‘Unit twelve,’ Ella said, and Murray pressed the buzzer. They waited. The traffic on the street behind them was loud. Ella went for the buzzer again, a long press. This time the intercom came to life. ‘What!’ The woman’s voice was hoarse. ‘Police,’ Ella said. ‘What?’ ‘Detectives. We’d like to speak to you for a moment.’ There was a pause. ‘I’m coming down.’ They got their badges out. Ella tried to push Lauren from her mind. She’ll be fine. The door beside them opened and a woman looked out. She was in her mid-twenties with long curly red hair falling to the shoulders of a tightly cinched dressing gown. ‘Yes, you did wake me,’ she said. Ella put her badge in front of the woman’s face. ‘Are you Jules Cartwright?’ ‘Yes. Why?’ ‘You were living here five and a half years ago, is that correct?’ ‘Yes. Again, why?’ ‘We’re investigating a homicide,’ Ella said. ‘And we’d like to talk to you inside.’ The woman made a face. ‘Or you can come with us to the station, if that’s more convenient.’ The woman shoved the door fully open.
