‘Jesus, Dawson, lighten up,’ Kim said, placing his appraisal form between the two of them.

Seeing what it was they were about to discuss seemed to do little to reduce his trepidation.

She had quickly glanced over it once she’d found it underneath a bike magazine in her second drawer down.

‘So, I see you’ve marked yourself five out of five on ability, attendance, work quality and… just about every subject, really?’ she said, perusing the whole form.

He grinned. ‘Gotta aim high, boss,’ he said.

She took a moment to read through the criteria in detail.

‘Yeah, nice try but no banana, Kev. You’re not gonna get a five for leadership, meeting deadlines or teamwork, and you can rethink the organisational skills score. Getting Stacey to do it for you doesn’t count.’

She crossed out the fives and entered a score of four in each box. She turned the page over and back again as though looking for something.

‘Hmmm… not sure where to put this,’ she said, frowning.

‘What’s that, boss?’

‘Your refusal to listen to my instruction regarding press appeals. I’m looking for the appropriate box.’

He raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘It was one time, boss, and I learned from it.’

Oh yes, he’d learned from it all right. When he’d watched the rest of the team, herself included, stay late into the night ringing back every pointless lead they’d received after she’d told him that was exactly what she knew would happen.

‘You took the bullet on that one, eh, boss?’ he acknowledged.

Yes, she had told Woody that it was her that had made the press appeal instead of letting on that Dawson had been tricked by a junior reporter. Which she was sure would come up in her next appraisal. Woody hadn’t bought it for a minute.

‘Which brings us on to areas of improvement,’ she said. ‘And I see you’ve left that box blank.’

‘I think I’m doing good, boss,’ he said, refusing to give an inch.

Kim opened her hands expressively. ‘Well, how about we swap seats then and you—’

‘I ain’t doing that good,’ he said, fighting a smile.

‘Damn right,’ she agreed and then thought for a moment. ‘Rash, Kev,’ she said, honestly. ‘Not the skin kind but the acting sometimes without full consideration for the consequences kind.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘Boss, I’m not sure I’d agree…’

‘And bloody argumentative,’ she said, pretending to write it down. ‘The second doesn’t bother me so much. Your umm… challenging nature while intensely annoying, irritating and frustrating does give me pause for thought, now and again. However, your impetuousness will ultimately get you into trouble.’

He thought for a second and then nodded. ‘But the thing is, I have this boss who—’

‘Isn’t being appraised right now,’ she interrupted, making a note in the empty box. ‘Curb it, before someone gets hurt.’

He opened his mouth against her expression which actively discouraged a debate on the subject.

‘Got it, boss.’

She read the entry in the last box on the form marked ‘Future Goals’.

‘Really?’ she asked.

He took a breath. ‘I think I’m ready for that next step, boss. I’m not on probation,’ he said and then glanced at the appraisal form. ‘I think I’ve demonstrated competence. I have no live warnings or improvement notices and…’

‘You trying to convince me, Kev?’

Kim knew that any requested registration form would result in a line manager endorsement form being forwarded to her.

‘I’ve got a family, boss. I wanna provide for Alison, give Charlotte a decent education, you know, give them both a good life.’

Kim understood but it was not a fast or easy process. He would need to sit a legal knowledge exam, be assessed against rank-specific competencies and endure a temporary promotion and work-based assessment before he could even sniff the permanent promotion.

‘And, to be honest your opinion means as much to me as—’

‘It won’t be me making the final decision on—’

‘I know, but I’d like to know what you think,’ he said, honestly as a polite tapping sounded on the already opening door.

‘It’s coming on, guv,’ Bryant said from the doorway.

She nodded in his direction and stood.

‘Boss?’ Dawson said, waiting for an answer to his question. Did she think he was ready?

‘When we find Sadie’s killer I’ll be sure to let you know.’

He smiled and followed her out of the door.

* * *

They all gathered around Stacey’s computer; she had loaded the news channel onto her screen. There stood her boss in front of the north side of the building, not visible from their window.

He was flanked by press liaison officers with lanyards hanging around their necks but no other police officer was present. His authoritative demeanour in his smart black uniform commanded all the attention.

‘Turn it up, Stace,’ Dawson said from the back.

‘…incident at Heathcrest Academy that has resulted in the death of a thirteen-year-old girl. Our condolences and thoughts are with the family at this time and officers are working—’

‘Are the circumstances suspicious?’ shouted one female voice from the front.

Kim groaned. She knew that voice well.

Woody ignored the question. ‘Officers are currently determining—’

‘Was it suicide or accidental?’ Frost shouted again, getting the attention of the Sky News camera, which now flitted back and forth between the reporter and her boss.

Woody stared straight ahead. ‘Our enquiries are ongoing at this time—’

‘Chief Inspector, was it murder?’ Frost shouted.

The camera whipped right back to Woody, who hesitated before speaking again.

‘We will update you as soon as we have more information,’ he said, before turning away and heading back into the building.

‘Bloody Frost,’ Kim said, shaking her head. This was exactly what her boss hadn’t wanted.

The only thing that would be taken away from this press conference was that one word and his refusal to deny it. Murder would be screamed from every headline.

‘I’m thinking that Jack is definitely out of the box now, boss,’ Dawson observed.

‘I think you’re right,’ Kim said, as her phone began to ring.

She recognised the number as Lloyd House. West Midlands Police headquarters in Birmingham.

* * *

‘Stone,’ she answered, heading back into the bowl.

‘Detective Inspector Stone, this is Chief Superintendent Briggs.’

Kim had the urge to laugh out loud. She’d heard the name, had even seen his photo, but this man wasn’t Woody’s boss. He was Woody’s boss’s boss.

‘Sir?’

‘Whatever you were doing next, please cancel it. The Winters have requested your presence at their home. They have something they’d like you to see. Immediately,’ he said before the line went dead.

She stared at the phone for a full twenty seconds as a feeling of unease stroked the hairs on the back of her neck.

She had the impression that someone was trying to put this Jack back into the box.