It was hours since breakfast, but when she arrived at the Slipstream coffee shop Rachel ordered the toast and home-made jam anyway. It seemed like the right thing to do.

‘So, here we are,’ said Rob five minutes later, kissing her swiftly on the cheek before taking the seat opposite her. ‘Right back where we started.’

It was a warm spring day, and he was wearing an open-necked white shirt and a lightweight grey jacket. And there were the familiar tan lines in the corners of his eyes, where the sun had hit his face when he was smiling.

‘Exactly,’ observed Rachel. ‘I thought you’d appreciate the symmetry.’

‘I certainly appreciate seeing you alive and well.’ Rob’s face became grim when he caught sight of her bandaged wrists. ‘I heard about what happened. Jesus, Rachel.’

‘I’m okay.’

‘Are you really? You sure? You look a little washed out.’

Rachel raised an eyebrow. ‘Thanks.’

‘No, you still look great. Of course. But you know what I mean.’ He covered her hand with his. ‘Seriously, it’s me that feels terrible. I should have known something like this could have happened to you. I should have stopped you.’

‘I wouldn’t have stopped, though.’ Rachel waited for the waitress to put coffees in front of them. ‘Not just because you’d told me to. I was like a train on a track. I couldn’t have stopped, even if I wanted to.’ She pulled her hand from under his and picked up her mug of coffee.

‘But Rachel, you nearly—’

‘If you pursue dangerous criminals, you risk being a target. I know that. It’s part of the job.’

‘Except you weren’t officially on the job.’

She shrugged. ‘Details.’

‘So when are you going back to London.’

‘This evening. There’s something I wanted to ask you first, though.’

He smiled. ‘Of course. Name it.’

‘It’s going to take the FBI a while to process Harland Rowe’s case and piece all the evidence together. Meanwhile, I doubt she’s going to make a neat little confession. That’s not her style.’

‘I guess not.’ Rob took a piece of her toast and bit into it.

‘So I want you to make sure that Matt Wyburgh is off the hook for Phoebe’s murder. Rowe’s already told me she used Phoebe’s keys to plant the doorstop in his garage. It forms part of the statement I gave to the FBI. Make sure the LAPD know that. Make sure they drop the charges.’

‘I will do my very best. If I can’t get out there myself, I’ll speak to our liaison at the LA County Sheriff’s Office and get him to pursue it.’

‘Thanks, Agent McConnell.’ She bestowed a beaming smile on him.

‘Rachel, about the other stuff…’

‘What other stuff?’

‘You know – the personal stuff. Between you and me.’

‘Ah. But there wasn’t any. Not really.’

He coloured slightly, glancing around the café to make sure no one was listening to them. ‘But I did come on to you. And I shouldn’t have done.’

Rachel gave a little shrug. ‘Yes, you did, and not just the once. I managed to resist you though… so no harm done.’

‘I know. But I still feel bad.’

‘There’s really no need. And it’s not like I wasn’t tempted. I almost gave in.’

‘Really?’

‘Really. But professionalism prevailed.’ For once, she thought. She reached across the table, touched his fingers lightly. ‘Maybe if things had been different.’

‘Another time, another place?’ Rob’s ironic smile acknowledged the cliché. ‘But we did good.’ He became wistful. ‘In fact we did great. We pretty much cracked the case.’

‘I think you’ll find I cracked the case. It was me that tracked down Harland Rowe.’

‘But it was me that put you onto Ethan Rowe’s DNA profile.’

‘True.’

‘We were a team.’

‘Like Bonnie and Clyde,’ Rachel reminded him.

‘And we had fun, didn’t we?’

She nodded, smiling broadly now. ‘Until you hung me out to dry.’

‘Ouch.’ Rob examined his fingernails. ‘I’m really sorry I wasn’t there. I don’t know what else I can say, except sorry.’

‘You can stop apologising. It’s water under the bridge. That’s why I came here today. To make peace.’

Rob waved a crust. ‘To eat the toast of peace.’

The waitress cleared the table and brought the bill. Rob held up a hand and reached for his wallet. ‘I’m really glad we did this—’

Rachel put a finger to her lips, to indicate that he had said enough. They went outside onto 14th Street and Rob wrapped his arms round her, kissing her gently but firmly on the mouth, before walking away. He turned briefly, and held up a hand in a salute, then strode off towards P Street, his tall figure gradually being absorbed into the moving diorama of passing pedestrians. She watched until he was gone.