‘Excellent choice.’ He turned to Stacey and smiled. ‘And you, madam?’

She bit her lip nervously. ‘Umm … sorry about this … um … I’ll have the chicken.’

‘Fabulous. Any starters?’

‘I’m happy with bread and olives,’ said Jessica. Stacey nodded in agreement. The waiter refilled their wine glasses, then made his way to the kitchen. Jessica watched closely as Stacey turned to the waiter’s attractive physique as he walked away.

Stacey turned back to her dinner companion and broke a guilty, embarrassed smile. She took a sip of her red wine. ‘Rare? I don’t know how you can eat something like that, what with your job and everything.’

‘Oh, the rarer the better as far as I’m concerned. That way it just melts in the mouth. Have you ever had steak tartare?’

Stacey shook her head. ‘No. Doesn’t appeal to me at all.’

‘You don’t know what you’re missing. The first time I had it was when I got taken to dinner at Coq d’Argent in the City by an uncouth stockbroker. Why I agreed to go to dinner with him is a story we don’t have time for tonight. Anyhow, he was desperately trying to impress. First he orders this really expensive wine and then for his main course he orders steak tartare. I guess he must have thought it was steak served with tartare sauce. Anyway, his meal comes out of the kitchen and it’s literally just a big pile of raw minced steak with a raw egg on top.’

‘Jesus Christ. What did he do?’

‘He was all for sending it back but I really wanted to try it.’

‘You’re kidding me. Why?’

‘It was on the menu as one of their specialities so I thought it must be good. And to tell you the truth it was. It was divine …’

The two women smiled at each other again.

‘This is nice. I’m really glad we did this.’

‘Me too,’ said Stacey. ‘Long overdue.’

‘Now, look, I know the whole idea of meeting up away from the morgue was so that we could not talk shop, but I know what you’re like and I know what I’m like. The job is always going to be at the back of our minds. So why don’t we agree to spend, say, ten minutes talking about the case and then drop it for the rest of the evening?’

‘Sounds like a plan.’

‘Great. I don’t have anything new for you, I’m afraid. The toxicology results came back but they’re pretty inconclusive. It’s possible the victims were given something to keep them quiet, maybe barbiturates, but we’re talking trace elements, not enough for the lab boys to give you anything you could use in court. I’ll send over a copy but honestly there’s nothing in it. That’s it really. Bit of a dead end. How about you? Any closer to finding the killer?’

‘Well, we got him to the station last afternoon so we’ve got a day and a half before we have to apply to the magistrates for our first extension. All we have to do now is come up with the goods.’

‘Him?’

‘Billy Moorwood. A hospital porter.’

‘Has he confessed or something?’

‘Not exactly. There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence but nothing concrete yet. It’s not like he’s going to be going home any time soon. He’ll be charged with something – we’ve got drugs and offensive weapons coming out of our ears – but we still need to find a more direct link to the victims to put him in the frame for the murders.’

‘No pressure, then. I’m surprised you didn’t cancel tonight.’

‘I thought about it, but there’s not much I can do right now. The SOCOs are going to spend all night gathering what they can at his flat. I’ll go through their reports first thing. I don’t expect to do a first interview until at least midday tomorrow.’

‘But you’re sure it’s him, right?’

‘Well, it’s clear that he had actively tracked down one of the victims and was stalking another. He’s got motive and opportunity. But he’s not going down quietly. He’s so paranoid, convinced that we’re trying to frame him. I guess part of the problem is that he’s still more of a victim than anything else. Some of the things those teachers put those pupils through, just too awful for words.’

‘You make it sound like you almost think he’d have been justified.’

‘I think a part of me does think that. I’d kill anyone who tried that on with Sophie. In a heartbeat. People like that, they want shooting.’

Jessica gripped the base of her chair in both hands and lifted it forward, shrinking the gap between the two women. ‘I couldn’t agree more. You say you don’t know how I can eat rare steak; I don’t know how you can do your job in a case like this. No one really gives a shit about these people, do they? I know I don’t. I mean, are you really giving it your best shot?’

‘I like to think so, but in my heart of hearts I know I’m playing a different game. On the Daniel Eliot case, I put my heart and soul into finding the killer. But you’re right, this is different. Daniel got to me, I couldn’t help it. This case is just a job. It doesn’t haunt me when I get home from work. Back then, I was desperate to make an arrest before someone else got killed. This time around, if there had been another victim, I honestly don’t think I would have lost much sleep over it.’

‘That’s an interesting attitude,’ said Jessica. ‘It’s quite rare to find someone in this world who –’ She was interrupted by the return of the waiter, who placed a basket of bread and a bowl of olives in the centre of the table. They both smiled at him.

‘Not bad,’ said Jessica as he headed back to the kitchen. ‘Not bad at all. You seeing anyone right now?’

‘Not really. There’s may be someone on the horizon but it’s early days yet. We’re going out over the weekend.’

Jessica nodded towards the waiter. ‘You want me to put in a good word for you?’

‘God, I’d like to think I can do better than a waiter. How about you? Seeing anyone?’

Jessica gazed around the restaurant, settling her eyes on two well-dressed middle-aged men sitting to her left, one of whom gave her a quick smile. ‘I was seeing someone who I really liked. He was a biologist. Good-looking too. He was keen, but he had this terrible surname. I just knew if it ever got too serious and he proposed, I could never marry him.’

‘Just because of his name?’

‘It was Rabit. One b.’

‘Rabit?’

‘He was half Algerian and when he said it with an accent it didn’t sound too bad, but most people, when they see it written down, rabbit. I had to end it. Otherwise I would have become –’

‘Oh my God! Jessica Rabbit!’ Stacey burst into a fit of chuckles and after a moment’s hesitation Jessica did too. The sound of their laughter echoed around the room, prompting other diners to wonder what was going on.

‘Actually, I’m surprised you had a problem with it,’ said Stacey once they had calmed down. ‘I had you down as the more progressive type. You could have married him and kept your own name. Or just lived in sin.’

‘I’m an old-fashioned girl at heart. And I don’t feel particularly attached to Matthews. I’ll happily trade, just so long as it’s something sensible. How about your parents?’

‘Still alive, still together, thank God. They went through some rough patches – for a while they were more like brother and sister than husband and wife – but they’ve managed to tough it out. They live just around the corner from me so I get to see them a lot.’

‘That’s great, that they live so close and that they’re still together. I think we’re part of a generation that demands instant satisfaction. If something isn’t working out we just end it and move on. Our parents, they always tried to work through problems. Society has definitely changed, and not for the better in my opinion.’

‘I couldn’t agree more.’

‘Talking of change, how are you getting on with Anderson?’

‘Much better. He’s treating me like I’m part of the team now rather than as some sort of outcast. And I know I have you to thank for that. That tattoo really moved things on.’

‘You’re welcome. And remember dinner’s on you!’