Lewis had to be told. Maybe it wasn't too late and they could get the boxes back, check one, and make sure they went to the right recipients. At the very least, Lewis could be prepared for the chance that the gifts had gotten mixed up when Hathaway knocked the bows off.

"Erm, Sir? I need to make a confession. I seriously hope I haven't caused you a great deal of trouble."

Lewis frowned. "This is something bad, isn't it?"

Hathaway swallowed. "Yeah, I'm sorry to say it is, though I didn't realize it at first. I, erm . . . when I first came in this morning, I accidentally knocked the bag off your desk. And I peeked inside to make sure I hadn't broken anything. Which I hadn't. But unfortunately, what I had done was, erm . . . knock the bows off the boxes."

He could hear Lewis's sharp intake of breath, but he plunged on. "I thought they were the same 'cos the boxes were identical. So I just put any bow back on any box. I'm truly sorry, Sir, I meant to tell you but it slipped my mind when you started telling me about your garden."

Lewis was shaking his head. "Aw, no, no, no!" His panic was beginning to turn to anger. "They could be switched? You're gonna have to get those back. It better not be too late, Hathaway. Good God, if Innocent got the one with the heart, what will she think? And even if I explain it, what will she think when she sees the one she's getting instead? She'll know they're hardly equivalent." He glared at his sergeant. "Well? Get your skates on. You get that back from Innocent, now. And you better pray she hasn't opened it yet." He set his jaw. "I'll call Laura."

Hathaway scrambled up from his chair and flew out of the office. Lewis punched Laura's number into his phone. I can ask her to open hers. If it's the wrong one, I'll explain that I got her a much nicer one. And if it's the right one, I'll . . . He clicked off his mobile. And if it's the right one, I'll WHAT? He wasn't certain he was up to being present when she opened his gift to her. What if she was not of the same mind? But he had to do what he could to ensure Innocent didn't get the wrong box.

Resolutely, he called again and this time stuck with the call as it rang over to her voice mail. "Yeah, Laura, it's me. Please call me back as soon as you can. I need to know if you've opened your little present yet, I'm afraid there might be a problem with it. Bye."

He rang off and sighed. All he could do now was wait for James to come back.

Hathaway hustled down the corridor to the Chief Super's office. It was empty and dark, and the desk of her sergeant was also empty. Peering between the slats of the blinds, James could see the wrapped box on her desk. He tried the door, but it was locked. Resigned to being unable to do anything for now, he headed back to the office.

"Well?"

"She hasn't opened it yet. I could see it on her desk. But she's not there and it's all locked up. Did you talk to Doctor Hobson?"

"Nah, got her voice mail. Look, Sergeant. This is your mess, so you better keep working at resolving it. Find a way to get into Innocent's office."

"My mess?" What would have been so hard about having them wrapped in different paper?"

Lewis gave him a cold look. "They only had the one. Otherwise, it was birthday paper or wedding paper. I thought I had figured out a decent solution. Didn't count on your blundering about. If you'd said something right away, instead of hoping we wouldn't notice . . ."

"I wasn't hoping you wouldn't notice; it slipped my mind, as I said."

The inspector rolled his eyes. "Well, don't just sit here. Can't you use a credit card on the door or something? Bribe one of the cleaning staff? There must be some way an enterprising young man like yourself can get into her office."

Hathaway set his mouth firmly and exhaled through his nose. Then, without a word, he got up and left the office. Everything at the Chief Inspector's office was still dark. He fiddled with the doorknob, trying to see how much play was between the door and the jamb. He might be able to snag the catch with a credit card, come to that. He took one out of his wallet and fiddled with the knob of the door, trying to force as much space as possible between it and the jamb.

"Sorry, Sergeant, can I help you with something?"

He whirled to face the Chief Super's sergeant, Lisa McCafferty, eyeing him suspiciously. He quickly palmed the credit card.

"Oh, hi, Lisa. I was just, erm . . . wondering if the Chief Super was gone for the day. I need to see her about something."

"She had a meeting in Milton Keynes this afternoon, and I don't think she planned to return after that. Will it wait until morning?"

"Erm, is there any way you can unlock this door?"

She scowled at that. "Not without her permission."

"Okay, well . . . I guess I can see her in the morning." Hathaway wandered off, trying to look nonchalant, and hoping to avoid any questions.

He went and had a cigarette, taking his time and deciding what to tell Lewis. He'd wait until most people had gone home, and then try forcing the door. If it didn't work, he'd be sure to return early in the morning and meet the Chief Super before she got in. Then he could simply explain that there was a mix-up and rescue the present from her office.

Lewis wasn't happy with his lack of progress, but Hathaway had him fairly convinced there would be success if he could work the lock without interruption. But later that evening, Hathaway found his reassurances were baseless. The lock simply would not budge. Damn. She must have used the deadbolt.

As he planned, Hathaway returned very early the next morning. Innocent's sergeant was not yet at her desk, and the Chief Super's office was still dark. Hathaway peeked in to reassure himself that the object of his quest was still there. He felt his stomach make a sickening lurch: the present was gone.

"Sergeant? Are you looking for me?"

Hathaway whipped his head around at the familiar voice. "Yes, Ma'am, I am." No way around it; he was going to have to make a full explanation with apology.

She studied him curiously as she unlocked and opened the office door. "I thought as much. Sergeant McCafferty telephoned me last night to say you'd been around late in the day. What do you need?"

He took a deep breath. "I'll be frank, Ma'am. I need to see the present Inspector Lewis gave you yesterday. It was on your desk last night. Did you open it?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, I did. I stopped here after my meeting and took it home, though; it isn't here."

"Then I must ask you: what does it look like?"

She continued to eye him suspiciously. "Why is that of interest to you, Sergeant?"

Hathaway avoided her direct gaze. "Inspector Lewis thinks there's a chance he got them mixed up and that you may have received the one intended for Doctor Hobson and vice-versa."

Understanding washed over her face. "Ah. Why are you the one pursuing this?"

He pulled a face. "I was the one who might have gotten them switched, purely by accident, I might add. I was supposed to get it back from you before you opened it, but . . . Well, he won't be happy that I didn't get to it in time."

"Well, now. Can you describe the one Doctor Hobson was to receive?"

"I'd, erm, rather not."

"Then why don't we go see Lewis together and you can explain to him your lack of progress so far?"

James scowled. She had him where she wanted him. "The one for Hobson was a gold heart with a diamond."

He glanced up to check her reaction. Her surprise was genuine. She didn't get that one. "You got the one with the flower, then, Ma'am?" The relief in his voice was evident.

She was thinking, calculating. "Yes, a rather lovely enameled violet. But wouldn't that have been interesting had they been switched." A crooked smile slowly spread across her face. A wicked smile.

"It hardly seems fair that he would make you go through the pains of trying to retrieve them when it's his fault the one he bought Hobson makes such a statement."

"That's what I thought, Ma'am."

"We could have some fun with this, James, don't you think?"

His eyes widened. "Ma'am, one thing I do not want to do is find out what happens when Inspector Lewis gets really angry."

"Does he know you're here already this morning?"

"No, I came straightaway to your office, haven't been to mine yet."

Her grin was complete. "Good. You can keep clear of his wrath, don't worry. You might want to position yourself someplace you won't be seen, but where you can hear what happens."

"Knock, knock."

"Oh, Ma'am, come in." Lewis's welcoming smile caught and faded as he realized he did not yet know whether Hathaway had been successful in getting back the present.

She came into the office and closed the door almost all the way. "Robbie, I wanted to thank you for that very lovely necklace." Her voice was low, throaty, and she stood very close to him. "I didn't think I should wear it at the office, though; my sergeant would be bound to notice and might start asking awkward questions about where I got it. I mean, a heart and a diamond can only mean one thing."

She continued as he closed his eyes, steeling himself. "I'm sorry I wasn't aware how you felt. But now that I know . . ." She reached out a hand toward his head, and ran her fingers through his hair. He flinched. She smiled. She'd been wanting to do that for some time now.

"Erm, Ma'am, I . . . I have to tell you, I didn't mean anything by it." His dry throat made his voice crack.

"Oh, really? What did you expect me to think, then? Something like that I'd have to hide from Mister Innocent, of course. No question what he would think it meant. Maybe you should explain your intentions to me, Robbie."

He inhaled and held the breath a few seconds. "I didn't intend anything, Ma'am. Not toward you, at least. I meant to give the heart necklace to Laur—Doctor Hobson. She must have gotten the one I meant for you, which is much more appropriate for a woman who is both married and my boss." He swallowed. "I had them identified so I knew which was which but then Sergeant Hathaway got them switched and didn't bother to tell me until after I handed them out. He was supposed to try to get them sorted last night but . . ."

He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Ma'am, I hate to do this, but I need to ask for it back. It's entirely inappropriate for me to give you anything like that, and I really wanted to give it to Doctor Hobson. I'll get yours back from her and I assure you, it will be something you don't have to hide from your husband. I'm truly sorry about the mix-up."

Innocent had to admit to herself that she was enjoying Lewis's utterly submissive and apologetic demeanor, and she decided to test how genuine it was.

"Isn't this Hathaway's fault, in part? I mean, you said he got them switched."

"Well, it would have helped if he'd said something sooner, but it was an accident as far as I can tell. I should have kept them in a safer place. I mean, anyone could have seen the bag was from the jeweler's and taken them, even."

He looked so abject, she couldn't maintain the charade any longer.

"Oh, Robbie! I have to admit that you did give me the one with the violet on it. I only wanted to see how you'd react if I'd received the other." She patted his arm, chuckling at his puzzled expression. "But it does make one wonder: why hasn't Hobson rung you to thank you for the heart yet?"

She smiled brightly as his expression darkened. "Well, Inspector, I must be getting to my work. And so should you. Happily, everything worked out the way you wanted." Then she cocked her head and shook it a little. "Or, nearly the way you wanted. I'm sorry if Laura's not as impressed with your present as I would have been, had I received it."

And out she went.

Lewis frowned deeply at the telephone, thinking. Why hasn't she called? She hadn't responded to his message yesterday, either. He began to entertain serious doubts about the wisdom of his choice.

When Hathaway found him, he was staring glumly at his desk. "Sir? I'm sorry I had to explain to the guv what happened with the presents. It was her idea to torture you with her little act." When his comment drew no response, his concern grew. "Sir? Is something wrong? They got the correct necklaces after all, didn't they?"

Lewis sighed. "Well, Jean did. I'm thinking I shouldn't have acted so boldly toward Laura. She's put up a wall of silence." He lapsed into a fitful moodiness, staring at the phone, then the desk, then the wall, then the phone again.

"You tried her mobile?"

"Yes, her home, her lab, her mobile. She's not answering my calls, that's all there is to it."

"Let me try, alright?"

Lewis waved his hands in helpless acceptance.

Hathaway rang the lab. When Hobson didn't answer immediately, he tried the general lab number.

"Hi, I was trying to reach Doctor Hobson, is she in? . . . I see, thank you."

He rang off. "She went home yesterday, feeling ill. She probably hasn't even opened it yet."

"Ill? Is it serious?"

"I didn't get the details. Why don't you go over to her house? See if she needs some nursing?"

Lewis blushed. "I'll go after work if I haven't heard from her by then."

Which he did, having not heard from her by five o'clock. He hoped he wasn't disturbing her by ringing the bell, but soon found he was not. She answered fairly quickly. But she looked as though, indeed, she had been ill. She was in her pyjamas and dressing gown, and she looked pale.

He immediately was worried about her. "Aw, Laura, your lab said you weren't feeling well. Am I imposing on you?"

"No, Robbie, come in. I won't be the best hostess, though. I'm feeling better now but still not one hundred percent."

"What happened?"

"'Flu or something like that. Nausea, fever, headache, everything at once. Ugh, I feel as though I've been down a week."

"This isn't from working too hard in the heat in me garden?"

She smiled, winningly. "No, I'm certain of that. I felt fine Sunday night."

Lewis sat when she sat and took a deep breath, preparing to change gears. "Erm, Laura, did you open the thank-you present I gave you?"

She looked blank a moment. "Ohh. No, I forgot about it. Sorry, that's not very polite, is it?"

He smiled, thoroughly relieved. "'S'okay. You haven't been well. You don't have to be polite. Is it here?"

She thought a moment. "Yes, it is." She got up and found her work bag by the door. She rummaged in it a bit and her hand came out with his gift, green bow still intact. "Ta-dah!" She studied him. "Would you like me to open it now?"

"Yeah, I think so." He was visibly nervous.

She removed the paper and opened the box. Her eyes widened when she saw what it contained. "Robbie, this . . ." She couldn't continue.

He spoke quickly. "I know it seems a bit like an engagement ring or something. I don't mean it like that. But your friendship is golden and shines like a diamond to me. And the heart . . ."

She flashed a hopeful look at him.

"Well, the heart is . . . because I love you." He smiled, a bit self-deprecating, letting her know that he meant their friendship had deepened into love.

"I love you, too, Robbie." She reached her arms around him, and they stood that way for a long, long time.