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mouth open wide, kept on floating before Anna, as if she was calling out to her. Louise was naked, her skin white as porcelain, as it had been when they had first seen her severed body. She was wearing only the white waitress’s collar and cuffs and moved closer and closer as if to touch Anna. That was when she woke and sat bolt upright. It was four o’clock and the alarm would be ringing at six. She flopped down and closed her eyes; so much for a good night’s sleep.

Chapter Five
    DAY ELEVEN
     
    Everyone had been instructed to gather in the Incident Room for a briefing. Anna had already passed over her report with the findings from Louise Pennel’s belongings. As the team waited for Langton, she began checking out the Mrs F. Pennel in Bognor Regis. She had discovered that the Harwood House address had been a children’s home that had closed down over five years ago. A Joyce Hughes, Mrs Pennel’s carer, answered the phone and told Anna that she was very elderly and bedridden; she was unable to say whether or not she was any relation to Louise. Anna asked if it would be convenient to call again to speak to Mrs Pennel personally, and Mrs Hughes suggested she try again between four and five that afternoon.
    Langton came out of his office looking smart in a grey suit with a pink shirt and grey tie. He had obviously made an effort; he had shaved, and even his hair looked neat.
    ‘Right, we all here?’
    Everyone looked attentively towards him as the latecomers scurried in.
    ‘We will have the full autopsy report first thing in the morning. We are also being joined by a profiler who has been working on the statements taken to date.’
    The double doors to the Incident Room opened, and Lewis held one wide to allow an elegant blonde woman to walk through. She was wearing a tight-fitting check jacket that Anna thought might be Chanel, with a tight black pencil skirt and patent spike-heeled shoes; she carried a bulging black briefcase. She was tall and slender with perfect legs, and although hers was not exactly a pretty face — it was too angular, her nose too sharp — her wide-apart eyes made her appear exceptionally attractive. A comb caught up her hair in a chignon and she wore no lipstick, just a hint of gloss. Her appearance silenced the room.
    Langton introduced Professor Aisling Marshe and then gave the names of all those gathered. She gave a small smile and polite nod, then started to remove files from her briefcase. Coffee was served, Bridget wheeling the trolley around the desks, as Professor Marshe talked quietly to Langton and studied the Incident board. About fifteen minutes later, she removed her jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. She had on a white silk blouse, but no jewellery other than a pair of large gilt earrings. She asked Langton to draw the table closer to her chair, which he did very quickly.
    Anna had never seen him be so helpful and charming. He was smiling at the Professor all the time; he served her coffee and asked if she wanted sugar; it looked as if he would even drink it for her if she asked him to. Anna realised that when he had mentioned calling in a profiler he must have already arranged to have the Professor on board; he was keeping things as close to his chest as when they had last worked together.
    At last the Professor seemed ready to talk to them. The room fell silent.
    ‘Firstly, I’d like to express my thanks to DCI Langton — James — for giving me this opportunity. I am actually in England on a sabbatical.’ She turned to flash a knowing smile at Langton.
    Anna was stunned; it was very obvious that Langton and this American knew each other extremely well. If they weren’t already sleeping together, Anna was certain that they would be soon. She was so taken aback that she missed what was said next. She wasn’t alone; some of the other officers had been shooting glances at each other.
    ‘I want you to have a look at my previous work, so I’ve had a few sheets