Disclaimed: The carachtersthat you know from previous Elizabeth George novells are hers thoes who are new are mine! simpel! )

Chapter 1

Sixteen months. Sixteen awful months has passed since that dreadful day in January. That day when Helen died, the woman she had come to consider one of her closest, if not only, female friends.

As if the whether Gods had sensed her mood the rain was pouring down outside Scotland Yard's library windows, where she was currently hiding from Hillier.

Whenever she had to collect her thoughts or cool her heels she would come her, light a fag (ignoring the no smoking sings) and think, this was one of those times. She sat there with her back against an old bookcase, having a slightly-to-long-for-the-shelf book nagging in her back, looking out over the London skyline. The reason that had brought her up here was her resent promotion to Detective Inspector and the case that came with the promotion. Sure she had handled and lead more difficult cases than this one, sure this was going to be nothing but routine, but… but the location… that was what she feared. This case would bring her to Cornwall, and to the village were her former superior, Superintendent Lynley, had his residence.

Winston Nkata had seen Barbara Havers disappear up the lift and he had guessed to where she was heading, now he was searching the aisles of the library looking for her. He looked over the top of some books and saw the top of her head mixing with the smoke from her cigarette. He rounded the bookcase and sat on the floor next to her,

"You know, one of these days you'll toast you brain whit one of those," he said pointing at her fag.

She answered: "I'll take that risk".

They sat shoulder to shoulder for a while staring out over the city, watching the small dots of policemen and office staff walking out of the buildings on Broadway to buy lunch.

"It's the case, isn't it? Brings you a little to close to the super?" Nkata watched her face with interest, searching her eyes for an answer he already knew. She looked away, trying to hide the emotions shown on her face, determined to not drop her façade.

"Don't lie to yourself, Barb, out of all people you could lie to you shouldn't lie to yourself"

This time she answered him, "wise as always Winnie", she turned to face him before continuing, "it's silly, I know the man had just lost his wife for Gods sake, but it all comes back to the fact that he never told me, and in my mind I haven't yet forgiven him, I felt…" her voice faltered, searching for a word to name her feelings "… betrayed" she finished looking away whispering something that was lost among the thick volumes of the library.
Nkata stood and offered his hand to Havers and heaved her up on her feet.

The May sun was warming his face as he walked along the cost line, he had never felt this free before. He let out a deep breath, and stopped to look out over the water. Slowly he sat, still gazing at the far away horizon, contemplating. This last sixteen months hadn't been so hard as he had first thought, sure, his heart still ached for Helen and their unborn child but he had finally found some kind peace knowing he would have to go on, knowing Helen would have wanted him to.

Though he had wowed he would leave his old life in the police force behind when he left the Scotland Yard he had shortly after returning home joined the local police as a DI. He had been there for almost one year, noting significant had happened, a few murders but never anything he hadn't dealt with at the Yard, not until now. A woman had been found murdered nearly a month a go, washed up on the beach in Mounts Bay, the COD was drowning but the woman's identity still remained a mystery. And because of that the Superintendent had decided to call in The Met. He had done some snooping around and had found out whom the Met had sent, Barbara Havers, now a DI and Winston Nkata, he was not sure if it was Webberly's way of messing with him or if it was just one hell of a coincident.

So now he was here, sitting on a limestone cliff staring out into the setting sun trying to figure out his feelings for Barbara Havers. He had always considered her one of his closest friends and confidants but he hadn't spoken to her for sixteen months, he hadn't told her he was leaving… she was sure to feel betrayed and angry, with all right. And to make it all better, while he had been here in Cornwall with all it's laziness he had painted a mental picture of Havers, portrayed her as a heroin, and he had come to like that Havers a lot, love even if you could love a person you hadn't seen for so long.

Ok, so I took a shot and posted the first chapter, though I'm not completly satisfied with it I could use some feedback!

Thanx for reading!