Blood Line

Chapter Three

The last interview of the day was at Tina’s salon in Hounslow High Street. She had agreed to see them again on the condition they came late in the afternoon just before closing as she had appointments booked.

‘Her fiancé goes missing and she’s too busy to see us. The more I hear about her, the less I like her.’

‘Maybe she’s seen the dark side?’ Paul said smiling, but Anna was not amused. Instead she told him they should head straight there. She felt tired and decided she would take off home later, after making up the reports with Paul in their incident room.

‘Make up a report? But we don’t have a case,’ Paul said as he drove.

‘Nevertheless we’ll need to show what the hell we’ve been doing all day. Besides, Langton will want to know.’

‘Whatever you say, ma’am. He’s knee-deep in a big case – double murder in North London.’

She made no reply, instead brushed away the crumbs from their picnic lunch and wrapped their napkins into the small deli bag Julian had provided. She tossed it into a rubbish bin as they pulled up in a small car park attached to Tina’s Beauty Salon. She remarked that it wasn’t a very artistic title and the large neon eye coated in eye-shadow and false lashes was tacky.

The salon was surprisingly well-equipped. A section was given over to hairdressing, then there was a row of booths for manicures and pedicures. Another section, separated by white screens, was the massage and therapy area and there was a small staircase to the floor above with a sauna, sunbeds and spray-tanning room. A notice informed them that the sunbeds were out of order. The place was jumping. Four women sat under dryers, a girl was blowdrying a customer’s hair and another was having her hair washed at the row of sinks.

‘Well, she said she was busy,’ Paul murmured as they stood by a small reception desk. The receptionist was a girl with a fake tan, a mound of hair extensions and thick false eyelashes. It also looked as if she’d had breast implants. Her pink Tina’s Salon overall hardly met across her bust, colliding with her name embroidered over the pocket – Felicity.

‘Could you ask Tina if we could see her, please?’ Anna showed her warrant card, not that it made much of a difference.

‘Do you have an appointment?’

‘We do.’

Felicity dragged a fake nail down the customer lists.

‘Just go and tell her we would like to talk to her,’ Anna ordered.

‘I can’t leave the desk and she’s doing a wrap so I can’t interrupt her for another ten minutes.’

Anna was not sure what a wrap meant, but Felicity continued, explaining it was a seaweed wrap and would be finished shortly. She then indicated a row of pink plastic-covered gilt chairs.

‘You can wait there.’

They were only two feet away from the reception; it looked as if every inch of the place was taken up with all the various beauty treatments. As Anna and Paul sat down the girl offered the salon’s brochure and said there were several offers at half-price.

‘Do you know her boyfriend, Alan?’ Anna asked as she pretended to scrutinise the treatments on offer.

‘Yes, we all do and it’s just terrible. Poor Tina has been in such a state about it.’ Her pink desk phone rang and Felicity picked up, speaking in an over-modulated posh accent.

‘Tina’s Beauty Salon, can I help you?’

Anna and Paul listened as she made an appointment for hair extensions and learned that it would take at least four hours if it was to remove the present extensions; it would take longer if the caller required new ones.

Anna glanced at Paul, but he seemed enthralled by Felicity’s ongoing conversation.

‘If we didn’t actually put your extensions in for you, you should come in and have the hair matched. We only use real hair. No, there would be no charge for that, but is what you’ve got in real hair?’

The row of customers waiting for their cuts and blowdries began to thin out; the two girls were working as if they were on a factory floor. The thudding music, now on an Abba compilation, continued.

‘I’ll book you in for an afternoon then. What’s your name?’ Then Felicity looked at the pink phone in fury. ‘I don’t believe she hung up! Honestly!’

‘Could you please ask Tina to join us?’ Anna said testily.

‘I can’t. It’s a seaweed wrap and you can’t leave it half-done.’

Anna stood up and pointed to the partition. ‘Is she behind there?’

‘No, upstairs, but you can’t go through, it’s a private consultation.’ Felicity moved from her stool and put her hand up. ‘I’ll go and ask her to come out, all right?’ She left.

Paul glanced over to the hairdressing section, remarking, ‘She must be coining it in.’

Anna nodded to a card on Felicity’s desk. ‘It’s half-price day and a few of the customers look like pensioners; they get a discount as well.’

Tina came down the stairs at the rear of the salon, wearing latex gloves that looked as if they were covered in mud, and a rubber apron. She didn’t look very pleased to see them.

‘I’ll be with you in ten minutes – I’m with a client.’ She didn’t wait for an answer, but returned upstairs. Felicity asked if they would like a tea or coffee.

‘We’ve got a little rest room right at the back by the stairs,’ she said, ‘and there’s a coffee machine. Just help yourselves.’

Little was the operative word. It was more or less a corner with more screens, a couple of chairs and a table with coffee cups and mugs and packets of biscuits. A girl in one of Tina’s pink overalls was standing eating a sandwich and brewing up coffee. She turned as Anna and Paul sat down on the chairs.

‘Excuse me, I’ve not had a break today. I was starving and my lady’s under the dryer.’ She had a mouth full of her sandwich and wiped it with the back of her hand. ‘Do you want a coffee?’

‘No, thank you. We’re waiting for Tina.’

‘Okay. Busy today since nine this morning. I had two perms—’

‘What’s your name?’ Anna interrupted.

‘Donna.’ The girl bit into her sandwich again.

Anna showed her warrant card and introduced herself and Paul. It had little effect as Donna was now making herself a mug of coffee, stuffing the remains of her lunch into her mouth.

‘Is this about Alan?’

‘Yes. Do you know him?’

Donna turned and nodded. ‘We all do – well, we know who he is, but . . .’ She lowered her voice and moved closer. ‘What’s going on? Tina told us he left her. She was in a terrible state.’

‘Did he come to the salon?’

‘No, but he used to pick her up sometimes and wait outside in the car park. I think we all scared the pants off him. We used to have a couple of guys working here, but they didn’t fit in.’

Tina walked in now minus the gloves and rubber apron, but with her pink salon smock.

‘Donna, your customer is taking her own rollers out!’

‘Sorry, sorry, but I never got lunch.’ She scurried out and Tina crossed to the coffee percolator.

‘I did say I was very busy and for you to come later. I couldn’t leave my client; these wraps have to be done correctly. I’m training one of the girls, but I’m the only one really qualified. You have to layer the thick seaweed emulsion, then do a complete body wrap, but not too tight because the heat makes the seaweed dry. You lose a few pounds all over; it’s a very good treatment.’

Tina poured herself a mug of coffee and then leaned on the table. ‘Have you any news?’

‘No, I am afraid not. Have you had any contact from Alan?’

‘No. To be honest, I’ve been working really hard and it’s the best thing for me – helps me not think about it – but I’ve had to get sleeping tablets. Every time the phone rings my heart jumps. I had to tell his father to stop calling me – he was driving me crazy.’

‘We’ve talked to a few of Alan’s friends, but nobody has seen him for quite a while. I really wanted to ask you about something you said – that there could have been another woman.’

‘Well, it’s all I can think about, the possibility. He could be very secretive sometimes.’

‘Can you give me an example?’

‘Well, yes. That Mercedes, he never told me he’d bought it. We were supposed to be saving up to get married. I only found out when I saw some receipts for spare parts – they cost a fortune.’

‘Did you argue about it?’

She sighed. ‘Alan didn’t argue. I mean, I could shout and carry on at him, but it never seemed to bother him. He’d ignore it, or what really used to get me furious was he would just walk out of the room.’

‘That must have been very frustrating,’ Anna said.

Tina shrugged her shoulders. ‘Yeah, sometimes it was.’

Paul was flicking through one of the glossy magazines; he appeared to be paying no attention to what they were discussing.

‘Did he ever get physical with you?’ Anna asked.

Paul closed the magazine, looking directly at Tina.

‘Alan? Never. And besides, if he had have done, I’d have given him as good. I told you, he was never confrontational and he hated getting into any kind of row.’

‘Did he get annoyed about your flirty behaviour at the gym?’

She sighed with even more impatience.

‘No, of course he didn’t. I’m flirty here with the customers, as we do have both male and female. It’s part of the job!’

Anna pressed on. ‘If he was seeing someone, do you have any idea who it would be?’

‘Not really. I never found the lipstick on the collar thing or blonde hairs on his jacket. It was working on that bloody car that he said was the reason he was out so late.’

She closed her eyes.

‘I find this all upsetting, you know, because I have told you all this before, and if I did find out there was another woman he’d run off with, you’d be the first people I’d contact. I told that to the Missing Persons people. They’ve asked me the same questions over and over.’

‘He used to collect you from here sometimes?’ Anna noted.

Tina looked at Paul, who still hadn’t spoken.

‘Yes. When he took my car to work he’d drop me off here and pick me up. Not frequently because I never liked to get here as early as he needed to be at the garage.’

‘Did any of the girls working here seem friendly with him?’

‘No, no way. They’re not his type; the Donnas of this world wouldn’t be interested in him either.’

‘Really.’ Anna said it so quietly that Tina flushed.

‘They’re too young and Alan’s so straitlaced and he didn’t have much time for chit-chat.’

Felicity walked in. ‘I’m sorry to interrupt you, Tina, but your client wants to see you.’

‘Tell her I’ll be two minutes.’ Tina sipped her coffee and put the mug down. ‘I’m gonna have to go and unwrap her. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?’

‘No. Thank you for your time.’

Tina hesitated, as if about to say something, then seemed to change her mind and started to walk out. However, she then stopped and turned back. Anna felt as if the woman was in some way rearranging her features or her emotions, since she was suddenly nervous.

‘I am beginning to think he took off – you know, left me – because he was too afraid to tell me he didn’t want to go through with the wedding. He would have been in turmoil about it; it’s the only reason I can think of for him walking out the way he has done. It doesn’t make it any easier, obviously not, and . . .’ She broke off and took out a tissue from her pocket. ‘I’ve been wondering how long it will be – you know, your investigation. I mean, when do you call it quits?’

‘That would depend,’ Anna told her.

‘Depend on what?’

‘Well, whether or not we trace him.’

‘But what if you don’t?’

Anna glanced at Paul, not wanting to get into the discussion herself. He took over. At last he showed some interest.

‘It will depend on whether we uncover any evidence that gives us confirmation that Alan has met with foul play. Then it will become an ongoing murder enquiry.’

‘Murder?’

Paul nodded and flicked his eyes to Anna, who was giving him a frosty gaze.

‘Is that what you think, that Alan’s been murdered?’ Tina said shakily.

‘We will look into every possibility.’

‘But can you have a murder enquiry without a body?’

‘If we suspect foul play, then yes.’

She sniffed and dabbed the tissue to her nose. ‘And do you?’

Anna had heard enough. She stood up and turned to Paul, saying briskly, ‘We should go; Tina has to unwrap a body.’

Paul could hardly keep his face straight, but he stood up and joined her.

‘Thank you, Miss Brooks, for your time,’ he said politely. ‘We will no doubt be in touch if we have any news for you.’

Anna had already walked past and was heading into the main area of the salon.

‘She doesn’t like me, does she?’ Tina sniffed.

‘No, it’s not that, it’s just been a long day.’

‘Tell me about it. And you tell her she could do with some treatments. A wash-in colour enhancing shampoo followed by a cut and blowdry would do her good, and I’ll give her a discount.’

‘I will pass that on to DCI Travis.’

Anna was waiting for him in the patrol car. He got in beside her, repeating what Tina had said.

‘Cheeky cow, but she’s right about me not liking her. I don’t.’

Paul started up the engine and added that Tina had also said she would give her a good price reduction.

‘Wild horses wouldn’t get me into that salon.’

They drove off, heading back to the station. Anna was really irritable, twice snapping at him to take another route as they were heading into rush-hour traffic.

‘Why don’t you like her?’ Paul persevered.

‘Maybe because I can’t believe a word she says, and after everything I’ve heard about Alan, it’s no wonder he took off. Another thing, I wouldn’t like to get into a confrontation with her. In fact, I find it really difficult to imagine the pair of them as a couple.’

‘Love is blind.’

She made a derisive sound.

‘You know, Anna, sometimes people under pressure and stress act in different ways, and by now she must be sort of getting used to the situation.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Just that if he did take off, which now I’m beginning to think he did, then she’s taken it on the chin and she’s getting on with her life.’

‘Doesn’t work that way,’ she said quietly.

‘Okay, now it’s your turn: what do you mean by that?’

‘I don’t want to go there, Paul. Just drop it.’

Since Ken’s death, so long as no one brought up his name or his murder she was able to control the tide of emotions that welled up inside her, but whenever the subject was broached, grief would sweep over and drown her.

The incident room at the station was almost empty apart from a couple of clerical staff still clearing up from the previous murder enquiry. Anna went into her office where virtually everything was now packed up and sat at her desk. She typed out a quick report of the day’s interviews, and having split the work with Paul, it took only half an hour. When he tapped and entered with his sheets it was just after six.

‘You mind if I take off?’ he asked as she stacked her sheets together with his.

‘No, go ahead.’

‘We on for tomorrow?’

She said that she wasn’t sure as she would need to talk to Langton.

‘You want me to take them over?’ Paul offered. ‘His station’s not far from where I live, and I don’t mind.’

‘No, I’ll drop them off to him. You got a hot date?’

Paul, who very rarely showed any campness, flicked his wrist, saying, ‘Could be. So you’ll call me?’

She nodded, placing the pages into an envelope.

Left alone, she picked up her briefcase, but in reality she didn’t feel like going home. The conversation in the car with Paul had niggled at her, but the reason wouldn’t rise to the surface. Maybe it was just frustration, but the fact remained that they still had no clues as to Alan Rawlins’s whereabouts. Nor had they discovered any evidence to suggest that a crime had been committed.

Part of her felt that they had reached a dead end and she wanted to get onto another case, but there was that niggle. Perhaps it was her intuition, or as Langton would always ask, ‘What’s the gut feeling?’ Truthfully, bar her dislike of Tina Brooks, she didn’t have anything else that she felt would justify the continuation of her enquiries.

Anna left the station and drove to Highgate, where Langton was heading up a murder team. It was almost seven when she reached the local police station and parked in the private section reserved for patrol cars and police vehicles. She saw that Langton’s rusted old brown Rover was as usual erratically parked, taking up two spaces. It looked as if it had even more dents than usual, and passing it she saw, left in the back, a child’s booster seat. As always, whenever she caught a tiny piece of his private life it surprised her. She never found it easy to connect Langton with a whole world that didn’t include her or their past relationship, and yet it was years now since they had been lovers.

The Duty Sergeant suggested she go straight up to the incident room. It was one of the new stations with all mod cons, unlike the one she was attached to. It was very different also in that even at this time of the day it looked busy; a couple of female DCs passed her in the well-lit corridor as she made her way along to double doors, following signs to the incident room. She listened outside at first, then, as she could hear Langton’s voice, she inched the door open and looked in.

Langton was giving a big team of officers a briefing. All had their back to the door as she slipped in to stand at the rear of the large, very well-equipped room. There were rows of desks and monitors, a long incident board with photographs and details, and numerous clerical staff working on the periphery. Anna held onto her briefcase and looked around. She saw DCI Mike Lewis, DS Paul Barolli and, sitting side by side, Joan Falkland and DC Barbara Maddox. They had all worked with her on four previous cases. She felt a pang of envy that they were together and she was an outsider. Langton was pacing up and down, pulling at his tie.

‘I think our victims have been chosen through a systematic and lengthy period of stalking and surveillance. I am certain he has been watching this family for some time. He had to know the husband’s habits, that every other night he played snooker at his local club. He would have noted how long the husband spent there in order to have enough time to complete what he wanted to do. The crime was carefully staged to impact in the most traumatic way on the husband when he returned from the pub. I think the staging and placing of the bodies indicated that our killer is methodical and he wanted to shock. He could know this family – more importantly, know the husband – and although it’s just speculation at this stage, we concentrate on anyone who held a grievance against him.’

Anna had inched her way over to sit unobtrusively on a hard-backed chair left against the wall by the double doors. She listened intently, watching Langton pace the floor back and forth in front of the incident board, tapping the photographs of the victims and turning on his heels to face his team.

‘This is a murder of sexual sadism. Our killer was organised. He planned these murders. He targeted his victims, he brought restraints and knives, and we have no weapons found at the victim’s home. By the use of these restraints the element of control was uppermost in his mind, but something didn’t go according to plan; that something was the husband returning home earlier than usual from his snooker game, which had been cancelled due to his friends having to work a late shift. So although victim one, the wife, is deliberately displayed and ready for viewing, his second victim, the twelve-year-old boy, is not. From the blood distribution along the walls in the kitchen and hallway, we can ascertain that the child tried to make a run for it.’

Langton stood in front of a large sketch of the outlay of the victims’ kitchen, breakfast room and hall. He jabbed it with his finger.

‘The boy was caught and dragged to the kitchen dining area – we have blood smearing and spattering against the walls. Forensics has given us a scenario that the killer rammed the boy’s head against the side of a cabinet before tying him to the chair beside his mother. Pathology report indicates the poor kid thankfully would have been unconscious by this time.’

Langton loosened his tie. He was sweating and Anna could see that his old injury to his knee was paining him as he paused to rub it.

‘With three possible suspects the search warrants will be executed first thing tomorrow morning. Look for any items relating to sexual or violent behaviour – pornographic magazines, videos, books relating to true-life crimes, vibrators, clamps, women’s clothing, underwear and so on. Look out for diaries, anything connected to this sort of violence. They could have police equipment, handcuffs, ropes, knives, so search their vehicles . . .’

He took a deep breath and glanced at his watch.

‘Right, that’s it for tonight. Weekend leave is cancelled. We work round the clock on this one.’

His team began to disperse, taking chairs back to their desks and talking quietly to each other. No one as yet had seen Anna, and she now stood up, waiting for the moment to speak to Langton. However, he was in a huddle with Mike Lewis and Paul Barolli. She decided that rather than wait in the incident room, she’d leave her notes with the Duty Sergeant downstairs. She also didn’t feel like talking to anyone from the old team.

‘DCI Travis!’ It was Barbara. ‘How are you?’ Barbara was carrying her coat, eager to leave. She was always the first out if it was possible.

‘I’m fine, thanks. This sounds like a nasty case.’

‘Christ, it’s awful. The victim’s husband was an ex-detective working for a private investigation company.’

‘Anna.’ Joan now joined them and she had that sorrowful look in her eyes. ‘How’s things?’

‘Good, thank you. I just wanted to pass this over to Langton.’

Joan turned and pulled a face. ‘He’s been sleeping nights here, as usual keeping us all on our toes, but I hear you got a good result – guilty verdict. Consensus was it was pretty well on the cards though, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes.’ Anna felt hemmed in by the two women. If she left with them they’d want to continue the conversation so she stepped aside.

‘Just want to give this to him.’ She held up the file of her notes on the Alan Rawlins enquiry.

The two women left and Anna still hovered. She found it annoying that they seemed to think her last case was an easy ride – although it had been. Had Langton chosen her to head it up for that reason? She now suspected that was exactly what he had done. Her anger made her confident enough to walk towards him.

‘Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to run these reports by you.’

Langton turned, surprised. ‘Travis.’

Mike Lewis and Barolli both smiled, but Anna cut through any start of a conversation by handing Langton the file.

‘Maybe talk about it tomorrow?’ she said briskly.

‘Hell, no. Come into the office. As I’m here we might as well deal with it all now.’

Mike and Barolli moved away, giving her those sad smiles that she loathed, and she forced herself to look back at them with a grin.

‘Nice to see you again. Goodnight.’

Langton put his hand in the small of her back, guiding her towards the office section.

‘You want a coffee?’

‘No, this won’t take long.’

The office was sparse, but very modern. Langton sat behind the desk on a leather chair and Anna drew up another equally new chair in front of him. He opened a pack of nicotine gum and then gave a sheepish grin, saying, ‘I’ve given up, but I think I’m getting tooth decay from chewing so much of this stuff.’

‘You should get the patches,’ she said.

‘Got them all the way up my arm.’

Anna watched as he flicked through the pages so fast that she doubted he was really able to read them properly. It took him about ten minutes. He looked well, she thought. Also, he’d put on weight, perhaps thanks to giving up smoking.

‘How’s that knee of yours?’ she asked.

‘Fine – just the occasional twinge. How are you doing?’

She managed a smile. He stacked the pages and replaced them in the envelope.

‘What’s your gut feeling?’ he wanted to know.

‘I knew you’d ask me that.’

He leaned back in his posh leather chair. ‘So what’s your answer?’

‘I don’t have one.’

‘Mmm.’

‘Can I ask you something about my last case?’ Anna said abruptly. ‘Did you handpick it for me because it was a no-brainer?’

‘No such thing, Travis,’ he replied immediately, ‘but as a first-time DCI you had to be able to control it and not feel pressured; you needed to build up your confidence.’

‘Is this why you’ve got me virtually working a Missing Persons case?’

‘Is that what you think it is?’

She hated the way he turned a question around to another without giving her an answer.

‘Looks like you have a big investigation going,’ she said.

‘Yeah – a very sick one. Mother and son found slaughtered, but the husband is an ex-detective and now runs a private investigation company. He’s got a lot of enemies – unpleasant bloke, but nobody deserves to come back to his home to be confronted by such horror. He’s under sedation.’

‘You have suspects though?’

‘Yes. He’s been doing some work for a couple of nasty bastards, collecting their debts. Unbelievable! Works as a copper all his adult life then gets out and works for the other side.’

Langton patted Anna’s file with the flat of his hand. ‘You want to call it quits on this and hand it back to Mispers?’

‘Yes, I think so. It’s just been me and Paul Simms working it.’

‘Ah, the gay cavalero. Good detective though.’

‘Yes.’

‘You get along with him?’

‘Yes.’

‘Very monosyllabic tonight, aren’t you?’

She shrugged.

‘You want a bite to eat?’

‘No, thanks. I’m actually on my way home. Just dropped that in so you can see that I have been doing as requested.’

‘I talked to his father yesterday,’ Langton said quietly.

‘I’ve been to his home, met his wife, his son’s friends. He appears as you could see from the report, an all-out nice man.’

‘Any buts?’

‘Only that I have a bad reaction to his girlfriend, Tina Brooks, but I think that’s just personal.’

‘What about neighbours? You talk to any of them?’

‘No, but we talked to his place of work, his gym – it’s all in the report.’

Langton chewed hard on his nicotine gum, staring at her. ‘You want to start on another enquiry?’

‘Yes.’

He stood up and took the gum out of his mouth, tossing it into the rubbish bin.

‘Okay. Tell you what I want you to do. Tomorrow, go and visit the neighbours and see if they have anything to add to the mix. Something in me doesn’t quite accept your view that Alan Rawlins has just taken off.’

‘Like what?’

Langton opened another piece of gum, walking round the desk to sit on the edge close to her.

‘First his Merc. He spends months doing it up, ordering spare parts, bought it with his father to make money reselling it. Why not take the car if he was doing a runner. You now know his passport is missing; there’s no movement in any of his bank accounts or credit cards, and from your interviews he appears to be a nice upright guy, loving family, good mates, he’s not into drugs, he doesn’t drink bar the odd glass of wine and nobody has a hint of any extra lady friend on the side. Correct?’

Anna nodded. He never ceased to amaze her. Although he had appeared merely to skim her report, he had somehow acquired the gist of it, and this became even clearer when he picked up the file and passed it back to her.

‘The fiancée also asked how long you’d be digging around if there was no body – right?’

She nodded.

‘Does that sound like a distressed lady? Her fiancé disappears and all she seems interested in is how long it will be before she gets her hands on the savings.’

‘It’s a joint bank account and doesn’t need his signature.’

‘Oh.’

‘His life insurance is only fifty thousand so I don’t think that would be a motive.’

‘People have been killed for less.’

‘Listen, he was a nice man, one who hated any kind of confrontation. I think, judging from what everyone has said about him, he seems to fit the profile of someone who would just walk away rather than get into any kind of emotional row.’

‘Has he ever done anything like it before?’

‘Well, no, not that I’ve been told.’

Langton chewed hard on his gum. Then he got up from the desk and yawned.

‘Give it one more day then I’ll get onto allocating you the next murder enquiry.’

Anna stood up and stiffened as he reached for her hand and drew close.

‘You sleeping?’

‘Yes.’

‘I miss not having you around on a case.’

‘Well, you could have me if you wanted.’

He laughed. ‘In the literal term, I gather.’

She released her hand from his, saying, ‘I’ll be in touch. I’ll still use Paul.’

‘You make it very difficult, Anna.’

She looked up into his face.

‘I keep wanting to put my arms around you, comfort you; you think I can’t feel your troubled soul.’

‘It’s not troubled. I am just tired tonight. It’s been a long day.’

‘Have it your way, but like I keep on saying to you, if you need me I’m here for you.’

‘Thank you. Goodnight then.’

He gave her a smile, nodding his goodnight as she walked out. She held it together until she was sitting in her car and then she started to cry. It was like a fast release, and no sooner had she broken down than she was able to pull herself together and drive home.