Julia was waiting for Lucy and rose from her chair as she walked into the lounge.
"Busy?" she asked, giving Lucy a perfunctory kiss.
"A bit," Lucy answered. "I've been interviewing that couple I told you about, for a second time. Well, one of them. The other was working. She's a nurse and has worse shifts than me."
"Have you eaten?"
"Not really since lunch, but I don't want much."
"Drink? I was just about to get one for me," Julia said, going into the kitchen. "You said 'a second time'", Julia continued, raising her voice slightly. "Do you think there's something wrong with their story?"
Lucy had taken off her jacket and replaced her lowish-heeled court shoes with sandals more appropriate to August.
"I'm not sure," she said going into the kitchen after Julia. "It's beginning to look as if there's something wrong with the strange story the victim's wife is telling, but the story those two are telling may be okay. I think I'll make myself a cheese sandwich," she added. "You ate at work, I take it."
"Staff canteen," Julia said.
"How is work?"
"It's going really well. There are five IT support staff on my team and they all seem decent people who work reasonably hard. Most of what we do is related to solving immediate problems, but it's interesting. How are you finding your boss?"
"It's ironic really," Lucy said. "We've had to get where we are in spite of being women, she's got where she is because she's a woman and black. She's a bloody good detective though."
"Does she know about us?" Julia asked.
"I think so," Lucy said, "But I don't think she cares. She's got a good attitude: it doesn't matter a damn to her as long as I do my job."
"Talking of jobs, what does it look like for the weekend?"
"I'm on duty Sunday this week. I have tomorrow off in lieu, but I might pop in for an hour to file this report and see what's new."
"Don't go getting yourself lumbered on your day off."
"I don't think that will happen," Lucy answered, taking sliced bread from the packet. "Anyway, I'm trying to make a good start at this station and it's an interesting case. There are too many suspects with too many dodgy alibis."
Julia poured boiling water from the kettle over the teabags in the two mugs and smiled.
"It was a good move this," she said, turning to Lucy. "A fresh start with new jobs in a new area. I like it here."
"Anywhere's all right with you Jules, but I like it up here too."