approaching the door to the incident room. Harrigan could hear the buzz.
‘I don’t think we need to go into the incident room, Minister,’ Trevor said. ‘There’s a conference room down here. You’ll be more comfortable there.’
‘What do you think I’m going to see in there that I won’t like?’ Edwards asked. ‘Why don’t I go and have a look?’
With his adviser behind him, he walked quickly inside the room. Harrigan and Trevor followed. The room was crowded. Telephones rang, paper was accumulating in ever-growing piles on everyone’s desk, there was a sense of hurried activity. Edwards and his adviser walked over to the room’s whiteboard. There, as Harrigan had known it would be, was pinned a large, full-colour photograph of the Pittwater murder scene. The room became silent, people watched.
‘Were you afraid of me seeing this?’ Edwards asked. ‘You forget, I’ve seen it in real life. It was the first thing that came into my mind when I woke up this morning. I’ll probably die seeing it, whether I want to or not. Let me tell you, it can’t do anything to me on paper. It’s time for me to talk to your people. Who have you got organised?’
‘I’ll take you over and introduce you to them, Minister,’ Trevor said. ‘Can we get you some coffee? Maybe something to eat?’
‘Thank you. My adviser too. We’ve both been working most of the night. Thank you for your time, Commander. I’m sure I’ll speak to you again.’
Edwards walked away with Trevor, his faithful adviser behind him. Not more than a few moments later, Marvin entered the room and came up to Harrigan.
‘Why did you bring the minister in here? Can’t you find him some better accommodation?’
‘He came in of his own accord. What are you doing here?’
The level of noise in the room had increased as the members of the task force returned to theirwork. Marvin’s arrival quietened them again. Harrigan could see people staring in surprise at the arrival of so many heavyweights in their space. It would fuel the gossip for days.
‘I’ve come down here to see how your people are spending my money. Why wouldn’t I want to know that?’
He turned and walked away quickly, going into Trevor’s office. Harrigan followed, angry at having to walk in Marvin’s footsteps. When he reached the office door, he saw Marvin flicking through the papers that covered Trevor’s desk.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘I’m your inspector’s senior officer. I can look through his desk if I want to. I’m paying for this and I want to be fully informed about what’s going on.’
Trevor appeared in the doorway, still carrying the dossier the minister had given him in the commissioner’s office. At the sight of Marvin, blood rushed into his cheeks.
‘You’d better sit down, mate,’ Harrigan said. ‘It’s your office.’
Before anyone could move, Marvin sat at Trevor’s desk.
‘Couldn’t you find somewhere better for the minister than a small room at the back of this badly ventilated mess of a place?’ he asked Trevor abruptly. ‘Who’s that you’ve got talking to him?’
‘Frankie’s dealing with him.’
‘Looking at her will put him off his lunch. Couldn’t you get someone more senior than her? Didn’t you recruit her? How do I know she’s any good?’
‘Frankie knows what she’s doing.’
‘It’s not whether you think that. It’s whether I do.’
‘No, that’s a question for me, Marvin,’ Harrigan intervened angrily. ‘What do you think you’re doing, talking to my inspector like this? Get up from that desk. Did God rip into you because you made a fool of yourself just now? Now you’re taking it out on us. Don’t bother. We’ve got work to do.’
‘The commissioner doesn’t rip into me. He listens to what I have to say. But he will rip into your inspector if he doesn’t do his job properly.’ Marvin turned back to Trevor, ignoring Harrigan. ‘The money’s mine. I expect you to
‘I don’t think we need to go into the incident room, Minister,’ Trevor said. ‘There’s a conference room down here. You’ll be more comfortable there.’
‘What do you think I’m going to see in there that I won’t like?’ Edwards asked. ‘Why don’t I go and have a look?’
With his adviser behind him, he walked quickly inside the room. Harrigan and Trevor followed. The room was crowded. Telephones rang, paper was accumulating in ever-growing piles on everyone’s desk, there was a sense of hurried activity. Edwards and his adviser walked over to the room’s whiteboard. There, as Harrigan had known it would be, was pinned a large, full-colour photograph of the Pittwater murder scene. The room became silent, people watched.
‘Were you afraid of me seeing this?’ Edwards asked. ‘You forget, I’ve seen it in real life. It was the first thing that came into my mind when I woke up this morning. I’ll probably die seeing it, whether I want to or not. Let me tell you, it can’t do anything to me on paper. It’s time for me to talk to your people. Who have you got organised?’
‘I’ll take you over and introduce you to them, Minister,’ Trevor said. ‘Can we get you some coffee? Maybe something to eat?’
‘Thank you. My adviser too. We’ve both been working most of the night. Thank you for your time, Commander. I’m sure I’ll speak to you again.’
Edwards walked away with Trevor, his faithful adviser behind him. Not more than a few moments later, Marvin entered the room and came up to Harrigan.
‘Why did you bring the minister in here? Can’t you find him some better accommodation?’
‘He came in of his own accord. What are you doing here?’
The level of noise in the room had increased as the members of the task force returned to theirwork. Marvin’s arrival quietened them again. Harrigan could see people staring in surprise at the arrival of so many heavyweights in their space. It would fuel the gossip for days.
‘I’ve come down here to see how your people are spending my money. Why wouldn’t I want to know that?’
He turned and walked away quickly, going into Trevor’s office. Harrigan followed, angry at having to walk in Marvin’s footsteps. When he reached the office door, he saw Marvin flicking through the papers that covered Trevor’s desk.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’
‘I’m your inspector’s senior officer. I can look through his desk if I want to. I’m paying for this and I want to be fully informed about what’s going on.’
Trevor appeared in the doorway, still carrying the dossier the minister had given him in the commissioner’s office. At the sight of Marvin, blood rushed into his cheeks.
‘You’d better sit down, mate,’ Harrigan said. ‘It’s your office.’
Before anyone could move, Marvin sat at Trevor’s desk.
‘Couldn’t you find somewhere better for the minister than a small room at the back of this badly ventilated mess of a place?’ he asked Trevor abruptly. ‘Who’s that you’ve got talking to him?’
‘Frankie’s dealing with him.’
‘Looking at her will put him off his lunch. Couldn’t you get someone more senior than her? Didn’t you recruit her? How do I know she’s any good?’
‘Frankie knows what she’s doing.’
‘It’s not whether you think that. It’s whether I do.’
‘No, that’s a question for me, Marvin,’ Harrigan intervened angrily. ‘What do you think you’re doing, talking to my inspector like this? Get up from that desk. Did God rip into you because you made a fool of yourself just now? Now you’re taking it out on us. Don’t bother. We’ve got work to do.’
‘The commissioner doesn’t rip into me. He listens to what I have to say. But he will rip into your inspector if he doesn’t do his job properly.’ Marvin turned back to Trevor, ignoring Harrigan. ‘The money’s mine. I expect you to
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