troublesome, the interfering wife bringing her husband’s forgotten packed lunch to work for him. Not, she thought, because he was belittling her on purpose, but just because he was innately sexist that way.
‘I’ll wait,’ she said. ‘He wants me to look at the crime scene with him. See if I can help him with leads.’
‘Good, good. Fine. All offers of help gratefully received.’ He brought his brows together in a thoughtful manner. ‘What’s happening with the boy? The one from the cellar?’
‘Anni’s with him now. He came round. I talked to him but didn’t get much. He kept asking for his mother.’
‘His mother?’
She nodded. ‘As far as I could tell. But wherever he’s been, he’s been there a while. He can barely speak. Hardly communicate. There’s a lot of damage there. A hell of a lot. It’s going to be a while before we can get anything coherent from him.’
He nodded. ‘Right. Good. Good work, Marina.’
She said nothing.
‘Keep at it.’ A smile. Marina imagined he thought it was the kind Churchill must have given to rally the troops.
‘I will,’ she said. He made to walk away. She stopped him. ‘Oh, by the way, I’m glad I caught you. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.’
He looked at her quizzically. Waited.
‘Rose Martin.’
His attitude changed, his voice guarded. ‘What about her?’
‘You’ve returned her to work. I don’t think she’s ready.’
He straightened up. Expression closed. ‘In your opinion.’
‘In my professional opinion as her psychologist, yes. She’s still exhibiting signs of stress, of trauma. She’s not emotionally ready to handle the demands of her job. At least not back on the front line.’
‘Well, thank you for your comments, Marina,’ he said, nodding. ‘You know I value your input greatly. I’m sure you’ll put them all in your report. I’ll read them then.’
Marina felt her face redden, her hands shake. She controlled her anger, kept talking. ‘With all due respect, Brian, you’ve put her back on front-line duty and I hear you’ve promoted her too.’
He held his hands up as if in surrender. ‘That wasn’t my doing, I’m afraid. The ball was in motion before I got here.’ He looked at her, and she detected sincerity in his gaze. Or a good facsimile of it. His voice dropped. ‘Look, Marina. Sometimes I have to make decisions that are unpopular, or that people who don’t have full access to the facts may find … contentious. Rose Martin is a fine officer. In my opinion’ – he highlighted the words, as if he had spoken in italics – ‘she is fit to return to work. The case she is working is fairly routine. I’m sure she’ll be fine. And with budget cuts, we need all the bodies we can get.’
He smiled, as if that was the final word.
‘Fine. Well I just wanted you to know that I have officially voiced concerns, that’s all.’
‘Noted.’ He smiled. ‘That’s what we pay you for.’
Any further conversation was abruptly halted. Phil Brennan was walking towards them.
‘Ah,’ said Glass. ‘Here he is. I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.’ He walked away.
‘Tit,’ Marina said. Then felt guilty. He wasn’t that bad. There had been worse DCIs.
Forgetting Glass, she turned, smiling, to face Phil. Her heart still rose when she saw him. Even here, even like this. Or perhaps even more so. After all, they had met during a case, so it seemed like a natural habitat to them. Working together. Just like old times. It felt right.
And sometimes she just couldn’t believe her luck that she had him.
But as soon as he approached and she saw him clearly, her smile faded.
24
‘P hil?’ Her hand straight on his arm, concern in her eyes. ‘You OK?’
He shook his head as if coming out a trance, seeing her for the first time. ‘Marina. Hi.’ He stopped before her.
Her voice dropped. ‘What’s the matter? You look like you’ve, I don’t know. Seen a ghost.’
His eyes went out of
‘I’ll wait,’ she said. ‘He wants me to look at the crime scene with him. See if I can help him with leads.’
‘Good, good. Fine. All offers of help gratefully received.’ He brought his brows together in a thoughtful manner. ‘What’s happening with the boy? The one from the cellar?’
‘Anni’s with him now. He came round. I talked to him but didn’t get much. He kept asking for his mother.’
‘His mother?’
She nodded. ‘As far as I could tell. But wherever he’s been, he’s been there a while. He can barely speak. Hardly communicate. There’s a lot of damage there. A hell of a lot. It’s going to be a while before we can get anything coherent from him.’
He nodded. ‘Right. Good. Good work, Marina.’
She said nothing.
‘Keep at it.’ A smile. Marina imagined he thought it was the kind Churchill must have given to rally the troops.
‘I will,’ she said. He made to walk away. She stopped him. ‘Oh, by the way, I’m glad I caught you. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.’
He looked at her quizzically. Waited.
‘Rose Martin.’
His attitude changed, his voice guarded. ‘What about her?’
‘You’ve returned her to work. I don’t think she’s ready.’
He straightened up. Expression closed. ‘In your opinion.’
‘In my professional opinion as her psychologist, yes. She’s still exhibiting signs of stress, of trauma. She’s not emotionally ready to handle the demands of her job. At least not back on the front line.’
‘Well, thank you for your comments, Marina,’ he said, nodding. ‘You know I value your input greatly. I’m sure you’ll put them all in your report. I’ll read them then.’
Marina felt her face redden, her hands shake. She controlled her anger, kept talking. ‘With all due respect, Brian, you’ve put her back on front-line duty and I hear you’ve promoted her too.’
He held his hands up as if in surrender. ‘That wasn’t my doing, I’m afraid. The ball was in motion before I got here.’ He looked at her, and she detected sincerity in his gaze. Or a good facsimile of it. His voice dropped. ‘Look, Marina. Sometimes I have to make decisions that are unpopular, or that people who don’t have full access to the facts may find … contentious. Rose Martin is a fine officer. In my opinion’ – he highlighted the words, as if he had spoken in italics – ‘she is fit to return to work. The case she is working is fairly routine. I’m sure she’ll be fine. And with budget cuts, we need all the bodies we can get.’
He smiled, as if that was the final word.
‘Fine. Well I just wanted you to know that I have officially voiced concerns, that’s all.’
‘Noted.’ He smiled. ‘That’s what we pay you for.’
Any further conversation was abruptly halted. Phil Brennan was walking towards them.
‘Ah,’ said Glass. ‘Here he is. I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.’ He walked away.
‘Tit,’ Marina said. Then felt guilty. He wasn’t that bad. There had been worse DCIs.
Forgetting Glass, she turned, smiling, to face Phil. Her heart still rose when she saw him. Even here, even like this. Or perhaps even more so. After all, they had met during a case, so it seemed like a natural habitat to them. Working together. Just like old times. It felt right.
And sometimes she just couldn’t believe her luck that she had him.
But as soon as he approached and she saw him clearly, her smile faded.
24
‘P hil?’ Her hand straight on his arm, concern in her eyes. ‘You OK?’
He shook his head as if coming out a trance, seeing her for the first time. ‘Marina. Hi.’ He stopped before her.
Her voice dropped. ‘What’s the matter? You look like you’ve, I don’t know. Seen a ghost.’
His eyes went out of
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