Page 28 of Child's Play

‘She is?’ Kim asked, pointedly.

He put it down and began tapping it.

‘You know, I’ve often heard folks talk about all the things they’ve done in that time between shifts. Visited parents, out with friends. Date night, whatever the hell that is, cleaning, cooking, playing with kids and I’ve thought how nice to be able to fit all that in. You know, actually have a life.’

‘Yeah, well now you’ve got the chance to…’

‘I don’t want it, guv… sorry, Kim,’ he said, remembering her ‘first name at home rule’.

‘And it’s not good for my marriage, either.’

Kim pushed his coffee towards him. ‘You’re joking?’

He shook his head. ‘We’ve never been that kind of couple. We don’t need to be with each other every minute. Jenny has her work mates, book club, a few old school friends and I have rugby and… well, work.’

‘Jesus, Bryant, seeing as you’re not doing much of the rugby thing right now that leaves you in a bit of a sorry state.’

‘Ain’t that the truth?’

‘You never did tell me why you’ve cooled the rugby thing. I mean I know you were getting beaten black and blue most games but that’s been going on for years.’

‘No particular reason,’ he said as a shadow crossed his face. If she recalled correctly it had happened during their last major case where the killer had been copycatting the traumatic events of her life.

She shuddered as she pushed the memories away.

‘Anyway the point is that some couples can have too much time together. It can be detrimental to their psychological and physical—’

‘Jenny hit you?’ she asked, stifling a smile.

‘Threw the remote at me when I switched offEmmerdaleand asked if she wanted to go out for a walk.’

Kim laughed out loud. ‘Methinks you’re gonna have to find yourself some man friends.’

‘Or I could just do my job the way I’ve always…’

‘Sorry, but I’m under orders. You know Woody’s really getting his knickers in a twist over this burnout report.’ She hesitated. ‘I mean we both know you don’t do anything quick enough to even worry a friction burn but…’

‘Cheers, Kim,’ he said, running his hand through his hair.

‘Hands are tied.’

‘Woody doesn’t have to know. We could work out of here once the shift ends and…’

‘Not happening.’

She’d had the team working there for 24 hours during the last case and she wasn’t likely to invite that situation in again.

‘Thing is, I can’t get Belinda Evans out of my head. All I can see is her sitting on that swing with the barbed wire around her wrists, her foot turned at the ankle, slouched against the chain like a rag doll.’

‘Yeah, I know what you mean,’ she answered, taking a good sip of her drink.

The vision had been with her since she’d walked back in the door.

‘And her sister. I mean there is some weird shit going on between the two of them.’

‘And yet Veronica won’t even talk to us about their childhood. I wonder if Stace…’ Her words trailed away as she raised an eyebrow at her colleague. ‘Very clever, Bryant, but we’re not talking about this any more. Pretty sure that counts as work and we’re off the clock.’

‘Bloody hell,’ he said at the end of a long sigh. ‘You know, at my age I have to make the most of my active brain cells cos there’ll come a day when…’