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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

PRESENT DAY

A na quickly realised that the local was not the best place to meet anyone. The villagers greedily drank in the stranger sitting with her, their eyes as round and big as saucers. Ana avoided eye contact. She could have sworn her ears were burning. ‘Sorry about all the attention,’ she apologised.

Jonny seemed amused. ‘I hadn’t realised I was with a celebrity.’

‘Far from it.’

Ana saw Jack approaching and fought back a sigh. ‘What can I get you?’ he asked.

‘I didn’t know you did table service.’ Ana smiled.

‘Depends how busy we are,’ he said, looking at Jonny.

Or how nosy you are , thought Ana. ‘A bitter lemon, please, and a packet of crisps.’ Ana wasn’t sure if the landlord had heard her because he was still looking at Jonny.

‘Pint of your best.’ Jonny smiled.

‘Haven’t seen you in here before. Friend of Ana’s, are you?’

‘No, he’s a criminal. We’re just having a quick drink before I handcuff him and take him to the station.’

Jack took a step back. ‘You’re sharp, you are. You’ll cut yourself one day.’

‘A bitter lemon, a packet of crisps and a bit of peace.’ She smiled.

Jack laughed. ‘She’s feisty this one. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,’ he told Jonny.

Ana shook her head despairingly. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘No problem,’ Jonny said, pulling an envelope from his rucksack.

The photos were larger than Ana had expected, and she could barely contain her excitement.

‘In this one,’ said Jonny, pointing. ‘You can clearly see the car. I looked it up in this.’ He pushed a book across to her. ‘It looks very much like a 1999 Golf. Every car from about 1940 is featured in that book. But the most interesting photo is this one.’ He pushed another photo across the table. ‘If you look with a magnifying glass, you can just make out something on the passenger seat. It’s sketchy. Here.’ He handed her a magnifying glass.

‘I’ll get your drink,’ he said, standing up. ‘Looks like table service has been cancelled.’

Ana studied the photo but couldn’t see anything. Then she looked at it through the magnifying glass. Jonny returned with their drinks. ‘I can’t see anything,’ she said, disappointed.

‘On the passenger seat, look closely.’

Ana studied it again and then gasped. ‘Oh my God, It’s a handbag.’

Jonny nodded, looking chuffed. ‘Your driver was a woman.’ He pushed another photo across to her. ‘This one isn’t so good. It’s the point of impact, but it’s under the street light, and you can see the first letter of the reg at the back, which looks like an S to me, which matches my year of 1999.’

Ana tore open the crisp bag. She’d missed lunch and was starving. ‘This is great,’ she said. ‘We know we’re looking for a Golf 1999, S as the first initial on the reg and a woman driver.’

‘Doesn’t sound like much,’ said Jonny, taking a crisp. ‘Not when you say it like that.’

‘It’s a lot.’ Ana smiled. This was what she loved most about police work, the putting together of the jigsaw pieces.

‘It might be my imagination, but it seems like you haven’t eaten all day.’ Jonny smiled.

Ana found him very attractive when he smiled. His face was the kind you wanted to keep looking at. I guess he must be used to that , she thought. Women must give him admiring glances all the time. ‘I skipped lunch,’ she said.

‘Right,’ he said, taking charge and scooping up the photos. ‘I’m presuming you don’t want to eat here, so let’s go to the pub in Longbridge.’

‘Bossy, aren’t you, but seeing as I’m famished, I’ll agree.’