Page 98 of The Girl in the Woods

Jack waved and Ana waved back. Beth leaned down to retrieve her bag and Ana looked at it appreciatively. ‘New handbag?’

Beth laughed. ‘Hand me down. My sister is the designer queen. I don’t even know if this is a good make. It’s a Radley. I’ve had it a few years now.’

‘It’s a good make,’ Ana assured her. ‘Must have cost well over a hundred.’

Beth gasped. ‘Blimey, I’d better treat it with more respect.’

While Beth went to the bar, Ana checked her phone. There was a text from Jonny.

Not sure when I’m seeing you, but here’s a brilliant blow-up photo of the bag. I have a mate who is a genius at this stuff. It’s got initials on it. Looks like SG or SO. It could be a designer logo. When are you free?

Ana replied.

How about tomorrow.

She zoomed in on the photo and there was the bag. It was pink, but she couldn’t make out the letters very well. However, there was something vaguely familiar about it.

‘Tonic water,’ said Beth, making her jump.

Ana took more painkillers and tried to relax but couldn’t bring herself back to the present since her dream. Her thoughts were chaotic. The pub was vaguely similar to The Fox. The woman sitting across the way, laughing with her male companion, could easily have been Cherry. The bright red lipstick was certainly Cherry’s.

‘So how did you find Ray? Discover any more about Elaine Lees?’

‘Ray?’ Ana asked, confused.

‘My brother-in-law, the psychiatrist.’

An invisible hand punched Ana in the solar plexus. ‘Ah, yes. Not much helpful information.’

Beth sighed and leaned back in her chair. ‘Don’t tell me. The whole confidentiality thing?’

Ana nodded. Brain fog was making everything seem unreal. She shouldn’t have taken so much Valium with the painkillers.

‘It makes Tom pretty angry. Matt said the other doctor was the same. They always claim they would tell us if anything could be connected to a murder. Tom’s argument is, how would they know.’

‘I agree. Awkward for you, though, with him being your brother-in-law.’

‘I guess he believes he’s doing the right thing. So what made you come to Oxford?’ asked Beth, changing the subject.

One year earlier

The chief had ordered Ana into his office when she’d returned from the hospital.

‘What the hell did you think you were doing? A whole pub full of people saw you.’

‘He was resisting arrest,’ she said quietly.

‘He was handcuffed, Sergeant Rawlins.’

Ana lowered her head. ‘He was making abusive comments.’

‘Which you should have ignored.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Lucky for you, he’s not pressing charges. It’s taken a lot for you to get here, Ana; don’t ruin it now.’

She chewed her lip thoughtfully and then hesitantly asked. ‘Could I be transferred? There’s a vacancy at Stonesend station in Oxfordshire. I’d like to learn more. I don’t want to spend my life arresting pimps and hooligans at football matches.’

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