Page 13 of Killing Mind

And yet she couldn’t press the button until she’d said one more thing. Keats was as conscientious as she was. He would not be taking the news of their mistake well.

‘Hey, at least we caught it quickly,’ she said, quietly.

‘No, Inspector, at leastyoucaught it quickly,’ he said, ending the call.

Kim was tempted to call him back, although she didn’t know what she’d say if she did. He would beat himself up no matter what she tried to tell him.

She put her phone down and turned to her colleague. She looked pointedly at his empty hands.

‘You know I remember the days you used to bringmefood or at the very least coffee.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said, taking a stool at the breakfast bar.

‘And now all you bring me is a face like a slapped arse.’

‘Sorry but it’s the only face I’ve got,’ he mumbled.

Kim took down the black with white spots mug which had somehow become Bryant’s mug.

Everyone was entitled to a bad mood now and again, but for Bryant it was so grievously out of character. Okay, forget the pizza or the coffee, but normally when visiting another person’s home, the least you took with you was good humour. She stifled her irritation. Given all that he suffered stuck with her every working day she could at least try and offer a bit of support.

‘Well, either straighten your face or bugger off,’ she said, mustering as much sympathy as she could manage.

He stared at her for a full minute before his lips began to turn up in a smile.

‘Praise the lord,’ she said, pushing his drink towards him, having decided that he could stay.

‘And I bring Barney a treat cos he wags his tail when he sees me and nuzzles my hand.’

‘Well, Bryant, it’s safe to say that I am neither going to wag my…’

‘I need advice, guv,’ he said, forgetting her first name rule when in her home. He immediately held up his hand in acknowledgment.

‘And you came here?’

‘Yeah, go figure.’

She folded her arms and leaned back against the work surface.

‘So, I’m guessing you didn’t do anything fun with your afternoon off?’

He shook his head. ‘Parole hearing for Peter Drake.’

Kim waited for more. The name was vaguely familiar to her, but she immediately knew it wasn’t a case of hers.

Having finished off his apple Barney had come to sit beside her.

Bryant saw the puzzlement on her face.

‘That case I told you about years ago that prompted me to join CID.’

She continued to wait. If she remembered correctly it was twenty-five years ago.

‘You still go to the parole hearings?’

He nodded. ‘Her father asks me to accompany him as his plus one.’

Kim was still confused. ‘So, what advice do you need?’