Author's note: all usual disclaimers apply.


"Where's the body?" she snapped into her phone. Detective Sergeant Havers hated being called out before dawn, and it was even worse now with the glacial cold snap that had seized Britain. It was only late October, and they should be drifting slowly into winter.

"There isn't one, Barbara. Just a puddle of blood and a knife with some flesh around the hilt," Stuart Lafferty said with a tad too much glee.

He had her attention. Barbara sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. "Drag marks?"

"None. No drip marks either."

"Have you rung the DI?" Barbara pulled back the curtain and wiped the condensation to create a peephole. Already a light dusting of white was forming on the trees. It was going to be frosty.

"He's on his way."

"Without me?" Barbara's first reaction was not anger but hurt. Had he got used to being without her so easily?

"He said he'd look first then call you. You have been off sick for two weeks with pneumonia. It's bloody freezing here."

"So why'd you ring me?"

"I knew you wouldn't want to miss out." He told her where the blood had been found and who was missing.

"This could be the case of the century!" She was already pulling off her pyjamas ready for a quick shower. "Will I get past security?"

"I'll make sure of it."

Her second call, almost an hour later, was from her boss. She was tempted to answer with 'decided to call me have you?' But there was no point in fighting if they had a case. She did not want him finding an excuse not to use her. "Morning, Sir."

"Ah, good morning Barbara. How are you?" Tommy Lynley sounded tired, but there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Not bad for half past four on a Monday morning."

"Yes, well there may have been a murder, Barbara. I know you don't start back officially for four hours, but I need you here. How quickly can you get to 10 Downing Street?"

"About...now."

Tommy turned around and frowned. His huge smile was probably inappropriate for the circumstances, but it clearly said that he had missed her. They both shoved their phones into their pockets and walked towards each other. For a moment, Barbara thought he was tempted to pick her up and spin her around. Instead, he stared at her as she stared at him. "I've missed you."

"You could have visited. I didn't have the plague."

"I... I didn't want to... disturb you."

"Hmph!" She pushed past him into the house then pulled a pair of rubber gloves from her bag. "How does someone kill and remove the PM's wife without anyone noticing?"

"It looks as though they by-passed the CCTV feeds. The cameras showed the room was empty. It was in the private rooms, so there are security guards on the doors leading to the suite and cameras in the major areas, but even the PM and his wife are entitled to some domestic privacy."

"Where the PM?"

"Returning from Scotland. He went yesterday morning."

"When was she last seen?"

"About nine o'clock last night. She had spoken to her security man before she retired."

"So no chance the PM did it then?"

Tommy glared at her. "No!"

"Don't sound so horrified. Just 'cause he's a Tory, it doesn't mean he's incapable of murder. You know very well the first suspects are always family."

"It has nothing to do with his politics. Stephen was devoted to Karen."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Friends of yours I take it."

"Acquaintances," he admitted reluctantly, "Stephen was a few years above me at Eton. I see him at functions occasionally."

"Jolly good."

"Barbara, please! A woman might have been murdered."

They examined the scene together, making notes of their observations and questions. Assistant Commissioner Hillier had arrived and was debating jurisdiction with an MI5 man who seemed even more bloated with self-importance than their boss. Eventually, Hillier reassured them that they would receive the full co-operation and assistance of the domestic security agency and if necessary, MI6.

When Hillier left the room, Barbara turned to her boss. "We might get to meet Bond, James Bond," she said imitating the latest Bond's voice with uncanny accuracy.

"Havers!"

"Sorry but it's going to be a long day. I need any snatches of humour I can get." He smiled sympathetically until she added, "and what beats a suave and sexy man with a licence to thrill?"

"Kill. Licence to kill."

"I'd prefer he thrilled me."

"Barbara!"

She smirked at him. "Sorry. It's been a long, boring couple of weeks at home... alone. Should we interview the staff?"

"You do it with Winston. I'll check the latest from Stuart then review the security tapes and liaise with the other agencies."

Barbara rolled her eyes, but not so he could see. "Don't forget if you see James..."

Tommy visibly bristled. "All their agents are probably short and balding," he muttered just loudly enough for her to hear before he left the room in search of Hillier.


Six hours laters they had completed all they could do on the site. The staff had been co-operative, but no one had seen anything that might help the investigation. All the security footage appeared normal and confirmed the interviews. Tommy sent the hard drives away for analysis, but they both doubted anyone had tampered with them. "We should go back and analyse everything," Tommy suggested.

"Right. I caught a cab. Can you give me a lift?"

"Of course," he replied as they walked to his car. "I've missed you, Barbara. I'm sorry I didn't call, but I thought... well, you know."

"No, I don't know. Did you think you'd catch it down the phone line?"

"No, I needed time to think. Something's been bothering me."

Barbara wondered briefly what had been on his mind, but she was still too angry with him to want to fall straight back into the role of his confidante. If he could not find five minutes in two weeks to check on her, then he could wait. They had to solve their case. "Me too."

"It has?" Tommy looked across and actually smiled. It was out of context and vaguely creepy. Barbara turned away and looked out the passenger window.

"The pool of blood isn't right," she said sharply, hoping to refocus him.

Tommy frowned at her and looked disappointed. "Why?"

"The shape was too perfect. Blood doesn't usually pool on the carpet so neatly."

"Hmm, I thought that too."

"And there's no spray, no splatter, no odd drops indicating where the body might have been moved."

"So, you're thinking?"

"There isn't a body, but someone wants us to think there is."

"Staged? By Karen? By kidnappers?"

"I had pneumonia, not a sudden attack of clairvoyance!"

Tommy grinned at her. "I really did miss you."

"I could tell by all your phone calls and flowers."

"I'll make it up to you, once this is all over. I promise."

"It was just that before I got sick, we seemed to be spending all our time together, then nothing. I was bored."

"I didn't mean it to be like that. We need to talk about this more, but not with this case. Afterwards."

Barbara grunted. He would forget, and she would forgive him. It was their pattern.


Mid-afternoon, Stuart rang to confirm the blood was human and the same blood type as the Prime Minister's wife. "They are rushing a DNA test through to see if it is her blood," he told Barbara, "but I'd be surprised if it weren't."

"Was the blood loss enough to kill her?"

"Hard to say. It depends on where the wound was. So, possibly but not necessarily."

"That narrows it down."

"I'll call you back once we have the DNA results. Lynley was happy to have you back."

"Yeah, well he could have visited or called."

"Don't be like that, Barbara."

"Like what? You rang, Winston came over. His Lordship couldn't even spare me five minutes."

"Ah well, the course of true love as they say."

Before Barbara could reply, Stuart was gone, and she was listening to the vacant beeps of a dead line. "Men!"

"In general, or any in particular?"

"Hi, Winston. That was Stuart."

"That's one man. Who else makes it men?"

"You, if you're not careful. What do you want anyway?"

Winston had a smug smirk on his face. Barbara knew he was enjoying teasing her. "The one who puts the e in men wants you in his office."

"Why does everyone assume everything is about Lynley?"

Winston's face became serious. "Because for you, it always is."

Feeling far too much colour creeping into her face, she stomped through the squad room to Lynley's office. She slammed the door closed and marched up to his desk. "You want me?"

Tommy gave her the strangest look. "Yes, I do."

"Stuart confirmed the blood is human and matches the reference blood type. They're checking DNA now."

"Good."

"Maybe not for the victim."

Tommy glared at her. She knew when to back off. She waited for him to speak. "The PM is back. We should go over and interview him."

"How hard do we push?"

"We assume nothing. We know he physically could not have been involved, but the possibility that he organised it cannot be ruled out."

"Even if he did go to Eton."

"Barbara! Enough. If all you can contribute is a smart mouth, then maybe you need more time off."

"If you don't want me around anymore, just say so."

Tommy stood and walked around the desk and stood directly in front of her. "Don't please, Barbara."

She refused to be intimidated and looked him straight in the eye. "I can't help it. I was hurt when you didn't try to contact me."

"Do you want to know why I couldn't come over?" he asked angrily, "because I would have done this." Tommy grabbed her arms then bent down and kissed her. At first, his lips were hard and forceful; then they softened as they gently caressed hers. Briefly, she kissed him back until she remembered her place and pulled away.

Barbara stood stunned. Her mind ricocheted in a thousand directions. Tommy had just bulldozed through a barrier that she had fought hard to maintain. Now she had nowhere to run. She had returned his kiss. He knew how she felt. Colour flushed her cheeks. "How could you do that?" she asked angrily before storming from the room.