Page 34 of First Blood

Kim knew research had shown links between media coverage of suicides and an increase in suicidal behaviour. This had prompted a whole set of what to do and what not to do for reporters. These included; avoiding detail, steering away from melodramatic depictions of suicide or its aftermath and to aim for sensitive, non-sensationalising coverage. None of which had been adhered to by this woman.

‘And what happened?’ Kim continued. ‘If I remember, the day your piece came out a fifteen-year-old tried to copy and do the exact same thing. Lucky for everyone she didn’t succeed.’

‘That piece was about bullying and the effect—’

‘It was written to sell newspapers, Frost, and don’t pretend otherwise. But what I can tell you, even though you’ve not yet posed it as a question to me, is that no one in the West Mids Police force likes you very much.’

Tracy Frost’s face hardened and Kim knew the battle lines between them had been drawn.

‘Well, from what I can gather the same goes for your popularity too.’

Kim offered her first genuine smile as her palm rested on the door handle. ‘Thing is, I couldn’t give a shit.’

She opened the door and got in as the woman hobbled away in shoes that were clearly too high for her.

‘Well, that exchange woke me up,’ Kim said, waiting for Bryant to start the car.

He stared forward.

‘What are we waiting for?’ she asked, watching the reporter get into a white Audi; a car she would now remember.

‘You know, guv, I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.’

Ah, he was pissed off about what she’d quoted at Dawson.

‘I wasn’t fighting anyone’s battle. It was information that I didn’t think you had right at your fingertips.’

‘And you did?’

‘Strangely, yes,’ she said, buckling up even though the man’s driving didn’t require it.

She had taken the time to research them all the night before. She’d also found out that Bryant had been put forward for the promotion by two separate inspectors who thought he was good for it. And he had failed the exam both times.

Dawson had been right, statistically speaking. Bryant was unlikely to make it but she hadn’t appreciated the younger officer trying to rub the man’s face in it.

‘Well, whatever it was, please don’t do it again. I can handle Dawson.’

‘Noted,’ she said. ‘Now will you please start the bloody car?’

Kim glanced out of the window as the Audi pulled off the car park.

Well, so far today she’d pissed off two thirds of her team and the local journalist, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock.

That might be some kind of record.

Even for her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

‘What the fuck are you looking at?’ Dawson snapped at her as she glanced at him over the top of her screen.

‘An arsehole,’ she said, before she could stop herself.

She instantly looked down, regretting what she’d said, but the words had popped out as though firing directly from her brain.

‘I wasn’t lying,’ he said, defensively. ‘The old man has tried for promotion twice and failed twice. Loser.’

Stacey noted how he had conveniently forgotten the figures quoted to him by the boss. And DS Bryant didn’t seem like a loser to her. From what she’d seen he was steady, attentive and friendly.