‘In your own time, Cain,’ DCI Edwards said, drumming his fingers impatiently on Mark’s desk and looking hugely unimpressed.

‘Yes, sir. It’s here somewhere.’ Mark scrolled through his inbox again, obviously not finding what he wanted, and looking like shit. Dark circles under his eyes, four o’clock shadow, he looked as if he hadn’t slept for a month. The distinct whiff of whisky Lisa had already caught wasn’t going to go down well either. Edwards, who had a nose like a sniffer dog, was bound to notice that.

Lisa glanced across to Mark, rolling her eyes as Edwards exaggeratedly checked his watch, as if he’d been waiting half an hour rather than a couple of minutes. ‘Got it,’ she called across. ‘Sending it over now, sir,’ she said, emailing the forensics report Edwards had asked for across to him.

‘Thank you,’ Edwards said curtly. ‘My office, DI Cain. Now, please,’ he added, twirling around to march in that direction.

Leaning back in his chair, Mark thumped the heel of his hand against his forehead, and then looked royally pissed as Cummings, who’d just strolled in late from lunch – a liquid lunch, by the looks of him – walked past with a smug smirk on his face.

‘Sleeping on the job, sir, tsk, tsk. More water with it, mate,’ he suggested. ‘And maybe a few less night-time excursions?’

‘You should do stand-up, Cummings, you really should. Preferably in the middle of the motorway,’ Lisa snapped, reaching into her desk drawer for her emergency supply of extra-strong mints. She’d had occasion to sit up pondering her problems through the bottom of a glass herself. Mark, however, looked as if he’d been brooding over his at the bottom of the bottle.

‘Make sure you swallow it before you go in,’ she advised, tossing the mints across to him.

‘Cheers, Lisa,’ said Mark, getting wearily to his feet.

‘Fancy a drink after?’ Lisa asked as he bypassed her desk, thinking he might need to offload a few things.

Marks smiled wryly. ‘Probably not a good idea, but thanks. And Mel’s cooking anyway.’

‘Ah.’ Lisa nodded. ‘Another time then. Good luck,’ she added, as, running a hand through his hair in a vain attempt to smarten himself up, Mark headed for the high jump.

Cooking? Lisa knitted her brow. Well, that was progress, she supposed. From what she’d gathered from Mark, life on the home front had lurched from bad to worse, though she only had to look at his dishevelled appearance to realise that. His decision-making was a bit awry, as well. Yesterday he’d deployed uniforms to premises that had already been thoroughly checked. Walking away from his computer and leaving confidential information on the screen, Lisa had noticed that too. All of which had given her cause to worry, particularly about Miss Baywatch Babe, who’d appeared on the scene around the same time things started going pear-shaped. It had been convenient for Mel and Mark that she’d just happened to be there – a homeless, fully qualified babysitter, looking for a job – but Lisa couldn’t help thinking that the situation had been extremely convenient for Jade as well.

Could the au pair, whose house renovations seemed not to be imminent anytime soon, be causing problems between them? Mark loved his wife and kids more than life itself, Lisa had no doubt about that, but it was a bit of a coincidence that Mel was suddenly imagining that Mark was having an affair – albeit with her. Mark Cain was a good-looking bloke, and under other circumstances, Lisa might have been tempted, but they were nothing more than good friends. She wondered at Mel’s madness, allowing a pretty young woman to live with them. And, although she really shouldn’t be judging her, from what she’d seen when she’d met her, the babysitter had been a little underdressed for the job.

She glanced towards Edwards’ office, where Mark was shuffling awkwardly on the spot as Edwards bollocked him, loudly, to Cummings’ amusement. She might be barking up the wrong tree, probably fuelled by the fact that she was upset about her own cooled relationship with Mel, but…

Lisa was only marginally surprised when Google coughed up sweet FA about Jade Hart. Had Mel done all the checks? Had Mark? Had they actually seen the woman’s paperwork? Though, she wouldn’t have any paperwork, would she? Not hard copies anyway. All burned to a cinder, presumably – and also too conveniently for Lisa’s liking. Mel might not have pursued it once they’d decided Jade was an angel sent directly from heaven.

Guessing at Jade’s age, Lisa was checking yearly college student intakes when she heard Edwards raise his voice. He wasn’t happy. By the sound of it, neither was Mark. ‘I was out last night,’ he yelled heatedly back. ‘Yes, I had a few drinks. Since when did that become a criminal offence?’

‘Since you’re obviously so hungover you can’t see straight! You’re exhausted. Go home!’

Wincing, Lisa glanced in Cummings’ direction. He was just loving this, the smug bastard.

‘Immediately, DI Cain,’ Edwards called after him, as Mark emerged furiously from his office.

Lisa closed down her search window and hurried over as Mark yanked his jacket from the back of his chair. ‘That went well then?’

‘It just gets better. I’ll text you… ring you tomorrow.’ He stormed to the door, and Lisa saw his jaw clench as Cummings stood to open it for him.