer, what did you remember?"

So, I told her.

"What was the voice like? Was it a man's voice or a woman's?"

"I don't know, it was more of a nondescript whisper."

"And you didn't see anything significant."

"Unfortunately not."

"Wow. A killer with a conscience."

"There is one significant thing about what the killer said. They called me Rosa. I was wearing my library name badge, but that has my full name on it, Rosetta. Only people that know me know that my name is often shortened to Rosa."

"So, you think the killer might know you?"

"It seems that way, but I'm not sure it will help us much. I've been at Keele, either as a student or member of staff, for twelve years. There will be a lot of people knowing me as Rosa. It does appear as though the killer is a Keele person and not some outsider."

"It could make a difference when trying to narrow down suspects. What are you thinking? You're thinking something, I can tell."

"I can't shake off the feeling that the killer does know me, and I know them. The words seemed heartfelt somehow. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Me neither."

_________________________

I left Shirl to get on with her painting and decided to make myself useful by starting dinner. As I walked into the kitchen Bonnie came over to greet me. I wasn't really a dog person, but Shirl's beautiful greyhound really was adorable. Morse and Lewis were nowhere to be seen. I wondered how they would feel if they knew about Jem and Scout's arrival.

It was definitely my turn to cook dinner so I went over to the fridge where I found some lamb mince and a large selection of fresh vegetables. After a quick assessment of the larder I decided to cook stuffed peppers with salad. I gathered my ingredients and got started.

I usually found cooking relaxing, but today I couldn't shake off my memory of the attack. The possibility that the killer was someone I knew felt horrible. I knew that until this was all over I wasn't going to be able to trust anyone around me except for Shirl, Quinn, Aunty Dot, and the police. At least now I really did have something new to tell the Inspector tomorrow. It wasn't long before the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen drew Shirl from her studio.

"Something smells delish, what's cooking?"

"Stuffed peppers."

"Yum. You know what would go really well with those?"

"Wine?"

"Wine."

She walked over to her well stocked wine rack and selected an Italian red. In no time at all the bottle was open and two glasses were full. Then she started setting the table while I made the salad.

"How are you doing?" Shirl sounded concerned.

"I feel horrible to be honest. The prospect of finding out that the killer could be someone I like or care about is going to make the whole thing even harder to deal with."

"Then let's hope you're wrong about it. You may be giving the words more meaning than they really have."

"I hope you're right."

I got the peppers out of the oven and put them on the table along with the salad. We filled our plates and tucked in.

"So, tell me about your drunken painting episodes."

"Oh, they were great fun and very addictive. I can't say it was my best work, but I had a great time. I found that champagne had the best effect, especially when I shot the cork through the canvas. I did find that my work changed depending on what I drank. I painted darker, more depressing pictures with whiskey and gin. Though, with hindsight, that was probably because I chose my drinks according to my mood rather than the type of drink creating the mood, if you know what I mean."

"I do. Judging by the well-stocked drinks cabinet you had a lot of different moods, and sometimes even mixed the moods together?"

"You'd be right. I had to stop experimenting as it was affecting my work too much. I'm back on track now though."

"What happened to the picture with the hole in it?"

"It's on the wall in my studio, I'm surprised you didn't notice it. It's one of my favourite paintings as I remember having so much fun. I drank a whole bottle of Veuve Clicquot and danced around to Barry White."

"I'm glad you had some fun during the past year. I often thought of you and hoped you weren't up here all miserable and alone."

"Well, I was pretty much always alone and there was plenty of miserable, but I did have some happy moments too."

__________________________________

Not long after dinner Shirl had returned to her studio. She had her important commission to finish. Apparently, she wanted to wrap up loose ends so she could give all her attention to the investigation. I had retreated to my room to watch some TV. An old Miss Marple episode was showing and I watched it in an attempt to get myself in the mood for the following day. I could only hope I'd be as perceptive as her.

Afterwards, I texted Quinn and my parents to say that I was fine and I'd call them soon. Then, I played with the cats, had a soak in the bath and crawled into bed. In the morning I would be starting an interesting journey. Who knew where it was going to end.

Day 6

I always set a radio alarm clock to go off at five past the hour. By doing this I avoided starting my day with the news and all the bad events that had happened in the World. I had to have a cup of coffee first. This morning I was awoken at five past eight by the Jonas Brothers singing 'Gotta Find You'. Not quite what I wanted to hear first thing in the morning when being stalked by a killer. 'I'll just have to find you first', I thought. That was all the motivation I needed to get out of bed. I walked over to the window and opened the curtains to see what the weather was doing. It was murky again, but calm. I don't think it could quite decide what it wanted to do.

Jem and Scout had spent the night snuggled up with me, but were now burning off some energy by chasing each other around. As I walked through the dressing room on my way to the bathroom I put some food into their bowls and they were soon scoffing away. I was just getting out of the shower when I heard Shirl calling me.

"I'm in the bathroom."

Shirl hurried into the bathroom looking all flustered.

"Oh, Rosa, I've just met the most delicious man, and look at the state of me!"

I looked. She had obviously decided to walk Bonnie with her coat and wellies on over her pyjamas. Her eye make-up was half way down her face and she'd made a half-hearted attempt to tie her hair back. I admit, it wasn't the look you wanted when meeting a 'delicious man'.

"You obviously weren't expecting to see anyone. How did you meet him anyway? Surely the grounds are private?"

"It's your policeman friend, DCI thingy."

"Dexter? He's here? Now?"

"Yes, he's sitting in the kitchen. I just left him there. I didn't offer him a drink or anything. I made a complete prat of myself. You'll have to go down and talk to him, while I go and spruce myself up."

"Shirl, look at me! I'm dripping all over the floor here. At least you are wearing clothes. Surely you could make him a quick coffee."

"No chance. I am not seeing that man again until I look like one hot sexy momma."

With that she turned around and hurried out of the bathroom. Great! At least I didn't care what I looked like when meeting the Inspector. I quickly dried myself off, wrapped a towel around my hair, and threw on the same clothes I wore yesterday.

As I walked into the kitchen our visitor was fidgeting, clearly getting restless.

"Morning Inspector, I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I guess you can tell that we weren't expecting you quite so early. I'm going to make myself a coffee. Can I get you anything?"

"A coffee would be good, thanks. Strong and black with two sugars."

"Coming right up. I don't know about you, but unless I have a shot of caffeine in the morning I can't function."

He got straight down to business. "You wanted to see me Miss Wild. Was it about anything specific?"

Dexter's arrival had caught me off guard. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell him of my plan. I was pretty sure he would do everything he could to persuade me not to investigate this murder. While I tried to think of the best way to tell him, I focused on making the coffee and tried to be casual.

"So, Inspector, how's the investigation going? Are you on the brink of an arrest yet?"

"I wish that was the case. Things are moving quite slowly at the moment, but we'll get there." He sounded tired.

"Have you been up all night?"

"Not all night, but I was called out at three this morning."

"So, my case isn't the only one you're working on?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

I placed two plates and two mugs of coffee on the table and grabbed a couple of blueberry muffins from the larder. I sat down at the table facing the Inspector and really saw him for the first time.

Shirl was right, he really was an incredibly attractive man. I couldn't imagine why I hadn't noticed before. Even sitting down I could tell he was a good few inches taller than me, which would make him at least six foot tall. He had dark blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His overall presence was very intense. I could also detect a slight accent which hinted at American. Interesting. I found myself suddenly wishing I'd spent a bit more time on my appearance.

"So, like I said Miss Wild, was there anything specific you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, I think I've remembered something about the killer's attack on me. It appeared like a dream, but I'm positive it was a memory. I didn't see anything, but I heard something, and I think it could be significant."

"You have my attention."

"Visually I only saw darkness and shadows. I remembered pain and the feeling of losing consciousness. Just before I blacked out completely I heard a voice whisper, "I'm so sorry Rosa". I can't tell if it was a man or a woman, but I think the killer knows me."

"What makes you think that? I seem to remember that you had a name badge pinned to the dress you were wearing."

"That's right, but my name badge says Rosetta Wild. The killer called me Rosa. Now, I appreciate that I've been at Keele a long time and there are many people who will know that I generally go by that name, but there is something that is unsettling me. I might be imagining this, but the apology felt real and sincere. I think that the killer knows me well and I know them."

"That's quite a statement."

"You don't believe me?"

"It isn't that. I take your statement very seriously. If you're right it could help us to filter suspects, but you might be imagining the sincerity of the killer's apology, or at least be placing too much significance to it. We can't allow your 'feeling' to guide us too much at this stage. Also, the mind is a strange thing. I'm sure we can't one hundred percent trust that this was a memory and not just a vivid dream. I'm sure you can appreciate that."

"I suppose I can. I wish I could come up with something more significant."

"A face would be good."

I looked at him. Our eyes met and locked for a brief moment. I felt a rush of heat and blushed. Thankfully, just at that moment, Shirl entered the kitchen. She had gone all out on the 'hot sexy momma' look, and I mean all out. She looked like she was auditioning for Barbarella.

She was wearing skin tight black trousers and thigh-high black stiletto boots. She had teamed this up with a black lace top with a plunging neckline. Her cleavage had been given the Wonderbra treatment and her bountiful boobs looked as though they might make a bid for freedom at any moment. She had put her hair up with strands sexily hanging down. Her eyes had been lined with black and her lips were deep red. I think she was even wearing false eye lashes. She looked amazing, but totally over the top.

"Hello, Inspector. Sorry I had to rush off earlier. I see Rosa has made you a drink. Is there anything I can do for you?" I think she even batted her eyes.

Dexter would have had to be blind not to notice. All things considered he did pretty well not to display much reaction to her appearance and attentions. He did glance at her copious 'assets', but then I could hardly take my eyes off them myself.

"Thank you, no. I think Miss Wild has covered everything. I need to get going."

Poor man, he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. However, I couldn't let him escape as I hadn't finished with him yet.

"Inspector, I need to talk to you about a few things before you go. Can you just give me a minute? Shirl, I need to show you something out in the hall."

Shirl looked at me questioningly and followed me out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong, do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?"

"No, you look amazing, and you're going to have to tell me how you made yourself look this good so quickly, but you're too much of a distraction. I need the Inspector to focus on the murder case. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get his attention I promise. Can you at least give me twenty minutes before coming back into the room?"

"Oh, I suppose so. Twenty minutes, then I'll be back. I'm not going to waste this get up." Shirl adjusted her cleavage.

"Sorry about that." I walked back into the kitchen and took my place at the table. He had been getting acquainted with Bonnie who had ambled over to say hello and was resting her head on his knee.

"I'd really like it if you could tell me everything you know about the murder of the Professor. What have you discovered so far? What have you learnt about him? What was the murder weapon? What physical evidence have you found? Fingerprints? DNA?"

"Why do you want to know all this?"

"Inspector, I'm not prepared to sit in this house hiding away like a victim. I intend to do some investigating of my own and try to find the killer. I was hoping we could work together on the investigation. I'm an insider at Keele. I think that people on campus will talk to me more freely. I'm sure I can help."

"Five minutes ago you told me that you think you and the killer know each other. That would mean that the killer is most likely a Keele University person. You would therefore be placing yourself directly in the line of fire. Can't you see how dangerous that would be? I highly advise you against it."

"I knew you would try to dissuade me, but I think I can be useful. I'm going to do this whether you like it or not. To stop me you'll have to arrest me."

"Don't think I wouldn't."

"I promise to be careful and check in with you regularly. I will tell you everything I learn and you can tell me everything you learn."

"I can tell you're determined, but I think that by sharing information I will only be encouraging you and I don't want to do that."

"Please, Inspector, I need to do this. I can't just sit around the house twiddling my thumbs."

He took a few moments to consider the situation.

"I don't see you're giving me much choice, but I don't want any of this 'female intuition' crap. It's facts that catch killers, not feelings. And, stay within the law."

"I'll do my best."

"Right, here's the story to date. I'll start with the scene of the crime. By the time I arrived you had already been taken to hospital. The Professor's body was still in situ. His office hadn't been hugely disturbed. There was a lot of blood where the body was lying. The autopsy has confirmed that he was stabbed once right through the heart. The killer then took something from the office and used it to bludgeon the Professor quite brutally about the head. There were no other injuries, not even defence wounds. As for physical evidence, there is a distinct lack of it so far, but work is still ongoing. A lot of fingerprints were found at the scene. The Professor's office was accessed by many people so we are going through a process of identification and elimination right now."

"What about the murder weapon?"

"There was no sign of the knife, but the other item was left behind. In fact, we believe it is probably what they used to hit you on the back of the head. Then, he or she just dropped it."

"And it would be?"

"Something the police are keeping to themselves right now."

"Even from me?"

"Even from you."

Why did I get the feeling that this co-operation between us was going to be in one direction.

"So what have you learnt from witnesses or people you have spoken to? Have you got any potential suspects?"

"The other witness, Alison Doorbar, saw very little. She saw a dark shadow dash from the room and disappear down the fire escape. Like you, she wasn't able to specify if the killer was male or female. We have been talking to other people of course."

"Please tell me you have a suspect?"

"We do. At the moment we have two suspects."

"Two? Are they good ones."

"Only time will tell."

"Inspector, this is like getting blood from a stone. Who are they?"

"The first one is the Professor's wife. Her alibi is flimsy. When questioned she claimed she was home alone looking after their young daughter. She voluntarily allowed us to search her house and take their two computers. So far no evidence linking her to the crime has been found, but we will continue to investigate her. She turned down a police family liaison officer and her interest in what happened to her husband seems non existent. The second suspect is Doctor Christopher Ellison. According to work colleagues, Ellison and the Professor notoriously didn't get on and they had an altercation the day before the murder. He too has been questioned and also has a flimsy alibi. Apparently, he was seen leaving the Chemistry Department at about four thirty to walk across campus to his house. He said he was home alone from that point onwards. It's always possible that he could have doubled back to the Department. Anyway, he also allowed us to search his home and we found nothing significant."

"I know Doctor Ellison well, he's a nice man. It's hard to believe he would kill anyone. Who else have you spoken to?"

"We have spoken to friends and family members. No-one can think of any reason why the Professor was murdered. A few of them mentioned that he could be a very arrogant man and could irritate people, so perhaps there's something in that. We have been conducting house to house enquiries and canvassing the student areas. We have begun a publicity campaign asking for information. A few people have come forward, but as yet none of that information seems relevant."

"It's hard to believe that someone could just kill a man like that, in broad daylight and leave the scene unnoticed. It's like they were invisible or something. Or perhaps this person belonged there and just blended into the background."

"Always possible."

"What about CCTV footage. I know the campus has some coverage, surely that picked up something useful."

"Well, the security cameras were all inactive due to some maintenance work that was being carried out. We have nothing."

"The whole system was down? Now that's interesting. Either the killer was just plain lucky or they knew. I suppose you've talked to security?"

"We have spoken to the entire security team and are further looking into their backgrounds. They all swear that they told nobody about the cameras, so there isn't a lot more we can do there. We just have to wait and see if we can find a connection between one of them and the Professor."

"And I guess you've looked into public transport, off campus buses, taxis etcetera?"

"We have and continue to do so."

"What have you found out about the Professor's background? Surely, there are some clues there. Isn't there a saying? Something like, 'find out how a person lived and you'll find out how they died'."

"Professor Gilmore was born here in the UK, London to be exact. He was forty two years old. He moved to Australia twenty five years ago when he was seventeen. He was very successful academically in the field of chemistry. He married his British wife five years ago. When they had a child his wife decided she wanted to move back to England to be close to her family who were mainly situated in the Stafford area. When he was offered the Professorship at Keele he took it and returned here. He's been at Keele for just over a year. He's into extreme sports like skydiving, bungee jumping and snowboarding."

"So, you've looked into his life in Australia?"

"We have made some enquiries and continue to do so. Again, at the moment, we haven't found anything significant. He didn't seem to be very popular, but we've found no-one who hated him enough to get on a plane to fly here and kill him."

"The attack seemed very personal, don't you think? If the attack was as brutal as you've said, someone really hated him. And the lack of defence wounds suggests he may have known his killer."

"I agree."

"Nice to know we agree on something, but I think you're holding out on me. What about lovers or girlfriends? I know that the Professor was a bit of a ladies-man. That would give his wife motive. There could be a disgruntled lover."

"Enquires are ongoing."

"Is this how it's going to be Inspector? You aren't going to tell me everything are you?"

"I will tell you what I think you need to know. Now, Miss Wild, I really have to go. You have one more question."

"What about communications, phone, emails and social media. Then there's his financial records. Has anything interesting shown up there?"

"Investigations are ongoing."

"You aren't going to make things easy for me are you Inspector?"

"No, I'm not. There are some things that I can't tell you simply because I don't have any answers yet. Then, there are some things I may simply choose not to tell you because I don't want you meddling. Now, I have to go. Be careful and stay within the law. If I get even a hint that you are jeopardising this investigation I will stop you. Understand?"

"I understand."

We stood up from the table and started to walk towards the door to the hall.

He put his hand on my arm. "Be careful, I don't want another dead body on my hands." I felt a flash of heat where he touched me. I looked up and our eyes met. We experienced another strange moment. I know he felt it too. What on earth was going on? I so didn't need any strange attraction thing going on with this man. Didn't I have enough complications in my life? Just then Shirl walked back into the kitchen. Perfect timing.

"Are you leaving Inspector? Allow me to show you out."

"Bye," I said. I couldn't resist smiling as she escorted him out. I almost felt sorry for him. I hoped she didn't do anything over the top. If I didn't know better I would think she'd been to Aunty Dot's school of seduction. The 'hit them with a sledge hammer and drag them back to your cave' approach. When Shirl returned to the kitchen she looked very disheartened.

"What happened? Didn't it go well?"

"Look at me! You can't say I didn't hit him with both barrels. I said how lovely it was to meet him and that I hoped we'd see a lot more of him. He just cannot have missed my intentions, but there wasn't even a glimmer of a response. To be honest he seemed very distracted. He's also very intense. Anyway, what did he tell you about the murder?"

"Take a pew. I'll make us a coffee and tell you about it."

______________________________

It took me about twenty minutes to tell Shirl what Dexter had told me. I'm not sure she was taking it all in, but she appeared interested.

"Well you gave him a good grilling. It was pretty lousy of him to keep things from you. Threatening you with arrest was a bit harsh."

"Going off him already?"

"Well, I have no intention of flogging a dead horse. He's probably gay."

"Absolutely not." I spoke a little too quickly. I remembered the way he looked at me, or should I say the way we looked at each other.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I suppose I can't be sure really. I just don't get a gay vibe from him that's all. Perhaps he's married. He doesn't wear a ring, but perhaps he's happily paired up."

"You're probably right. Well I'm not going to throw myself at him."

It's a bit late for that, I thought.

"I wouldn't give up just yet. I think you took him by surprise, with the boots and the boobs. Next time he comes why not be a bit more Doris Day and less Miss Whiplash, show him you're an all-rounder."

"Miss Whiplash! Damn, you're right. Look at me! What was I thinking?"

"I'm sorry Shirl, I shouldn't have said that. You look incredible. It's just the black leather boots and the lips. He'd been awake for hours and you might have overwhelmed him a bit."

"I am so out of practice at this seduction stuff. Next time he comes I'll show him I can be all wholesome and sensual. What would I do without you?"

"Is this what you really want Shirl? Are you looking for a man?"

"I've been holed up in this house for over twelve months, mostly alone. I'm not looking for love, I'm looking for lust. I just want to see if I still have 'it', whatever 'it' is. I guess I want to feel alive again, like a sexy, vibrant woman. I'm at my peak you know, or at least that's what I keep reading."

"Then go for it. Right, I'm going to go up to my room and get dressed properly. I'll give Quinn a call and see if he's worked any of his computer magic yet and found some interesting information about the Professor."

I went into my room to find Jem and Scout entwined on the bed. They hadn't snuggled together like that since I first had them. It was a sign that they were both still a little insecure.

I walked into the bathroom and looked at my hair and face. The bruising on my face was in full force. It looked as though a three year old had been let loose with blue and black eye crayons. Thankfully, the swelling had pretty much gone. What was scary was that I was starting to get accustomed to this face staring back at me. It didn't mean I liked it though. On the plus side it meant I didn't have to bother with make-up, there really wasn't any point.

I'd forgotten about the towel on my head and by the time I removed it my hair was sticking out everywhere. I wet it over the sink and returned to the bedroom where I gave it a good blow dry and style. I decided to keep the jeans on, but traded the white shirt for a pale blue, long-sleeved t-Shirt. I tied a little patterned scarf around my neck.

I wanted to call Laura Gilmore, but didn't have her phone number. There were a couple of people at Keele I could contact for that information, but thought I'd try the phone directory first. Luck was on my side; the Gilmores were listed. Before I called her I needed to take a moment and prepare myself. I realised that to me she was murder suspect, but she could well be innocent and no more than a woman grieving the death of her husband. I dialled her number and the phone was answered quickly with a brusque greeting.

"Hello, Mrs Gilmore? My name is Rosa Wild. I was a work colleague of your husband's and I was wondering if I could come and see you to offer my condolences at this awful time."

"To be honest, I'm quite busy packing some things. I'm leaving tomorrow to stay with my parents in Stafford."

Damn, not good. I decided to try again.

"Mrs Gilmore, it was me that was attacked after disturbing your husband's killer. It would mean a lot to me to see you and I have some questions I'd like to ask."

"Questions? What sort of questions?"

"I'm just trying to understand why someone would want to attack me. Obviously I've spoken to the police, but they weren't very helpful. I've been quite traumatised by the whole experience and I think it would help me to talk to someone so closely involved in the whole situation."

Laura Gilmore really didn't want to see me. Then, I heard a small sigh at the end of the phone.

"You can come to see me, but it'll have to be a quick visit. I'm not at all convinced that I can help you."

I thanked her and assured her that I would make my visit a brief one. We agreed that half past two this afternoon would be good for both of us.

As I put down the phone two things hit me. Firstly, she genuinely didn't seem to know who I was when I gave her my name. Surely, if she had tried to kill me, she would have shown some sign of recognition. Secondly, I couldn't believe what a good liar I had suddenly become. I despised lying and manipulating people, but I had quickly turned to both in order to get Laura Gilmore to talk to me.

I looked at the time. I had almost three hours to kill before needing to leave the house. I decided to have a good think of the questions I wanted to ask her. I had one shot at this and I had a feeling there would be no going back to her if I missed anything important.

It had been a mentally demanding morning and I needed more caffeine if I was to organise my thoughts. I wandered down to the kitchen and started to boil the kettle. I reached for the cafetiere and popped in some ground coffee. As the coffee was brewing and its delicious aroma filled the air I heard a door close and moments later Shirl joined me.

"I thought I could smell coffee."

Shirl was now wearing her artist uniform of paint splattered jeans and denim shirt. She still had the Miss Whiplash hair and make-up though.

"I need another caffeine kick to get my brain working. I've spoken to Laura Gilmore and arranged to go and see her at half two this afternoon. I need to plan my questions for her. Can I borrow a car?"

"No chance. That woman could be a psychopathic killer. There is no way I'm letting you see her alone."

"Thank you, but I don't think I'd be in any danger. She didn't seem to know who I was when I gave her my name. Well, either that or she is a great actress."

"If she is managing to pull off a murder she'll need to be a great actress. If she killed her husband she will have been preparing for this."

"You're right. I'm too trusting. Oh, Shirl, I think I'm going to be terrible at being a detective, the whole thing goes against my nature. You know me, I hate lying and not trusting people."

"I know, but you're going to have to toughen up. Go and prepare your questions. I'll meet you back down here at one for lunch."

___________________

A couple of hours later Shirl and me were tucking into a lunch of tuna and mayonnaise sandwiches with cheese and onion crisps. We watched some news on the TV while simultaneously fending off Morse and Lewis. They had both jumped up onto the kitchen table taking it in turns to try and snatch some tuna from our plates.

When lunch was over Shirl retreated to her room to get changed. Back in my own room I changed my slippers for boots, applied some lippy and grabbed my bag. I had written a list of questions for Laura Gilmore and I took the list and put it into the back pocket of my jeans. I knew that I couldn't sit and check the questions off the list as I spoke to her so I had tried to memorise them.

I collected an old jacket of Simon's from the kitchen that Shirl said I could use and met her in the hall. She was giving me a quizzical look.

"What's wrong?"

"You need a disguise, you can't risk being recognised on campus. Hold on a sec." She disappeared into the boot room and reappeared two minutes later with an old pair of sunglasses and a trilby hat.

"It's not great, but it'll do the job. And wipe off that lipstick too."

"I think my bruises disguise me pretty well, but I'll do as I'm told. You are so bossy."

"I take my role of wacky sidekick very seriously. Where would Buffy be without the Scooby gang, or Batman without Robin?"

She had a point, I just wasn't quite sure what it was. So, my wacky sidekick and I left the house, securing it as we went and walked over to Shirl's Merc. We got in and set off for Keele.

__________________________

"Right, where exactly are we going?" Shirl was driving and wasn't very familiar with the campus at Keele.

"Larchwood staff housing. Enter at the Sneyd Arms end and I'll tell you where to go from there."

Shirl slipped a CD into the player and the car was filled with the theme tune to 'Poirot'.

"Very funny."

"I just thought this would help to get you in the mood."

Actually, the more I listened, the more it helped to get my mind in the right place. Shirl had said that I needed to toughen up if I was to find out who the killer was and she was right. Not only didn't I like lying and manipulating people, I hated snooping. It wasn't that I lacked curiosity about people, it was more that I valued peoples' privacy. I was going to have to get over these traits if I was to succeed. The more I listened to the various detective themes the more I realised that I could get around it by getting into a character; by playing a part. Perhaps our role playing murder mystery games could prove to have been useful after all.

The journey to Keele took about ten minutes, during which Shirl and I kept our thoughts pretty much to ourselves. The 'Poirot' theme tune had ended to be followed by the 'Morse' theme and the 'Murder She Wrote' theme. I was now feeling suitably sleuthy.

Of the two entrances into the University, we took the one that was located in the tiny village of Keele itself. The village was very pretty. It had a lovely old church, a shop and a pub called The Sneyd Arms. As well as local residents the village also housed a student hall called Hawthorns where several hundred students lived. This entrance to the University was also the prettiest with a beautiful collection of large old trees. As we made our way down the driveway, we passed a student hall and some staff flats before arriving at our destination. I guided Shirl to a small car park at Larchwood. I was about to get out of the car when Shirl stopped me.

"We need a code word."

"For what?"

"Well, think about it. You're about to go into the house of a possible murderer. There is a chance that this woman may have tried to kill you twice. She'd be stupid to try anything now, in her own home, but you never know. I can't see the house from here in the car, so I'll phone you in ten minutes. If you think you're in trouble you can say the code word without arousing her suspicion and I'll come running."

"Not the worst idea you've had. What do you suggest?"

"How about you ask me something. Ask me how Shep is."

"Shep?"

"Rosa, humour me. It doesn't matter what it is really. Run with it."

"OK, code word is Shep. And how will you rescue me exactly?"

"No idea, but I'll think of something if I have to. Are you armed?"

"Armed? As in, do I have a gun?!"

"Don't be daft. Do you have anything to defend yourself with?"

"No. I never thought of that. I'll just have to count on you as my back up."

"I won't let you down."

I got out of the car, leaving the trilby and sunglasses behind. As I did so something struck me. Larchwood staff housing was very close to the Chemistry Department. I could actually see the building from where I was standing. Mrs Gilmore wouldn't have had to travel far to get to her husband's office. I followed the path between some privet hedges. As I was about to disappear from Shirl's view I gave her a little wave. My tummy did a simultaneous somersault.

Larchwood staff housing consisted of a series of semi-detached properties situated around a green. The Gilmore property was clearly numbered and easy to find. As I walked up to the door I couldn't see anything strange about the house. From the outside it appeared to be well maintained, but not necessarily loved. There were no flowers or anything to show that its occupants held the house in high esteem.

Before pressing the doorbell I took a deep breath to compose myself. When the door opened I was greeted by an elderly lady who introduced herself as Susan, Laura's mum. I gave her my name and upon realising that I was the expected visitor Susan practically hustled me into the sitting room and promptly excused herself. I got the feeling that my hosts wished to rush my visit and get it over with as quickly as possible.

As I entered the sitting room Laura Gilmore rose from the sofa to great me and invited me to sit down. I took a seat and looked at the woman next to me. I couldn't help thinking how old she looked. I knew Laura to be five years younger than the Professor, so that would make her thirty seven, but she looked like she was pushing fifty. She looked like someone who had had the life sucked out of her. Her auburn hair was flecked with grey, her skin was pale and her eyes were sunken. I think she had once been a very beautiful woman.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me Laura. I'm sure you have a lot to do before you leave so I won't keep you long. I'm very sorry for what happened to your husband, it must be an awful time for you."

"Thank you. Looking after my daughter keeps me distracted, and Mum is supportive. Can I get you a drink?"

"Tea would be lovely if that's OK?" At least I had to stay until I finished my drink.

Laura disappeared into the kitchen and I took a moment to look around the room. It was very drab. The walls were painted magnolia, the carpet was beige and the sofas were brown leather. The other furniture, a coffee table, bookcase and TV table all looked to be of the flat pack variety. In the curtainless windows there were cream vertical blinds. Like the front of the house it felt well kept, but unloved and functional. Perhaps it was just me, but this didn't feel very homely. The only personal touches that I could see were a few family photos. As far as I could tell none of them featured the late Professor. Interesting. When Laura came back into the room, she got straight down to business.

"Miss Wild, I'm so sorry that you got caught up in all this, but I really don't see that I can be of any help to you."

"Please call me Rosa. I'm not only here for my own benefit, I thought you might like to talk to the other person who was there when your husband was killed. I don't know why really, but I thought you might be curious." Boy, I was getting good at this lying lark.

"To be honest....Rosa, that hadn't occurred to me. The police filled me in on the situation and I wouldn't have thought you could tell me anything they haven't."

"Perhaps you're right. This is all so frustrating don't you think? Between you and me I'm going to do a little investigating of my own. Perhaps that's how you can help me?"

"Rosa, I have been questioned by the police. I have been as much help to them as I can be and I just want to get away from here."

"Surely you want to get to the bottom of things too?"

"Of course, but that is what the police are for. I can see that you were badly injured in the incident, but why are you so interested in this? Were you a.....friend of my husband's?"

The way she hesitated before she said 'friend', and the way she said it, made it quite clear what she meant by the word.

"Your husband wasn't a friend of mine, he was a work colleague. I work at the library and we had scheduled a meeting. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Just then Susan entered the room with two cups of tea and put them on the coffee table in front of us. Once she'd acknowledged our thanks she scurried away. I could probably only make the tea last ten minutes so I decided to step things up a bit.

"Laura, I'm sure the police have asked you this already, but can you think of anyone that would want your husband dead?"

Laura let out a long sigh.

"Rosa, be honest, what did you think of my husband?"

This wasn't a question I was prepared for and not being a fan of her husband's my slow response was enough to show her how I felt.

"You obviously knew him well enough to have formed a negative opinion. You can't shock me. He was an arrogant man and he could be mean. Adam didn't suffer fools gladly. His colleagues may have respected him, but over the years I came to realise that few of them actually liked him. When we left Australia I was expecting him to get a big, jolly send off, but it became clear that few of his colleagues there were sad to see him go. I guess I was too blinded by love back then to see the real him."

For a moment a sadness flashed across Laura's face and realising she had opened herself up more than she intended she pulled herself together. I had to keep her on this path, and I forged ahead with the tough questions.

"So now you're not blinded by love?"

"You're trying to ask if I was happy with my husband. I really don't see that that is any business of yours."

"I'm sorry, you're right. You asked me a moment ago if I was a friend of your husband's. Did he have many friends that you knew about?"

"Again, that is none of your business. I'm not sure I want to answer any more questions. Perhaps you should leave."

I seemed to have touched a nerve. I had wanted to get a reaction, but getting kicked out wasn't it.

"I'm so sorry, that was very personal of me. Please, can I ask if you've noticed anything unusual lately, seen anybody around that doesn't belong?"

"I'm probably being silly, but I've been thinking about this a lot and I remembered that I did see a young man walk past the house a couple of times. He looked like a student and we don't really get much student traffic here. I noticed him because he really stared at the house as he passed. He had all this wild, curly hair. I'm sure it was nothing, I can't believe I even mentioned it. But no, I noticed nothing else remotely strange leading up to the incident."

"It must be awful for you to be a suspect in the death of your husband, I'm not sure I could cope with that on top of everything else." Crikey, I was really pushing my luck now.

"Suspect! What do you mean? The police said their investigations were just standard procedure."

"The spouse is always the number one suspect in any murder until proven otherwise. Apparently, a very high proportion of murders are committed by one of the people closest to the victim. If you're going to pick up a large amount of life insurance, that will be all the motive the police will need. If I was in your shoes I'd be wishing I had a better alibi. Having said that, if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about."

"If you are trying to provoke me Miss Wild then you are going to fail miserably. You've got guts though, I'll give you that."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if, as you seem to suspect, I am the murderer, that would mean that I was the one that gave you those bruises. Your presence here could give me the opportunity to finish what I started."

Right on cue my phone rang. I looked at the screen and it was Shirl.

"Excuse me, I need to get this. Hello!"

"Hi. How's Shep?"

I looked at Laura and I couldn't quite believe the words that came out of my mouth. "My security team wants to know if you are going to take the opportunity to finish what you started in your husband's office." I looked Laura straight in the eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous."

I told Shirl that Shep was fine and ended the call.

"Rosie, or whatever your name is, I'd really like you to leave now. I don't have the energy to deal with this nonsense."

I needed to prolong this visit as I didn't think I'd gained much from it.

"Laura, your husband's killer still seems to think he or she has work to do and I am now a target. I'm not going to take this lying down. However, I realise that my questions may have been upsetting and I apologise. I'll leave you in peace, but please may I use your loo before I go?" This would give me a chance to see more of the house.

"If you must. It's through the kitchen."

Laura led me into the kitchen and pointed to a door on the other side of the room. Once in the loo I waited a few moments, flushed and went through the motions of washing my hands. When I left the loo and re-entered the kitchen I took a moment to look around. A moment was all I had before Laura came in and offered to show me out. I couldn't help but notice a couple of interesting things.

Our farewells were quick and awkward. As I walked back to the car I reflected on the meeting. I actually felt that I hadn't been very nice to Laura Gilmore. That being said, she was a tough cookie and hadn't let me intimidate her. I hadn't come to any conclusions about whether or not I thought she was a killer, but something definitely wasn't right. I reached the car and got in next to Shirl.

"So, how'd it go? You were pretty ballsy in there."

"I'm not sure. I don't think I was very nice to her. I might have been a bit mean. I need to work on my technique if I'm going to be interviewing witnesses and suspects."

"So, did she do it?"

"I have no idea, but there's something going on there. Let's go to the pub and I'll fill you in."

_______________________

It took us all of three minutes to travel the short distance to The Sneyd Arms car park and another two minutes to get to the bar. The pub was very old. Apparently, it used to be an old coaching inn. Now there were tables outside and lots of beautiful hanging baskets which were still in bloom despite summer almost being over. Inside there was a lovely atmosphere. The pool table, and decent food and beer made it a regular haunt of many students and staff. Being the middle of the afternoon, and out of term, the pub was quiet. Shirl and I ordered two small red wines and grabbed ourselves a table.

As we sipped our drinks I slowly filled Shirl in on every detail. She listened intensely, in fact I've never known Shirl be so quiet for so long. I described the house and how it felt. I told her pretty much word for word the conversation as it happened. Then, I got to the bit where I went to the loo.

"So, you managed to get the chance to have a snoop. Did you see anything interesting?"

"Well, I did see a couple of interesting things, but I just don't know if they mean she killed her husband. There was a bin bag that had bouquets of flowers in. That's when it occurred to me that when a family member dies, friends often send flowers of condolence, but there were none visible in the house. She was just throwing them away. I know she was leaving, but throwing away flowers sent in condolence seems a bit heartless somehow. Then there was the champagne."

"Champagne?"

"Yes. There was an empty bottle of champers on the worktop close to the sink. I might be jumping to conclusions, but it looked to me like someone had been celebrating."

"Interesting. So, what are your thoughts on the whole meeting?"

"Well, I learned a couple of things today. Firstly, I hate trying to wheedle information out of people. And, secondly, nothing I saw proves that Laura Gilmore killed her husband, but I'm pretty sure she knew about the other women in his life and I don't think she's terribly sorry he's dead."

"She wouldn't be the first wife to feel that way, but it doesn't mean she killed him."

"You're right. However, not being happy does give her motive. I'll ask Dexter if there's a large life insurance policy. Now, we need to find out how reliable her alibi is, but I have no idea how we do that. I'm sure the police will have spoken to all her neighbours to see if they noticed her leave the house."

"We need to do some snooping."

"What exactly do you mean by 'snooping'?"

"Get into her house and have a proper look around."

"Shirl, we can't just snoop around her house. How do you propose we get in there? I am not breaking and entering."

"I could do the breaking and you could do the entering."

"Very funny. I'm sure that excuse would go down well with the police."

"We'll think of something. When does she leave?"

"Later today or tomorrow, I'm not really sure. I'm disappointed that I didn't find out more. Perhaps you're right. I need to go snooping and you are going to come with me."

Shirl just looked at me with a big grin. Her excitement was palpable. She was loving this.

__________________________________________

It was almost time for dinner. I lay on my bed looking up at the ceiling and feeling just a tad deflated. I don't know what I expected, but it had dawned on me that this investigation was going to take time. I hadn't really expected to visit Laura Gilmore and have her drop at my feet with a confession, but it sure would have been nice.

I was looking forward to discussing the meeting with Dexter. It would be interesting comparing notes on what we had each encountered. I wished I had something significant to reveal to him. I found I wanted to impress him which was so silly.

The smell of curry started to waft up the stairs. Shirl and I had called in at Sainsbury's on the way home and stocked up the cupboards. One of the things we bought was a big curry meal with starters, mains and side dishes. When we'd finished putting away the shopping I had popped a couple of things in the oven and Shirl said she'd sort the rest. She was going to give me a call when it was ready.

I reckoned I had about ten minutes to spare. I got up off the bed, fed the cats and changed into my pyjamas. I instantly felt more relaxed. I sat on the floor of the dressing room with the cats as they ate and I relaxed some more. Strange how doing something mundane can help to calm you.

Shirl called and I went down to the kitchen. She had laid the table and set out the various bits and pieces. It was like an indoor Indian picnic. I sat down and Shirl joined me. We started with onion Baji's then moved onto the mains. I had Butter Chicken and Shirl had a Lamb madras, both with pilau rice. We shared a bottle of cider. As we ate we discussed my meeting with Laura Gilmore some more, but drew no new conclusions.

"Shirl, it doesn't really matter what happened today if I'm right about one major thing."

"What's that?"

"Well, I have never met Laura Gilmore until today. If the killer knew me, then it just cannot be her and we're wasting our time on all this. I just wish I knew for sure if I was right."

"Rosa there's no point torturing yourself over this. I firmly believe the truth will out, you've just got to give it time."

"Patience has never been my strong suit. We'll stick with our plan of more snooping into her life. Right now, I'm exhausted and I don't think I can talk about this any more. If it's OK I'm going straight up to my room after we've finished dinner. I'll call Quinn and Aunty Dot. Then I might do some online browsing and look at some social media sites at Keele. You never know, something interesting might jump out at me. We can discuss tomorrow's plans over breakfast. Does that sound OK?"

"Sounds good to me. It's still early and I'm buzzing so I think I'll go to the studio and do some painting for a few hours. How's the head?"

"Oh, I'm sort of used to the gentle dull thudding ache. It's not bad enough to need painkillers. I'm sure it will be completely gone soon, fingers crossed."

______________________________________

When I returned to my room I found the cats chasing each other around and having a really good time. They seemed happy and that made me happy too. I was so tired. I just about found the energy to wash my face and clean my teeth before picking up my phone and getting into bed with it. I saw that I had missed a call from Quinn. I wanted to speak to him, but there was so much to tell him and I just couldn't be bothered to do it now. I texted him, saying I was sorry for missing his call and I'd call him early tomorrow. That done, I called Aunty Dot. I missed her and she was used to having me around. I didn't want her to feel I'd abandoned her, or for her to be worrying about me.

I dialled her number and she picked up. I could barely hear her for the music. I had to shout so she could hear me.

"Aunty Dot? Hi, it's me, Rosa!"

"Rosa, how are you? Still managing to avoid the killer?"

"So far. How are you? What's going on over there?"

"Oh, that's the salsa music."

"Salsa music?"

"Yes, I can't really talk now as I don't want to keep Enrique waiting. Can I call you tomorrow and we'll have a proper chat. I've just got a good rhythm going and I don't want to lose it."

"Well, I don't want you losing your rhythm. Talk tomorrow."

"OK dear. Bye"

"Bye." So much for her worrying about me. I was actually relieved that she was alright and having fun.

I spent the next couple of hours browsing through social media pages at Keele. There was an out pouring of tributes to the Professor. The Professor himself didn't seem to have done Facebook and had only done Twitter in a professional not personal capacity. I couldn't find anything for Laura at all. Perhaps Quinn had had more luck.

Feeling defeated I turned off the light. As I snuggled under the duvet I felt a couple of cats jump onto the bed and cuddle up next to me. It wasn't long before I fell into a restless sleep.

Day 7

By the time I got out of bed I must have pressed the snooze button on the alarm at least ten times. I'd had a terrible night's sleep. Even the cats had gotten tired of being tossed around, and had abandoned the bed for the sofa. I dragged myself into the bathroom, did the usual ablutions, threw some food in the cats' bowls and went down to the kitchen still wearing my pyjamas.

The house was quiet and there was no sign of Shirl. She was probably catching up on some painting in the studio. I put the kettle on. The only way I was going to function today was through the use of legal stimulants. I put extra coffee in the cafetiere, and two spoons of sugar ready in a mug. That should hopefully give my day the kick start I needed. I heard a door close and moments later Shirl walked into the kitchen followed by Bonnie.

"Morning! Crikey, you OK? You look proper rough this morning."

"I barely slept. I'm shattered."

"Sit down, I'll get you something to eat."

"You are so good to me."

I sat at the table and Bonnie came over to see me. She was such a darling dog. Perhaps I'd take her for a walk later and get some fresh air. The house phone started to ring and Shirl grabbed the handset. Just then the cat flap flew open and in ran Morse, closely followed by Lewis. Morse was carrying something and Lewis wanted in on the action. That thing was a mouse. Morse dropped the mouse and the mouse ran. It was alive!

All hell broke loose. One of the things Shirl and I have in common is a dislike of rodenty creatures. We both squealed and jumped up onto chairs. Shirl dropped the phone on the floor and it stopped ringing. We continued squealing as the rodent did several circles of the kitchen being chased by two cats and barked at by Bonnie. Finally, the tiny creature ran behind the fridge. Morse and Lewis stood guard. If the poor creature dared show even a hint of whisker, he'd be history.

Shirl and I felt it was safe enough to come down off our chairs. Let's just say I was now wide awake. Who needs caffeine and sugar when adrenaline will do the job just fine?

"What are we going to do?" Shirl was looking nervously at the fridge.

"Well we can't let the cats have him, we've got to try to rescue him."

"Don't look at me, you're on your own with that."

"It's your house."

"I don't care whose house it is. I am not going anywhere near that tiny ball of fur. You can do it."

"Will you just look at us! Two grown women scared of a little creature like that. We'll have to think of something. We can't let the cats have him. Perhaps we should get Morse, Lewis and Bonnie out of the kitchen so he's at least safe from them."

"Good idea."

Morse and Lewis, hyped up by the excitement took us a while to catch, but eventually Shirl and I managed to get hold of them. They were most displeased. We placed them into the big utility room shutting the door behind us. Shirl then put Bonnie in the snug where she had a basket.

"Now what?" Shirl was still looking nervously at the fridge.

"Well, whether you like it or not, we have to try to get that critter out from behind your fridge. Notice that I said we."

"I don't have a trap. What are we going to do?"

We debated the issue for quite a while. I was even brave enough to get down on my hands and knees and look under the fridge, hoping like mad that the tiny creature didn't take that moment to make a run for it.

"I can't sort this out without a drink. I haven't had my morning coffee. Let's put the kettle on and see if anything happens."

Just then, something did indeed happen. A loud alarm started to sound. It took us a few moments to work out what was going on. It was the motion sensors which surrounded the house. Then we heard some strange noises coming from outside. Shirl and I looked at each other and panic gripped us. We were both thinking the same thing. The killer had found us.

Before we even had a chance to move, the back door crashed open and several large policemen toting a significant amount of weaponry burst into the kitchen. Dexter was right behind them.

"Where are they?" Shouted a policeman frantically looking around the room.

I would have asked "where's who" if I hadn't been rendered speechless with shock. Shirl wasn't quite so dumbstruck.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Dexter stood in front of us.

"Are you two OK?"

"Don't we look OK? We're perfectly fine, or at least we were until the storm troopers here came barging in. Why are you all here?" Said Shirl.

"I rang you about twenty minutes ago and when the line opened all I could hear was screaming and barking. I thought you were being attacked so I sent the rapid response team."

"You thought we were being attacked?"

"Yes."

Then I started laughing. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I couldn't stop. I managed to get out the occasional word, 'cats', 'rodent', 'fridge', but I couldn't stop laughing. I think I was having some kind of hysterical episode. Everyone just looked at me. Finally, I caught sight of Dexter who was looking most displeased. I managed to pull myself together.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. It's just quite funny if you think about it."

"Am I to believe that there was some kind of incident involving cats and a rodent?"

"Yes."

"This incident is what made you and your friend here scream? And it happened just as the phone rang? Just as I rang?"

"It would appear so. Yes."

The policemen in the room started to chuckle and Dexter told them they could go. There was significant shuffling of feet and soon the kitchen was empty except for me, Shirl and Dexter. I could feel the giggles approaching again so I quickly offered him a coffee. I still hadn't had my morning drink yet, though I was thinking a strong brandy might be more appropriate at this point.

"Are you alright Inspector?"

He let out a big sigh. "I'm fine. I was actually frightened for you and your friend here. I thought you were in trouble and was dreading what we might find when we arrived."

"I really am so sorry to have worried you and to have taken up police time like that. It was all just a misunderstanding." I was touched by his genuine concern for us.

"I am so going to be ribbed at work about this."

"It is sort of funny, you have to admit. You OK Shirl?"

"I'm getting there. Perhaps I'll see the funny side once my heart rate has finally slowed down. I might have to change the code on the gate. I didn't give it to you Inspector so that you could use it to sneak up on us like that. Is it too early for a brandy do you think?"

Shirl decided against the alcohol and made us all coffee and toasted tea cakes. We sat down at the kitchen table. Shirl started to giggle.

"Wasn't there a pub at Keele called the Pig and Rat? Kind of sums up our morning don't you think? No offence intended Inspector."

Well that was it, we were both giggling like school girls. It took Dexter a while, but even he eventually cracked a smile.

"So, Miss Wild, while I'm here you might as well tell me how you got on with Laura Gilmore yesterday."

So, I told him everything, from the minute I arrived, to the minute I left the Gilmore house.

"You're going to tell me you have 'a feeling' aren't you?"

"Well, you have to admit, something isn't right there?"

"What you said about the photos is interesting. When I went to the house on the night of the murder, there were photos of him in the house. It seems she's taken them down. Of course, she may just have found them too upsetting."

"Or, she couldn't wait to not have to look at him any more. Perhaps it's even the case that she didn't want to be reminded of what she's done."

"Maybe. As for the champagne, well, she wouldn't be the first woman to be happy her husband was dead. I find that there are generally two different types of widow; the aggrieved and the relieved. It's starting to look like Laura Gilmore falls into the latter of the two."

"That's exactly what I said." Shirl was looking smug.

"There is one thing I haven't asked you Inspector. Did the Professor have a large life insurance policy? Is Laura Gilmore going to inherit a large sum of money?"

"I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me that. Yes, the Professor's life was insured for a substantial sum. Mrs Gilmore claims she knew nothing about it. She may be telling the truth, but money has always been a good incentive to kill. That fact, along with the titbits you found out yourself, all help to build a picture, but none of it proves anything."

"It's so frustrating. How do you deal with the slowness of investigations?"

"It's the nature of the beast. All you can do is be methodical, explore all avenues and follow the evidence. If you're lucky you get a sudden big break and everything comes together quickly. That's when it's exciting. That's when I love my job. You're not thinking of giving up already are you?"

"Absolutely not. Today, Shirl and I are going to talk to the office staff in the Chemistry Department."

Shirl gave me a surprised look. I hadn't actually gotten around to discussing it with her yet, but I wanted him to think we had a solid plan of action.

"Let me know how you get on, and be careful out there. Well, I'll leave you to it. I assume you'll be getting dressed first?"

I suddenly looked down. I was still in my pyjamas. I hadn't remembered until he told me. I'm sure I blushed.

"One thing before you go Inspector. How are you with rodents?" asked Shirl.

____________________________________

I was walking out of the bathroom after a shower when I heard my phone ringing. It was Quinn.

"Hi Quinn, how're things?"

"Good, and you? No unexpected guests or strange goings on?"

"We're fine, but we've had plenty of unexpected guests."

I told him of the morning events and he found it as funny as I did.

"Poor DCI Dexter. I'm impressed and reassured by how quickly they got to you. Anyway, I was wondering what your plans are for today."

"Well, as far as the investigation goes, Shirl has agreed to accompany me to Keele this afternoon to talk to the Chemistry Department office staff. We'll see where their information leads us after that. Why do you ask?"

"Well, now that you're not hiding yourself away, I was wondering if you'd like to meet for lunch?"

"Why not?"

"Twelve thirty at The Sneyd?"

"I'll see you there."

It was now just after half past eleven, I'd better get a move on. I was already sick of wearing jeans so I decided to grab one of my vintage frocks from the wardrobe and slipped into it. It was still just about warm enough to forego stockings so I slipped on a pair of heals. My bruises were possibly at full strength now and were a glorious shade of purple. Even so, my vanity was feeling perky today and I wanted to try to tone them down. Five minutes later I abandoned my efforts. A thick layer of foundation made me look just as bad, but in a different way, so I washed it off. I settled instead for just a quick flick of mascara and a lashing of red lippy. I got my bag and went downstairs.

"Oh, you look nice. You've gone to a lot of trouble for interrogating some office staff."

"This isn't for interrogation. I have a hot lunch date."

"A date! Who with? Or do I need ask?"

"I'm meeting Quinn at The Sneyd in half an hour. Can I borrow a car?"

"Of course, you can take the Merc, but do you really think you should go dressed like that?"

"Why, what's wrong with this dress?"

"Nothing, it's gorgeous, but you look like you. Perhaps you should try to look like someone else. Someone out there wants you dead Rosa, or have you forgotten?"

She was right, and somehow, for a moment, I had managed to forget about the killer.

"I hate to admit it, but I think you're right. How can I disguise myself?"

"Well, for starters you'll have to ditch the dress. The red lippy will have to go too and we'll need to do something with your hair. Leave that one to me. Go and get changed. Meet me back here in a few mins."

I returned to my room and sadly changed out of my dress and back into the jeans. I topped them with a white shirt. I changed the shoes for some boots and wiped off the lipstick. Shirl was waiting for me in the kitchen and she had an auburn coloured long wig in her hand.

"Are you expecting me to wear that?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but it's either this or a hat of some kind."

Suddenly, I sort of fancied being a red head for the day.

"OK, the wig it is."

Shirl passed it over to me. We crossed the room to the mirror and Shirl helped me to get it on straight.

"Wow." I really did look like a totally different person. I wasn't sure if I liked it, but it would certainly throw a stalker off my tracks.

"I'd say you were good to go."

"Yes, I'd better make a move. I'll let you know when I'm heading back, then you can look out for me and just jump in the car when I arrive."

"Okey doke. See you later. Be careful."

"Bye."

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door. The drive to Keele was short and uneventful. I parked at the pub and went inside. It was pretty quiet and there were quite a few empty tables. I looked for Quinn. He was sitting at the back in a cosy corner. He was distracted by his phone and didn't see me approach. I sat down and he looked up.

"Sorry, but I'm waiting for someone........Rosa?"

"How do you like my new look?"

"Interesting. I've always fancied a tryst with a red head."

"Why doesn't that surprise me? It's my disguise. Hopefully, it's enough for me not to be noticed."

"If you don't want to be noticed, you're wearing the wrong disguise, but no one will recognise you, that's for sure."

"So, what have you ordered for me?"

"Chicken and Chorizo Pasta. I'm having a burger. I've ordered you a small red wine too."

"Perfect. So, how're things?"

"Busy. I've done some digging online for you about the Professor. So far I've managed to get financials for him and his wife. I've had a very brief look through and can't see anything strange, but I've printed off the last twelve months' worth of statements, so you can have a look yourself. There's also a credit card statement for him which may be a bit more interesting. She doesn't appear to have a credit card." He handed me a folder.

"Quinn, that's fantastic, how.......?"

"Don't ask me how. If I told you I'd have to kill you."

"I don't want you getting into trouble."

"Let me worry about that. I'll do some more digging for you and let you know what I find."

"Thank you."

Just then our food arrived and while we ate Quinn filled me in on the project he was working on. Most of what he told me went over my head, but it sounded impressive and he seemed happy with my responses. When we'd finished and the plates were cleared away, Quinn brought out a small package and handed it to me.

"This is for you. I want you to wear it at all times. It's waterproof. Never take it off."

I opened the package and inside was quite a chunky, sporty looking watch with a couple of buttons at the side. It wasn't my kind of watch at all.

"I know it isn't your cup of tea. You're not particularly meant to like it, just wear it. It's a tracker and it will let me know where you are at all times. It also has a panic button on it. If you get into trouble, just press either of those buttons and the cavalry will come."

"Goodness, Quinn, that's amazing. Thank you. I will certainly feel safer wearing it." I immediately replaced my current watch with my new, high tech one.

"Good. It will make me feel better knowing you're wearing it too. That said, I'd much prefer it if you took a holiday somewhere very far away."

"There's no chance of that. You know I can't leave the whole investigation to other people. I think you're worried about me."

"I damn well am. Someone has tried to kill you twice. I'm beyond angry. If you find out who did this, you'd better keep me away from them or it's me you'll be visiting in jail."

With everything that had been going on I had never stopped to think about how this might all be affecting Quinn.

"I think you might love me."

"I'm a lost cause, that's for sure."

I just smiled at him. In that case we were both lost causes.

"By the way, I contacted your house insurance people. I'm meeting an assessor at your place tomorrow. I didn't think you'd get around to sorting it. And it's not safe for you to go there."

"Well, if you don't mind. I'll admit that I haven't allowed myself to think about the house. It's going to need sorting. Are you sure you're not too busy?"

"Nothing I can't handle. Leave it with me."

"Thank you Quinn. I mean it. Anyway, I'd better get going, Shirl will be waiting for me."

We got up from the table and Quinn walked me to the car. I gave him a hug, then he kissed me and I don't mean on the cheek. No, this was a long, slow lingering kiss.

"Get a room!" shouted someone as they drove slowly past.

"Now, that sounds like a great idea." Quinn looked down at me and smiled. His eyes were dark and intense.

My body was saying 'yes please', but my head was saying 'better not'. On this occasion my head won, but only just.

"Perhaps, when things settle down a bit."

"Spoil sport."

"I'll call you later."

"Be careful."

"I will."

He waved me off and, using my hands free, I phoned Shirl to tell her I was on my way. The journey was again uneventful and I was soon pulling up outside the house. I peeped the horn and waited for Shirl to come out. When she finally did, my jaw dropped.

Shirl was dressed once again in the tight black trousers. This time they were teamed up with biker boots, a black t-shirt, black biker-type leather jacket with tassels, and a red bandanna around her neck. Her hair was tied back and she had black sun glasses on. She looked like a cross between Dog the Bounty Hunter and The Terminator. I got out of the car.

"Shirl, you can't come with me dressed like that. We'll be trying not to get noticed and that's kind of a dramatic outfit you're wearing."

"Yes, but you need someone to scare people into talking. I can lend an air of intimidation to proceedings."

"I know the people in the Chemistry Department and I can't intimidate them. Would you mind changing? Please?"

"Oh, alright, but you're a real spoilsport!"

That was the second time I'd heard that in half an hour. Shirl disappeared into the house. I don't quite know why, but I sat in the car waiting for her. Twenty minutes later she appeared. This time her theme seemed to be seventies chic. She was wearing a short flowery dress with big, gold hoop ear-rings. Her hair was total Farah Fawcett.

She climbed into the car and looked over at me. "How do you feel about Charlie's Angels?"

"I can't say I have a feeling one way or another. Why, does this have something to do with the hair and outfit?"

"Well, I thought we could pretend to be them, make this all a bit more fun. I'll be Jill Munroe, seeing as I have the hair and all. Which Angel do you want to be?"

"Are you serious? You want us to pretend to be Charlie's Angels?"

"Rosa, I've had a serious lack of fun for a long time. I know all this murder and being stalked stuff is pretty scary, but if you look at it from a different angle it's also quite exciting. Let's try to have a bit of fun along the way."

I really didn't want to be called a spoilsport again.

"Fine, I'll be Sabrina."

"Might have known you'd choose the boring, sensible one."

I gritted my teeth and started the engine. Right now I felt like being Thelma and Louise and driving off a cliff.

_______________________________

As we approached Keele I suddenly realised that it wasn't actually a good idea for me to be seen with Shirl at the Chemistry Department. She was the only connection to where I was hiding out and if anyone put the two of us together it could be a bad thing.

"Shirl I don't think I should be seen with you at the Department. Anyone recognising you could work out where I'm hiding."

"I suppose you're right. So, how are we going to work this?"

"We'll park somewhere on campus and I'll meet up with you when I'm done. Wait in the car for me, I shouldn't be too long."

We parked at the Chancellor's Building and a few minutes later I was walking up the same path as I had that fateful evening six days ago. So much had happened since that day; it almost felt like a lifetime ago. I had decided that upon entering the Chemistry Department building I was going to slip into the ladies room and remove my wig. I didn't think it was a good idea for people to know how I was disguised. So that's what I did. I folded the wig gently into my bag, fluffed my flattened hair and applied a bit of lipstick so I looked like my old self. The building was quiet and my entrance into the building seemed to have gone unnoticed.

The main administration office was around the corner right by the entrance. The building housed several departments and most of the admin staff were in this large office. There were presently only two staff in and I knew both of them well in a professional capacity. The other staff must be on holiday. I knocked on the door and entered. They looked up at me and one of secretaries call Janet got up from her seat.

"Rosa! What are you doing here? How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks. How are you two doing? It must be an awful time for you and the rest of the Department."

"Well, yes, it's awful what happened. I don't really think any of us can take it in. Alison hasn't set foot in here since that day, but of course she saw everything that evening, and by all accounts it wasn't pretty." The other secretary, Kath, joined the conversation.

"Yes, I've heard she was very upset."

I made a mental note to get in touch with Alison and see how she was. "Listen, I'm trying to get to the bottom of what happened and I was wondering if either of you can help me to shed any light on things. I know you've both spoken to the police, but I'm trying to understand what happened and why."

"Oh, doing a bit of sleuthing are you? How exciting!" said Kath.

It seemed everyone found this exciting, but me.

"What can you tell me about the Professor? Was he well liked?"

"Well, I think I can speak for us all when I say that no one in this office was particularly fond of him. He could be quite rude. He had a very high opinion of himself and if he didn't like people, he wasn't worried about showing it," said Janet.

"Had he upset anyone in particular lately?"

"He and Dr Ellison had a right old set to a couple of days before the murder. I think the police have been to his house, but we haven't heard anything since."

"What was the issue with those two?"

"I don't know what this latest disagreement was about. There's always been a problem between them. By all accounts Dr Ellison was in line for the Professorship, but for some reason the powers that be decided to offer it to Professor Gilmore instead. It was a real bone of contention for Dr Ellison, and the Professor loved to rub his nose in it," said Kath.

"What about rumours? Have you heard any gossip?"

"Well, he was a bit of a ladies man I believe. He didn't try anything on with us, but we're all over forty. He liked the younger ladies; the students, apparently," said Janet, suddenly whispering.

"Students? I haven't heard that before. Was there any particular student he was involved with?"

"We don't know of anyone specific."

"It wouldn't surprise me if he had a few on the go at the same time," said Janet.

"Mmm, food for thought. Can any of you think of anything else that may have drawn your attention for some reason? Anything at all, even if it seems silly."

"Well, there is a student that seemed particularly keen to please him. He's already back for the semester and had called in twice asking if he was on the Professor's class list this year. He's a bit intense, but I can't believe he would have anything to do with what happened."

"You mean Kyle Pearson?" said Kath.

"Yes," said Janet.

"Oh, he's just ultra-studious and gets great grades all the time. He's a nice lad, a bit quiet. He's a bit of a chemistry nerd, even has the wild curly hair to go with it."

"OK, I'll keep him in mind in case something relevant comes up."

Wild, curly hair. Interesting. I remembered what Laura Gilmore had told me. I wanted to ask them about their alibis, but I thought it would upset them so I made a mental note to ask Dexter if their alibis had been confirmed.

"One more thing before I go. I don't suppose I could have a look around the Professor's office could I?"

"Well you could, if there wasn't crime scene tape across the door. I'm afraid it's still out of bounds," said Janet.

"That's a shame. Could you let me know when the tape goes down? I'd like to have a nose around before the room gets cleaned out and re-assigned. Here's a number where I can be reached."

"Rumour has it that you're in hiding," said Kath.

"I just can't stay at my house at the moment. I had a flood. Right, I'll be on my way. Take care. I'll be in touch."

I walked out of the office and returned to the ladies room where I wiped off the lipstick and put the wig back on. It didn't look quite as good as before, but it would pass. I thought about the young man with curly hair. That's twice now that I've been told about someone of that description. This was potentially an exciting lead. I left the building and returned to Shirl who was waiting for me in the car.

"How'd it go?"

"It possibly went really well."

"What do you mean 'possibly'?"

"Well, I think we have a new suspect. Do you remember Laura Gilmore saying she remembered seeing someone with wild, curly hair checking out her house? Well, he was a student of the Professor's and he'd been very eager to make sure he was in the Professor's class this semester. His name is Kyle Pearson. I think we need to look into him. Also, the ladies confirmed that the Professor was a bit of a player, but what was new to me is that he was partial to ladies of the student variety."

"So, he liked 'em young."

"Apparently, but they didn't know who his latest squeeze was and even suggested that he may have had more than one on the go at the same time. That was just rumour and gossip on their part though. We'll have to see what we can find out."

"So, what next?"

"Well, it's half past three. I think that tomorrow Quinn will have some more stuff off the computer for us. He gave me some financial information today, but it didn't seem to show anything obviously suspicious. I'll have a proper look at it when I get back to the house. That might give us some more leads. I think it would be a good idea to go home and spend some more time online myself. I'll look up Kyle Pearson and see if that takes me anywhere."

Just then my phone bleeped. I had a message. I took my phone out of my bag and read it. 'Will be on computer for next hour. Skype me.' It was Mum.

"Just what I need. My mum wants me to Skype her."

"Looks like I should get you home."

"Looks like. Let's go."

So we drove home. The roads were pretty quiet as the rush hour was yet to begin. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. My mind was racing with different thoughts. There were a few questions that I'd like to ask Dexter. They were things that hadn't occurred to me at the time we discussed the case, but now I was curious. They would have to wait until the next time we talked.

_________________________________

I really wasn't in the mood for a conversation with my mum. I was never able to hide anything from her. She could read me like a book. On top of this she was very excitable and if she knew what was going on it was likely she would send my dad down here to drag me up to Northumberland. There was also the issue of my bruised face. Before talking to her I slapped on a good layer of foundation. I looked terrible, but hoped that it wouldn't be noticeable on screen. I sat on the sofa in my room, looked at my phone and logged into Skype. Mum responded to my talk request instantly.

"Rosa! I was starting to worry about you. What's wrong with your face?"

I should have known that I couldn't fool her. In my whole thirty years on this planet I hadn't managed to do it once. Still, it didn't stop me from trying.

"Oh, I had an allergic reaction to something and my face broke out in spots. I'm just wearing some extra make-up to cover them up." I had my fingers crossed.

Mum leaned closer to the screen and squinted at me.

"You wouldn't be trying to cover my eyes with wool would you?" My Italian mum's English was generally excellent, but she occasionally got phrases and words mixed up.

"Why would I lie to you Mum?"

"Because you are trying to hide something. We have hardly heard from you in days. Your father tells me you are involved in crime and are hiding out at a friend's house. And, I don't believe you are covering spots."

Trying to lie to my mum was just too much like hard work. I decided to tell her the truth. Well, sort of.

"OK, I'll tell you what's really going on. To start with I'm not involved in crime, but I did see something bad. A professor was killed at the University."

"Yes, I saw that in the news. You saw what happened?"

"No, but I arrived at his office as the killer was leaving and in his hurry to get away he knocked me over and I bruised my face. I wasn't able to identify the murderer, but the police are worried that this person might try to harm me. That's why I'm at Shirl's house." I didn't see any point in mentioning the attack or the fire.

"So, you're not working either?"

"No, but Shirl and me are trying to find out who the killer is."

"You are trying to find the killer? Like Cagney and Lacey?"

"No, like Charlie's Angels."

Oh boy, I'd been spending way too much time with Shirl.

"Who are these Charlie's?"

"It doesn't matter, I was just joking. But, we are trying to find the killer."

"They'll be found. I believe in korma."

"Korma?"

"Yes, you know, where someone gets what they deserve if they have been bad."

"Oh, karma!"

"That's what I said."

____________________

Twenty minutes later I logged out of Skype feeling thoroughly brow beaten. Mum had grilled me on my love life, especially Quinn who she adored. She was desperate for grandchildren and had given up on my brother so I was her main focus. I would love to oblige her, but with things as they were it wasn't looking likely in the very near future. She couldn't understand why Quinn and I couldn't make things work.

Anyway, I gave myself a mental shake and took out the financial statements that Quinn had given me. There were three sets; a bank statement each for the Professor and his wife, and a credit card statement just for him. It was interesting that they had their own bank accounts. I looked at Laura's details first. There was a deposit into her account each month of five hundred pounds that appeared to come from her husband. I couldn't see any suspicious incomings or outgoings.

Next, I studied the Professor's statement. The bills and household expenses came out of his account. There were no large deposits apart from his salary and some book royalties. Outgoings also seemed pretty normal. His credit card bill was a different matter and a lot more revealing. I wouldn't mind betting that this was a statement Laura never saw.

The credit card statement showed quite frequent payments to the Premier Inn Hotel in Trentham. I assumed that this was for illicit get-togethers with his girlfriends. Trentham was a little out of the way and he probably felt he was less likely to be seen there. There were also outgoings shown to restaurants, florists and even a La Senza shop. He was a busy man. I needed to know if all this expense was for one special lady or for a whole host of ladies. I had a feeling that this was where the private communications of the Professor would help to build a picture. There was no more I could do on that front now so I put the documents away. Now, I turned to the computer to see if I could find any information on Kyle Pearson. I did what anyone would do, I Googled him.

After a bit of fine tuning regarding my search criteria I finally found a Facebook account for the person I believed I was looking for. I wasn't able to access much of his page, but I did get a picture of him. I was looking at a young man that was actually quite handsome beneath that nerdy exterior. I wasn't able to find out much, but hopefully Quinn would be able to uncover more. In fact I'd text him now with Kyle's name and ask him to see what he could find out.

_________________________

By the time I went down to the kitchen, dinner was already under way. Shirl was rustling up a mushroom risotto and it smelt divine. I set the table, got the white wine out of the chiller and sat down waiting to be served. While we ate, we discussed the case.

"How do you feel about the investigation?" Asked Shirl.

"Well, what have we found out so far? I've spoken to Laura Gilmore, who is a definite suspect even though no-one can tie her to the murder yet. We all agree she has motive, several in fact. We have found out that the Professor liked his ladies on the young side and possibly more than one at a time. His philandering is backed up by his credit card statement. That means there could be an angry current or ex-girlfriend. We have a new suspect in Kyle Pearson. All I know about him is what he looks like and that he loves chemistry. I guess we can also say that the Professor's financials don't appear to show signs of blackmail or anything else unusual. It's actually a bit pathetic, we haven't made much progress at all. Tomorrow we're going to have to step things up a bit."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, tomorrow we'll look at the Professor's communications. If we're lucky, that will give us some leads to follow. We'll also have information on Kyle Pearson. So, that's all quite exciting. I think we need to investigate Laura further and look into Dr Ellison. I'm just not sure what to do about them exactly."

"Snoop! That's what we need to do. Let's go to the Gilmore's house, we know it's empty. Then we could go and check out this Doctor bloke."

"I did say it was an option, but I was hoping it wouldn't come to that."

"What good detective hasn't had a good snoop around someone's home?"

"I'm pretty sure it's illegal?"

"Of course it is, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

"Mmm, not sure about that."

"Do you want to catch this killer or not? Do you think the killer is going to play by the rules?"

I had to admit she had a point. Shirl had a way of making crazy things sound sensible.

"I suppose you're right. I need to sleep on this. Can we think of the logistics tomorrow?"

"Fine. I'll go and have a rummage in the garage after dinner and see what good breaking and entering tools I can find."

I was about to debate the wisdom of breaking and entering with Shirl, but I could tell I wouldn't get anywhere. Once Shirl got an idea in her head, that was it. I had better start thinking of a gentle way to tell my parents I'd been arrested.

_______________________

I was sitting on the sofa in the sitting room finishing my wine when the gate buzzer buzzed. It was Dexter. I opened the gate for him and made sure the alarm system was off. He parked round the back of the house as Shirl had suggested and I went to the back door to let him into the kitchen.

"Don't you ever get time off?" He looked exhausted.

"I was just on my way home and I thought I'd call in and see how your day had been."

I couldn't help, but wonder where his home was and if there was a significant other waiting there to sooth away his troubles.

"Well, my day hasn't been very productive to be honest. I have plans for tomorrow that should hopefully move things forward, but it's otherwise a bit frustrating. Can I get you a drink?"

"I'd love a bourbon with ice, but I'll have to settle for a cup of tea if that's not too much trouble."

"Of course not, have a seat and I'll put the kettle on. Thanks for sorting the rodent situation this morning."

"No problem. I have a cat who's a real hunter. Removing small animals, dead or alive, is something I've become quite good at. It's quiet here tonight, where is everyone."

My mind instantly thought of Shirl, who was at this very moment looking for tools to commit illegal activity with. I made us both a mug of tea and joined him at the table.

"Shirl's doing something in the garage and took Bonnie with her."

"So, fill me in about today."

"Like I said, there's nothing much to tell, but I do have some questions for you, if that's alright? Today, I spoke to the admin staff in the Chemistry Department. Have their alibis checked out?"

"Yes, the office staff are all in the clear."

"They also suggested that the Professor was partial to ladies of the student variety and that he might have had more than one on the go at any time. Does this compare with anything you've found out?"

"We have plenty of evidence that shows he was a perpetual cheat. We are following some leads at the moment."

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

"Not right now."

So that's how it was going to be. I know it was childish of me, but I was miffed by his response. It was then that I decided to keep Kyle Pearson to myself. Perhaps I was being petty, but I just couldn't help myself.

"My sources suggest that he frequented a local hotel. Have you been there and asked questions?"

"Your sources? What would those be exactly?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you." I smiled at him.

I had his full attention at this point. He knew that I had some significant information. I think that in that moment he started to take me a little more seriously.

"We are aware of the hotel and our enquiries are ongoing there. I would appreciate it if you would keep away for the moment."

"Fine, but you have twenty four hours to let me know what you find out about his trysts there or I will go myself."

"Is that an ultimatum?"

"It sounded like one didn't it. Sorry, I'm just getting frustrated and if I find a lead I want to be able to follow it up and not sit and wait."

Our eyes met and locked. There was a frisson in the air. I think this is what you call a stand-off. Just then the back door was flung open.

"Rosa. I think these things will help us to break into......"

"Shirl! Look who's here! The Inspector dropped by to see how we were getting on." I screeched as she walked into the kitchen with an armful of tools. The back door is just around the corner from the table and Shirl obviously didn't realise he was there.

"Oh, Inspector, how nice to see you. I've locked myself out of my art store cupboard and lost the key. I need to break the door open."

With that she walked out of the room. The Inspector just looked at me and raised his eyebrows. He's not stupid and I don't think he believed a word of it. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders in a dismissive way.

"Any more questions?"

"Yes. Who have you spoken to in Australia?"

"We have spoken to his parents, friends and former work colleagues. We are still talking to people out there. So far we are drawing a blank."

"What are you doing to further your investigations on Laura Gilmore?"

"We are keeping an eye on her, that's all we can do. We check her communications and financial records for any unusual or suspicious activity."

"Are you tapping her phones?"

"No. We don't have the evidence to suggest it's necessary. If something changes and it's believed we can find further information to incriminate her, then we will get it authorised. To be honest I'm actually starting to think that she didn't do it."

"Really? Why?"

"Experience and a lack of evidence. I'm not ruling her out, but I'd be surprised if it turned out to be her."

"Interesting. The Professor was nursing a broken leg as a consequence of a sky diving accident. Have you spoken to the club where he made the jump?"

"We have, and certain checks have been made. We have no reason to believe that there is anything of interest there."

"The parachute and other equipment hadn't been tampered with then?"

"The Club performed an enquiry of their own, which cleared the equipment."

"Was the enquiry independent?"

"No."

"So, it could have been covered up."

"It could, but witness accounts say that it was Gilmore's fault and he confessed as much."

"Was there any conflict at the Club with other members?"

"None that we have found."

Another dead end.

"Have you made any progress with Dr Ellison?"

"No. Like Mrs Gilmore he has a motive for killing the Professor, but we can't find any evidence that he did it. We are keeping an eye on him too, but so far nothing. Like Mrs Gilmore he's being very co-operative."

"What about criminal profiling?"

"We haven't used it yet, but I'm thinking of bringing a profiler in. It isn't a miracle technique to crime solving. It can also prove to be inaccurate and distracting. However, it can be useful if used with caution. Don't worry, I'll let you know if we do it."

"Inspector, I know I'm leaning towards the idea that a Keele person is the murderer, but I have to ask, was this killing unique to Keele? I mean has anything similar happened on any other campuses?"

At this point he was quiet and just looked at me for a moment.

"What?"

"You're asking me all the right questions."

"Are you impressed or surprised?"

"A little of both, I think."

I couldn't stop myself grinning from ear to ear with satisfaction. I felt ridiculously happy with his praise. Then my smile quickly left as I realised I was way too eager to impress this man.

"And the answer is?"

"The answer is no. As far as we can tell, this murder is unique to Keele. Anyway, it's time for home. You have one more question."

"Is it worth me asking if you have any new suspects?"

"No."

"No, there are no new suspects? Or no, it's not worth asking?"

"The latter."

"Thanks, that's helpful."

"And on that note I will bid you good night. You are being careful out there aren't you?"

"You needn't worry about me Inspector. I'm not taking any chances. Actually, I use a disguise when I leave the house."

"Really?"

"Yes, with my bruised face and long auburn wig I'm totally unrecognisable."

"Let's hope you're right. You know where to find me if you need me." He got up and walked over to the back door.

"Good night Inspector, thanks for coming." I closed the door behind him.

Shirl popped her head round the corner. "Has he gone?"

"Yes, the coast is clear."

"I had the fright of my life when I saw him. Did I cover my tracks well, or what?"

"You did."

"You've gone quiet, are you OK?"

"I'm fine, I've just gone really tired. I think I'll go to bed and watch some TV with the cats. I want to cover a lot of ground tomorrow so I think an early night will do me good."

"Think I'll do the same. What time shall we meet for brekky?"

"Eight o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me."

I grabbed a glass of water, bid Shirl goodnight and climbed the stairs to my room. Jem and Scout had beaten me to the bed and looked so comfy.

I was so tired that even washing my face and brushing my teeth felt like too much effort. I wouldn't have bothered, but I had five layers of foundation to wash off. Back in the bedroom I changed into my pyjamas and crawled under the duvet. I think I managed an hour of TV before falling asleep.

Day 8

It was a good job that I'd planned to wake early as Jem had reverted to form. I was woken by a weight on my chest and a warm, fuzzy tongue licking my nose. For a fleeting moment I expected to open my eyes and find myself at home, in my own bed, but alas that wasn't to be. On the bright side I'd had a wonderful night's sleep and awoke feeling refreshed and ready for action. In the words of Shirl, I felt ready to 'kick some ass'. I had agreed to meet Shirl in the kitchen at eight, by which time I was showered and dressed, had briefly spoken with Quinn and played with the cats.

Shirl was already in the kitchen when I arrived. She was still dressed in the style of Farah Fawcett so I assumed that we were still doing the Charlie's Angels thing.

"Morning! Someone's looking perky," she said.

"Morning yourself, and yes, I'm feeling good about today. I think we're going to make some real progress."

"Positive mental attitude, I like it. Let's kick some murdering ass."

"Exactly what I was thinking, and kicking ass requires a good breakfast."

"Well, I've just popped some bread in the toaster, you just need to choose your toppings."

I went to larder and returned with a jar of peanut butter and a jar of strawberry jam which I placed on the table.

"Good choice, think I'll join you."

Half an hour later we'd had our peanut butter and strawberry jam on toast with coffee and had made our plans for the day ahead. First, we were going to visit Quinn at his office. He had spent some time gathering the information I asked for and he had it ready for me. He said I should be prepared to spend quite a bit of time ploughing through it. I was guessing we might be there until lunch time. Then it was time to go snooping. Shirl was scarily excited about this part of our day. After that, we would follow any leads we had found and, if there was any time left, we would go and visit Dot.

"Are you going out dressed like that?" Shirl seemed to take offence to my jeans, t-shirt and boots ensemble.

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"It's not very Charlie's Angels."

"The only dressing up I'm doing involves a long haired auburn wig."

"Party pooper."

"I am. You look good though, very seventies chic."

Shirl was wearing a denim mini skirt, a tight white t-shirt, a figure hugging brown waist coat and brown suede knee high platform boots. At some point I was going to have to ask her where she got all these clothes from.

"I feel good and it's gets me in the mood."

I really didn't want to know what it got her in the mood for, so I didn't ask.

"Are we ready to go once I'm wigged up?"

"Almost. Ten minutes? Back here?"

We walked up the stairs together and popped to our respective bedrooms. I brushed my teeth, and put on the wig. I met Shirl in the kitchen as planned. We locked and secured the house, jumped in the car and set off for Keele. It was just after nine thirty when we arrived at Quinn's office.

"Morning Shirl, Morning Red."

I think Quinn liked me as a red head a little too much. He was looking and smelling delicious as usual. I think I actually saw Shirl drool a bit. She really did need a man.

"Right, I have lots for you to go through. I've pulled up twelve months worth of data, but you might only want to look at the last three or so months, it's up to you. I've set you up with a couple of chairs in front of the spare PC. I need to get on with something so if you could keep the chatter down that would be great."

"Don't be silly, we appreciate what you've done and will be as quiet as possible. By the way, how did you find all this stuff?"

Quinn just raised his eyebrows at me.

"I know, if you told me you'd have to kill me."

"That's my girl."

__________________________

After two and a half hours of staring at a computer screen Shirl and I were starting to go cross-eyed. We had meticulously read through all the Professor's emails and texts and examined all his phone records. We had done the same for Laura Gilmore and Kyle Pearson. To be honest, there was just too much information. With the phone numbers it was especially difficult to work out what might be relevant. Nothing jumped out at us. We could start dialling some of them, but we would be here all day.

The Professor was obviously a very discreet man when it came to his extramarital shenanigans. It was my guess that he had an unregistered pay-as-you-go phone to communicate with his lady friends. If such a phone existed I had to assume that it was now in the hands of the police. That is probably why Dexter didn't want me interfering; he must have some interesting leads. Perhaps we were going to have to let the police deal with that side of the investigation.

Unfortunately, we also found no evidence of disagreements or threats. Whatever bad feeling there was between the Professor, Dr Ellison or anyone else, it was clearly expressed face to face or by post. It was so frustrating. Laura Gilmore also kept her cards close to her chest. She had a friend out in Australia that she regularly emailed and there was a hint that things in the marriage weren't great. It was as though Laura was worried her husband might see her mail.

Kyle Pearson was interesting. He definitely had a keen interest in the Professor. He had sent several emails to the Professor in the week before his death. In all of them he had asked about extra reading and had talked about his research over the summer. There was nothing sinister about it, but he seemed very eager to please and impress his tutor. There were other lecturers in the Chemistry Department, but he made no contact with any of them. There was also a message from his mum where she said, "be careful and don't try too hard, I don't want you to get hurt". I felt there was story there, but I might have been clutching at straws. There was no evidence of any bad blood between them. Again, frustrating.

"Right, I think we're done. Thanks for that Quinn."

"Anything useful?"

"Not terribly I'm sorry to say, but I could easily be missing something. None of this makes sense. Apart from Dr Ellison, it doesn't seem as though anyone had a major issue with the Professor. I'll have to talk to this Kyle Pearson and see what vibe I get from him. In the meantime, I'm ravenous. Does anyone want to go for lunch?"

"Count me in." Shirl was always ready for food.

"Sorry, I need to stay here and keep working on this project." Quinn was looking stressed.

"Well, I'm going to try and visit Dot later. Any messages? Have you perhaps reconsidered her proposition?"

"Very funny. Now, being serious for a moment, be careful out there."

"People keep telling me that."

"It's because they care about you. I mean it Rosa. The killer is still out there and wants to tie up loose ends. That loose end is you. I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to keep your wits about you."

"Look, I promise to be vigilant, but the only way I can function is if I try to forget that someone is hunting me. I'll be as careful as I can. Besides, I have my very own body guard in Shirl." I smiled over at her.

"Hey, you didn't say anything to me about guarding your body. I'm not guarding anyone's body, but mine. I'm just here fulfilling my Charlie's Angels fantasy, remember?"

"Charlie's Angels?" Quinn looked confused.

"You don't want to know. Come on 'Jill', let's go."

I gave Quinn a quick peck on the cheek and dragged Shirl out of the office with me.

__________________________

"I think we should go and check out Laura Gilmore's house, now."

"Now? Really?" I still wasn't convinced about this snooping business.

"Yes, let's strike while the iron is hot."

My iron was feeling distinctly luke warm.

"Alright, let's get it over with." If I hadn't agreed, I think Shirl would have spontaneously combusted, she was so excited.

We walked up to Laura Gilmore's house at Larchwood as casually as a woman wearing a red wig and a Farah Fawcett lookalike could. We had discussed our strategy and thought we'd knock on the front door to check nobody was home and then slink around the back. This is what we did. As we arrived at the back door we were surprised to find that it was already ajar. That's when we noticed that a small pane of glass had been broken. It would seem that someone had been here before us.

Shirl was ferreting around in her huge bag and finally handed me a pair of latex gloves. Clever girl, of course we didn't want to leave any of our own finger prints behind.

"As a former brownie guide I learnt it pays to be prepared. Shame I didn't get to use any of these tools though."

"Do you think we should really do this? What if....." I didn't get to finish my sentence because Shirl had already entered the house. Had I finished what I was saying, I was going to suggest that the person who broke in might still be in there. This was now a moot point and I had no choice, but to go in after her. I found Shirl in the sitting room.

"I'll take this room, you take the kitchen." Shirl really was getting bossier by the day.

When I had come to the house to visit Laura it had been incredibly tidy. Now, however, it was a mess. Whoever had been in the sitting room had ransacked drawers and cupboards. Also, the TV and DVD player were still there, so this hadn't been a burglary in the traditional sense. I might have been jumping to conclusions, but I suspected that the killer had broken in and had been looking for something that might incriminate them.

Unlike the sitting room, the kitchen didn't look like it had been touched. Whatever the intruder had been looking for they obviously hadn't expected to find it in here. However, I wasn't so fussy. I looked in cupboards and drawers as quickly and as methodically as I could. I didn't want to miss anything interesting. I found nothing.

Before heading up stairs I searched the small study. This room was particularly trashed. I couldn't help, but feel that this was where the intruder had expected to find what they were looking for. The study was quite clearly the Professor's domain and it made sense that the killer would focus in here. I looked through letters and other pieces of paper, but there wasn't anything that got my attention. If there was something that the Professor wanted to keep out of sight from Laura it would probably be in his office at the Department. There was, however, an address book by the phone. I picked it up and flicked through it. There were lots of contacts in it. My instinct told me it could be useful, so I put it in my bag. I was just borrowing it, I would return it later. Honest.

Shirl and I found nothing incriminating in any of the bedrooms. However, in the bathroom I found an empty bottle of sleeping pills in the bin. Interesting. I couldn't help, but wonder if Laura could have drugged her daughter so that she could sneak out and kill her husband. It wasn't a bad theory. Now, should I leave the bottle there or pick it up and take it with me to show Dexter. What would I tell him about where I found it? I was just deciding to leave it there when Shirl came in, saw the bottle, and grabbed it.

"Look at this. Sleeping pills. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If it's that she could have drugged her daughter, then yes."

"Bingo."

"What do we do with it? How do I let Dexter know what we found without him knowing that we broke in here? I don't think this was such a good idea, we're probably contaminating the scene."

"It's a bit late for that, this scene was well and truly contaminated before we got here."

"Shirl, we're contaminating the contamination, if you see what I mean. This house has been broken into and ransacked, it's now a crime scene."

"Oh heck, I never thought of that. Perhaps we should put the pills back where we found them and worry about what we tell Dexter later."

"You're right, but this is the last place we're illegally snooping around in. I don't want the killer getting off scott free on some technicality because of something we did."

"I know you're right, but isn't this exciting?"

"It's not what I'd call it. I think we should put the bottle back in the bin and get out of here."

"OK, let's go."

As we got to the bottom of the stairs the postman shoved some mail through the letter box. Shirl and I almost jumped out of our skins. Shirl ran off through the kitchen, but I stood there looking down at the post. It didn't look as though Laura had remembered to have her mail redirected. A magazine on extreme sports had arrived along with a couple of official looking letters. I stared at the mail for a few seconds. Like with the address book, something told me that the letters could be useful, and before I knew it I had reached down, picked them up and shoved them in my bag. I then beat a hasty retreat after Shirl.

________________________

It wasn't until we were safely seated in the Dick Turpin pub in the Westlands, near to Keele, that I revealed to Shirl what I had done. We had a glass of wine each and had ordered two chicken and bacon salads. I got the address book and letters out of my bag and slid them across the table. Shirl looked first at them and then at me.

"Are those what I think they are? Are those the letters that the postman delivered to the Gilmore's house when we were there?"

"They are."

"What's that?" She was pointing to the book.

"It's an address book I found in the study. Thought it might be useful."

"Wow. I didn't think you had it in you. I'm feeling so proud of you right now."

"Taking the letters is one thing, opening them is another."

"We'll do that when we get back to the house."

Our salads arrived and we tucked in.

"Are we going to snoop around that Dr Ellison's house after this?"

"We can snoop around the outside, but I'm not going in, even if the back door's wide open. Promise me you won't do something silly Shirl, I mean it."

"I promise to be Little Miss Sensible. This might be fun, but I know when to draw the line. You were right about not risking contaminating possible evidence. I don't think we want to know what Dexter would be like if we crossed him. Having said that, the thought of him putting me in hand cuffs isn't totally unappealing."

"You've gone way too long without any action. Anyway, back to business. I was thinking that we should park at Keele Hall and walk across to Springpool. I thought we could pretend to be looking for our lost cat. That would explain why we would be snooping around."

"How do you know where he lives?"

"He told me at one of our meetings. I remember him telling me when he moved in about eighteen months ago. Springpool is quite a nice staff housing area and he was really pleased he got a place there that backed onto the woods."

"That was handy. I like your cat hunting idea, it should work well."

It would work better if we didn't stand out like sore thumbs. To be honest I don't know what I expected to find. It was probably going to be a huge waste of time.

__________________________

An hour later I was walking through Springpool shouting 'Fluffy'. Not the most creative name, I know, but it should be obvious to anyone who heard us that we were calling a cat. Shirl and I put on a show of glancing under cars and bushes as we made our way towards Dr Ellison's house.

"Excuse me!" shouted someone behind us. Shirl and I stopped and turned to find ourselves confronted by a very glamorous lady about sixty years old.

"Are you looking for a cat called Fluffy?"

"That's right."

"Well, I think I have her."

I felt a little flutter of panic rising in my stomach. Surely not. I tried to think of an unusual colour for our imaginary cat.

"She's grey and white with flecks of ginger."

"That's her. I'm so relieved someone's come looking for her. She fights with my two like crazy, but she's been determined to stay. She arrived a couple of days ago. I was about to take her to the vets to see if she was microchipped, but now you're here I won't have to." The glamorous lady was looking relieved.

I looked at Shirl who just grinned back at me. How were we going to get out of this? I mean, what were the odds? We followed the lady across the road and into her house. There, sitting on the sofa, was Fluffy. She was just as I'd described her and was wearing a collar with her name on. I was starting to feel like I had entered the twilight zone. Shirl, of course, went into instant role playing mode.

"Fluffy, sweetie, there you are. We've missed you!"

Fluffy, unsurprisingly, looked totally unimpressed, as did the glamorous lady.

"She doesn't seem very happy to see you."

"You know cats, she obviously hasn't forgiven us for losing her." Shirl was tickling Fluffy under the chin.

"Well, you can take her home now. Did you bring a box with you?"

"Oh, silly us, we completely forgot. We can come back later with our basket and pick her up." Shirl winked at me.

"You don't have to do that. I've got a disposable cat box that's on its last legs, but it should be fine to get you home. I'm assuming you don't have far to go. By the way, I'm Yvonne."

"I'm Jill, and this is Sabrina." I glared at Shirl who refused to look at me. I could tell that she was just relishing this. Yvonne brought out a box, and rather unceremoniously plonked Fluffy inside.

"She's a sweet cat, but I'm glad she's going home. She wouldn't let my two in this room and it's been chaos for a couple of days."

"Well, thank you for taking such great care of her Yvonne. We'd better get going."

"OK. Bye girls. Bye Fluffy."

As soon as we were outside and out of earshot Shirl started laughing.

"Oh, Rosa, I'm so glad you came back into my life. I haven't had this much fun in ages! You seem to be a magnet for crazy right now."

"Nice to know you're enjoying yourself, but what are we going to do with little Fluffy here?"

"Well, we could take her home."

"Someone probably is looking for her. We'll do what Yvonne was about to do and take her to the vets. If we're lucky she'll be microchipped and we can reunite her with her family."

"OK, but if we can't find her owners she can come and live with us. Morse and Lewis could do with a girlfriend."

__________________________

An hour later and we were back at Shirl's house minus Fluffy. It turned out that Fluffy belonged to a lady called Joan in Congleton, a place in Cheshire about twelve miles from us. Joan had recalled a van in her street the day that Fluffy had gone missing. When she heard where Fluffy had been found, it all made sense to her. Apparently, her neighbour's son had just started a job at Keele and moved onto the campus. Fluffy must have hitched a ride in his removal van. Fluffy was now at the vets waiting for her 'mum' to collect her. Thank goodness for microchips. Don't you just love happy endings?

I flopped down at the kitchen table. I felt exhausted. It wasn't that we'd actually done very much, it was my nerves that were struggling. Snooping and lying just didn't agree with me. Shirl put the kettle on.

"Oh, a nice cup of tea, just what I need."

"You can have your tea later. This water is for the letters."

"The letters?"

"Yes! You know, the letters."

The penny dropped. She was planning on steaming open the letters I picked up at Laura Gilmore's house. I had a sudden dose of cold feet.

"I'm not sure we should. I'm sure we're breaking some kind of law."

Shirl just looked at me. She made me feel like I was a real disappointment to her.

"Oh, alright, we've come this far, let's do it."

I have to admit that I was as curious as Shirl to know what was inside. Shirl grabbed the letters and started steaming. The first letter was addressed to the Professor and was just letting him know that his subscription was up on his classic car magazine. The second letter was far more interesting. It was from a solicitor. It would appear that Laura Gilmore was starting divorce proceedings from her husband. What I couldn't decide was whether that made her more of a suspect or less of one. Perhaps that depended on how co-operative her husband was about the matter.

Just then, the gate buzzer buzzed. It was Dexter. Shirl let him in. As he walked into the kitchen his face was positively scowling and he was radiating anger from every pore. Something was clearly wrong. Shirl spotted his mood and made a hasty retreat. "I'll leave you to it. Things to do."

When the going gets tough, the tough get gone. Thanks Shirl. I reluctantly turned my attention to our guest.

"Hello Inspector, do you have some news? Can I get you a drink?"

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me Miss Wild?"

"Such as?"

"Two women were spotted leaving Laura Gilmore's house, one with orange hair and one blonde. The house had been broken into and ransacked. Any comment?"

"My hair isn't orange!"

I put my hand to my head and realised I was still wearing my wig. I was so used to it I was forgetting it was there. I pulled it off and fluffed my own hair up. Actually, he was right, sitting here in the sunlight holding the wig in my hand, it really was a lot more orange than I realised.

"Inspector, today, my friend and I did a stupid thing, but not quite as stupid as you are thinking. We went to the Gilmore home with the intent of snooping around to see what we could find. When we got there we found that the back door was open. It was too good an opportunity to miss so we entered and saw that the rooms were messy. I knew that the house was very tidy when I visited Laura, so it was clear to me that someone had been there before us looking for something. I would have no idea if they found what they were looking for. We were very careful and didn't touch anything without gloves on, so we really didn't contaminate the scene."

"So you didn't go there with the intent to break in?"

This is the difference between me and Shirl. She would have been able to roll out an instant lie like it was nothing. I hesitated, just for the briefest of moments, but it was enough to show that I'd had to consider my answer.

"Do you realise how serious breaking and entering is?"

"We didn't do any breaking, we just did the entering part."

"Very witty. I'm sure the Judge will have a good laugh before he sends you down."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so flippant. Yes, we were going to see if we could get inside. I doubt we'd have been very successful. And, if you must know, I hated every minute I spent in that house. I'm not cut out for snooping around like that. I was terrified the entire time. Does that mean that you don't want to know what we found?"

"You found something?"

"Well, we might have found a little something. There was an empty bottle of sleeping tablets in the bathroom bin. We were thinking that she could have drugged her daughter with them so she could sneak out of the house to kill her husband."

"Interesting theory. How did you know they were sleeping tablets? I thought you didn't touch anything."

"You could clearly see the label."

"You didn't take anything from the house did you?"

Again, I hesitated for that moment too long and instinctively glanced at the letters on the table. He followed my line of vision.

"Please don't tell me that you took those letters."

I suddenly felt very small and incredibly stupid.

"I'm afraid we did."

"Do you know that you've just broken the law and put me in an incredibly difficult position?!" Dexter was pacing up and down the kitchen. He was furious.

"They could be re-sealed like nobody had touched them." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I realised how stupid they were. The letters would be covered in mine and Shirl's fingerprints. Dexter popped on some latex gloves, picked up the letters and dropped them into an evidence bag. No way was I going to mention the address book that was still in my bag.

"Miss Wild, you and your friend are sailing very close to the wind. You don't know how close you both are to at least getting a caution from me. However, I have a feeling that you won't be so stupid again. Just this once, I'll forget it happened, but consider this a warning."

"Yes, Inspector."

I felt like a child. I wouldn't usually let anyone make me feel that way, but I couldn't help feeling that I deserved it.

"I might as well ask, was there anything interesting in the letters?"

"Actually, one letter is of no interest, but the other is from Laura Gilmore's solicitor. Did you know she was suing the Professor for divorce?"

"No, I didn't. What are your thoughts on that?"

"I think the significance of the letter in relation to her possible guilt depends very much on what the Professor thought about the issue. If he was a willing participant in the divorce then it diminishes her motive for killing him, however, if she wanted a divorce and he didn't, then it adds fuel to the motivational fire."

"I think you're correct."

The thing is, both Dexter and I will have seen the Professors communications and he doesn't mention divorce in any of them. Perhaps he didn't know what his wife was doing. I continued.

"There is another issue here."

"What's that?"

"The break in at the house. Don't you think it's likely that the killer is the culprit? Perhaps there was something in the house that could have pointed to them? Whoever broke in didn't appear to take anything, certainly not the obvious stuff. The TV, DVD player and jewellery were still in the house so it doesn't seem like a normal burglary."

"Again, you may be right, but if there was anything in there that pointed to the killer, the odds are that they took them away."

"Well, if the person that broke in was the killer, it rules out Laura Gilmore as a suspect. I think we're going round in circles. There's no proof about anything, just plenty of theories."

"That's the nature of the business."

"So, have you found out anything new?" I would keep pestering him even though I knew his reluctance to tell me everything, or even anything.

"Enquiries are ongoing."

"I'm getting so tired of hearing that. What's happened at the hotel? Did you get anywhere there?"

"There is only one young lady that he took there on a regular basis. At the time of his death their relationship was still ongoing and she says she had no reason to kill him. So far we have no reason not to believe her and she has an alibi for the time of the murder. I will also tell you that we can find no other suspects as regards the Professor's extramarital affairs."

"More dead ends."

"Yes, but it's good to rule people out. The investigation will get narrower, more focused. Right, I'm off. We'll no doubt talk soon. Take care and don't do anything stupid."

"I'll do my best, on both counts."

Dexter almost smiled. I walked over to the door with him and opened it. Just as he was about to leave he must have thought of something else to say because he stopped suddenly and turned around. I had been right behind him and I fell back against the wall. We were only a couple of inches apart and our eyes locked. The chemistry between us was overwhelming and I'm almost ashamed to say that right then I wanted him to kiss me more than anything. To my embarrassment I thought he was going to and I actually moistened my lips and closed my eyes. The kiss never came and when I opened my eyes he had gone. I felt ridiculously disappointed. What on earth was I doing? Didn't I have enough complications in my life right now?

_________________

As I lay in Shirl's gorgeous bath trying to soak away the stress, I tried very hard not to think about the complete fool I'd just made of myself with Dexter. I hoped I hadn't misread the signal. I was sure he'd wanted to kiss me too, for a fleeting moment at least. Anyway, we were going to have to try to maintain some kind of professional relationship if we were going to be able to work together. I had to get a grip on the situation and focus on the investigation.

Ten minutes later, sitting on my bed towel drying my hair I felt a pathetic wave of self-pity. I looked at Jem and Scout cuddled up together next to me and I was reminded of how things could have been very different for them. Nine days ago I had a nice, normal life that I loved. Now, I had a home I couldn't live in, a wonderful job that I was having to take time from, was living with a friend that wanted to live out her Charlie's Angels fantasy, snooping around peoples' houses in an orange wig, almost getting arrested and was now lusting after two gorgeous men.

I was starting to feel some slightly hysterical emotion brewing inside and couldn't tell if I was about to laugh or cry. I tried to look on the bright side. I was alive wasn't I? Let's face it, so long as the killer claimed no more victims, life really couldn't get any worse, could it?

Just then I heard Shirl shouting me.

"Rosa, can you come down stairs a minute?"

So, down the stairs I trundled in my bathrobe. I walked into the kitchen, and there, sitting at the table, was my mum.

"Mum, what are you doing here? Is everything OK?"

"Rosa, no, everything isn't OK. I've left your father and decided to come and live with you."

______________________

Of all the things I could have expected to happen over the next few days the breakup of my parent's marriage wasn't one of them. As far as I was concerned my parents adored each other. I had spent a long weekend with them a couple of months ago and they had seemed as blissfully happy as always.

"Mum, I don't understand. What's gone wrong?" I sat at the kitchen table across from her.

"Your father has a new love in his life."

"Dad's having an affair? I don't believe it. Not Dad."

"He is having a love affair, but not with a woman. He loves that stupid car of his more than he loves me. He is always in the garage. I never see him. It's all he is interested in, all he talks about. I am bored and lonely. Then you tell me about your exciting life down here and I decide to come and join you."

When I last visited, my dad had just bought an old TR4 car to restore. It would seem the problems started after I left.

"Mum, this is just a phase. Dad is excited about the car. Once it's done he'll be all yours again and he'll take you out on romantic trips in it."

My Italian mum was in her late fifties and gorgeous in that Sophia Loren way. She was ageing very gracefully and was so elegant. I liked to think I had her genes. I certainly had her height, curvy figure and colouring, but she was definitely more beautiful. However, Mum was also passionate, slightly ditzy and impulsive. She had brains, but she was just selective about when to use them, and preferred to utilise her other charms instead. It seemed as though I had inherited Dad's more conservative personality. My mum and dad were like chalk and cheese, but they worked so well together.

"For over thirty years I've never been neglected by your father in such a way."

"You know what this means don't you?" said Shirl.

"No. What?"

"We have our third Angel."

"Oh, yes, I want to be an Angel like Rosa told me about. Who is Charlie?"

"You can be Kelly!" Shirl said to my mum.

I had to accept it. Shirl was right. I had become a magnet for crazy things. I was certainly living in a mad house. They were so busy talking about who and what Charlie's Angels were that they didn't notice me leave the table and retreat to my room to get dressed.

_________________________

It only took me a few minutes to throw on some clothes and comb my hair. On my way back down to the kitchen I bumped into Shirl and Mum at the top of the stairs. They were on their way to one of Shirl's spare bedrooms. We soon found ourselves in yet another gorgeous, en suite room. This room was decked out in pale greys and accented with different shades of plum. Like most of the house, the furniture was antique and dark. It was lovely and Mum was very impressed. I was worried that she might get to like it a little too much.

"Thanks for this Shirl. Are you sure it isn't too much trouble? We're kind of taking over your home."

"Stop fussing Rosa. It's great to have you here Annabella. If there's anything you need just let me know."

"Oh, Shirley, you take such good care of me. Now I'm here, we'll break this murder in no time."

"I'm sure we will."

"Now, girls, you must let me make dinner. I'll go down the stairs and rumble in your fridge and see what you have."

"Rumble?" Shirl looked confused.

"I think she means 'rummage'." I whispered

"You don't have to do that. It's Rosa's turn to cook."

"Cooking dinner is the least I can do."

"That sounds lovely Mum, thanks."

Perhaps if I got Mum to wait on us and look after us, she might get fed up and go back to Dad. It was the only tactic I could think of right then and it was a pretty lame one.

Mum dumped her bags on the floor by the bed and we all went back down to the kitchen. Shirl opened a bottle of red, and Mum decided to use the mushrooms and leeks with some left over Stilton cheese to make a risotto.

While she was cooking we brought her up to date with the murder investigation. We told her about Laura Gilmore, Dr Ellison and Kyle Pearson. We told her about the information Quinn had found for us and how we had searched Laura's house and found the letters. As we started to eat our delicious meal, we ultimately had to tell her that little progress had been made, by us or the police.

The longer we had talked the more I realised I was going to have to tell her the complete truth about what happened. When she was at home in Northumberland she didn't need to know about my house fire and that it had been the murderer's second attempt to kill me. Now she was here, however, she needed to know how dangerous things potentially were. She needed to be careful, and pay attention to the security of the house.

So, I came clean and told her everything. She didn't take the news of the second attempt on my life very well. It wasn't helped by the fact that she hadn't known about the first attempt. I had, after all, told my parents that I had been injured when the killer had knocked me over in their hurry to escape. I had omitted the initial attack altogether.

It was a rare thing for my mum to be so quiet. I could tell she was processing what she'd been told. Then I realised that she was actually trying to compose herself.

"Are you OK Mum?"

She got up from the table and came over to me. She made me stand up and gave me the biggest hug ever.

"My poor Rosa, you have been through so much and still you try to protect me and your dad. We Charlie's will work hard to catch this scum of a killer."

"Well said Annabella. And she hasn't even told you the best part yet. There's this really sexy police inspector."

Oh boy, had Shirl opened a can of worms by mentioning the sexy police inspector. Mum is Quinn's biggest fan. He has her in the palm of his hand. He really exaggerates his slight Irish accent and gives her the whole blarney routine. She falls for it every time. She couldn't understand why we weren't married yet with lots of beautiful bambinos.

"You're not falling for some sexy police detective are you?"

"Of course I'm not. DCI Dexter is a very attractive man, but it's Shirl who has a crush on him."

"Yes, but I think he likes you, and he proved it today by not arresting you when he should have."

"He didn't arrest us because he didn't want the paper work. I got a major dressing down from him. You would have done too if you hadn't legged it."

"No, I don't think he will have a crush on Rosa, not looking how she does now, with the bruises and things."

Thanks Mum.

"Yes, well, I might have been holed up in this house for the past year, but I know chemistry when I see it, and you and Inspector Broodypants have it in buckets."

"You have to resist this chemistry Rosa. You and Quinn are destined to be together. Just think how beautiful your babies will be. You need to make more of an effort with him. Do you have bedroom problems?"

"That's it, enough about my love life."

"Perhaps you've become too dangerous for him with all this murder stuff. I don't know anyone else who is the target of a killer. Nobody has ever tried to kill me."

There's a first time for everything, I thought.

________________

Once the kitchen had been tidied we settled in the sitting room with a bottle of wine and three glasses. Shirl soon brought our thoughts back to the investigation.

"So, what are the plans for tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes, what investigations are we doing? Can we do some skating out?" Mum was eager to join in the detecting.

Shirl looked at me questioningly. "Skating out?"

"Where we sit in a car for hours, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts, watching someone."

"Ah, staking out." Shirl smiled as the penny dropped.

"That's what I said," said Mum.

"Well, we do need to go back and look at Dr Ellison's place. Thanks to Fluffy, we didn't get the chance yesterday. The problem is that we are just too noticeable. I think we need to approach Ellison's house from the rear. There's a path through the woods that backs onto those houses in Springpool."

"Makes sense," said Shirl.

"I know that the case against Laura Gilmore seems to be fading, but there is one thing we haven't looked at. Would it have been possible for her to leave her house without being noticed? This murder was carried out in broad daylight. I think it's doubtful that she could have just walked out of her front door, but we haven't explored rear accessibility. I think we need to go and check it out. Then there's Kyle Pearson. He's one suspect we have all to ourselves and I think I should go and talk to him. I know someone who works in the accommodation office at Keele. I could call her to see if she has an address for him. Alternatively, I could pop into work. If Kyle has borrowed some books recently he may have updated his address there."

"Looks like we're getting a plan, but I'm pooped and am going to bed. We can finalise plans over breakfast. I'll leave you and your mum to it."

"See you in the morning. Shall we say nine o'clock for breakfast?"

"That's fine. Night ladies." Shirl picked up her wine glass and left the room.

Mum and I sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Eventually I started thinking about her and Dad.

"Are you alright Mum?"

"I'm good."

"I don't believe you. I know how much you love Dad. Have you been really unhappy?"

"I do love your dad Rosa. As long as your dad and me spent time together it was great, but I've not made many friends in Alnwick. When your dad was busy all the time, I got lonely and bored. He promised to book us on big ship and he hasn't."

"Does he know where you are? That you're OK?"

"I left him a note telling him that I was fed up with him and would be staying with a friend for a while."

"I hope he isn't too worried about you. It sounds like a classic case of him taking you for granted. I think you will have woken him up by leaving. Just give him some time to miss you and he'll be begging you to go home."

I really believed that to be true. Mum was high maintenance and Dad had taken his eye off the ball. I would call him tomorrow and tell him she was here with me. Hopefully, he'd agree a plan to get her back. For now, though, it was time for bed.

Day 9

I wasn't woken by the alarm clock or Jem's attention seeking this morning. It was a kerfuffle at the bedroom door that roused me from my sleep. As I raised my head off the pillow I could just make out the rear ends of two cats. The noise was a series of door scratches and cat growling. Only the presence of another cat could provoke such behaviour. It seemed that Morse and Lewis had finally discovered they had a pair of interlopers in their home.

There was no way I could let them get together, it would be kitty carnage. I reached over to my bedside table and picked up my mobile. It was just after half past seven and I knew Shirl would be awake, so I called her.

"Rosa?"

"We have a situation. Morse and Lewis have found their way to my bedroom door. We have a bit of a moggy stand off going on. I don't suppose you want to shoo your guys away so I can leave the room without pandemonium breaking out? There's no hurry, I've only just woken up."

"I'm on it. See you in a bit."

There was no point trying to go back to sleep. I tried to distract Jem and Scout from the door, but they would have none of it. Morse and Lewis's appearance was probably the most exciting thing to have happened to them since we arrived here.

I sat up in bed and started thinking about the investigation. I really was beginning to think that Laura Gilmore was innocent. Her indifference to the death of her husband could be explained. No physical evidence could be found against her and someone broke into her home. On top of that, she genuinely didn't seem to have any idea who I was until the day we met. Even so, none of that was going to stop me from checking accessibility issues at the rear of her house today. I was reminded of the address book that I'd taken from her house. I got out of bed and got the book out of my bag. I returned to the comfort of my duvet and started looking through the pages. There were lots of contacts in the book, but I had no idea what I was looking for. I suppose I could just start ringing people, but what was I going to say? It would also take a huge amount of time and I couldn't see us getting anywhere.

Dr Ellison seemed to be the only person with a real grudge against the Professor, but again, there was no evidence against him. We could, and would, go and spy on him, but I suspected that we'd find nothing to help the situation.

The girlfriend dimension was a no go and Kyle Pearson was just a shot in the dark. We really didn't have very much and I suspected the same went for the police despite their resources. I would persevere though, after all, I had nothing better to do.

I was convinced that the killer knew me. I was sure I hadn't imagined what I'd heard at the time of the attack. Also, something was bothering me. Why then? Why had the killer taken their chance at that moment? Why had they chosen that time of the day? It was a risky time, broad daylight. The killer had taken a real chance. Actually, that was a good point. How had the killer known the Professor would be in the office at that time? The Professor hadn't been in the Department for two weeks because of his broken leg, and the day he was killed was the first day he'd been back. Had the killer known the Professor would be there, or was it just luck? If the killer knew, then how did they know? I also found it interesting that the Professor had been back in the UK only a year when he was killed. Could that be relevant? My mind was racing and going round, and round in circles. I was driving myself crazy.

Feeling frustrated I got out of bed. I put food down for the cats, but they weren't interested. I did the bathroom thing and returned to the bedroom. I looked out of the window to see what the weather was doing. Great, it was raining.

I got dressed in what was becoming my regular uniform of jeans and t-shirt, and went down to the kitchen. There had been no sign of Morse or Lewis and I'd managed to leave my room without any dramas. When I got to the kitchen it smelt wonderful. I found Mum griddling what looked like pancakes of some kind.

"Morning Mum! It smells gorgeous in here."

"Scottish pancakes. A lady showed me how to make them back home."

"Has the kettle boiled?"

"There's some coffee left in the pot here if you're interested."

"Great."

I was just pouring myself a drink when Shirl walked in. She was still dressed like a Charlie's Angel, and the hair flicks were bigger than ever. Fortunately, Mum hadn't twigged that the outfit was of a theme and must just have thought that Shirl had an interesting sense of style.

"Morning!"

I got another mug and poured a coffee for her.

"Are those pancakes?" Shirl walked over to the range to see what my mum was making.

"They are, and they're ready. Sit yourselves down girls."

Mum served up three pancakes each, and we all slathered them in butter and maple syrup. I know Mum could drive me crazy, but I was finding it comforting having her around.

"So, what had we decided to do today? We are at your command Rosa," said Mum.

"Right, well, perhaps this morning we should go and check out the back of Laura Gilmore's house. Actually, Mum, I think you might have to do that alone. Shirl and I were spotted accessing Laura's house illegally, so it's probably best we don't go there again. I don't see why you can't have a look for us. How do you feel about that?"

"No problem. Leave me to it."

"While you're doing that, I want to talk to the Chemistry Department staff again. I want to know who had access to the Professor's diary."

"What are you thinking?" asked Shirl.

"Well, the killer obviously knew the Professor would be in his office at that time, but how?"

"Good point. I can't believe we hadn't already thought of that."

"I think we should leave spying on Dr Ellison until after dark. Hopefully, it will have stopped raining by then."

"We need to do some renaissance." Shirl and I looked at Mum blankly for a moment.

"Renaissance?"

"Yes, you know, look at the area first to see that we can do what we're planning to do."

"Oh, reconnaissance!" Silly me.

"That's what I said."

"That's not a bad idea actually. We should check the lay of the land, make sure we can access the back of Ellison's house. Good thinking Mum, we can do that after we've been to Laura Gilmore's place and the Chemistry Department."

"Then, I'll take you girls into Newcastle. I'm craving an oaty cake, and I want to look in the charity shops."

"OK. Then I want to visit Aunty Dot. I wanted to visit her yesterday, but never got around to it. Goodness knows what mischief she's been up to while I've been away."

"We can all go. I'd love to see Dot. There are so many people I miss when I'm at Alnwick."

"Right, so that's decided. I'll tackle Kyle Pearson tomorrow. We'll spend the morning doing some investigating at Keele. Then, we'll do lunch in town and visit Dot. Before we leave I'll give Quinn a call."

We finished our breakfast, cleared the dishes and agreed to meet back in the kitchen in fifteen minutes.

"Give Quinn a big 'hello' from me." Really, my mum just couldn't help herself.

_________________________

My call with Quinn was brief, but interesting. I let him know I was fine and filled him in on the arrival of my mum, which he annoyingly thought was quite amusing. Then, he asked if I'd checked my emails yet as he had forwarded something to me. Apparently, it was an email that had been sent to Kyle Pearson from his mum. Quinn thought I should see it. As soon as I'd finished my conversation with him, I accessed my messages. I opened the mail that he had forwarded and it was indeed interesting. It said:

Dearest Kyle

I've just found out about Adam's death. I'm assuming that's why I haven't been able to get hold of you for the past few days. I'm worried that you've taken his death really badly. If I don't hear from you by the end of today, I'm coming to Stoke.

Love, Mum x

I had to assume that the Adam she was referring to was Professor Gilmore. I knew that Kyle had a keen interest in the Professor, but I was starting to think that there really was more to it than a student that idolised his teacher. There was only one way to find out, and that was to talk to Kyle face to face like I had planned.

I quickly texted Dad to say that Mum was with me and not to worry. Then, I brushed my teeth and looked at my face. I don't know if I was imagining things, but I was sure my bruises were starting to fade. When I came out of the bathroom the cats were settled, so I grabbed my handbag and wig and dashed downstairs.

I was standing in the hall putting my wig on in front of the mirror when I heard Mum scream and start shouting, "Call the police, call the police". Before I had time to react I found myself being attacked, by her, with an umbrella. I put my hands up to defend myself. "Mum! Mum! It's me, will you stop that! Mum!"

Shirl came running into the hall with the phone in her hand. She saw what was happening and grabbed the umbrella off my mum. "Annabella, its Rosa!"

Mum stopped shouting and looked at me with squinty eyes. Perhaps we should have told her about my disguise.

"Rosa? Is that you with the red hair?"

"Yes! Calm down for goodness sake, you scared me to death, not to mention adding a couple of bruises to my collection."

"I scared you! I thought you were the invader come to kill us! Oh, my heart beats like crazy."

Shirl started laughing, and as she turned to go into the kitchen, I heard her say: "Never a dull moment."

_______________________

Half an hour later we pulled into the car park by Larchwood staff housing. We had agreed that Shirl would go with Mum to check out the rear of Laura Gilmore's house and see if there was a covert route to the Chemistry Department. Shirl had brought a hat with her to cover the Farah Fawcett hair, so hopefully the two of them wouldn't be too noticeable. In the meantime, I headed off to the Chemistry Department to talk to the admin ladies again. As I entered the building, I once again popped into the ladies room and whipped off my wig. When I entered the admin office, Kath and Janet were there along with another lady called Lisa. Alison was still absent. They were surprised to see me.

"Hi, Rosa, is everything OK?"

I walked over to where Janet was sitting. "Everything's fine. I was on campus and I thought of something to ask you and thought I'd pop in. I was wondering if you could tell me who would have known that the Professor was going to be in the Department the day he was killed?"

"Well, obviously we all knew as we were involved in various meetings that day. Staff cannot see the diaries of other staff as there is no electronic system being used. We certainly can't access anyone's diary and have to keep track of staff through the timetable. We have a shared meeting diary, but that's all. We also operate an 'off campus' sheet that should be filled in when people are away and is available for all to see."

"Did anyone ask you about him?"

"I don't recall anyone specifically asking, and to be honest Rosa, anyone could have known he'd be here. He'd had meetings on and off all that day with various department staff. Those meetings had all been arranged a few days in advance. His being here wasn't a big secret or anything."

"Did he only have meetings with people from here? Did he meet with anyone from other departments?"

"No, it was all internal stuff, apart from his meeting with you."

I had made arrangements to meet with the Professor three days beforehand. That appointment had been noted in my diary. Surely that can't be the connection? No, I was being silly.

"Thanks Janet. I'd better get going. Actually, before I go, has the Professor's office been released yet?"

"Yes, it has, but it's all locked up. Do you want one of us to take you up there?"

"Would you mind?"

"No, let me just get the key."

________________________

This time, as I walked down the corridor to Professor Gilmore's office, the hairs didn't stand up on the back of my neck. No, this time it was my stomach that was churning. It's a strange feeling walking back to a place where something bad happened; to a place where someone's life was brutally taken.

Janet unlocked the door for me and let me into the room. I noticed that she didn't enter herself, she waited for me outside. The room had obviously been cleaned and tidied. There was nothing to show that a terrible crime had taken place here. I had a feeling that nobody would be fighting for this prime piece of Chemistry Department real estate.

I didn't know what I was looking for, so I just took my time looking around the room. My eyes were eventually drawn to some photographs that he had on his wall. The Professor had been an arrogant man and the photos screamed 'look at me, look how brilliant and daring I am'. There was a picture of him sky diving, one of him hanging from a rock face and another of him surfing. The more I looked, the more I could hear an alarm bell ringing away at the back of my mind. I felt that I was looking at something significant, but no matter how hard I looked, my mind was coming up with nothing.

Defeated, I moved my attention to the Professor's desk. My eyes instantly clocked a diary. I picked it up and excitedly starting flicking through the pages. Perhaps he wrote things in here that were for his eyes only. It seemed I was in for another disappointment. Nothing odd jumped out. Again, I felt frustrated. I believed that I was doing all the right things, but getting nothing for my efforts.

I opened a few drawers and rifled through a few papers. It dawned on me that the police will have done this and taken anything interesting. I scoured the book shelves, but I had no idea what I was looking for.

I turned again and looked at the photos on the wall. The bell was still going off in the deepest recesses of my brain, but I had no idea why. I got my phone out and took a few photos of the pictures. Then I had a final look around the room and left. Janet locked the room behind us.

"Was that helpful?" she asked.

"I don't think so. To be honest I'm not sure what I was expecting to find, it just seemed like something I should do."

"So, you're no closer to finding the murderer?"

"I can't speak for the police, but I know I'm not getting anywhere."

"Shame, because I'm not sure this Department can begin to get back to normal until someone's been charged."

"Have you heard from Alison?"

"Apparently, she's with her sister in Manchester. She's still pretty traumatised and is on tranquillisers. She gets terrible nightmares. I can't see her coming back to work any time soon."

I resolved again to send Allison some flowers, after all, she did probably save my life. When we got downstairs Janet and I parted company. I went to the ladies room to replace my wig.

______________________

Mum and Shirl were already back at the car, when I arrived.

"How'd you two get on?"

"There was nothing interesting at the back of the house. She could have sneaked through other people's gardens, but there are fences and hedges to climb over so it would have been difficult. How did you get on at the Department?" Said Shirl.

"I'm not sure."

"That sounds interesting."

"Not neccessarily. Right, let's drive round to the car park at Keele Hall. Then we can walk across to Springpool and check the rear access to Dr Ellison's house."

"Let's just hope we don't bump into Yvonne."

"Who's Yvonne?" Mum didn't know about the Fluffy saga so we filled her in.

"Why are all these crazy things happening to you Rosa? You used to be such a sensible girl. Do you think you've been cursed or something?"

"Cursed! Don't be daft. I'm just having a run of bad luck."

Keele Hall was a stone's throw from Larchwood, but we drove to stay undercover as much as possible. Parking nearer to Springpool would also allow us to make a speedy getaway should we need to.

Just like we did a couple of days ago, Shirl and I followed the path towards Springpool, but instead of following the road round to the front of the houses, we picked up the path through the woods. It wasn't a great path, but it was easy to follow and eventually it ran along the backs of the houses. We didn't go all the way to Dr Ellison's house, but we went far enough to see that the route past it was clear. It was also good to see that the path was flanked by lots of large shrubs and trees, which would give us great cover. Feeling satisfied for our mission that night, we returned to the car.

___________________________

Shirl and me couldn't help, but stare at the plate that had been placed in front of my mum. She had ordered four filled oatcakes. For the uninitiated, oatcakes are savoury pancakes that are indigenous to the Stoke-on-Trent area. They are served warm with a variety of fillings. They don't look very much, but they are surprisingly filling. Four oatcakes is a lot of food.

We were sitting in a café in Newcastle-under-Lyme. It was well known for its oatcake menu and we were lucky to get seats. It seemed my mum couldn't make up her mind what fillings to have so decided to have all four of her favourites; cheese and bacon, cheese and mushroom, cheese and sausage and, cheese and onion. Cheese featured heavily in the World of oat cakes. Shirl and I each had two; cheese and bacon.

Mum looked at our shocked faces when the food arrived.

"What?! I'm hungry. I can't get oaty cakes up north. I need to get my dose while I'm here."

"I'll send you home with a food parcel."

"If I go home."

______________________

The café also did a wonderful range of home made cakes. Seeing as resistance was pretty much futile, the three of us gazed into the revolving cake display with undisguised longing. I chose a tiramisu gateau, Mum chose lemon meringue and Shirl chose a coffee and walnut. Shirl also asked for hers to be wrapped to go. Apparently, she wanted to pop to a shop in town and agreed to meet us back at the car in twenty minutes. Mum and I started talking about the planned stake out later that night.

"We'll have to take a flask of coffee with us tonight, and perhaps I should get some slices of cake too. Skating out will be a hungry job."

That's when I realised that Mum thought she would be joining us tonight when we watched Dr Ellison's house. Three of us going there seemed crazy to me. I mean how easy would it be for three of us to hide successfully? Why did I have a sudden feeling of foreboding?

"Mum, I'm not sure you should come with us tonight, it'll complicate things."

"Rosa, I am going with you and Shirley, wild cows won't stop me."

Experience told me that there was no point trying to change Mum's mind. I resigned myself to the fact that Dr Ellison would have a small congregation outside his house tonight. It would probably be fine, after all, what's the worst that could happen? We decided against getting any more cake and made our way to the car where Shirl was waiting with a few large carrier bags.

"Wow, that's some shopping you've managed to get done in a short space of time. What have you bought, anything exciting?"

"Something very exciting. I'll show you later."

Shirl put her bags in the boot and we set off to visit Aunty Dot. It felt funny turning into my street. So much had happened in the last few days that it felt like I hadn't been here for months. We couldn't park outside my house because of a couple of vans. One van belonged to a painter and decorator, and the other to some industrial cleaning company. I noticed that my windows were open. This must be Quinn taking care of things for me. I was tempted to go in and look around, but thought better of it. I would wait until I was ready to move back in. We got out of the car, walked over to Dots and knocked on the door. When Dot answered she looked thrilled to see us all.

"Come in, come in! How lovely of you all to visit me."

Dot led us into what she called her parlour at the back of the house. To say the decoration was eclectic would be an understatement. The room was brightly coloured in reds, greens and blues. There were large ethnic cushions everywhere and lots of strange abstract art on the walls. Somehow, though, it looked quite good. Dot herself looked well. She was wearing an orange tie dyed Kaftan and was working the Princess Leah look with her plats forming a bun on each side of her head.

"Oh dear, Rosa, your aura is terrible. I bet strange things have been happening to you."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"I will cleanse your aura for you before you go."

"Smashing." I tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Who'd like tea?"

That would be all of us.

"I've just made some cupcakes, would you like some? And no, Rosa I haven't added anything cheeky."

I thought about the gateau I'd scoffed twenty minutes ago.

"Not for me thanks."

Mum and Shirl couldn't resist, so cake and tea made its way from the kitchen. While we ate and drank we filled Dot in on the investigation. Finally, we told her about our plans that night.

"Oh, a stakeout, how thrilling! You know what you need? You need someone who can see the strange and mystical. You can count me in."

"No! Dot, look, I'm not being mean, but there's no way we can all hide out behind that man's house. Perhaps you can come with us next time we do a stake out."

"Rosa, don't be a spoilsport. Of course you can come with us Dot," said Shirl. "We'll pick you up at nine o'clock. Does that sound OK?"

"Nifty," said Dot.

_____________________

We stayed with Dot for a further hour while she cleansed my aura and did a tarot card reading for Mum. Mum totally believed all the things Dot said, so when she heard that a trip overseas would bring romance she was very excited. Too excited if you ask me. She should be focusing on sorting things with my dad.

Once our auras and futures were sorted, it was time to go home. We all gave Dot a hug and said we'd see her later. Mum and I got into the car, but Shirl opened the boot, rummaged around in her shopping bags and carried something over to Dot. I couldn't see what she had in her hands. A few words were exchanged and Shirl returned to the car and got in.

"What was that about?"

"I just wanted to check she was alright about tonight."

Why did I have a feeling there was something she wasn't telling me? We set off for Shirl's and we hadn't been on the road long when Shirl got very excited.

"We've got a tail."

Suddenly, we found out just how much power her Mercedes SUV had as we were thrown back in our seats with the force of her acceleration. Shirl got onto the A34 and was speedily weaving through the traffic and cutting other cars up at roundabouts. Meanwhile, I was trying to see behind us.

"What is it Shirl, what's following us?"

"A black van."

"Let me call the police." I was fumbling in my handbag. My hands were shaking.

"No, don't. It's OK, I can shake them."

Shirl left the A34 and headed down Milehouse Lane. When she got to some traffic lights she ducked the car into Morrison's supermarket and quickly parked.

"Get down!" I was trying to get as low in my seat as possible.

Shirl started laughing and clapped her hands.

"Shirl, get down! Can you see them? Are we OK?"

"Rosa, I'm so sorry, but we didn't really have a tail. That was so much fun!"

"That was fun. You could have gone faster Shirl," said Mum.

My mum and Shirl were laughing, but I wasn't. Shirl had scared the living daylights out of me.

"You two are crazy! What's wrong with you? I was freaking out there!"

I opened the car door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get more cake and a large bottle of vodka."

By the time all this was over I was going to be a fat, alcoholic, nervous wreck.

_________________________

Mum and Shirl joined me in the store. It seems they remembered how lowly stocked our kitchen cupboards were and thought this might be a good opportunity to get some food in. I trolled around behind them, occasionally dropping the odd thing into the trolley. Yes, I was in a bad mood, and I'm ashamed to say I was sulking. I never sulk. I really did want to try to get into the spirit of this investigation being fun, like everyone else, but I was finding it hard. I felt like I might just be the boring person they thought I was, and this was adding to my bad mood.

When we got to the till our trolley was filled with all kinds of food and drink, including the mandatory doughnuts for tonight's stakeout. Mum and I both insisted on paying the bill, but Shirl would have none of it. She did however, allow us to help her pack and load the bags into the car.

Shirl also allowed us to help her carry the bags into the house and help her unpack. Mum put the kettle on. I was still in a bad mood and felt the need for some 'me' time. I made myself a large sandwich and a cup of tea. As I carried my picnic to my room I asked not to be disturbed for a couple of hours. When I got up stairs I called Quinn.

"Am I boring?"

"Don't you mean, 'hello Quinn, how are you?'"

"Sorry, but am I?"

"Are you what?"

"Am I boring?"

"I've never thought so. What's all this about?"

So I told him about Shirl and Mum, and the attitude of seemingly everyone around me; how they all thought that my situation should somehow be enjoyed, and that it was exciting.

"It does seem to have brought out the crazy in everyone. What has happened to you is pretty extraordinary. If you remove yourself and think of it as a Hollywood movie, the situation would be thrilling and dramatic. You lived through the horror part, but they've all come in at the middle, when things are interesting and exciting."

"I suppose you're right. I guess I should give them a break, but it's driving me crazy. And when did you become so insightful?"

"Hang in there gorgeous. Do you want me to come over?"

"Of course I do, but don't. If you came over I'd make you stay till this business was finished."

"It could be arranged."

"Tempting. Can I keep my options open?"

"Always. So, you're staking out the Doctor's house tonight?"

"Yes. And, before you say it, I'll be careful."

"Good girl. Talk soon." And he was gone.

When I disconnected the phone I realised that I hadn't spoken to Dad, so I called him and we had a good chat. He'd been really worried about Mum. He'd called her mobile, but she wouldn't take his calls. I told him how she was feeling and he really hadn't realised how lonely she'd become. He told me not to worry and that he'd sort things out. I was feeling better about that situation at least.

Right, now I was going to relax. I sat on the sofa and ate my dinner, giving little pieces of tuna from my sandwich to the cats. I looked at the clock and it was just after six o'clock. I had two hours before meeting Shirl and Mum in the kitchen to prepare for our stakeout. So I lay on the bed and before I knew it I was fast asleep.

____________________

I was woken up by a knock on my bedroom door. I looked at the time. It was seven thirty. I'd been asleep for ages!

"Come in."

It was Mum and Shirl and they were carrying one of the mysterious white shopping bags.

"Sorry, did we wake you up?"

"Yes, but it's good that you did."

I got up so that I was sitting on the side of the bed.

"Why do I have a feeling that something's going on? What's in the bag?" I suddenly felt very nervous.

"Now, Rosa, I know you're in a bad mood because of the fake car chase and all, but I'm really hoping that you'll get into the spirit of things tonight."

Here we go, I thought. Come on Rosa, try not to be a spoilsport I said to myself.

"Of course I'll get in the spirit of things tonight. Why do I have a feeling that somehow involves the contents of that white bag?"

"Because, it does." She handed me the bag.

I pulled out the contents to find myself looking at a small pile of army style clothes. There were khaki camouflage trousers and a khaki jumper. A small pot of something rolled onto the floor. Face paint of the camouflage type. There was also a balaclava.

"You want us to dress like commandos?" I tried to hide the growing hysteria I was feeling inside.

"Fun and functional, nobody will ever see us wearing these," said Shirl.

How I hoped not.

"Great. Have you got some too Mum?"

"Yes. I've never worn anything like them before, it's very exciting."

There was that word again. Exciting.

"Right, you two go and get dressed. I'll see you downstairs in half an hour."

Mum and Shirl left my room feeling sure that I was happy with my outfit. Oh, boy, I was dressing up like action man. I was going to have to take a photo of this for posterity as I don't think Quinn would believe me otherwise. If we weren't trying to find a killer, it would actually be fun. Perhaps that was the secret, to forget about the killer part. So, that's what I decided to do.

____________________

As I stood in front of the mirror I can't say I loved the new look me. I had never been a fan of khaki and now I knew why. It didn't suit me at all. At least Shirl had chosen good sizes for things and the outfit fitted me well.

Down in the kitchen I found two identically dressed versions of myself. Mum and Shirl were packing two ruck sacks with torches, flasks of coffee, packets of crisps and a couple of bags of doughnuts. We might be difficult to see in our military kits, but the rustle of our picnic packaging would be heard a mile away. I was about to say as much, when I realised it might be seen as me yet again being a spoilsport so I kept my mouth shut.

I'd never seen my mum looking anything other than glamorous, and I hated to admit it, but she even managed to look good in khaki. Shirl, was like me, the colour did absolutely nothing for her complexion.

"Are you alright Rosa, you're looking a bit pale?" asked Mum.

I'm surprised she could tell with all my bruises.

"I'm fine, it's the Khaki. Do you have any binoculars Shirl?"

"Yes, two pairs over there on the dresser."

I walked over to the dresser and commandeered a pair by hanging them around my neck. I had my face paint in one of my pockets and was ready for action. I had purposely left the balaclava in my room. Shirl packed the second pair of binoculars in her ruck sack and it looked like we were ready to start our manoeuvres.

When we arrived outside Dots house, Shirl tooted her car horn. When the front door opened I wasn't prepared for the vision that appeared before me. Dot was kitted out like us in khaki camouflage gear. Her white hair was still in Princess Leah fashion, her face was painted brown and this was all topped off, or perhaps I should say bottomed off, with bright pink wellies. She walked over to the car and climbed into the back with Mum.

"Love the wellies Dot," said Shirl.

"Well, I couldn't help, but feel that the green was a bit dull and dreary. It needed cheering up a bit."

I started to giggle, and moments later Shirl and Mum had joined me. Dot joined in too, but I don't think she realised why we were laughing.

_____________________

When we arrived at Keele it dawned on me that whilst our outfits might help to hide us amongst the trees and shrubs at the back of Dr Ellison's house, we would stand out like sore thumbs in a normal setting. The closest car park to Springpool was the one at Keele Hall. We would have to walk from there to the woods. The chance of walking to the woods without being noticed was slim, but we'd have to chance it. As we pulled into the car park Shirl popped a CD into the player. A moment later the air was filled with the infamous music of 'mission impossible'.

"Just to get us in the mood."

"Excellent!" said Dot.

Dot then pulled a small hip flask from her pocket, removed the lid and took a swig. I don't know why I was surprised.

"Are you drinking?"

"Just a nip of the old fire water to keep my bones warm."

"I'll have some Dot." My mum was obviously determined to throw herself into this stakeout.

"Me too," said Shirl.

The hip flask was passed around and then it came to me. I took a swig too, just to be sociable of course.

When the music finished we got out of the car. We strapped on our ruck sacks and hung our binoculars round our necks. We were ready for action. Don't ask me how, but we managed to get to the woods without being seen. Before heading down the path we slapped on our face paint. It was dark, very dark. Fortunately, the weather was dry and the sky was clear, allowing the moonlight to guide us. We managed to keep quiet as we concentrated on finding our way. I took the lead as I knew roughly where we were going. When we got to Dr Ellison's house we tried to find a good spot where we could huddle together and watch the house. There were some well-placed rhododendron bushes that would serve to hide us well so we got behind them and looked at the house.

The fact that Dr Ellison's house wasn't overlooked worked in our favour. He obviously felt comfortable enough not drawing any curtains. He also liked to have his house well lit, so we could see inside a couple of downstairs rooms really well. I focused my binoculars on the rooms. I couldn't see anyone, but the flickering light in the rear reception room indicated that someone was watching TV. Half an hour later we had seen nothing interesting.

"Coffee anyone?" Shirl needed a caffiene fix.

That's when I realised how hungry I was. It was over three hours since I'd had my sandwich.

"I'll have a coffee and a doughnut please."

Shirl and Mum poured drinks and dished out the cakes. Dot preferred to keep to her fire water for the time being.

____________________

Two hours later and the excitement of the stake out had descended into boredom and hypothermia. Shirl was getting fidgety. "Remind me why we're doing this."

"We are doing this to see if anything interesting happens. We can't access his house so I just thought it might be good to watch him. Let's face it, we were running out of things to do."

"How much longer do we have to stay here?" asked Mum.

"Let's give it another half an hour. He hasn't gone to bed yet, so let's hang in there a bit longer. You OK Dot?"

"Hunky dory. Don't worry about me."

Just then we heard something and saw a torch approaching. We all ducked down behind the bushes. I leaned forward to try and see what was happening. It was a man walking his dog and, despite the dark, I recognised him. The man was a lecturer in the Physics Department. His name was Dr David Moran.

He came very close to us, but instead of walking past our hiding place he stopped. At that point I think all of our hearts did too. Had he seen or heard us? Then we heard a gate open and saw Dr Moran go into Dr Ellison's garden. I grabbed my binoculars and watched him approach the back door. He knocked and entered. Dr Ellison met him in the kitchen and they embraced each other. Then, they kissed!

Shirl was frantically trying to focus her binoculars. "Are they doing what I think they're doing?"

"Oh yes."

"Thought I saw a horny aura," said Dot.

We all looked at her.

"Just saying."

As we looked back at the house, the action had obviously moved upstairs. A light came on in one of the bedrooms and the curtains were drawn by a topless Dr Ellison.

"Do you think this means anything?" asked Shirl.

"Well, it means that Dr Ellison is having a gay affair with a married lecturer. Whether or not it means anything for the investigation is anyone's guess. I think we should go as I can't see anything else happening now."

So we grabbed our things and came out from our hiding place. What moonlight there had been five minutes ago disappeared behind some clouds and we struggled along the path towards the car. We could have used our torches, but didn't want to draw attention to ourselves.

"I've never had sex with two men at the same time before. Perhaps I should give it a go before I get old." Seeing two men together had obviously been an exciting experience for Aunty Dot.

Mum, who had been leading the way, stopped dead in her tracks when she heard what Dot said. Shirl bumped into Mum and Dot stopped to avoid bumping into them. I was forced to step to the side to avoid knocking Dot over. What we hadn't noticed was a large ditch running along the side of the path and my foot slipped, pitching me down the bank. I thought I'd never stop rolling.

As I lay there I tested all my limbs to make sure I could move them. To be honest I'd gotten off lightly and was remarkably pain free apart from my ankle that I'd twisted slightly. I saw a torch above me and Shirl was calling my name.

"It's OK, I'm fine."

As I stood up I was aware of a horrible smell. Oh no, dog poo. Yuck, it was disgusting. I crawled up the side of the slope, in the hope that I would leave the smell behind. I was horrified to find that the stench followed me. As I got to the top Shirl reached out to help me, but as she got close she recoiled in horror as the smell hit her. Shirl shone her torch at me and moved the beam up and down my body.

"Wow, I wouldn't want to see the size of that dog."

I could feel tears starting to well up. I would not cry.

"It's only dog poo. Come on let's get back to the car." I tried to sound cheerful.

"You are not getting in my car smelling like that. You'll have to strip off and put your clothes in a bin or something."

Oh, the indignity. If I had paid for Aunty Dot's aura cleansing, I'd be demanding a refund. We hustled along the path and were almost at the car when we were intercepted by two Keele security men.

"Stop where you are. What are you up to? And what's with the get up?"

Shirl went into roll play mode. "We've been to a fancy dress party at one of the staff houses."

"Whoa! What's that smell?"

"That would be me. I fell over in some dog poo."

"Party eh? This looks fishy to me. I think we should let the police sort this out."

"No, don't do that. We're working with the police you see. We've been doing secret surveillance on one of the staff members." Did I really think they'd believe me?

"Well, I thought I'd heard it all, but that's a new one on me."

"It's true!"

"If you're working for the police, then you won't mind if we call them will you? You stay where you are."

While they called the police I took out my phone and called Dexter. I so didn't want to do this, but I didn't think I had a choice. When Dexter answered he sounded like he'd been sleeping.

"Inspector, it's Rosa Wild, I need your help. I think I'm on the brink of being arrested. Me, Shirl, my mum and Aunty Dot decided to do some surveillance at the back of Dr Ellison's house. The thing is, a couple of the residents saw us and called security. Security is here now and they are calling the police. What do I do?"

"You got caught? That wasn't very stealthy of you was it? Are you sure you're telling me everything?"

"Well, we're all dressed like commandos in camouflage pants and stuff. I fell down a ditch twisting my foot. I might have squealed a bit."

The phone was silent. Then I heard Dexter start laughing. Oh, the humiliation. He must think I'm a walking disaster.

"Look, stay where you are and I'll call the station. Wait for the police to arrive."

I was about to apologise for waking him, but the line was already dead. It took the police thirty minutes to arrive. While waiting, me and the girls finished the coffee and doughnuts. I mean, what else do you do when waiting for police, but have a picnic? I had to sit on my own about ten feet away as no one would come near me.

When the police arrived they took charge of the situation. I have no idea what they told the security staff, but they walked away.

"Thank you for coming," I said.

"Well, DCI Dexter told us that we had to make sure you got home safely. Do you have a vehicle?"

"Yes, but I'm not allowed in it."

"Why not?"

"Come a bit closer and you'll find out."

One brave policeman did just that. He got a few feet away, and just like Shirl, he recoiled at the stench that hit him. Thankfully, I was so used to it that I hardly noticed it any more. I was going to have to get out of these clothes.

"Does anyone have any scissors?" There was no way I was pulling this jumper off over my head.

Fortunately, the police did. They went to hand the scissors to Shirl.

"No way. I'm not getting any closer than this to that smell. You're the police, you get paid for dealing with situations like this."

Luckily my mum stepped up. She asked Shirl to get a blanket from the car and she used it to protect my modesty while I cut myself out of my clothes. Then I wrapped the blanket around me.

The four of us were escorted to Shirl's car by the two lovely policemen. We explained that we had to drop Dot at home first and they kindly volunteered to take her for us once they had followed us home. Dot was very excited by the prospect of a lift in a police car. I just hoped she didn't proposition them for that threesome on route.

It was after one in the morning by the time we walked into the house. We were cold and exhausted and without saying a word we all dragged ourselves upstairs to our rooms.

Day 10

I was awoken by a buzzing sound. At first I didn't know what it was, but then I realised it was the gate. We had a visitor. A few moments later there was a knock at my door. It was Shirl.

"Rosa?"

"Come in."

The door opened and a head appeared.

"Dexter's here."

"Here? Now? What time is it?"

"Just after 7am. You might want to have a word with him about his visiting hours."

I so did not need to see Dexter right now. I was struggling to wake myself up and my head felt like cotton wool. All the same, I crawled out of bed and did a half-hearted dash into the bathroom where I splashed my face with cold water and did a quick gargle with mouth wash. Back in the bedroom I threw on my trusty jeans and t-shirt, brushed my hair, and made my way down stairs.

In the kitchen I found Dexter nursing a cup of coffee. Shirl was there too, well she was there in body, but that was just about it. Her eyes were barely open, her hair was sticking up all over the place and her mascara was half way down her face. It was pretty scary. She put a mug of coffee on the table for me and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to get a shower. Bye Inspector."

I sat at the table opposite Dexter.

"She wants me to have a word with you about your visiting hours."

"Sorry, I guess I am a bit early."

"Shirl is usually up by now, but we had a busy night."

"So I heard. Now, I know about the being caught part, and about the commando part, but I believe there was something you didn't tell me."

"Are you referring to the odour issue?"

"Yes. So, basically, you went to do surveillance on Dr Ellison taking your mum, your best friend, and your Aunty Dot with you. You all dressed like commandos and on the way back to the car you woke half the campus when you screamed whilst falling down a ditch into a huge pile of dog poo. Have I got that right?"

"That just about sums it up."

He started laughing. He looked nice when he laughed.

"I'm sorry, but that's one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time."

"Look, it wasn't my idea to take an entourage on surveillance, or to dress up like action men. I'm surrounded by crazy people."

"I can believe it. Do you know your Aunt actually propositioned my officers last night? Apparently, she told them she was partial to a man in uniform and asked if they'd ever consider a threesome. You and your assistants gave my officers an evening they won't forget for a while."

"I can't say I'm surprised. Seeing two men kissing appeared to get Dot quite excited."

"Two men kissing?"

"Yes, we saw something last night, but I don't know if it means anything. It would seem that our Dr Ellison is having a clandestine gay affair with a married lecturer."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We were hiding behind bushes at the back of Ellison's house. A man appeared. He was walking along the path with his dog. He opened Ellison's gate and disappeared into his house. The curtains were open and the lights were on and we got the live action version of their passionate greeting and the moving of 'things' upstairs. We left before he did. I know the man concerned and have met his wife. He is a lecturer in the Physics Department called Dr Moran. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure it means anything, but if the affair is a secret then it throws open the door for possible blackmail of some type. Perhaps Professor Gilmore found out about the affair and threatened to expose Dr Ellison, though I can't imagine why. Dr Moran is the person who would have the most to lose in such a situation. I think I need to talk to him. Well done Miss Wild, you may have found us a lead."

"There you go, amusing and helpful, that's me."

"I appreciate the laugh, and the information. So, what are your plans for today?"

I thought about Kyle Pearson. I was tempted to tell Dexter about him, but decided that one good lead was enough for today.

"I have no idea. What are you doing? How's the investigation going your end?"

"To be honest Miss Wild, we are struggling. Everywhere we turn we hit one dead end after another."

"Something will turn up. Hopefully."

"I'm sure you're right."

Just then my mum arrived in the kitchen, looking her usual glamorous self.

"Mum, this is DCI Dexter."

Dexter stood up and shook my Mum's hand. He stayed standing.

"I'll be on my way Miss Wild. Do try and stay out of trouble, if that is at all possible." He nodded a goodbye to Mum and exited the back door.

"What an attractive man, and Shirl is right, he likes you."

"Don't you start. We have a professional relationship, that's all. Right, I'm going upstairs to have a shower."

"I'll sort breakfast."

"You don't have to look after us."

"I like to feel useful."

____________________

Back upstairs I was having a long look at myself in the bathroom mirror. The bruises on my face were looking much better and were now shades of green, brown and yellow. I have to say it was a marked improvement on the previous shades of purple. My hair needed a trim too. Today, I was going to make a real effort with myself, and to hell with my stalker.

I had a lovely long shower. I conditioned my hair and shaved my legs. After drying off I smothered myself in moisturiser and painted my toe nails. I was starting to feel nice and like my old self.

It looked like summer had finally surrendered to autumn and outside it looked gloomy and cold. My jeans had been worn to death; I really needed to do some laundry. I rummaged around the wardrobe and found a pair of old black trousers. I teamed them with my black boots and a long sleeved jersey top. I blow dried my hair and, for the first time in nine days, I applied full make-up including my wonderful red lipstick. Today was going to be a good day.

When I walked into the kitchen Shirl wolf whistled me.

"You look nice."

"I wanted to feel like me, and it feels good."

"Rosa, you look lovely. Sit at the table and I'll bring you some food."

I did as I was told and was presented with two delicious croissants fresh from the oven. On the table before me was a selection of ham, cheese, strawberry jam and chocolate spread. I made myself one savoury version and one sweet. They were chased down with a lovely coffee.

"So, what are we doing today?" asked Shirl.

"I'm going to look into Kyle Pearson. I think he's the only option we have left. If nothing comes of him I don't know what we'll do. Dexter told me that the police are struggling with the case too."

"Are you going to talk to Kyle?"

"I'm going to pop into work and see my boss. I may be able to get an address for him there. We don't have any other options so I think we should perhaps watch him for a bit; see what we think of him. I'll go and talk to him at some point. Do you want to join me?"

To be honest I already knew the answer to that. Shirl was still wearing the Farah Fawcett hair so quite clearly hadn't exhausted her Charlie's Angels fantasy just yet.

"Try and stop me. I'm with you to the bitter end."

"I really hope it isn't a bitter end. What about you Mum, are you joining us today?"

"No, I'm going to try and catch up to Val. You can drive me to town though if you are going that way."

"No problem."

The phone rang and Shirl answered. She took the phone out of the kitchen. When she returned a few minutes later, she handed the phone to me. It was Quinn. Strange that he should call on the land line.

"Hi gorgeous, how're things?"

"Good. We may have found some interesting information on Dr Ellison. I've given the details to Dexter and we'll see if anything comes of it." I wasn't going to tell Quinn the whole story of last night just yet. "How're things with you?"

"Busy. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that because of the current situation we aren't seeing as much of each other as we'd like. When this is all over we can see what happens."

"That could take ages."

"We'll just have to cope, for now. By the way, I saw workmen at the house yesterday. Thanks for sorting that for me."

"Yeah, they're making good progress as far as I can tell. Rosa, I have to go, my other line's ringing and I need to take it. Talk soon, OK?"

"OK, bye."

Mum was looking at me and smiling. "You two are made for each other, I don't know why you fight it."

I didn't know why we fought it either.

"Right, we all know what we're doing today, we just need to decide when. Thoughts anybody?"

"I will fit in with you two," said Mum.

"I need to make a couple of phone calls," said Shirl. "How about ten o'clock?"

We all agreed.

__________________

We dropped Mum off in town and headed back towards Keele. Being 'me' hadn't lasted very long. I was back in the red wig and the lipstick was gone. Shirl had convinced me that I should remain incognito.

I was looking forward to being in the library again. I was missing my job and it felt like such a long time since I'd last been there. As we turned into the short driveway that led to the building I removed the wig and fluffed my hair. Again, I didn't want anyone to know my disguise. Shirl was going to wait in the car. Parking spaces at the library were at a premium and Shirl had to pull up behind some other cars. It wasn't a problem as she could obviously move if someone needed to get their car out.

As I walked up the long sweeping stairs at the front of the building I suddenly felt nervous and very self-conscious. I walked through the doors and stopped to look around and take in the space. As I did this, my friend and colleague Pat, who was Head Librarian, walked out of her office and saw me.

"Rosa? My goodness, it is you. I almost didn't recognise you without the lipstick. I don't think I've ever seen you without it. How are you?"

"Hi Pat, I'm good thanks. I am missing this place though. How are you?"

My presence had been noticed by other staff members.

"Come into my office and we'll have a good catch up."

So I followed Pat into her office and we had a good chat. Obviously she wanted to know all about the investigation. I found myself being quite guarded and gave away as little as possible. We were on safer ground when we talked about work. She insisted that I didn't come back until it was safe for me to do so and I promised that I wouldn't. I did say that I'd like to pop into my office and she had no problem with that.

It was impossible to walk to my office without passing the service desk, so I had to stop and have a quick chat with the girls there. Again, they all wanted to know about the murder and the investigation, and again, I said as little as possible. It wasn't that I didn't want to see my friends and colleagues, I just felt a little strange and uncomfortable. As I walked into the back offices I saw Eric, then Eric saw me.

"Rosa! How are you?" He rushed over and gave me a hug that almost squeezed the life out of me.

"I'm fine thanks. How are you and the family."

"Everything is good, but this place isn't the same without you. When are you coming back?"

"I have no idea."

"What have you been doing with your time? Where are you living now?"

Everyone was asking so many questions.

"I've been playing with the cats and baking cakes."

Why was I lying? Eric was a close friend.

"Listen Eric, I can't stay long, someone is waiting for me and I need to get something from my office. Is there anything I can help you with before I go?"

"No, everything is fine. You go and do what you need to do, we can talk later."

I went into my office and shut the door. I booted up my computer and logged in. I was able to see who had certain books on loan and look at users personal details. I looked up Kyle Pearson and found his address. I could only hope it was his current one. There was also a phone number. I wrote the details down and closed the PC. I was tempted to look at emails and things, but I knew if I did that, I'd get sucked into work and wouldn't leave for hours.

When I walked out of my office Eric was on the phone so I waved 'bye' to him and left. As I walked into the foyer I bumped into Todd, the Porter.

"Rosa! So it's true, you are in the building. How are you doing?"

"Hi Todd, I'm fine thanks, how are you?"

"Good, but it isn't the same here without you."

"Thanks for that. You just caught me, I'm on my way out."

"I'll walk you to your car."

"That would be nice."

I waved to the girls at the desk and said 'bye' to Pat. Todd and I chatted as we made our way down the library steps.

"So, are the police any closer to catching the guy that did this to you?"

"I don't think so."

"I heard that you might be able to identify him."

This question caught me off guard a little as it was so specific.

"I was hit on the head Todd, my memory of that day is sketchy."

"But you might remember what you saw?"

"I'm not sure there's anything to remember."

By now we were at the bottom of the steps.

"I'm so sorry all this has happened to you Rosa."

Those words, 'I'm so sorry....Rosa.' A chill ran down my spine and I felt a little strange for a moment.

Todd looked concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I think I can make it on my own from here. Bye Todd."

He stood and watched as I walked over to the car and got in.

"You alright?" asked Shirl.

"I'm fine, but I just had a strange moment with Todd. He said 'I'm so sorry all this has happened to you Rosa'. It was just those words 'I'm so sorry', they sent a chill down my spine."

"You don't think it was him do you?"

"Todd? The killer? I wouldn't think so. I don't know."

As we drove away, Todd was still standing at the bottom of the steps, watching.

_____________________

"What now?" Asked Shirl.

"Well, it's still early, so we could go and check out Kyle Pearson. If this address is correct he's in Newcastle, Friarswood Road."

"Know it well. Let's do a drive by."

The drive by was pretty uneventful and we decided to call in at Morrison's supermarket which was just around the corner from Kyle's house. After we'd bought some snacks we went and found a good parking space on Friarswood Road from which we could clearly see Kyle's place.

Shirl was fidgeting. "We don't even know if he's in there."

"Let's call the house number and find out."

So Shirl did just that. He did indeed answer the phone and despite his reservation, confirmed who he was. Shirl then asked if he had time to do a survey, at which point he told her to 'get lost' and put the phone down.

"Nice young man."

"I think he might be troubled. His mum is obviously worried about him. To be honest I'm surprised she isn't here already."

We sat watching the house for over an hour and I considered my original plan of just talking to him. Why didn't Shirl and I just walk across there and knock on the door? If he was the killer, the two of us should be safe together, shouldn't we? While debating this we tucked into our sandwiches. We'd just finished our brunch when the front door opened and Kyle Pearson emerged. I didn't know how Kyle Pearson usually left the house, but he was looking rough.

"One of us has to follow him," said Shirl.

"I'll go. You stay here and keep an eye on things."

"Do you want me to see if I can get in the house without breaking anything?"

"Tempting, but it's probably best not to."

"I hate it when you're right."

I got out of the car and walked down the street keeping Kyle in eye shot. It didn't take me long to figure out where he was going. He was going to the supermarket around the corner. I followed him inside and lost sight of him. I decided that the best thing I could do was hang around on the far side of the tills and wait for him to make his way out with his purchases. I spotted him about five minutes later. He was carrying a large bottle of vodka, and a couple of small items that I couldn't identify. He paid and I followed him back to the house, where I re-joined Shirl in the car. I told her what I saw.

"It sounds like he's going to drown his sorrows. What do you think they are?"

"What what are?"

"What his sorrows are? You said he's in a real mess. He had a thing for the Prof, but I don't see how that explains the state he's in."

"I think there's more to it than having a 'thing' for the Professor, I just don't know what it is yet."

"How long are we going to sit here?"

"With hindsight we've been stupid. We should have just gone and knocked on his door as soon as we got here. Instead, we've messed around and he'll soon be too inebriated to make sense of."

"That could work in our favour. If he's drunk he may not be as guarded as he would otherwise be."

"You might just have a point. Let's give him half an hour to get tipsy, then we'll go over."

Now, I was waiting for someone to get drunk enough to lower their inhibitions. How low was I going to stoop? So we sat there, and waited, and ate more snacks. We were just about to get out of the car when a woman turned up at Kyle's house and started banging on the door. She didn't get an answer so she looked in the window. Then she started banging on the door again. The woman was looking distressed. Could this be Kyle's mother? He wasn't answering the door, but we knew he was in there.

I started to feel concerned. Obviously Kyle may just not want to open the door to his mum, but what if he'd consumed a lot of the vodka? What if he was passed out somewhere? I felt the need to get involved, and not because of the investigation.

I looked over at Shirl. "I think we need to help that woman, don't you?"

"I was just thinking the same thing. Let's go."

We got out of the car and approached her.

"Hi, we couldn't help, but notice that you look worried. Is there a problem? Can we help?" I asked.

"I don't know what to do. My son's having a few emotional problems and has been drinking heavily. I rang him not too long ago, so I'm sure he's in there, but why won't he come to the door?"

"Do you think he may be in danger or hurt?" I asked.

"To be honest, yes, I do."

"Look for a spare key," I said.

So we started looking under the pots and stones that were in the small forecourt to the house.

"Eureka!" Shirl had found a key. Now we just had to see if it fit. She handed it to Kyle's mum, who inserted the key and gave a big sigh of relief as it turned and the door opened. We walked inside, our eyes adjusting to the relative darkness of the hall. Kyle's mum took the stairs to the bedrooms, and in moments we heard her calling his name. Not finding Kyle downstairs we rushed upstairs and found Kyle's mum holding him in her arms as he lay on his bed, barely conscious. I looked at the bottle of vodka next to him and noticed the packet of paracetamol on the floor. Most of the tablets were missing.

"Shirl, call an ambulance, quick. Tell them there's been a suicide attempt."

Shirl grabbed her phone and got dialling. I was pretty sure that the lack of consciousness was due to the vodka. When I was at university, a girl in my class had tried to overdose the same way as Kyle. The alcohol had affected her quickly, but the full effects of the paracetamol took a few days to show. Fortunately, she had survived, but it could have been very different.

"Kyle, stay with me, he's not worth this, please," pleaded his mum.

"Try and keep him as conscious as possible until the ambulance arrives," I said, digging deep into my memory of the first aid training I'd had years ago. I didn't think there was much else we could do for him right now. Kyle's mum kept talking to him.

"Kyle, I can't believe you've let yourself get into such a state? What would Adam think if he could see you like this, not that he deserved you? Do you think this is the kind of son he'd be proud of? Come on, show us that you're tough, you can get through this."

So, that was it. Kyle Pearson was Professor Gilmore's son. I wondered if the Professor knew. I detected some animosity in Mrs Pearson's voice. I had a feeling that the Professor had neglected his fatherly duties.

Kyle managed to stay just the right side of consciousness until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics checked Kyle's vital signs and once they were sure he was stable they loaded him on a stretcher. As they carried him down the stairs I handed Mrs Pearson a card with my name and contact details on.

"Please, take this. I'm Rosa Wild, and this is my friend Shirley. Would you like us to lock up the house for you?"

Just when I'd thought I couldn't stoop any lower. I wanted to look around Kyle's bedroom. This would be my only opportunity. So here I was exploiting a horrible situation for this poor woman in the hope that I might find something that would implicate her son in a murder. What kind of person was I turning into?

"Er, yes please, if that would be OK. Thank you," said Mrs Pearson, who was too distracted to pay too much attention to me.

Shirl and I soon found ourselves alone. She had overheard what I said to Mrs Pearson and was looking at me proudly.

"Well, this is an opportune moment. How long do you think it will take us to lock up?"

"It will take as long as it takes."

"Finally, you're getting into the spirit of this snooping thing. Right, where do we start?"

"Well, I don't think we should disturb anything. We can't be told off if we just happen to see something that's lying around can we?"

"OK, I'll have a mooch downstairs. Here are some gloves just in case."

I took the gloves from Shirl and put them on. Then, I had a good look around Kyle's bedroom. This wasn't the room of an average student. I'll admit that it was messy, but there weren't any posters of sexy people, pop groups or impressionist painters. Kyle's walls were full of book shelves, chemistry related pictures, chemical formulas and pictures of great scientists. This was the room of a keen academic. There was a TV in the corner and some DVDs that showed he had a lighter side, but that was about it. Next to his computer was a photograph of Professor Gilmore.

Just then something else caught my eye. I don't know how I hadn't noticed it before. On the front of a shelf of books was a letter addressed to 'Mum and Dad'. I had to assume that it could be a suicide note. What if Kyle was responsible for the murder of the Professor? It might be his guilt that had driven him to try to kill himself, not just grief. That would mean that the letter may contain a confession. Oh heck, how was I going to handle this? I heard Shirl coming up the stairs. She walked into the bedroom.

"Well, I can't see anything interesting downstairs. He's very tidy for a student."

"Look." I pointed to the envelope.

"It's a letter."

"Think about it."

It took her a few moments, but she got there.

"Oh, wow. What are we going to do with it? We can't risk it disappearing in case it's significant evidence."

"I know. I think we have to call Dexter. This is far too important to mess up."

"I think you're right. Rather you than me. When he finds out we had a suspect that we didn't tell him about, he's not going to be a happy chappy. You'd better lay on that charm of yours."

"Gee, thanks. Here goes."

I dialled Dexter's number and he answered immediately.

"Inspector, it's Rosa Wild. I have a bit of a predicament."

"You seem to be having a lot of those. Tell me."

"So I did. I told him about Kyle Pearson; how we came across him, what we found out about him and what had happened today. If he was annoyed with me he didn't show it.

"Is the envelope sealed?"

"I don't know, I haven't touched anything."

"Are you wearing gloves?"

"Yes."

"Then look at the letter. If it's unsealed, read it."

"Should we really be doing that? Is it procedure?"

"Miss Wild, no, none of this is procedure, but I'm not going to try to get a search warrant for that house if it's not necessary. I can do without the paperwork."

I picked up the letter and was relieved to see that Kyle had just tucked the lip into the envelope. I carefully extracted the letter and read it aloud.

"Dear Mum and Dad

I know you won't understand this, but I can't stand it any more. For years I wanted to meet my real father. I know he didn't want to meet me, but I hoped that if I could be an amazing student, he'd be really proud when he discovered who I was and embrace me as his son. Now, that will never happen, it was all for nothing. I've lost my purpose and I can't live with this big gaping hole inside. I love you both and you've been amazing.

Take care, love Kyle"

"That doesn't sound like a confession to me," said Dexter.

"No, it doesn't. I'll put the letter back where I found it."

"Good idea. I have to finish something here, then I'll head off to the hospital. It might be best to lock the house up and leave. Now."

"I get the hint. Let me know how he is will you? I guess I'll talk to you later. I'll prepare myself for another telling off."

"Yes, we'll talk later."

__________________________

As Shirl and I sat in the car debating what to do next, our mood was a sombre one. Seeing a young man in such a state was not nice.

"I'll give Mum a call and see if she wants a lift back to the house."

As it happened, my mum was having a lovely time with her friend Val and was going to be a good while yet. I asked if she'd heard from Dad, but she avoided the question. I spared her the details of the past hour. She promised to call me later.

Seeing as there was nothing else Shirl and I could do, we headed home. We were quiet on the journey, deep in our own thoughts. I don't know what was going on in Shirl's mind, but I was wondering how Kyle and his mum were getting on. Then my mind drifted back to the investigation. We had now pretty much exhausted all our leads and I had no idea what to do next. Actually, that wasn't strictly true. I had this horrible niggling feeling that I should look a bit closer at my place of work. I just hated the thought that any of this could have something to do with the people I worked alongside. They weren't just my colleagues; in most instances they were my friends.

We were back at the house in what seemed like record time. We walked into the kitchen and Shirl put the kettle on.

"I'll have tea, I feel like I need to be soothed," I said.

"Me too. I think we've got some shortbread somewhere."

So, with the tea and biscuits in front of us, Shirl and I discussed the case.

"Looks like we've reached a dead end," said Shirl.

"I'm not sure that's true. There's something I haven't told you. Do you remember that I went and talked to the Chemistry Department admin staff about who had access to the Professor's diary? Well, I can't help, but think that it wasn't just luck or a fluke that the killer found the Professor in his office on his first day back in over two weeks. My meeting with him was the only one that wasn't departmental. What I'm trying to say is that someone could have found out he was going to be there by looking at my diary."

"You think this might have something to do with someone at the library?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it might be possible."

"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to tell Dexter?"

"I'm not going to tell him straight away. I think I'll have a dig around myself first. Having said that, I haven't a clue where to start."

"All along you thought it was someone who knew you."

"I did, but I didn't particularly think it would be a friend, or at least I hoped it wouldn't be."

"You're looking as knackered as I feel. Why don't we relax for the afternoon. Let's take a little time out and try not to think about this for a while. I'm going to have a soak in the bath."

"Not a bad idea. I'm going to need a fresh mind to work out our next steps."

Shirl and I left our mugs on the table and made our way to our respective bedrooms.

______________________

Poor Jem and Scout, I was neglecting them. They rarely had a proper fight, but the circle of fur in the middle of the bedroom floor was a sign that they were getting restless and had taken their frustrations out on each other. Now, they were sitting on different sides of the room sulking. I resorted to getting out the cat snacks. I gave the packet a shake and they both came running over to me. Their differences were quickly forgotten as they snaffled up their favourite treats.

For the next half an hour I played with them. It was the perfect antidote to those unwanted thoughts about the murder and any link to the library. I continued pushing those thoughts out of my mind as I freshened up in the bathroom, slipped into my pyjamas and lay on the bed to relax. My mind refused to switch off and yet I was exhausted. I was getting tired of being tired all the time. I got up, went over to the sitting area and did some gentle yoga. I usually did yoga on a regular basis, but hadn't done any since before the attack. The concussion, smoke inhalation and stress of everything had really knocked me about. The yoga really helped; I felt calm yet energised. I resolved to get back into a routine with it. Afterwards, I decided to watch some TV. Jem joined me on the sofa and I soon got engrossed in some movie.

As the titles rolled I looked at the clock. It was six o'clock and I was ravenous. I gently encouraged Jem onto the floor and heaved myself off the sofa. I wondered over to the side of the bed, where I'd left my handbag. I took out my phone and checked for messages. Nothing.

I was thinking about Kyle Pearson and had hoped that Dexter might have dropped me a line to let me know how he was doing. I decided to call him. I was worried about that young man.

"Hello Inspector, it's Rosa Wild. Do you know how Kyle Pearson is?"

"He's fine. Well, to be honest they won't know the full effects of the drugs for a few days so they're keeping him in for observation. I've spoken to his mum and I'm talking to Kyle tomorrow."

"Well, it's good to know he's hanging in there."

"I have to go, but I'll talk to you more tomorrow."

"OK, bye."

So, Kyle wasn't out of the woods, but it was looking hopeful for him. Just because he didn't confess to the murder in his letter didn't mean he was innocent, but I didn't think he was the killer. Anyway, Dexter was on the case now and he would ask the right questions and check alibis.

I realised that I hadn't heard from Mum. I called her to check she was alright and to see if she wanted one of us to pick her up. Apparently, she was having a ball and was going to stay the night with her friend Val in Burslem. She still wouldn't talk about Dad.

For the first time in ages I felt at a loose end and didn't know what to do with myself. What would I be doing if I was at my own house? Well, I'd cook myself a nice meal, before maybe socialising with a friend or watching a movie. Well, I could do the cooking part, but I'd have to settle for doing some laundry later. Did I know how to have a good time, or what? Just then I heard the gate buzzer. Straight away I felt concerned. I knew it wasn't Dexter or Mum. I heard footsteps and there was a knock at my door. It was Shirl

"You have a visitor, but you can't come down looking like that. Spruce yourself up a bit," she said.

"Spruce myself up? What's going on?"

"You have a visitor and pyjamas might not be the best option, at least not to start with." She winked at me and disappeared.

A visitor. I suppose it could be Quinn, but I thought he was busy. I did as I was told. I freshened myself up, applied some quick, light make-up and got dressed. I went down stairs and walked into the kitchen. There was a note on the table that said 'Dining Room.' I turned round and walked down the hall. I opened the dining room door to find Quinn at a beautifully laid candlelit table, and bags of Thai food from my favourite take-away.

"Quinn, what are you doing here?"

"We have a date. Don't you remember?"

We both knew that this wasn't planned, but I didn't care. I walked over and took a seat opposite him. He opened a bottle of champagne and poured me a glass. I had to admit that it was lovely to see him.

"No wig tonight? I was kind of looking forward to the red head."

"Perhaps she'll put in an appearance later. Anyway, dish up, I'm starving and this looks fantastic. What are we celebrating?"

"Us?"

"I'll drink to that."

For the next half an hour we gorged ourselves on spare ribs, Thai curries, coconut rice, noodles and battered pineapple slices. I filled him in on the commandos experience and he laughed so hard that he almost choked on a piece of chicken. Apart from that we didn't discuss the investigation any further and we had what would constitute a nice normal evening. Quinn filled my glass for the third time

"You wouldn't be trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage me?"

"I don't think I need to get you drunk."

"You think I'm that much of a sure thing? Do you think you can buy me with champagne and Thai food?"

"Why not? It's worked before," he said, smiling.

For a moment I considered playing hard to get, but to be honest I wanted to be gotten. I didn't care about tomorrow. Tonight I wanted to drown myself in Daniel Quinn.

"Well, it's your lucky night. I don't have the energy or inclination to play hard to get."

"Why don't we take the rest of this champagne upstairs?"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day."

____________________

The rest of the champagne never got touched. Sometime later I was lying in a tangle of sheets with a gorgeous naked man. I felt better than I had done in ages. If I was a cat I'd be purring very loudly right now. I looked across at Quinn and he was smiling at me.

"What? I asked.

"I was just wondering when the red-head is coming out to play?"

Day 11

"Morning gorgeous!"

I opened one eye and looked at Quinn.

"Morning yourself. What time is it?"

"It's quarter past seven and I have to get going."

"That's right, seduce a girl, then leg it."

"I have an eight o'clock meeting and at this rate it looks like I'm going to be late. You're way too enticing."

"I'm sure they'll understand, if you just explain."

"Seeing as half the people I'm meeting this morning have a crush on you, I'm sure they would."

"Only half of them have a crush on me? I must be losing my touch."

"Not if last night was anything to go by."

I snuggled up to him and slid my hand down his body while simultaneously kissing along his shoulder and up to his neck. I felt him responding to me. Jem chose that exact moment to jump on us, and the mood was lost.

"Looks like someone doesn't like all the attention I'm getting. That'll be my cue to jump in the shower."

"Saved by the cat."

I watched Quinn get out of bed and walk naked towards the bathroom. I didn't think there was a better way to start the day. I contemplated jumping into the shower with him, but that really would make him late, so I left him to it.

I got out of bed, slipped on my pyjamas and went down stairs to make him a coffee. By the time he got to the office he'd have to go straight into his meeting and without a coffee he'd quickly get grumpy. Ten minutes later, Quinn walked into the kitchen looking his usual gorgeous self. I handed him his drink and gave him a chocolate chip muffin. He polished them both off in record time.

"When can we do this again?" he asked.

I so wanted to say 'come back tonight', but my reservations about our relationship were reappearing so I said, "I don't know. Soon, perhaps."

"What's going on with you Rosa?"

"Let's not get into this now, Quinn. Thank you for last night, it was wonderful and just what I needed."

"Glad to know that I could be of service," he said sourly, and walked out of the back door. It was a good job I'd already de-alarmed the house.

Despite the slight sourness of Quinn's departure, I was still basking in the afterglow of our night together when Shirl came into the kitchen.

"Look at you! It's not fair of you to sit there looking so smug and glowy."

"That wouldn't be the green-eyed monster talking would it?"

"Damn straight. It's been so long since I've done it, I think I've forgotten how."

"It's like riding a bike."

"Not the best analogy."

"OK, it's like falling off a log."

"If you're lucky," said Shirl. We started giggling. "Are you going to be wearing that silly smile all day?"

"Probably."

"A constant reminder of what I'm missing. Perhaps I should have another go at Inspector Broodypants."

"Why not?"

"I'll think about it. I think he might be a tough nut to crack. I need an easier conquest."

"Don't be too desperate and pick a jerk Shirl."

"I'm not looking for a knight, I'm looking for a night. If you get my drift?"

"Fine, you're a big girl."

"Only in all the right places," she said and we started giggling again.

_____________________

With a spring in my step, I had managed to shower, dress and sort a pile of laundry by the time Dexter arrived just after eight thirty.

"Don't you ever sleep Inspector?"

He sat down at the kitchen table and I placed his usual sweet black coffee in front of him.

"Sometimes it doesn't feel like I do."

"I appreciate the visit, but you really didn't have to go out of your way."

"It's no problem. I practically pass by here on my way to work. There's something different about you today, you look different somehow."

"Do I? Can't imagine why," I said.

"I thought we should have a catch up. You might like to know that we've been able to eliminate Dr Ellison from our enquiries. Thanks to your information I spoke to Dr Moran, who confessed that he had had a rendezvous with Dr Ellison at the time Professor Gilmore was killed. They were hoping that they wouldn't have to come clean, but if the case against Dr Ellison had gained momentum, Moran would have come forward. I've promised to keep his name out of things the best I can, but I couldn't guarantee anything."

"I suppose that's good news, but where does it leave the investigation? What did Kyle's mum say yesterday?"

"She appears to have an alibi for the time of the murder, which is in the process of being checked. I'll talk to Kyle today. From what his mother said, it's unlikely he's the culprit. Apparently, he idolised the Professor. His suicide note implied that he was simply grief stricken. However, it is possible that he revealed his real identity to the Professor and received a negative reaction. That would give him motive. Of course, he may have an alibi. Anyway, we should get to the bottom of things today. You've done well Miss Wild. Thanks to you we have been able to eliminate one suspect and find another."

"I'm happy to help, but you do realise that my motivation for doing all this was a selfish one. I want my life back. If nothing comes of the Kyle angle, where will the investigation go?"

"The investigation continues. It's far from over. Things may go quiet, but we keep digging. Maybe, I should ask you what your intuition is telling you?" If he was trying to hide the frustration from his voice, he was failing.

"Crikey, things must be bad. To be honest I'm not sure I can trust my intuition," I said, thinking about my suspicions regarding the library. "There's always the psychic option."

"There's never the psychic option."

Dexter smiled at me. Our eyes locked and we shared another 'moment'. The atmosphere was suddenly very heavy and intense. Dexter jumped to his feet.

"I'd better get going. I'll keep you posted on events."

"Thank you for coming. Hope something turns up soon."

"It will." He walked over to the back door and left.

What on earth was going on? I was such a slut! I've just had a wonderful night with Quinn and now I'm having another 'moment' with Dexter. What's wrong with me? He looks at me and I just get drawn into him. It's like he's cast a spell on me. Perhaps I can ask Dot to give me some kind of talisman that makes me impervious to his powers.

Shirl came into the kitchen. "So, what did old Broodypants have to say this morning?"

"Well, in a nutshell, Dr Ellison has been eliminated as a suspect and Kyle will be spoken to today. The investigation is going very slowly, but it's still going. Apparently, he appreciates the work we've done. That's it, really."

"So, what are we going to do today?"

"I have absolutely no idea. We are pretty much out of leads. I know I have suspicions regarding the library, but I have no idea where to start there."

"Well, why don't we just try to have a nice day? We could have a nice lunch somewhere, then go and see Aunty Dot."

"That sounds like a great idea. It's certainly better than staying here and doing some ironing."

"Well, it's still early, so why don't we do our own thing for a couple of hours? I need to do a few final tweaks to a painting."

"OK. Shall we meet down here about twelve o'clock?"

"It's a date," said Shirl and set off towards her studio.

I made myself a coffee and took it upstairs.

___________________

The first thing I did when I got to my room was phone Mum to see that she was alright. It seemed she was having a lovely time and had already arranged to meet another friend in town for lunch. She seemed to have lost all interest in being a Charlie's Angel. I don't suppose I could blame her. Let's face it, a night standing around in the cold and dark is enough to put anyone off. We agreed to meet at Dot's later.

I really hadn't planned to dwell on the murder investigation, but as I sat on the sofa in my room, drinking my coffee and enjoying the view, I found that I just couldn't help myself. How could someone at the library be responsible for the death of the Professor? I decided to review the facts.

So far, there was only Dr Ellison in the Chemistry Department who seemed to have a motive to kill the Professor and he had now been ruled out. The other obvious suspect, Laura Gilmore, hadn't been ruled out, but was looking unlikely. We could forget her altogether if I applied my belief that the killer knew me. The same applied to Kyle Pearson, but he still needed to be talked to and that would happen today. The girlfriend had an alibi too. The Professor's communications didn't show any disagreements with anyone else.

The timing of the killing still intrigued me. Why on that day, and at that time? I found it hard to believe that the killer just got lucky. And, the security cameras were all down; what were the odds? If I was right about the killer knowing me, then it had to be an inside Keele job. Dexter must know this and perhaps had avenues unknown to me that he was going down, but I couldn't think about that. I had to focus on my own thoughts.

One thing I knew about Keele was that people gossiped. Anyone in the Chemistry Department could have mentioned to a friend or family member that the Professor was returning to his office that day. However, if I took gossip out of the equation, I believed that the only non Chemistry Department diary to have an appointment with the Professor in it, was mine.

I only share an electronic diary with the rest of the Academic Services Team. I'm also a little traditional in that I also like to keep a paper version which sits on my desk. So only someone on my immediate team, or someone with access to my office would have seen my appointment with the Professor. Who do I know that could possibly have a motive for killing him? I sat for a moment thinking about it and came up with nothing. In fact, the more I thought about things, the more I was talking myself out of the library angle altogether. Perhaps I was clutching at straws.

_____________________

When I met Shirl in the kitchen at twelve I was all ready to go for lunch. She seemed to have abandoned her Charlie's Angels fantasies. Like me she was just wearing normal jeans and boots with a lightweight sweater. Her hair was down, but there were no giant flicks today. Unfortunately, I was still in my disguise. I would not miss wearing this awful wig.

"So, Rosa, where are you taking me for lunch?"

"How about The Crown?"

"Brilliant idea. I haven't been there for ages."

We grabbed our jackets and bags and set off. The Crown pub at Wrinehill was a lovely, old, atmospheric place that served delicious home cooked food. When we arrived the car park was already busy and I wondered if we'd get a table. However, we were lucky and managed to get one in an alcove next to the unlit fire place.

The menu, as usual, had a great choice of food. I decided on the 'Pork Medallions in a Mustard Sauce' and Shirl chose the 'Legendary Short Crust Pastry Beef Pie'. We had the obligatory small glass of wine each too.

"What's happened to your smile?"

"My smile? Oh, that smile. I didn't say anything before, but whilst Quinn and I had a lovely night together, it ended a bit sourly. He seemed to feel that I used him."

"Isn't that because you did?"

I looked at Shirl and sighed. She was right. "I didn't mean to. I know Quinn is gorgeous, kind and generally wonderful, but we've been down this road together so many times and we can't make it stick. I don't want to start things up again until I understand why we haven't been able to stay together, otherwise we'll probably just repeat the same pattern. Last night I really wanted him, and I didn't want to think beyond that point. This morning he wanted to know when we could get together again and I froze up."

"What are you going to do?"

"Perhaps Quinn and I need to sit down and really talk about things."

"You've never talked about things?"

"Not seriously. You know men. Trying to get them to sit down and talk about their feelings is akin to asking them to wax all their body hair. In fact, I think they'd rather do the waxing."

"Well, I think it's time the two of you talked."

"It is. When all this is over, we'll talk."

"That could be a long time."

"Let's hope not."

Just then our food arrived and we tucked in.

"Shall we have dessert?" asked Shirl ten minutes later.

"I'm tempted, but you know Dot will ply us with cake when we get to her place, so I think I'll wait."

"She might have cake, but will she have sugared waffles topped with hot toffee sauce and ice cream?" said Shirl, raising her eyebrows and smiling at me.

"Two desserts it is then," I said, will-power failing me, again.

______________________

Half an hour later we were en route to Dots house. A great meal, a glass of wine and good company had lifted our spirits. Shirl loved her show tunes so we were singing along to the sound track of Calamity Jane. We were half way through Doris Day's rendition of 'Secret Love' when we pulled up outside Dot's.

There was a painter and decorator's van outside my house again. I was tempted to go in and see what was going on, but I'd promised Quinn that I wouldn't and I was good to my word. Dot's door was ajar so we just walked in. The smell of pot filled the air and I could hear laughter. I knew that laugh; it was my mum. We walked into the sitting room to find Mum and Dot on the sofa hunched over Mum's iPad. Dot had the remnants of a spliff in her hand.

"Looks like the party started without us," said Shirl.

"Girls, you're here!" Mum jumped up and gave Shirl and me a hug.

"Yes, now you're here you can help find me a man. Me and your mum are looking at these online dating sites. There sure is a large selection of men on here. Perhaps we can get you girls fixed up too." Dot was in her element; it was like an all-you-can-eat buffet of men. Well, they could count me out. I really didn't need any more testosterone in my life.

Shirl squeezed herself onto the sofa. "Budge up, let me see."

I decided to make myself useful. "I'll go and put the kettle on. Does everyone want tea? Coffee?"

"Coffee for me, please," said Shirl.

"I'll have water," said Mum.

"I'll have a beer," said Dot.

I was in the kitchen for about ten minutes sorting drinks. When I returned to the sitting room, the other three were laughing hysterically at various men they had found.

"I think I want to find myself a Chinaman."

"I don't think you can say 'Chinaman' Dot, it's not polite; you have to say Chinese man," I said.

"I can't be doing with all that political correctness stuff. I'm not trying to be mean. It's just that I've never been with a Chinese man and I'm not getting any younger. I hear they're into kinky stuff."

"That's Japanese men," said Shirl.

"Really, you two, where do you get these ideas?"

"I hear things," said Dot.

"Oh, he looks nice." Mum pointed at a picture on the screen.

"Mum! You cannot be looking for yourself on there. What about Dad?!"

"Options Rosa. A woman has to have options."

I was going to be having a serious chat with my mother later. Things were getting out of hand. She needed to talk to my dad.

"This web site's good. Let's join. Do they do pages for people wanting threesomes?" Dot was like a child in a sweetie shop.

I suspected there would be sites in cyber space that would cater to every requirement, I just hoped Dot didn't find them. I loved Dot and her free spirit, but she was quite naïve in some ways. She could easily be taken advantage of on the internet and get into all sorts of trouble.

"I doubt it Dot."

"You'll have to ask Quinn to get me one of these pad things."

"You can come round to my place and use my computer any time you like." That way I could keep an eye on her.

"Peachy," she said.

"Cor, that man is fine. Come on Dot let's register. I want to meet this gorgeous hunk here. He's local too," said Shirl.

"Show me." They passed me the iPad. I was shown a picture of a rather handsome man with dark hair and amazing blue eyes.

"Nice, but he could be a psychopath."

"I like living on the edge," said Shirl.

Everyone except me registered themselves on this particular dating site. Mum, Dot and Shirl were smoking and getting pretty stoned. I settled for the secondary smoke and was feeling a little dizzy. I was more an alcohol girl.

We had fun for the next couple of hours finding a few suitable men for Dot and Shirl. I managed to put Mum off any potential suitors.

"Rosa, I think we should use you as bait."

I looked at Shirl, not sure what she meant. "Bait? Me? To attract men for you? You don't need me for that."

"Not to attract men; to catch the killer."

It was such a change of subject. The whole atmosphere in the room suddenly changed.

"Are you serious?"

"Why not? The investigation isn't going anywhere. You and the police are running out of leads. The killer wants to kill you, so why don't we flush them out by letting them think you're vulnerable."

I didn't answer straight away as I was letting this idea sink in. I had to admit that it had possibilities. We might have to wait a long time for a break-through in the case and I couldn't hide at Shirl's forever. This could escalate things, make something happen.

"That's not a bad idea Shirl. In fact, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it myself. Next time I see Dexter I'll talk to him about it. I can't imagine what he'll say."

"That Inspector Dexter is a bit of a dish. Is he married?" asked Dot.

"I have no idea. Would anyone like cake?" It seemed like a good idea to change the subject.

Three hands shot up.

________________________

Once enough men had been found to satisfy the high demands of Dot and Shirl, we put the TV on. A Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film was half way through, so we all sat there and allowed ourselves to be swept away by their glorious dance routines. Once the film had finished, the munchies took over and the Chinese take away menu came out. Dot thought it was the ideal way to get in the mood for all those Chinese men she was going to meet.

As usual too much food was ordered. There was prawn toast, spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, chilli beef, duck in hoisin sauce, Chicken Chow Mein and lots of fried rice. When we'd finished we all sat there feeling so fat that we couldn't move. Eventually, Mum got up from the table and started clearing things away.

"Do you want the left overs Dot?"

"Not me, but I bet the girls will take them."

"Yes please Dot. It looks like we're in for a great breakfast tomorrow Shirl."

Shirl and I were both fans of cold take away for breakfast.

"Excellent."

"That sounds disgusting," said Mum.

"Wait till you try it. We'll make you a convert."

"Actually girls, I think I'm going to ask you to get me home. I have a terrible bumping headache."

What a surprise. I can't imagine what might have caused that. "Mum you need to drink more water. I'll get you some."

I came back from the kitchen with a large jug of water and refilled everyone's glass. After the afternoon the girls had had, they'd need to drink plenty of water if they were to stand a chance of feeling alright tomorrow.

"It looks like I need to get Mum home Dot. Will you be OK?"

"Of course I will, stop fussing."

We all helped to finish clearing the table and washed the dishes. Then we bid Dot a goodnight and set off home. I had to drive, for obvious reasons, and within five minutes of being on the road Shirl and Mum were nodding off. When we arrived at the house I actually had to honk the car horn to get their attention.

I managed to get them both into the house, where they promptly announced that they were going to bed. They didn't care that it was only just after eight o'clock. I gave each of them a large glass of water and sent them on their way. That left me all alone.

As I stood in the kitchen, Morse and Lewis both arrived in quick succession through the cat flap. Judging by their vocal requests, they were hungry, so I found some food and dished it out to them. The lovely, gentle Bonnie was in her basket in the sun room. I asked her if she was hungry. She got up, but instead of going to her bowl, she went to the back door. Poor girl she was probably dying to relieve herself. I grabbed her lead and decided I'd just step outside the back door with her so she could go about her business.

Outside it was gloriously peaceful. There was a slight glow to the sky and an occasional bird flew overhead on route to its overnight pad. I took a deep breath and for a few moments I felt calm. Bonnie led me to a plant pot where she completely emptied her bladder. Then she pulled me in the direction of the field. She no doubt wanted to catch a few of those twilight bunnies. I persuaded her to come back to the kitchen with me. We were almost at the door when she stopped dead in her tracks. Her ears pricked and every muscle in her body seemed to tense. I don't know if it was in reaction to her or what, but the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Last time that happened it was a bad omen of things to come.

I didn't think anyone was out there, but I was sufficiently spooked to rush Bonnie into the house, where I locked the door, pulled down all the blinds at the kitchen and sun room windows, and made sure the alarm was set. Bonnie was visibly much more relaxed and after munching on a few snacks, she happily curled up in her basket. By the time I had made myself a mug of hot milk I had forgotten all about the strange incident outside. I turned off all the lights and went to my room.

It was still early and I wasn't all that sleepy. Instead of getting ready for bed I put on the TV and curled up on the sofa with Jem. Scout was asleep on the bed. As I flicked through the channels I came across the film Notting Hill. Sometimes a romantic comedy offered good, cheesy, clichéd escapism. It was just what I needed. It was only after the guy got the girl, and the end credits rolled that I switched the TV off and started getting ready for bed.

I did the bathroom thing and then slipped into my pyjamas. I was just about to get into bed when I realised I hadn't checked my mobile. I dug it out from the bottom of my bag and found I had one message from Dexter saying that Kyle Pearson was doing alright and he'd talk to me tomorrow. There were no messages from Quinn. I think I might have upset him a lot. We needed to have a good talk, but it would have to wait a while.

I climbed into bed and snuggled under the duvet. Scout was still snoozing and Jem hopped up to join us. I was soon fast asleep.

____________________

There was a noise in the distance. It was getting closer, louder. It was an alarm. I was wide awake in an instant. I heard my name being called and my bedroom door flew open. It was Shirl and Mum. Shirl was holding a shot gun.

"Rosa, get up! One of the motion sensors close to the house has been triggered. There's someone out there. They might even be getting in as we speak. Move! We need to get into the safe room, now!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I don't think I've ever moved so quickly in my life. The three of us rushed across the landing. Shirl had shown me the safe room and how to get inside, but Mum didn't have a clue so we just dragged her along with us. Shirl stopped in front of a bookcase and pulled it towards her. It was a hidden door to a small room. The three of us walked in. Shirl secured the door.

"The alarm is linked to a security service. I told them the current situation and gave them the details of who to contact should there be a break in. Someone should be on their way soon. We'll have to stay here until they arrive. Do you want to call Dexter?"

"It's the middle of the night and I don't want to disturb him. He'll find out about this soon enough. Besides, I don't have my phone."

"I have mine if we need it, and there's a backup phone in here somewhere."

"Are you OK Mum?"

Mum just nodded; she was very scared. The room was small, but we all managed to sit down on the hardwood floor. Cushions made it almost comfortable. I put my arm around Mum and Shirl held my hand. The room had a faint light and I could make out a shelf stacked with water, snacks and a bottle of brandy.

I looked at Shirl and the gun she had next to her. "Is that loaded?"

"Yes. Would you know how to use it?"

I shook my head, but I was pretty sure that if it came down to surviving or not, I'd figure out how to pull the trigger.

My mind went back to the conversation I'd had with Quinn a few days ago when I was complaining to him about how everyone around me thought the murder case was fun and exciting. Right now two people I cared about were experiencing the horrible side of this case and that made me sad and angry. None of us talked for what seemed like a long time. Eventually, we heard noises outside the room. Someone was on the landing. Shirl quietly got up from the floor and went over to the door. There was a well disguised peep hole and Shirl looked to see what was going on. I saw her visibly relax.

"It's the police."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, unless Broodypants is the killer."

"Dexter's here?"

"Yes."

Me and Mum got up off the floor.

"We'd better show ourselves Shirl so he can see we're OK."

She opened the special locks on the door and pushed it open. I think Dexter practically jumped out of his skin when the book shelf next to him started to move. He appeared visibly relieved when he saw us.

"Thank God! Are you all OK?"

"Yes, thanks," said Shirl.

"Is that some kind of panic room?"

"Yes. We had it installed a couple of years ago after a break in."

"Now you understand why I wanted to stay here," I said to him.

A uniformed police officer came across the landing and Dexter asked him to let everyone know that we had been found and were safe.

"I don't know about you ladies, but l could do with a drink."

We all traipsed down to the kitchen. There were police everywhere. We took up our usual places around the kitchen table. Dexter asked a police officer to boil the kettle and make some tea.

"Inspector, was this a false alarm?" I asked.

"We don't believe so. It's still dark out there, and even with all the security lights it's difficult to do a proper search, but we have found some footprints close to the kitchen window."

I suddenly felt the blood drain from my face. How close had the killer been to me last night? Were they watching me when I walked Bonnie outside? Had Bonnie sensed them? Were they looking in the kitchen at me? It didn't bear thinking about. This was seriously creepy and more than a little scary.

"Try not to worry. The house has been thoroughly searched and we are checking the grounds now. Several police officers will stay here for the rest of the night. If you don't want to stay here, we can move you."

I looked at Shirl. If she felt anything like me she had mixed feelings. Part of me wanted to stay and part of me wanted to get as far away from here as possible. Then the anger returned. I was getting sick of this. The killer, whoever they were, was not going to evict me from this house too. It seemed they were getting desperate. Perhaps Shirl's idea of using me as bait was looking better by the minute.

"I don't know about you Shirl, but I want to stay. You don't have to stay with me though. You and Mum can go somewhere else if you'd rather."

"If you are staying, I am staying," said Mum.

"Me too," said Shirl.

Dexter shook his head. "I don't know if I think you're all brave or stupid."

We all sat there quietly for a few moments nursing our mugs of tea. I looked around at Mum and Shirl. They looked like wrecks and I doubted I looked much better.

Dexter stood up. "I think you should all get to bed. You'll be safe for the rest of the night. I'll be back in a few hours with a forensic team to see if we can pick up any clues about your intruder."

We didn't need to be told twice. We got up from the table and started to make our way upstairs.

"Would you all like to stay with me in my room?" I asked.

"I think I would," said Mum.

"Me too. I'll take the sofa, it's really comfy," said Shirl.

So, the three of us went into my room. Mum and I shared the double bed and Shirl took the sofa. I know I didn't sleep very well that night, and I suspect the others didn't either.

Day 12

I awoke to find myself alone in my room. Mum and Shirl had probably retreated to their own rooms to get dressed. If they were anything like me, they would be feeling safer now that daylight had arrived. The events of a few hours ago already felt surreal and dreamlike.

Despite feeling exhausted I dragged myself out of bed. I was pretty sure that I had only snatched a few minutes of sleep here and there. I had spent a considerable amount of the night trying to figure out how the killer had found me. I came to the conclusion that they had either worked their way through my friends and family until they had gotten lucky, or they had seen me with Shirl and figured it out. Whatever the answer it brought me no closer to finding out who the killer was. However, I had thought of something that I hoped might give us some answers. I wanted to talk to Professor Gilmore's parents.

I still had an issue with the timing of the killing. Could it be significant that he was killed less than a year after his return to England? The only people I could think of that might know what had been going on in the Professor's life before he left England for Australia, would be his parents. The Professor was only seventeen years old when he emigrated. Is that too young to have a history? Anyway, I believed it was worth checking out. I had seen a phone number for his parents in the address book I had swiped from Laura's house. I would give it a try.

I had a quick shower, got dressed, fed the cats and went down to the kitchen. I was the first to arrive out of the three of us, but there was a police officer there. It was PC Ian Strong. He was the officer that had escorted me here a week ago when I left hospital after the arson attack. He had been extremely kind to me.

"Hello PC Strong, can I get you a drink?"

"A cup of tea would be great, thanks."

I filled the kettle and switched it on. I was pretty sure that Mum and Shirl would be in at any minute, and who knew how many police were around, so I got quite a few mugs out of the cupboard.

"How many colleagues do you have out there? I bet they'd all like a drink too."

"There are just two officers and me keeping an eye on things. DCI Dexter is outside with the forensic team."

I looked at the clock, it was almost eight o'clock.

"Does that man ever sleep?"

"I don't think he's a great sleeper."

"Do I detect a hint of American in his voice; Texan almost."

"Yes. I believe he was a Dallas cop originally."

"Really? So what brought him over here?" Curiosity was getting the better of me.

"You'd have to ask him that, Miss."

I got the impression that PC Strong knew Dexter's story and I admired him for his discretion. Dexter obviously inspired loyalty from his colleagues. I handed the officer his tea and just then Shirl walked in.

"Wow, what's with the new look?"

She was now less Farah Fawcett, more Annie Hall. She was wearing baggy beige trousers, with a man's large white shirt buttoned almost to the top. There was an unfastened black waist coat over the top. Shirl also looked terrible. I wasn't sure if that was due to the night we'd had or the after effects of her substance abuse yesterday. It was probably a combination of the two.

"I have to go and see a client this morning and they like the quirky artist look."

Mum arrived, still in her dressing gown. You'd have to know my mum well to see the signs of exhaustion. Despite the dressing gown, she looked well groomed, but she hadn't quite managed to disguise the dark circles lurking beneath her eyes.

I made each of them a hot drink and placed the mugs on the kitchen table. I rummaged in the cupboard for some food and found a loaf of bread that needed using up. I put butter, jams and marmalades on the table along with some plates and cutlery, and for the next ten minutes I manned the toaster. Mum and Shirl just sat at the table like zombies. I made myself two slices of toast and was just about to sit down when Dexter appeared.

"Morning Inspector, would you like some toast."

"Why not?"

I gave him the two pieces I'd made for myself and dropped a couple of new slices into the toaster. As he buttered his toast he seemed lighter somehow.

"You seem happier this morning Inspector."

"Well, the killer is getting desperate and he might make mistakes. He's already been kind enough to leave us some great footprints."

"He? You said 'he'."

"That's right. Based on a quick analysis of the footprints, we can confirm that whoever paid you a visit last night was a 'he'. We have to assume that it was the killer, but we cant be 100% sure."

"You don't really think that last night could have been a random burglary attempt do you?"

"It's unlikely, but not impossible."

"If it was the killer, that rules out Kyle Pearson; he's still in hospital. I wish we could find some rock solid evidence. Inspector, I really want this to be over. Shirl came up with an idea yesterday, and I think there's some merit to it. I think we should use me as bait. What happened last night proves that it would probably work. Let's face it, he's still keen to get rid of me."

Dexter looked at Shirl. I couldn't tell if it was a look of disappointment or respect. I don't think Shirl was sure either and chose not to meet his gaze.

"I understand why you think that might be a good idea, but I'm not sure I agree with you. Of course, we don't have to use you, we could use a decoy, but I'm not sure it's the right thing to do at the moment. The killer might back off now for a while."

"So, it wouldn't be entrapment then?" asked Shirl.

"Not in those circumstances, no."

"Well then, if it's allowed why not do it?" Shirl was clearly feeling more confident about her idea.

"I'll think about it. Meanwhile, I want you to think about leaving here. If you stay I want you to have protection."

"Really Inspector, that's not necessary. The security system here did its job and the intruder ran away. Like you said, I doubt he'll chance it again for a while. I'm sure we'll be fine. How do you feel about it Shirl?"

"No problem. I have my gun to snuggle up to at night."

"I take it you have the appropriate paperwork for that weapon Mrs Cooper?"

"I do Inspector. This weapon is legal and I know how to use it."

"And you keep it somewhere safe?"

"I do."

If you classify under the bed as safe. I don't normally like guns, but I had to confess that I found its presence comforting.

"Inspector, I don't understand why this person is after my Rosa. They must know that if she could identify them, she would have done it by now," said Mum.

"That would be the obvious conclusion Mrs Wild, but who am I to say what is going on in the mind of a criminal. There may be something we don't know about the time of the attack. Miss Wild's memory of the attack is sketchy. Right, I'm afraid I need to get going." Dexter got up from his seat.

"Inspector, before you go, I want to ask you about Professor Gilmore's parents. Did you speak to them personally?"

"I did."

"What did you ask them, or talk to them about."

"I asked them if they knew of anyone who might have a reason to kill their son. I asked if they knew of any disagreements or ongoing disputes. Despite their obvious distress they were very co-operative and said that they couldn't think of anything. They promised to let me know if that changed. I've spoken to them recently to discuss the progress of the case. They haven't had anything to add."

"Would you mind if I talked to them?"

"You think you can get something from them that I didn't?"

"Maybe."

"OK, give it a try, we have nothing to lose." He walked towards the back door.

"Inspector, please take your police officers with you, we'll be fine here."

He hesitated. I knew he didn't want to leave us here unprotected.

"I know better than to try and argue with you. Don't do anything stupid."

"Who me? I'll try not to."

His eyes glanced over at Shirl. He clearly thought she was a bad influence on me.

"PC Strong, it seems we're no longer needed here. Let's leave these ladies alone."

Just as they were leaving PC Strong turned to us.

"Miss Wild, I'd prefer to stay."

"I appreciate your concern, but I think we'll be fine."

"I hope you're right. Thanks for the tea and toast."

"You're welcome."

I walked him and Dexter to the door and saw them out.

The way Mum was looking at me I don't think she was agreeing with my point of view.

"Rosa, why don't you come home with me?"

"Are you going home?"

"I was thinking about it, but I'm not leaving you here with a crazy man trying to kill you."

"Mum, I'll feel happier if you are safe and reconciling with Dad. Have you spoken to him?"

"Not yet, but I was going to give him a call. I miss him more than I thought I would, but things have to change."

"Just talk to him."

"I'll go and call him now."

She got up from the table and left the room taking her tea with her. Hopefully, that was going to be one less thing on my mind. I looked at Shirl, she was still sitting slumped at the table.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Well, I'm not fine, but I will be. I haven't done wacky tobaccy since university days. I'm sure it didn't affect me like this before."

"I'm sure the lack of sleep won't be helping either. Do you have to meet your client today?"

"I do. I can't put him off again unless I want to lose the commission. In fact, I'd better get going," she said, looking at her watch.

She put her mug and plate in the dish washer and went upstairs. I hope she puts on a bit of concealer or she'll scare her client to death. I finished tidying the kitchen and returned to my room. I was feeling sorry for Jem and Scout. I might be living in a large suite of rooms, but it wasn't the same as being at home. As wonderful as Shirl's house was I was longing for my own place.

I checked my mobile and found a message from Quinn. There was no flirting. He was just checking in. If I didn't have bigger fish to fry I'd give him a call. I was eager to speak to Mr and Mrs Gilmore in Australia. I got the stolen address book from my bag and found the number I was looking for. I looked at the time; it was half past nine. How far ahead of us was Australia? Twelve hours? It would be getting a bit late out there, but I really didn't want to have to wait until tonight. I grabbed the phone and dialled the number. I don't know why, but my hand was shaking.

"Hello."

"Hello, is that Mrs Gilmore?"

"Yes, it is."

"I apologise for calling so late. My name is Rosa Wild, I'm calling from England. I was a colleague of your son's, Adam, and I just wanted to give you my sincere condolences."

"Why, thank you, that's very kind."

"How are you both?"

"We're doing OK. We're getting ourselves ready for the trip to England. We'll be attending the funeral. Will you be there?"

"Hopefully. Mrs Gilmore, I wasn't just a colleague of your son's; it was me that had a meeting scheduled with him at the time he was killed. I was attacked by the person who killed him, and that person is still trying to kill me."

"Good grief! We'd heard someone else was attacked. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, but I'm trying to help the police find the person that committed this awful crime. I was wondering if you'd mind answering a couple of questions? I don't want to cause you any distress so, if you'd prefer not to talk to me about any of this, I'll understand and leave you in peace."

"No dear, you ask away. If this will help to catch Adam's killer, I'll do anything I can."

"Thank you. Mrs Gilmore, I know the police have asked if you could think of anyone who would want to kill Adam, but can you cast your mind back to before you left England for Australia. Did Adam get into any trouble? Did he fall out with anyone, or did anything strange happen?"

"That was over twenty years ago, I can't think of........well.....no.."

"What is it Mrs Gilmore? Even if it seems insignificant, please tell me. You never know, it might help."

"Well, Adam was called Michael back then. He started using his middle name not long after we arrived here. I vaguely remember some funny business with a friend before we left, but I have no idea what it was. Adam and this boy were very close, they even had matching tattoos' done. It was a skull and crossbones one I think. Adam's father and I were furious."

Tattoo, tattoo........that alarm was going off again in my head. I remembered getting this same feeling in the Professor's office. Is the tattoo the key?

"I don't suppose you remember the name of the boy do you?"

"Hold on while I go and ask Harry." I assumed that was her husband. She was back quickly.

"My husband has an amazing memory. He said the boy's name was Todd."

"Are you sure?"

"I think so. My husband never forgets a name."

"Thank you Mrs Gilmore, you've been very helpful. I'm afraid I have to go now. Take care and I'll hopefully see you at the funeral." I disconnected.

Todd. I was feeling strange. I suddenly felt like was going to be sick. I rushed to the bathroom, but nothing happened. My concussion had left gaps in my memory; gaps that I didn't realise were there. I could now remember the moment when I walked in on Todd changing in the staff common room on the morning of the murder. I saw the tattoo. When I saw the same tattoo on Professor Gilmore's photos in his office, a bell was going off in my head, but I didn't know why until now. I got my phone and looked at the pictures I had taken of the Professor's photos. Sure enough, there was the tattoo.

Todd and Adam Gilmore had obviously been friends during their teenage years. Something must have happened that had left Todd full of hatred, and he had been waiting for the right moment to take his revenge. Adam Gilmore came back to England and effectively signed his own death warrant. This is what I had been dreading; finding out that the killer was a friend.

I paced up and down in my room. Before I told anyone about Todd I wanted to be in control of my emotions. I was feeling angry, and sad, but I was also excited that this was all finally going to be over. I sat down on the bed and tried to calm myself. I decided to shelve the sadness and focus on the anger. It was time for Todd to face the music.

I picked up the phone and dialled Dexter's number, but it went straight to answer phone. I left a message.

"Inspector, it's Rosa Wild. I know who did it. I know who killed Professor Gilmore. I want to tell you in person. Call me as soon as you can."

I dialled the station and was told that Dexter was in a meeting and would be a while. Damn. I decided to go to the station. I could surprise him with the news when he came out of his meeting.

Leaving the wig behind, I grabbed my jacket and shoulder bag and went to find Mum. I walked into her room and found that she was on the phone to Dad. I didn't want to disturb her, so I gave her a little wave and left the room before she had chance to do anything. Shirl was nowhere to be found. She had left me a note on the kitchen table:

'Didn't want to disturb your call to Oz. Back in a couple of hours. Stay safe.'

Right, I needed a car. I looked at the key rack. It looked like she had taken Simon's old Jaguar. She obviously wanted to impress her client. That left me with the Merc. I grabbed the keys, left the house and reset the security system. I climbed into the SUV, started the engine and set off. I drove through the automatically opened gates and turned onto the country lane that would take me to the main road into town.

I don't think I'd been on the road for even a minute when a silver car zoomed up to the back of me. The driver was flashing his lights and honking his horn. It never occurred to me that I was in any danger. As far as I was concerned the driver of this car seemed to be desperate to get my attention. Thinking that he might be in a rush to get past me I wound down my window and when we got to a safe place I slowed slightly and waved for him to pass. As the silver car drew alongside he ran me off the road.

If you've ever had an accident in a car you will know that a strange thing happens. In reality, everything must happen very quickly, but when you're in that car things seem to happen in slow motion, yet you are powerless to change anything. As my car left the road it seemed to take forever for it to stop rolling. It only did so when it landed against a tree. I was tossed around like a rag doll and I was slightly hit in the face by the exploding air bag. Apart from feeling slightly dazed I didn't seem to have hurt myself. The silence was deafening.

My car had rolled once down a shallow bank and landed on its wheels. I was trying to get my bearings. I heard someone approaching. Someone had stopped to help me. I looked across to see who it was. It was Todd. He looked quite relaxed and normal, but of course he didn't know that I knew his secret. 'Play it cool, perhaps I can blag my way out of this.' I said to myself.

"Todd! Thank goodness, can you help me out of the car?"

"Are you OK? Let me get the door."

I thought I'd surprise him with punch to the face, but I never did get the chance. The car door wouldn't open from the outside, so he leaned in through the window. I thought he was going to try to pull open the door, and I simply didn't notice that he had something in his hand until it was too late. I experienced a strange sensation. My whole body tingled; there was some pain and then I was lost to darkness.

I can't have been unconscious for very long because as I opened my eyes I was being carried away from my car towards another with the boot lid up. Was he going to put me in there?

"Todd, please, why are you doing this?"

No response, he just fixed his gaze on the open boot. He was a man on a definite mission. I felt a wave of panic flood through me. I didn't know what was wrong as I didn't seem able to move. Had he drugged me?

I was willing my arms and legs to move and slowly the feeling was returning, but it was too late. Before I was able to co-ordinate my limbs into any kind of movement, Todd had lain me down in his boot and tied my hands and feet together. Then, to my horror, he pulled a syringe out of his pocket, removed the cap and jabbed me with it. As the liquid was dispensed into my arm I felt the darkness closing in once again and then the World faded away altogether.

________________________

My eyes fluttered open and consciousness slowly returned. I lifted my head and tried to move, but couldn't. I was tied to a chair. Slowly, I tried to examine my surroundings. I had no idea where I was, only that I appeared to be in a dimly lit out building of some kind. Strangely, I wasn't as afraid as I should have been. My immediate feeling was one of intense relief. Why wasn't I dead already?

My memory of how I got to be here was clear. A car had forced me off the road and despite my best efforts I had been incapacitated, thrown into the boot of a car and injected with a substance that I had truly believed would take my life. Yet here I was.

I heard a sound come from a corner of the room. I wasn't alone. The relief of being alive was replaced in an instant by a fear that flashed through every cell in my body. I took a deep breath to try to calm myself.

"I know you're there, I can hear you," I said, sounding so much braver than I felt.

The room was suddenly flooded with light. A figure walked over and stood in front of me. I was looking into the eyes of a killer. This wasn't how I had planned our meeting. I had really hoped that when this moment came, there would be nice, big, metal bars between us, and such it might have been if I hadn't gotten careless. This person had been hunting me for almost two weeks, but I had tried to find them first. In a stupid and impulsive moment I had dropped my guard. A moment was all it had taken.

Was this how it was going to end? Was the killer going to claim his second victim? Would anyone find me in time?

I realised that I couldn't count on being rescued. This wasn't the time to be a wimp, I had to be brave and think on my feet if I was going to stand a chance of surviving this. I looked Todd straight in the eye.

"What did you do to me, I feel awful."

"A quick zap with a very powerful stun gun followed by a sedative jab. I had to find a way to immobilise you."

"I thought stun guns were illegal in this country." It really is quite strange how your brain works in scary situations.

"You'd be surprised what you can get on the internet. Besides, I've just killed a man, do you think I care what's legal or not?"

"Sorry, that was a stupid question, but my brain has just been fried with a stun gun!"

"Now, now Rosa, don't go getting all testy on me."

"Don't get testy! Are you kidding me?! Testy doesn't come close to how I'm feeling. You tried to kill me. Twice. You have driven me out of my home and away from my job. You almost killed my cats! Those are just the things you've done to me. You've done a lot worse to the Professor and his family."

My fear had given way to anger. If this man was going to kill me I was damn well going to have my say first.

"I can assure you that the 'Professor' got everything he deserved. I was supposed to have finished my business before you arrived on the scene. I had already killed him and was leaving when I saw this glass sculpture on his shelf. It was some kind of achievement award. It was a reminder that his life had been so successful whilst mine had been such a failure. I saw red. I picked it up and just started beating him with it. That's when you arrived. I am sorry you got caught up in all this. That was never part of my plan"

I winced at the brutality of the attack and was momentarily taken aback by his genuine sounding apology. Perhaps I could appeal to his conscience. Perhaps I could talk my way out of here. After all, he could have killed me while I was unconscious, but he didn't. If I could keep him talking I could buy myself some time. Was anyone coming to rescue me, or was I going to have to try and rescue myself? Then I remembered; the watch. I looked down at my wrist and realised that if I wriggled my wrists around, I should be able to flick the panic button.

"Do you think an apology makes it better Todd? Do you realise that I can't remember anything about the murder? I'm not even sure that there was anything to remember. I don't believe I saw anything at all. You didn't need to get rid of me."

I managed to flick the button on my watch. Now I just had to hope I hadn't pressed it too late.

"But you said my name. You walked into Gilmore's office and said my name. It was only a matter of time until you remembered."

"I said your name? I don't think so."

"Yes, you did."

Did I really say his name? That implies that I had recognised Todd. I closed my eyes and tried to relive those few moments in the Professor's office. My memory chose a convenient, moment to return. I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

"I remember walking into the office and it was quite dark. I saw someone on the floor and a shadowy figure leaning over that someone. I thought that Professor Gilmore had collapsed and someone was trying to help him. I turned to switch on the lights. As I turned I think I said something like: 'Oh, God, I'll get the lights and call for help."

Todd was looking at me like he'd seen a ghost.

"What?!" I asked.

"I thought you'd said 'Todd'"

Slowly the reality of what he was implying hit me. I just looked at him for a few moments allowing what he'd said to wash over me. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Are you telling me that all this has happened because you misheard me?"

"There's no way I was going back to jail. I'd rather die than go back. I couldn't risk you identifying me."

"The least you could do, before you bump me off, is tell me why you had to kill him. What did his success have to do with anything?"

"I'll tell you why I did it, but don't think you're buying yourself time. No-one is coming for you. I still have to kill you. You may not have known who killed Gilmore before, but you do now."

I so hoped he was wrong and that at any moment someone was going to swoop in and rescue me. Quinn, where are you?

"This all started twenty five years ago. As teenagers Gilmore and me were the best of friends. In those days he was called Mick. We didn't half get up to some mischief. We were like brothers. We swore an oath of allegiance to each other and had matching tattoos. That didn't go down well with the parents I can tell you." Todd was pacing up and down in front of me.

"One night Mick and me thought it would be a great idea to break into this old ladies house. It was a big old Victorian place and security was non-existent. We didn't want to steal anything, it was just for kicks. Once inside, Mick decided that we should give the old lady a bit of a fright so we went looking for her. I wanted to get out, but I let Mick persuade me to stay. She heard us and started shouting that she had called the police and that she had a gun. Anyway, we legged it." Todd's pacing was getting faster.

"As we bunked over the fence outside, I got stuck on the top. I couldn't free myself. We could hear the sirens approaching, but rather than try to help me, Mick just ran off and left me there. Moments later the police arrived and I was charged with breaking and entering. Not long afterwards I found out that the old lady had croaked it. She'd had a heart attack. I was sent down for four years for involuntary manslaughter. At no point did Mick come forward or even contact me. So much for an oath of allegiance. I kept my mouth shut. I could have taken him down with me, but I didn't." Todd's pacing was practically manic now and he was waving his arms around.

"Then I found out that he had gone to Australia and I knew he was never going to contact me or help me. My time in prison was awful. I was abused in every way imaginable. When I finally got out I tried to find Mick, but I couldn't track him down. By then he'd started using his middle name, Adam, but I didn't know that. I had planned to be a doctor. I'd been a good student, with good grades and I'd had the financial backing of my family. Anyway, prison changed all that. For years I wasn't able to hold down a job or a relationship and my family abandoned me. I spent quite some time living rough. By the time I started working at Keele I was turning my life around. Then one day I popped some post on your desk and I saw the entry in your diary. Something told me to check out the name and I saw it was him. I couldn't believe it. Everything came flooding back. Right there and then I started fantasizing about killing him. The next day I heard from a mate of mine in security that the cameras were going to be down. I felt like fate was on my side, just dropping the opportunity in my lap. That was it, I spotted my chance and took it. I hadn't counted on you though." He stopped pacing and looked at me.

The whole time Todd had been talking I was trying to casually take in the room I was in. It was obviously a garage; one of those tandem, double length ones. The car we'd arrived in was at the front end and we were at the back. There was a tiny window behind Todd and a door to my right. I couldn't figure out how I was going to get out of here. My hands might be tied to the chair, but my feet weren't. That could be a big mistake on Todd's part. I thought my only solution was to try to throw myself at him, but I could hurt myself too.

When you think about it, you learn all kinds of things at school, but why don't they teach you how to free yourself when tied to a chair? Today's lesson; 'how to escape a homicidal maniac.' That would have been so much more useful than most of the other things they had taught me.

Despite my wondering mind, I had managed to hear Todd's story and it was indeed a sad one. I couldn't help think, though, that there had been a choice. He could have taken a different path and let go of his resentment. Instead, he'd wallowed and stewed in the juices of his anger. My sympathy for what he'd gone through only went so far.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened to you in prison, but there were other options. You didn't need to kill him."

"We'll have to disagree on that."

"Was it you that broke into the Gilmore's house?"

"Yes, I wanted to make sure that there were no photos of me and Gilmore together. I didn't find anything. I was stupid to think he'd hang on to any of them."

"So, how do you plan on disposing of me? Although I'm kind of hoping you might change your mind. I thought we were friends Todd."

"Don't come the friend thing Rosa, I'm way past that. Despite what I did to Mick, I am not a heartless, brutal killer. If I was you'd be dead by now. The problem is that I actually care about you very much. In fact, I actually had a big crush on you once. I can't kill you to your face. I plan to leave you tied to that chair, start this car and leave you. This is an old car that kicks out a lot of nasties, so it shouldn't take long for you to succumb to the fumes."

It didn't seem I had anything to lose. I decided to use the truth against him. Well, sort of.

"You do realise that killing me will be like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?"

"What do you mean?"

"The cat is out of the bag Todd. I knew you were the killer. I found out about an hour ago. I spoke to Professor Gilmore's parents in Australia just before I left the house. I asked them to think back to the time before they left England. 'Did your son have any issues or arguments before he left for Australia' I asked them. They told me about a boy who had been best friends with 'Michael'. These friends had had matching tattoos done; skulls and cross bones on their upper arms. Then I remembered walking in on you that morning when you were changing. I saw your tattoo. I saw the same tattoo on photos' of the Professor in his office. I asked them if they could remember the name of the boy and they said 'Todd'. Everything fell into place. I called DCI Dexter. He was in a meeting, but I texted him with your name and said I'd be down at the station soon to tell him more information. I was on my way there when you ran me off the road."

"I don't believe you. I think you're bluffing."

"I've never been very good at poker Todd. Do you have my mobile phone?" I asked, hoping it had been left in the abandoned Merc.

"No."

"Well, that's a shame because I could have shown you the message I sent. Todd, it's over. Why don't we go to the police station together. You could hand yourself in. That would go in your favour, surely."

"That isn't an option. I will not go back to prison."

Todd stood for a moment, obviously trying to work out if I was telling the truth or not. He never took his eyes off me. He looked like a tormented man. For a moment his body language changed; he looked defeated. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. Then, his face hardened and his body stiffened. He had obviously resolved to do something and the fear that I'd managed to stifle, resurfaced with a vengeance. Todd walked over to me purposefully. I braced myself for some sort of physical attack. As he reached me he pulled out a knife.

"Todd, please don't."

"Calm down. I'm going to release you. I want you to leave."

"Leave? Just walk out of here?"

"Yes, don't look back. Just walk away."

Todd bent down and cut the twine that was tying my arms to the chair. I stood up and we were facing each other. As strange as it might sound, it felt very anti-climactic. I had been geared up to fight and now he was letting me go. For a moment I didn't do anything. Then a loud voice in my head told me to run. I dashed over to the door, turned the handle and gave it a good shove. It opened and I found myself out in the blazing sunshine. I heard the door slam shut behind me and moments later the car started. So, Todd was going to do a runner. I wasn't sure what to do. I waited, but the garage door never opened. Todd wasn't going anywhere after all.

His words reverberated in my mind, 'I can't go back to prison. I'd rather die'. Todd was going to give himself the very treatment he'd reserved for me. What do I do? I was beyond angry at Todd. He had done some horrendous things in the past couple of weeks, but I didn't actually believe he was an evil man at heart. He had been brutalised in prison and never recovered. If I saved his life, he'd go back there. For a few seconds I wondered if the best thing to do was let him succeed. I soon came to the conclusion that I couldn't let him do it. I turned and looked at the neighbouring houses. I was going to have to ask someone to call for help. I headed for the house adjoining Todd's.

Just then I heard sirens and saw police cars approaching. An unmarked vehicle pulled up next to me. It was Dexter. He got out of the car and rushed over.

"It was Todd, from the library. He's in there," I said, pointing at the garage. "I think he's trying to kill himself."

Other police cars had pulled up behind Dexter's. There were suddenly police everywhere. Dexter directed them to the garage.

"Are you alright Miss Wild? Are you hurt at all?" The concern on his face was genuine and touching.

"I'm fine, thank you. The only thing hurt is my pride." I was embarrassed about how stupid I'd been rushing out of Shirl's house the way I had.

As Dexter walked towards the garage an ambulance arrived. I guessed it had been requested for me, in case I'd been hurt. I heard a lot of noise and shouting. It seemed that the police were having to force their way into to the garage. I was aware of the sound of another car pulling up nearby.

"Rosa! Are you OK?"

It was Quinn. I was suddenly in Quinn's arms and he was squeezing me so hard I had trouble breathing.

"Quinn, I'm fine. Let me go, I can't breathe!"

"Sorry."

He released me from his vice like hug. He reached up and stroked my face.

"I've never been more pleased to see you."

Dexter approached us.

"Mr Quinn, I thought I told you not to come down here."

"You did Inspector."

The two men just looked at one another for a few moments. Any comments they were thinking of making to one another were pushed away as Todd was brought out of the garage by two police officers. Todd was conscious and lucid. Quinn started walking towards him. I'd never seen such anger and hatred in his eyes. Dexter and I grabbed him and held him back.

"Quinn, please, calm down. I need a moment with Todd."

I walked over to Todd, who stopped walking as I approached.

'You realise I couldn't let you do that,' I said.

'I understand. But you considered it?"

"Fleetingly."

"Thanks, I guess."

I stepped back and the police took him over to the ambulance to get checked out.

"What was that about?" asked Quinn.

"I'll explain later."

We stood for a few moments as the area was turned into a full crime scene and taped off. Neighbours were standing outside their houses. I guess it was better than TV. Then something occurred to me.

"How did you and the police find me? Was it the watch?"

"It was. I was in a meeting when my phone beeped. I left right away and saw your location on the tracker. I contacted Dexter immediately, and I guess he sent the cavalry. He told me not to come down here. I obeyed him for all of five minutes, but I couldn't sit around waiting for news. Looks like I saved your life. You owe me big time."

He was looking at me with a big, smug smile on his face. If Quinn thought he'd saved my life, I'd never hear the end of it. I wondered if I should actually tell him that his watch had more than likely saved Todd's life rather than mine, but I didn't have the heart. It would have to remain my little secret.

________________________

Despite feeling the effects of the car crash and strong sedatives, I opposed any suggestions that I should go the hospital and get checked out. I had spent way too much time there lately. Quinn agreed to take me straight home; well, to my temporary home anyway. As we neared Shirl's place, we reached the point where the Merc had been forced off the road. A police car was there, as was Shirl's Jaguar. We pulled over and got out of the car. Shirl saw us and came running over, tears streaming down her face.

"Rosa! I thought you were done for!"

I received my second, breath-stealing bear hug of the day. I explained to her what had happened.

"Crikey." Was all she had to say.

I walked over to the policeman at the scene. It was PC Ian Strong.

"Hello again PC Strong. I don't suppose there's a handbag in the wreck is there?"

"There is. I'll get it for you."

He retrieved it from the front of the vehicle and handed it to me.

"Nice to see you alive and well Miss Wild."

"Thank you. I should have listened to you this morning and kept the police protection."

"Perhaps, but all's well that ends well. It's over now."

He was right, it was finally over. I was gasping for a cup of tea.

Myself, Quinn and Shirl returned to our respective cars and drove the short distance back to the house. As soon as Mum saw the three of us she knew something was wrong. I let Quinn tell her what had happened. The colour drained from her face and she had to sit down. Quinn went to fetch her a brandy.

"Anyone else want one?"

Two more hands shot up. We sat around the kitchen table. Me, Shirl and Mum were nursing large brandies. Quinn had tea. We didn't talk for a few minutes. I think we were allowing the events of the morning to sink in and the brandy to take effect.

"It proves that my idea would have worked," said Shirl, eventually.

"What idea?" asked Quinn.

"Using Rosa as bait. Let's face it, she turned herself into a target as soon as she left here alone this morning. It wasn't intentional, but it flushed him out."

I could tell that Quinn wasn't very happy with her point of view, but he kept his opinions to himself.

"It's over, it's really over. You'll be able to have your house all to yourself again Shirl."

To be honest Shirl didn't look overjoyed at the prospect.

"I'm so pleased that this guy is caught and you don't have to be afraid any more, but I'll actually miss you. It's been fun having you here, in a strange, murderous kind of way."

"I'll miss you too. We'll have to see more of each other again like in the old days before...."

"Before Simon died?"

"Yes. When you're ready, perhaps Dot can help you to find a new man."

"Not sure about that, but she could certainly teach me a thing or two."

"I don't doubt it. Is anyone else hungry?" I asked. I was suddenly ravenous.

Mum was fine, she'd already eaten, but the rest of us had been a little too distracted to have lunch.

"Let me make you all some food," said Mum.

"As long as it involves cake of some kind," I said.

I think being run off the road, stun gunned, drugged, shoved in a boot and tied to a chair definitely called for cake.

___________________

By the time we'd eaten and cleared up it was only two o'clock. I felt like it should have been ten at night; it had been such a long day already. I asked Mum how her chat with Dad had gone.

"In all the excitement I forgot to tell you. I'm going home today on the four o'clock train. Your Dad apologised for having neglected me and promised not to do it again. He has also booked us on a luxury ship! Your Dad is so good to me."

"I'm pleased for you Mum. I'm sorry it's been so strange down here. We never got to do the usual mother daughter stuff."

"We didn't, but we did get to skate out a house together, almost get arrested and hide from a killer. And, I got to be a Charlie."

Quinn looked bemused.

"It will probably be very boring next time you visit, Mum."

"You will have to come up to us. All of you can come. We girls could be Charlies in Northumberland. They have murders up there too you know."

"No more murder for me, ever. The Charlies are going into retirement, aren't they Shirl?"

"I suppose so."

The house phone rang. It was Dexter.

"Hello Miss Wild. How are you feeling?"

"Well, I've had brandy and cake."

There was a pause on the end of the line.

"That's girl code for, 'I'm fine'."

"Good. We've processed Todd Jameson. He's made a full confession. We could do with your statement when you're ready. It doesn't have to be today. I can send someone to you or you can come here. We don't have brandy, but we do have cake."

"I'll try to get down later today. I'd like to get it over with."

"Thank you Miss Wild, much appreciated. See you then."

"What did Inspector Broodypants want?"

"He was chasing me up for my statement. Todd has made a full confession."

"I have to go to the railroad station in just over an hour, I must go and finish my packing," said Mum.

None of us had the inclination to correct my mum. "I can take you to the railroad station Annabella. Then I can drop you at the police station on the way Rosa," said Quinn.

"You are such a good boy, Quinn." Mum winked at me.

"Are you sure that's OK?" I asked him.

"Absolutely. Why don't you spend the night at my place so we can celebrate properly?"

Quinn never gave up. I had been resolved to talk to him about our relationship once all this murder business was over, so perhaps this was the perfect opportunity. I just wasn't sure I'd have the energy tonight.

"That sounds nice, but I'm not sure it's right to deprive Shirl of all her guests at the same time."

"Don't be daft. I have work to do here. Go and enjoy yourself."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"In that case I'll go and have a quick shower."

__________________

Up in my bathroom I looked longingly at the bath. What I'd really like to do right now is have a long soak with a large glass of wine and crawl into bed. Not that a lovely evening with Quinn was an unpleasant prospect. To be honest, the events of the morning were catching up with me. My head and body ached and I suspected I might have a touch of whiplash.

I shed my clothes and stepped into the shower. As the water ran over me I felt soothed. When I stepped out I was already feeling better. A weight had been lifted.

I did the best I could on the pamper front with what little time I had. That basically meant I did nothing more than moisturise from head to toe. I had only bought a couple of dresses with me to Shirl's so my options were limited, but I was happy with the short, red, figure hugging dress I chose. I added some stockings and black knee-high boots. I spent five minutes on my hair, but took a little extra time with my face. I was lucky that the air bag hadn't done any damage. The old bruises were now fading nicely and would probably be gone altogether in a couple of days. I applied my full make-up, including my red lipstick, and the girl looking back at me from the mirror looked very familiar. I was ready with ten minutes to spare. I fed Jem and Scout and told them that we'd be going home soon. I looked for my handbag, but it was already downstairs.

"Rosa, you look great," said Shirl as I entered the kitchen. Quinn just smiled.

We heard a banging noise coming down the stairs. Realising that it might be Mum struggling with her luggage, Quinn went to help. A few moments later he walked into the kitchen carrying Mum's suitcase and walked straight out to the car with it.

The three Charlie's Angels were alone in the kitchen. Mum thanked Shirl for everything, gave her a hug and followed Quinn out to the car.

"Thanks again for everything Shirl, you were my port in a storm."

"We agreed on your first day here that we were helping each other and that's what we did. You helped to bring me back into the World."

"With a bit of a bang. Are you sure you'll be OK tonight?"

"I'll be fine, now go. I'll see you tomorrow won't I?"

"You will. Will you be able to check on Jem and Scout for me? I've left a pile of food for them, so they should be alright."

"No problem. Now, go and have fun with that gorgeous man of yours."

We hugged and I joined Mum and Quinn at the car.

____________________

Quinn pulled up outside the police station. Mum got out of the car with me and we hugged goodbye. I was going to miss her, but at least I didn't have to worry about her and Dad any more. She got back in the car and Quinn whisked her away to get the four o'clock train to Alnwick. Hope my Dad had a big welcome planned for her. As far as Mum was concerned he had some making up to do. Quinn would be back in about half an hour or so, depending on the Stoke traffic.

I walked into the station and gave my name at the reception desk. I was asked to take a seat. The station was quiet. A few police came and went, but if the locals were misbehaving there was no sign of it here. After a few minutes an officer called my name and took me to a small room. I was offered a cup of tea, which I accepted. I then, slowly and meticulously, gave the police officer a full account of what happened to me that morning. I was occasionally interrupted with a question to clarify something, but it was otherwise pretty straight forward. I don't think I'd forgotten anything, but I promised to let the officer know if something else sprung to mind. Apparently, the statement would be typed up for me to check and sign. I would do that tomorrow. I was suddenly tired and didn't feel I could cope with hanging around the station any longer. As I walked out of the room Inspector Dexter was waiting for me.

"Inspector, I was hoping I might see you."

"Yes, I'm glad I caught you too. Come over to my office."

I followed him across what must be the incident room to a small office at the back.

"So, are you all done?" he asked, closing the door behind us.

"Almost. I'm afraid the events of today seem to be catching up with me. My body is protesting and I've gone really tired. I've promised to come back tomorrow and sign the statement. You know how to find me if you need anything else. I guess I'll be needed to give evidence in court."

"Possibly. We'll keep you posted about all that. Can I get you a drink?"

"Thank you, but I've already had one. I'd better get going, Quinn will be waiting for me."

"It's been quite a day for you hasn't it? You're looking remarkably good considering what you've been through."

"That's almost a compliment." Dexter just smiled. "I want to thank you for everything. I know I've tested your patience, but you've been very kind and very tolerant."

I held out my hand for him to shake, but when he took it there was no shaking involved. We just stood there with our eyes locked. There was a knock on the door and we jumped apart. The door opened.

"Oh, sorry sir, I didn't realise you had company," said one of Dexter's colleagues.

"It's all right, I was just leaving." I turned to Dexter and smiled. "Goodbye Inspector. Take care."

I walked out of his office, and out of the police station into glorious sunshine. I was actually relieved that my dealings with Dexter were pretty much over. I didn't like how he made me feel. A car horn peeping got my attention and I turned to see Quinn waiting for me. I walked over and climbed in next to him.

"Are you OK, you look tired."

"I'm fine, but I am tired and my body aches all over. I keep forgetting about the car accident. I was tossed around like a rag doll, and I got a bit of a smack in the face from the air bag."

"Perhaps we should take you to the hospital to get you checked. Don't forget you're recovering from a concussion."

"I'm sure I'm fine. I have you to keep an eye on me. Come on, let's get to your place."

_______________________

It took twenty minutes to get to Quinn's home in Alsager. I was always surprised by how much I liked his place. It was so different to mine in pretty much every way. Quinn liked minimalism and clean lines. His house was modelled in a Scandinavian fashion. His walls were white, his floors were oak, and his furniture retro. Guitars and motoring memorabilia hung on his walls, reflecting his love of cars, motorcycles and music.

We walked through the hall and into his living room. The back wall was all glass and had a wonderful view over The Meir, a small body of water in the centre of town. Quinn walked over to the log burner in the corner and lit it.

"I'll go and put the kettle on. If you're aching, perhaps a long soak in the bath would help."

"I think you might be right. Would that be OK?"

"No problem. I can bring you a cuppa, unless you'd prefer something stronger."

"A cup sweet tea would be perfect. I'll go and get the bath running. Hope you haven't used all my bath oil."

"I keep telling you I never touch the stuff. I have no idea where it goes." I knew he used it, but he seemed to think it an affront to his manhood to admit it.

His house was all on one level, but calling it a bungalow didn't seem right. I walked down the long hall to his bathroom. Quinn was more of a shower person, but had installed a nice big bath for me to use when I was here. It didn't take long to fill up. I had just sunk into the hot water when Quinn arrived with my tea.

"I could get used to this," I said.

"Really?"

He stood looking at me for a few moments. I swear I could hear the cogs in his brain working overtime, I just couldn't tell what they were thinking.

"Could you really get used to this Rosa? Do you think you could live here?"

"Where are you going with this Quinn?"

"We'll talk about it when you've had your bath."

He started walking out of the room.

"Talk about what?" I said, to his disappearing back.

I didn't get an answer as he'd closed the door behind him. Great, so much for a relaxing bath. You might think that it was obvious he was asking me to move in with him, but it can't have been that simple. We've been down that road before and never come to any agreement. I couldn't see what was different now.

For the sake of my body I lay in the bath for an hour hoping the heat would heal the aches, but my mind was far from relaxed. I finally got out and dried myself off. I opened a cupboard where I kept some things and slapped on some moisturiser. I brushed my hair and teeth. I went into the bedroom, opened my drawer and looked at one of the presents Quinn had bought me for Christmas. He had bought it for fun and I swore I'd never wear it. However, now seemed a good time as I needed something warm and snuggly.

I walked in the kitchen and got a big smile.

"You look so.......pink."

I was wearing a furry pink rabbit onesie. In general I wasn't a onesie fan, but somehow, this had felt like a onesie moment.

"MMmm, is that lasagne I can smell?"

"It'll be ready in ten minutes. Wine?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

I sat at the kitchen table and let Quinn pour me a drink. The lasagne was taken out of the oven and placed in front of me. Next came the salad. Quinn sat opposite me and we served ourselves some food. It was delicious. Quinn wasn't generally big on cooking, but lasagne was his signature dish. Dessert was Haagen Dazs Baileys ice cream. I helped Quinn clear everything away and we retired to the sitting room.

"So, are you going to tell me what you were on about in the bathroom earlier?"

Quinn looked a little nervous.

"In the last two weeks I thought I might have lost you, twice. That makes a guy think. I don't want to not have you in my life. We need to try harder to make things work. I think we should just go all the way, and make the big commitment now."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Just then there was a knock at the front door.

"Hold that thought, while I go and get rid of whoever that is."

Quinn got up and walked out into the hall. I could hear voices and Quinn still hadn't returned after a few minutes. I got up to see what was going on. I found a glamorous blonde woman standing at the door. Her and Quinn were having an intense conversation, but they stopped dead and looked at me when I appeared on the scene.

"Quinn, what's going on?"

He turned to the woman at the door. "You'd better come in."

She walked in and Quinn closed the door behind her.

"Rosa this is Natalie. Natalie, this is Rosa."

The woman and I didn't shake hands, we just sort of nodded to each other in acknowledgement.

"Natalie is someone I met when I was living out in America."

"Oh, come on Danny boy, you can do better than that. Are you going to tell her or am I?" Said Natalie.

Quinn took a deep breath and looked at me with sad resignation in his eyes.

"Rosa, this is Natalie Quinn, my wife."

To be continued...........Summer 2018
Acknowledgements

I have to thank a few people for their help in making this book remotely acceptable. Firstly, I must thank Philip Lee, a former homicide detective who now teaches at Staffordshire University. He helped to ensure that any of the police sections of my story were realistic. He was always happy to answer my sometimes stupid questions. If there are any errors of a policing nature I take full responsibility. I must also thank the real liaison librarian for natural sciences at Keele University, Julie Beard. Julie, helped me to make Rosa's job authentic. I had help too from Monica Heaney, an administrator in the chemistry department at Keele. She was able to help me add a few more realistic details to my story. I must also thank Debbie and Peter Knight for their support and help with editing, proof reading and general thoughts on the book. The same must go to my lovely neighbour Chris. Lastly, I must thank my home team, hubby Mart, Mum and Dad, and cats Tigger and Cordelia. They are my joy and inspiration daily.

A QUICK COMMENT ON THE LOCATIONS USED. Obviously, Wild Pursuit uses Keele University as a location for parts of the story. All of the places are real, but I have sometimes used creative licence to adapt those places in a way that suits the story. I have also created a couple of other places that don't actually exist.

ALL CHARACTERS IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE FICTITIOUS AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO REAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL

# There are a number of ways that you can contact me.

Email: contactannabeth@gmail.com

www.annabethnash.com

