Page 7 of Deadly Cry

‘Followed by a meet and greet which—’

‘No meet and greet,’ Kate again interrupted.

Lena glared harder before making a show of leafing through the briefing pack.

‘And this was changed when?’

Kate shrugged nonchalantly. ‘We’ve decided that the meet and greets are not a good idea. Just for security reasons.’

‘Has there been some kind of direct threat?’ Lena asked, narrowing her eyes.

Everyone knew this type of personality attracted the lovers and the haters. Many young girls idolised the glamour model who had more than two million Instagram followers, but there were some people less than happy about her breaking up the family of a local footballing legend.

‘No direct threat,’ Kate answered quickly.

Both Kim and Christopher Manley appeared to notice the speed of her response.

‘It’s just not going to sell more books.’

Lena appeared to accept her answer and continued.

‘We will then follow behind her driver as she is transported from Worcestershire to Halesowen. I will hand over to Inspector Plant at the entrance to the building in the service yard of the shopping centre.’

Lena looked Kim’s way to see if there was anything she wanted to contribute.

She shook her head. This was not her circus. She was doing what she’d been asked and had brought only her ears to the meeting.

Lena stifled a mild look of irritation as she opened the briefing pack. She looked to Bill Platt, who tipped his head in a ‘You wanted the meeting. You’ve got it’ kind of way.

Lena’s eyes scanned the pages.

‘It is my understanding that from the handover point, to avoid unnecessary contact with the public, Inspector Plant will escort Tyra Brooks through the service corridors to the rear of the bookshop.’ She glanced at Christopher Manley, making no effort to hide her disdain. ‘Key points will be manned by TSS guards who—’

‘Officers,’ he interrupted with a low growl.

Kim knew many security bosses who bristled at the term ‘guards’. Nowadays security personnel had to take exams, study and pass tests. Many were trained in First Aid and CPR and the use of a defib machine. Gone were the days of putting someone in a uniform and stationing them on a door.

‘How many guards have you committed to the event?’ Lena asked, ignoring his correction.

‘Seven,’ he said without looking at her.

Kim knew that many police officers looked down on security companies; saw all their staff as being wannabe police officers. Many disagreed with their involvement at public events, but Kim saw their contribution as being able to free up police officers to do what they were paid to do. West Midlands Police Force had denied Dudley Council that level of manpower to the event, so the councilman had little choice but to outsource. No one wanted anything to happen to this celebrity on their watch.

Christopher Manley began to outline his staff positions as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

Lena Wiley stifled a yawn. Kim listened to his plans. She didn’t need to consult the plan of the shopping centre with little marked crosses on it. She knew the area well and had been called to many an incident during her time as a constable.

Her phone stopped vibrating.Just give me a minute, she thought.

‘Well, thank you for that, Mr Manley. We’re all enlightened to know exactly where each of yourguardswill be standing and—’

‘What about staircase nine?’ Kim asked, cutting her off and speaking for the first time.

Lena now turned her annoyance Kim’s way.

Kim ignored her and continued her focus on Christopher Manley, who stifled a smile.

He consulted his plans again. ‘We don’t have a staircase nine on the drawings.’