Apha took a seat at the desk she'd put her things down on again, watching him. 'Just ze four of us now? How many cases do you normally get?' she asked, curious as to how the three of them had managed to take on cases. 'And disorganised? It can't be too bad.'

She picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. Once she'd swallowed it, she resisted the temptation to laugh. 'Good friends? Well, zey are sometimes.' When they weren't hiding things in the mornings. 'Err . . . Northern France. I was born in Paris, and lived zere until I was seventeen.' She shrugged casually.

'What about you? You have a slight accent. Not French, but . . . Scottish?' she asked, trying to pick out the soft accent.