Chapter 20: Elisabeth meets the boss

How would Petrie know what she was becoming? - unless Robert was talking. Elisabeth put her cup down. 'I can't think why. As I have said to him, I have the disadvantage of not having been with this from the beginning. I've taken on a higher involvement in the investigation than I might otherwise have done. And because I've come late to it I've been pushing, but not to the point where anyone's complaining.' She stopped. 'Or are they?'

Lister held up his hands, palms forward. 'Not as far as I'm aware.' He folded them in his lap. 'Anything else?'

She passed on Gaudry's information.

'You really think that an avenue worth pursuing?' He had removed his glasses and was polishing them with a large snow-white square of linen. He replaced them on his nose.

Elisabeth was honest. 'I don't know, but it pays to be thorough.'

She watched as he sat, steepled fingers against his mouth, thoughts impossible to read. Eventually he said, 'And how is our young client holding up?'