incoherent but comprehensible as Delaney reached
towards his plastered arm once more.
Quigley pleaded with his eyes as Delaney's mobile
phone rang. He grabbed it out of his jacket pocket
and flipped it open.
'Delaney.'
'Jack, it's Diane.'
'I'm at the South Hampstead, interviewing
someone.'
'It'll have to wait. I heard about Norrell and I'm
sorry, but something's come up.'
'What?'
'We've got a dead body in the woods, South
Hampstead Common. A young female.'
'We know who she is?'
'Not a damn thing. Uniform are securing the site,
but given the weather we want it processed as soon
as possible. Paddington Green should be handling it
but they've got some big anti-terrorist initiative tying
up their manpower.'
'Lucky us.'
Delaney looked across at the rain-speckled
window and through it at the grey clouds overhead.
'Give me the details.' Delaney listened for a moment
or two then closed his phone. He put his mobile back
in his pocket and gestured to Sally. 'We're out of
here.'
The sigh of relief from Quigley was audible.
Delaney turned back to him. 'I'll talk to you later.
Meanwhile, you better pray Norrell makes it.
Because if he doesn't I'm going to come back here
and finish the job he started. And I'm a professional.'
Quigley glared at his back as they left his field of
vision then closed his eyes nervously, snaked a
tongue around his dry lips and swallowed with
evident pain.
Kate Walker flicked the end of her long, multi-coloured
scarf over one shoulder and walked
quickly across the quadrangle and around the
corner, passing the main entrance to the South
Hampstead Hospital as she started for the car park.
Her head was down and although the rain, for the
moment at least, had stopped, the north-east wind
still had a chill edge to it. She fumbled in her pocket
for her keys when a voice called out to her.
'Kate.'
She looked round, her heart thudding in her chest,
to see Paul Archer.
He smiled at her, his voice friendly. 'Kate, what are
you doing here? Were you looking for me?'
Kate couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, she
leaned back against her car, fighting to control the
panic.
Archer smiled at her. 'Is everything all right?'
She found her voice. 'Get away from me.'
Archer looked puzzled. 'What are you talking
about?'
'I know what you did. So just stay away from me.'
'I've got no idea what you're talking about. I
haven't done anything.'
'Last night . . .'
'Last night was your idea. You invited me back to
your place, remember.'
Kate shook her head angrily. 'You're not going to
get away with this.'
'Get away with what? I didn't do anything.'
'You're lying.'
'Nothing happened, Kate. We both got drunk, you
suggested I stay over. We slept together, but nothing
happened, if that's what you're worried about.'
Kate desperately wanted to believe him, but knew
that something was wrong, something was definitely
wrong. She knew her own body, didn't she? 'Then
why can't I remember?'
Archer smiled at her, genuinely amused. 'You were
absolutely paralytic, Kate. It's not unusual.'
Kate stepped closer to him, she wanted to knock
the arrogant smirk off his cocky face. She wanted to
hurt him, really hurt him. 'You're not going to get
away with it, you sick pervert!' Archer grabbed both
of her arms and she struggled furiously but his grip
was like a vice. She looked up at him with livid eyes,
her face contorted in fury. 'Let me go now, or I swear
you will regret it!'
He pushed her away, the thin veneer of urbanity
stripped from his face now as he sneered, 'What
makes you think I'd want something like you?'
Kate slapped him hard across his face and went to
slap him again but he caught her hand. 'Let go of my
hand!' she yelled at him, red-faced with fury.
'You heard the lady.'
Archer released his grip on her and turned round to
see a man looking at him impassively, scant inches
away, a young woman standing behind him. The
man was easily Archer's height, but had
towards his plastered arm once more.
Quigley pleaded with his eyes as Delaney's mobile
phone rang. He grabbed it out of his jacket pocket
and flipped it open.
'Delaney.'
'Jack, it's Diane.'
'I'm at the South Hampstead, interviewing
someone.'
'It'll have to wait. I heard about Norrell and I'm
sorry, but something's come up.'
'What?'
'We've got a dead body in the woods, South
Hampstead Common. A young female.'
'We know who she is?'
'Not a damn thing. Uniform are securing the site,
but given the weather we want it processed as soon
as possible. Paddington Green should be handling it
but they've got some big anti-terrorist initiative tying
up their manpower.'
'Lucky us.'
Delaney looked across at the rain-speckled
window and through it at the grey clouds overhead.
'Give me the details.' Delaney listened for a moment
or two then closed his phone. He put his mobile back
in his pocket and gestured to Sally. 'We're out of
here.'
The sigh of relief from Quigley was audible.
Delaney turned back to him. 'I'll talk to you later.
Meanwhile, you better pray Norrell makes it.
Because if he doesn't I'm going to come back here
and finish the job he started. And I'm a professional.'
Quigley glared at his back as they left his field of
vision then closed his eyes nervously, snaked a
tongue around his dry lips and swallowed with
evident pain.
Kate Walker flicked the end of her long, multi-coloured
scarf over one shoulder and walked
quickly across the quadrangle and around the
corner, passing the main entrance to the South
Hampstead Hospital as she started for the car park.
Her head was down and although the rain, for the
moment at least, had stopped, the north-east wind
still had a chill edge to it. She fumbled in her pocket
for her keys when a voice called out to her.
'Kate.'
She looked round, her heart thudding in her chest,
to see Paul Archer.
He smiled at her, his voice friendly. 'Kate, what are
you doing here? Were you looking for me?'
Kate couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, she
leaned back against her car, fighting to control the
panic.
Archer smiled at her. 'Is everything all right?'
She found her voice. 'Get away from me.'
Archer looked puzzled. 'What are you talking
about?'
'I know what you did. So just stay away from me.'
'I've got no idea what you're talking about. I
haven't done anything.'
'Last night . . .'
'Last night was your idea. You invited me back to
your place, remember.'
Kate shook her head angrily. 'You're not going to
get away with this.'
'Get away with what? I didn't do anything.'
'You're lying.'
'Nothing happened, Kate. We both got drunk, you
suggested I stay over. We slept together, but nothing
happened, if that's what you're worried about.'
Kate desperately wanted to believe him, but knew
that something was wrong, something was definitely
wrong. She knew her own body, didn't she? 'Then
why can't I remember?'
Archer smiled at her, genuinely amused. 'You were
absolutely paralytic, Kate. It's not unusual.'
Kate stepped closer to him, she wanted to knock
the arrogant smirk off his cocky face. She wanted to
hurt him, really hurt him. 'You're not going to get
away with it, you sick pervert!' Archer grabbed both
of her arms and she struggled furiously but his grip
was like a vice. She looked up at him with livid eyes,
her face contorted in fury. 'Let me go now, or I swear
you will regret it!'
He pushed her away, the thin veneer of urbanity
stripped from his face now as he sneered, 'What
makes you think I'd want something like you?'
Kate slapped him hard across his face and went to
slap him again but he caught her hand. 'Let go of my
hand!' she yelled at him, red-faced with fury.
'You heard the lady.'
Archer released his grip on her and turned round to
see a man looking at him impassively, scant inches
away, a young woman standing behind him. The
man was easily Archer's height, but had
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