Sorry about the delay. I sprained my wrist when I fell off my bicycle in an ill-fated attempt to get fitter in 2017.


Kissing Tommy was one thing, sleeping with him was something entirely different. Barbara had thought it was a wonderful idea until she realised she had to undress. To go to her room would break the mood. To go to his would mean stripping in front of him. An acid taste rose in her throat.

"Tommy, maybe this is not such a good idea."

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I won't hurt you. I'd never hurt you."

"I know. It's just that..." She took a deep breath. "My pyjamas are in the other room."

Tommy laughed softly. "I'll wait for you in my room."

"You don't mind?"

"No, why would I?"

"I thought..."

"I just want to have you with me. Besides, if you weren't in pyjamas I might be tempted to kiss you all over and…" Tommy paused then coughed. "Right now, we need to sleep and solve this case."

Tommy was lying in bed when she wandered in and even though they had progressed well past being work partners, it felt strange to be sharing his bed. He dimmed the light then pulled back the cover. She was glad he was also in his pyjamas, but from the folds down the front, she could tell they were a fresh pair. "Do you usually wear pyjamas?"

"Sometimes. You?"

"Always."

"I think I'll change that habit after this case."

"Oh!" Barbara gasped as a thrill ran down her spine.

Tommy grinned at her. It was slightly wicked, yet it relaxed her. He held out his hand. "Are you going to stand there all night?"

She climbed carefully in his bed. It was soft and smelt of Tommy and a hint of citrus. He turned off the light. They hesitated before his arms found her and pulled her into his side. He murmured contentedly. Barbara let out a long slow breath then cuddled into him. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"Inviting me to stay with you."

Tommy kissed her lovingly. "I was selfish. I knew it would let me sleep easier and hoped you'd feel the same."

Barbara yawned. Her eyes were so heavy she could not keep them open. "Mmm, I do."


Six hours of dreamless sleep were priceless. Barbara woke refreshed and still lying in Tommy's arms, although they seemed to have swapped sides. She could not even remember that. "Morning."

"I love you, Barbara."

"Oh. I love you too," she replied quickly thinking it must be what you said first thing in the morning.

"Sleep well?"

"Brilliantly. I must have been tired. You?"

"Best sleep I've had in years." His hands gently caressed her back. "If it weren't for this case I'd make love to you like no man ever has before."

"You're pretty safe there."

Tommy looked shocked. "You mean?"

"No. Once. It was painful and lasted about two minutes. I'm expecting more from you."

He smiled at her, then kissed her very slowly. "I can guarantee that. Coffee?"

After showers and a quick breakfast, they strolled back to the command tents. Winston and David were busy updating their boards and cross-checking information with Stuart and Laura.

"Good morning," Tommy greeted them. "Any updates?"

Stuart looked up and smiled at them. Barbara blushed even though nothing had happened the night before. "You two look remarkably well rested."

"We both slept very soundly," Tommy replied smoothly, completely ignoring the innuendo. "Have we found Spendling yet?"

"No, Sir, but we have Higgins in the other tent waiting."

"Good. Any forensic updates?"

Laura moved in front of the board and began pointing. "We've identified all the bodies. Nothing unexpected. The cause of death for everyone appears to be the blast which has been pinpointed the two photocopying rooms. The gas line ran around here, which goes directly through one of them and if there were a leak, deliberate or accidental, then it would have magnified the effect. The experts think that's why the building came down so quickly."

Barbara wandered over. "Any idea if it was deliberate?"

"With the damage, we may never know." Laura looked over at Tommy. "There's not much more I can do here."

Stuart stepped forward and winked at her. "We know where to find you, Laura."

"Yes, well I probably should look in on Robbie and James. If they've remembered anything else, I'll call you."

Tommy walked Laura to her car. Barbara punched Stuart in the arm. "Leave her alone. I think she and Robbie are sweet together. They've waited long enough from what I hear."

"Says a woman who's in the same boat." Barbara grunted and began to turn away. "Seriously, I'm happy for you and Lynley," Stuart continued. "You make him a far more tolerable person."

"Stuart! You're talking about the man I..." Barbara stopped herself and looked around. David and Winston were busy by the computers.

"Love. You can say it, Barbara. Everyone's known for years."

Barbara felt her neck and face begin to burn. "They haven't? Have they?"

"I did. Winston did. It's only you two who took so long to work it out. You're good for him. I can already see the difference. And I hate to say it, but he'll make you happy."

Barbara felt her face get redder. "He does."

"He had a reputation amongst the ladies for being hot in bed. I'm glad you're finally getting some of that."

"Stuart!" Barbara wished the earth would open and swallow her. "We haven't. Not yet. Not until the case is over."

Stuart laughed. "Ah, what a man in love won't do! That must be killing him. Good old Tommy. He must be in love. Well, of course he is, who wouldn't be with you. I'm going back to the lab. Call me if you need me."

"Sure. And thanks, Stuart."

"For what?"

"Understanding."

Stuart gave her a quick hug. "I expect an invitation to the wedding. See you later."

"What were you and Stuart laughing about?"

Barbara jumped and spun around to face Tommy. "How long were you standing there?"

Tommy looked confused. "About five seconds."

"Sorry. I'm... just not used to people thinking of us as a couple."

"Much as I want to spend all my time thinking about that, at the moment we have an interview to do, Inspector." Tommy put his hand on the small of her back and steered her towards the entrance.

"Sorry."

Tommy rubbed her back. "I'll never be sorry that you love me."

Jackson Higgins was a slight man who looked crushed by the weight of loss. "Mr Higgins?" Tommy asked, "thank you for coming down. I'm Detective Superintendent Lynley, and this is Detective Inspector Havers. Your call to your sister was one of the last ones in or out or the station before the blast. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your sister and that call."

Higgins slumped into the chair Tommy offered him. "I still can't believe it. And they won't let me see her. Why won't they let me see her?"

Barbara looked at Tommy, who nodded. "Many of the bodies are not ready for viewing. The doctors are still doing tests." Now was not the time to tell him that her body was one of those blown apart by the blast.

Higgins nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"What did your sister do at the station?"

"Donna looked after the office side of things. Filing, managing the computers and photocopiers, record retrieval, that kind of stuff."

"She was there late. Was that normal?"

"Yeah, there were two of them doing her job. Donna preferred the afternoon shift. She started at one o'clock and finished at ten each night."

"Can you tell us what your call was about?"

"She was coming up home this weekend. I called her to say I'd drive down and collect her."

Barbara made notes. "Is that something you normally do?"

"No. She'd been having some trouble see. She was worried about coming alone."

Barbara and Tommy exchanged looks. "What sort of trouble?" Tommy asked.

"With a bloke. Donna was attractive see. Lots of men chased her since she was in school. But this bloke scared her."

Barbara turned the page. "In what way?"

"She said he was nice to her but that he was possessive and bossy. She only went out with him once, but he seemed to think she was his girlfriend. Started making plans for their wedding and where their children would go to school. Donna was a bit freaked out."

"I can imagine," Tommy said sympathetically. "Did she tell you his name?"

"Simon, I think. She referred to him as Si."

"How did she know Cy? Do you know where they met?"

"In the office. He worked there. Copper I think. Sorry, police officer I think."

Tommy could not remember any officers by that name. "Did she say anything else about him?"

"No, just that he was intense and that scared her. He was a bit of a fitness fanatic."

Tommy frowned. "And it was definitely Cy that she feared? Not Peter?"

"No, definitely Si. She had a friend called Peter. She liked him. I think she was a bit sweet on him actually. Si used to pick on him apparently, because of his disability."

"Disability?"

"Something to do with his leg or it might have been his arm. I didn't really pay much attention."

Tommy and Barbara exchanged a quick glance. "How did he pick on him?" Tommy continued.

"Called him names. Threatened to rough him up to teach him to be a man. That sort of thing."

"Charming," Barbara said. "Did Donna ever say how Peter reacted?"

"Only that at first he'd just taken it, but one day he bit back. Told Jones he'd regret threatening him. I think he warned him off Donna too. She was proud of Peter, but I don't believe the copper was happy. Threatened to have his mother arrested for drug possession."

Tommy frowned. "Drugs?"

"Donna said Peter was getting marijuana for his mother's pain. I think she's got cancer or something."

Barbara tapped her pen on the top of her notebook. "Did she mention anything about either of them in your call?"

"Yeah, Peter. She was having trouble with one of the photocopiers. She was disappointed that he'd have to go there in the morning when she was off. He usually serviced the machines in the afternoons."

"How often?"

"Once a week I think. Might have been Thursdays. She didn't like me calling her on Thursdays."

Tommy looked at Barbara. She shook her head. She had no more questions. "Thank you, Mr Higgins, you have been most helpful. Will you be staying in Oxford long?"

Higgins looked angry. "Is that like saying don't leave town? I didn't do this! I'd never hurt my sister."

Tommy raised his hand. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that, and you are under no obligation to stay. I was merely seeing if you were going to be here in case we had any further questions."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm just... Once I see Donna, I'm going up to see our parents. They're pretty upset."

"Of course. We have your number. Thanks again for coming down."

Barbara made sure someone looked after Higgins then walked with Tommy back to the command tent. "What do think?" he asked her.

"He didn't do it."

"Agreed. He was never a strong suspect, but we had to be thorough. Do you remember a Simon?"

They were almost at the boards. "No, we can ask David."

"Ask me what? Good morning Sir, Ma'am."

Barbara gave the eager-to-please young officer a generous smile. She hated being called ma'am, but there were no real options. She could hardly ask him to call her boss when Lynley was in charge. "Were any of the officers named Simon or Cy?"

"Yes, ma'am. Jones. They called him Cy. I thought it was his nickname, but it seems his middle name was Cyrus. Evan Cyrus Jones."

"Really?" Tommy perched on the edge of the desk and stared at the boards.

"Yes, Sir. I have his records here."

Barbara smiled at David. "He believes you. He's just thinking."

"Oh, I see."

"David, did he ever talk about Donna Higgins?"

"Yes, Sir. Constantly. I think they were to be married in the spring."

Barbara and Tommy looked at each other. Barbara knew he was thinking the same thing. "Did you ever see them together?"

"No, only at a distance. I don't think she wanted their relationship too public. She used to try and avoid him at work."

"Do you think maybe Jones' attentions were unwanted?"

"But he said... I just assumed."

"If you want to be a good detective you have to always look beyond the obvious."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry." David looked crestfallen. His hero had found him wanting.

Barbara smiled at him. "Don't let the Superintendent intimidate you. He doesn't mean to sound so rude, do you?"

Tommy looked up. "No, I should apologise, David. You're doing an excellent job. I'm just trying to piece this together. Higgins told us that his sister felt threatened by Jones' advances. He scared her. She was sweet on Spendling, and Jones resented that and picked on him. When Peter bit back, Jones threatened to have his mother arrested for possessing marijuana, which she uses for pain relief. So, does that give either of them a motive? I had Spendling as our man. Now, I'm not sure."

"Do you want me to do more background checks on Jones, Sir?"

"Yes. Where's Winston?"

"Interviewing people spotted on CCTV, Sir."

"Good. The DI and I will go and pay another visit to Spendling's mother."

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh, and David, we know you know who we are. You don't have to call us Sir or Ma'am after every sentence."

"No, Sir…" David replied. He looked across and shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry."

Barbara smiled, and Tommy laughed. "Why don't you come with us?"

David's eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. "Thank you, S... I'll wait by your car."

Barbara watched a red-faced David hurry away then looked across at Tommy and nodded. "You're a softy underneath, aren't you?"

"Just practising for when we have children." Barbara stood still as Tommy walked towards the tent entrance.

Barbara stood still as Tommy walked towards the tent entrance.