Episode 25 - Guilty or not guilty

After that emotional episode in Gary’s office, there was no way the lovers could part. They spent hours in Roman’s guest apartment. Sometime after midnight he had gone to bed and left the lovers a note to the effect that they were welcome to breakfast or to make coffee in his kitchen.

Episode 24 - Courtney

The events at the meeting that Wednesday had taken their toll on Dorothy. For a start, she was very disappointed in Gary. Why was he messing around with Silvia Barnet? Was he rejecting Cleo? Was all that drama surrounding her actually marrying Robert just so much hot air?

Episode 23 - Post mortem

You could not describe the atmosphere in Gary’s office on a wet Wednesday afternoon as jolly, but the guys gathered there were certainly relieved, and Gary was almost smug, though he could not take the credit for actually catching Akbari. As far as he was concerned, that detail would be cast side. He hoped that the press would not make a thing of it.

Episode 22 - Night watch

The vicar was more of a lost cause than the congregation whose good shepherd he tried to be. He was always thankful for Tuesday nights. His own spiritual strife dominated his life and Tuesday night spent on his knees was his chance to build up enough strength to carry on.

Episode 21 - It never rains ...

Cleo locked the office and walked home, devastated by what she had just done. Robert was glad to see her and tried to ask a lot of questions. Cleo had phoned and told him briefly about finding Sybil and the plan to drive her to the vicarage.

Episode 20 - Sybil

Since the Singleton case involved murder, Gary was in charge as head of Homicide. He was anxious to start looking for Sybil Garnet that day, not least so that he could be reunited with her little daughter. After a deep internet search, Nigel had retrieved a list of addresses for Barnet and none for Garnet, which confirmed Berta’s theory that Sybil had changed her name to avoid her family finding her.

Episode 19 - The midwife

On Tuesday morning, while Cleo was on her way to visit Mrs Singleton, Gary phoned Roger Stone.

“Sorry I could not come to your wedding,” said Roger Stone.

“It was not my wedding. It was Robert's.”

“Ouch! Wishful thinking. I can’t understand why Cleo went through with it. You and she are an item, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Cleo put loyalty before love.”

Episode 18 - Mrs Daniels

Lunch at Romano’s was followed by a siesta in Romano’s guest room, but the lovers were troubled by the implications of the meeting with Crane.

Episode 17 - Alice Crane II

On Monday morning, Cleo and Gary paid the women’s security prison a second visit as arranged. While Cleo drove, Gary described the discovery of Margot Smith’s corpse, but soon got drowsy from the sound of the car engine and his own voice and went to sleep until Cleo stopped the car.

Episode 16 - Smith alias Devonport

Next day, Gary was taking his Sunday turn at HQ. He was understandably delighted with the report he received from Ted Beasely. There was at last hope on the horizon for Alice Crane. Gary phoned Cleo immediately to tell her the good news

“But I suppose you already knew, didn’t you?” he said.

Episode 15 - Miss James

On Saturday morning, Jenny drove to the Daniels’ address in Middlethumpton, accompanied by a member of the security team who was going to look after her discretely. Accordingly, he synchronised his mobile with one from HQ on which there was an emergency button that Jenny could press if was in difficulties. Dave would wait in his car, he told her, and answer a call immediately.

Epusode 14 - Alice Crane I

After reporting briefly to Robert where she was going and phoning Dorothy to check that she knew everything relevant, Cleo made a task list for the coming days, answered a few emails, and drank a whole pot of espresso, black and very sweet. 

Episode 13 - Hitched, but not to a star

For two days there was no contact between Cleo and Gary. He was worried about her and talked seriously to Dorothy on the phone. She reassured him that Cleo was trying to be loyal to Robert. Dorothy thought that was why she was marrying him and she definitely had a guilty conscience about Gary.

Episode 12 - Banu Akbari

Dorothy looked long and hard at the photo Cleo had printed.

Episode 11 - Ceremonials

Gloria was in high spirits when she arrived for supper. She was acting triumphant, which annoyed Cleo, but was understandable, seeing as she had played the same secrecy game as they had, and won!

Epissode 10 - Snakes

“Is there a Beethoven Street anywhere in this area, Gary?”

“Why?”

“Anna has a teddy-bear with a secret.”

“Go on!”

Episone 9 - Teddy's secret

At about the same time as Dorothy was negotiating with the girl at the Social Services office, Cleo was sitting in her office reading her emails. Dorothy phoned through on her mobile to confirm that there was indeed a baby hatch in Upper Grumpsfield. She was waiting for the next bus and would come straight to the office.

Episode 8 - Tango

On a day overshadowed by grim suspicions of child abuse and bartering, back at the cottage for lunch Cleo spent quite a long time searching for loopholes in her theory about the purported ongoing subversive trading in babies, but even in the chat-rooms she entered online with a false name and giving her age as 15 and her condition as 8 months pregnant, the advice offered was not very helpful. It seemed as though girls in that predicament did not share their worries online.

Episode 7 - Dorothy goes for a walk

Robert had been asleep when Cleo got back from the Singleton cottage, so Cleo and he talked about the previous night’s events at breakfast early on Wednesday morning, Cleo having made a special effort to get up at the crack of dawn. She phoned Dorothy and asked her if she could come for a quick coffee seven thirty, an hour Dorothy found unusual for Cleo who liked her mornings to start gently and late. Realizing that something must be afoot, she was standing on Cleo’s doorstep within fifteen minutes.

Episode 6 - Mrs Courtney

It was a pleasant walk downhill towards Middlethumpton, but since Thumpton Hill was steep, the walk back would have been strenuous, so Cleo got into her car and drove there, telling herself that she needed it to do the shopping on the way back. 

Episode 5 - Anna

By the time the two sleuths arrived at the vicarage the boys were home from school and Edith had sent them to look for Anna. The twins were to watch out for her at the Bell Tower. The three older boys were to comb the immediately vicinity. Albert, the eldest, would be in charge.

“Absolutely brilliant,” said Cleo.

Episode 4 - Mistaken Identity?

While Gary had been away, Cleo had been busy enough with trivial cases that were mostly clients’ personal problems, such as tracking down a care home for an elderly relative or vetting a boarding school for someone’s child. Criminal activities had not been high on the list of tasks. The law student who had helped her in recent months was taking his finals soon and pressed for time.

Episode 3 - The girl child

Cleo’s phone rang. It was the vicar in an overexcited state.

“Cleo, thank God I’ve reached you. You weren’t at home.”

“I usually work here in the office at this time on a weekday,” she replied, thinking ruefully of the number of times the phone had rung and remained unanswered. “What are you upset about?”

Episode 2 - The decision

Cleo seemed to be spending a lot of time consulting her wardrobe before returning to the living room and flipping through a fashion magazine she had once ordered when she had decided to lose half her boday-weight and had no suitable clothes for the new look.

"Who was that on the phone?"

Episode 1 - The proposal

"You're nervous," said Cleo Hartley as she observed Robert Jones throwing the lamb chops into the frying pan. All his actions were frenetic. He seemed to be turning his cooking into a race to the finish.

"Me? No. What makes you think that?"

"Body language, Robert."

He tried to distract her.