Page 81 of Little Children

It was Keats. He gave her no chance to speak.

‘I need you to come back here. There’s something you really need to see.’

The call ended, and Kim stood. The tone of his voice said it all. He’d found something that she wasn’t going to want to hear.

Fifty-One

The first thing Bryant noticed upon entering the squad room was that Red was back.

The second thing he noticed was the state of him.

His whole body was transmitting tension like sonar. His face was pinched and flushed, and his gaze was aimed squarely at Moss.

‘What the fuck did you think you were doing, Roy?’

Moss appeared to be unperturbed as he took his seat.

Bryant slid into the chair beside Stacey as Walsh headed their way.

‘Wanna sort some drinks?’ she asked in a blatant attempt to give the two men privacy.

‘Nah, I’m good thanks,’ Bryant replied as Stacey shook her head.

Red had his own office, and if he couldn’t be arsed to act in a professional manner and take the man out of earshot, Bryant was totally here for it. If it had been any other member of the team, Bryant would have followed Walsh’s respectful lead, but it didn’t look like Red was going to notice either way.

Bryant stretched out his legs and folded his arms.

‘Do you wanna fucking explain?’ Red shouted.

Roy shrugged. ‘We got the call. How was I to know it hadn’t come through you?’

‘Because then I’d have fucking called. I told you we’d likely get a call, and you should have referred it back to me instead of taking it upon yourself to attend the crime scene.’

‘You’re busy,’ Roy said, showing no embarrassment at being bollocked in full view.

‘Not too busy to decide which cases my team members are working.’

‘Sorry, I just assumed the instruction had come via dispatch from you, and that you’d tasked me to attend. I think it’s dispatch that fucked up. All I did was?—’

‘What you did was offer first response on a case you can’t continue to work, putting the SIO at a fucking disadvantage before they’ve even started.’

‘Come on, Red – a body trumps any missing?—’

‘Not when it’s a kid we’re still hoping to find alive.’

Bryant seriously wished he’d got a bag of popcorn for this show.

‘I ain’t bailing you out of this one, Roy. You fucked up, so you’d best get over to DI Crawford and explain your actions.’

‘She got the case?’ Roy asked in disgust.

‘Yeah, and she’s already behind the ball thanks to you. Go tell her what you did minute by minute, and don’t be surprised if she bawls you out as well.’

For the first time, Roy looked uncomfortable with the conversation.

Bryant was willing to bet it was because he now had to explain himself to a woman of all things. And a woman who held a more senior rank than he did.

Roy pushed back his chair with force and glowered at his boss.