Dead Memories (D.I. Kim Stone #10)(60)

Oh shit, she’d forgotten about that.

‘May I have a chance to explain?’

‘Did you grab the man by the vest and raise your fist?’ he asked, nostrils flaring.

‘Yes, I did, but…’

‘There is no but, Stone. You know full well that is unacceptable behaviour.’

‘I absolutely do, sir, but I was provoked,’ she protested.

He sat back in his chair and listened as she relayed in detail what she had seen and the constable’s comment.

He appeared unmoved.

‘Is this your first crime scene?’

She shook her head.

‘Is this the first crime scene you’ve attended where something was said in poor taste by either yourself, your team or another person present?’

‘No, but—’

‘Don’t say anything, Stone. I’m no longer confident about your involvement on this case despite Alison’s favourable reports.’

‘Really?’ she asked, surprised.

‘She assured me that you were handling it well, up until now. This is behaviour I can’t condone regardless of the opinions of anyone else.’

Real fear settled in her stomach. Fear that this bastard would never be caught and that more innocent people would suffer.

‘Sir, let me speak to the constable concerned. I’ll apologise and smooth—’

‘You’ll do no such thing, Stone.’

‘But if you just let me—’

‘You’ll keep well away for the time being. As of this minute you are no longer assigned to this case until I say otherwise. So, I suggest you take a couple of days leave to cool down and put some distance—’

‘Sir, you can’t do—’

‘I can and I have, now with all due respect, Inspector, get yourself out of my sight.’





Seventy-Eight





Bryant headed up the stairs to the third floor, which wasn’t a trip he made often.

He had no idea what had been said to the boss but her face had been filled with rage as she’d stormed past the squad room door and barked that it was his turn.

He knocked and waited for the instruction to enter. That was normally the guv’s job and he was happy for her to do it.

Not that he didn’t respect the man sitting behind the desk before him. Over the years DCI Woodward had straddled the position perfectly. He had managed to maintain the respect of his team and the trust of his superiors. It had not always been easy. He knew that but Woody had always found a way to do what was right.

‘Inspector Stone is off the case,’ he stated.

Until now, Bryant thought.

‘May I ask why, sir?’

‘Because she’s not handling it,’ Woody snapped. ‘You saw how she acted with that constable. Was that not out of character?’

He nodded. ‘Extremely out of character but it was an exceptionally horrific crime scene.’

‘Which does not excuse that she would have struck that officer had you not intervened.’

‘Sir, I don’t think she—’

‘You grabbed her arm in mid-air, Bryant, so I beg to differ on that. Luckily, you were there to save her bacon and her job again; however, she is not out of the woods and I have no choice but to remove her from this case. I have one very pissed off sergeant who already hates CID biting at my heels.’

‘What about the officer?’ Bryant asked.

‘Makes no difference. It’s the sergeant making all the noise about how CID think they can treat his constables any way they like.’

‘To be honest, sir, I wanted to punch him myself. What he said—’

‘Was crude, unfeeling, foul, and repulsive. I have no argument. Believe me when I say that I sit in meetings with suits bartering budgets for public safety and I could quite happily get an Uzi and take them all out. But it’s about control and your boss showed none when dealing with that constable, so I can no longer trust her to run this case.’

Bryant thought for a moment before speaking.

‘Sir, you’re making a mistake,’ he said, politely but definitely.

‘DS Bryant, do you know how many complaints land on my desk each week because —’

‘And do you know how many people don’t die because of those complaints?’ he asked, sombrely. ‘Don’t get me wrong, there are many days I question her methods, her directness but I never question her passion or her drive to catch the bad guy.’

‘Agreed but this case isn’t good for her. She’s losing perspective, control. Her emotions are either too close to the surface or being buried too far down that they’re fighting to be let out, but either way it’s not good for her and it’s not good for the case.’

Bryant was not surprised that Woody had voiced the exact same concerns he had earlier that day. The man was astute, even from a distance. And even though some small part agreed with him he also knew that there was no one better to run this case.

‘But by the same token no one is as close to these events as she is. If she can’t provide insight to catch this bastard before he kills anyone else then the rest of us have no chance.’

Woody shook his head. ‘I’m not budging on this one, Bryant. You’re it until I find a replacement DI to head the case.’