That didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous about what was coming next. I’d received glowing reports from my previous rotations, and I wanted to keep it that way. The better I did here, the more chance there was that I could have my first choice of postings when I finally graduated.
I’d barely entered the room when Molly scooted over to me. We’d bonded on the very first day, when we’d been paired up during our first skill session designed to teach us how to find tell-tale evidence from grainy CCTV footage.
Molly had joined the police initially to flip the finger at her family. Her parents seemed to think that she should focus on finding herself a fella and settling down with a little part-time job in a shop or a school, rather than running around the grimy streets of London and infiltrating its underbelly. It hadn’t taken her long to realise that, in the process of foiling her family, she’d found her true calling.
For my part, I’d dodged her questions about my reasons for signing up and mumbled something about it being a childhood dream. Molly was smart enough to know there was more to it than that – and kind enough not to press me for more information.
‘A little bird tells me that you had quite the day during your last shift with CID.’ She punched my arm. ‘You go, girl! I said you’d be great. You bagged a real bad guy.’
I smiled at her. ‘It wasn’t really me. The detective I partnered did all the heavy lifting.’
‘Stop being so freaking modest, Emma. You held your own, and that means you did a good job. If it’d been me, I’d be crowing about it from the rooftops.’
‘How did things go in the drug squad?’ I asked.
She pulled a face. ‘Grim. Very grim.’ She held up her hand and crossed her fingers. ‘Criminal Investigations Department next, though. Bring on CID.’
‘Here’s hoping,’ I said, dropping my voice as Lucinda Barnes, the Academy’s head, walked up to the podium at the front of the room.
Detective Superintendent Barnes, to give her full title, didn’t smile although there was a warmth to her gaze as she looked round the room. For all that she’d been an experienced, hard-nosed detective before she took on the role as head of the Academy, she still retained something of a mother hen aura.
‘Welcome back,’ she said. ‘I’ve been reviewing the reports from your last rotations and I can only say how impressed I am at all of your performances. You’ve done yourselves proud.’
Her gaze swept across our upturned faces, and I was certain I didn’t imagine her eyes lingering on mine for longer than necessary. ‘Now we are moving into the final phase of your training. You only have a two-week placement to complete, before final debriefings and testings. After that, you will be fully-fledged detectives, ready to take on the world. Rotation postings are going up on the noticeboard as we speak. I trust that you will continue in the same professional manner that you have done so far – but remember that being a police detective is not just about image.’ She touched her chest briefly. ‘It has to be part of your heart and your soul.’
I bit my lip, a tingle of pride rippling through me. It had taken me a long time to get to this point; the Academy was merely the tip of the iceberg in what had been a very long journey. I’d do it, though. Two months before my thirtieth birthday, and finally I was going to be in a position to achieve everything I’d ever wanted.
We bustled out into the corridor, eager to find out our new assignments. At half a foot shorter than most of my fellow trainees, I couldn’t see the board for the other heads in the way. I knew from Molly’s crow of delight, however, that she’d got her posting to CID. I pushed myself onto my tiptoes to get a better look, just as I heard several sharp intakes of breath and spotted more than one swift glance in my direction.
‘Emma,’ Molly murmured. ‘Oh…’
I frowned at her and elbowed my way to the front. I scanned the sheet, searching for my name. When I finally saw it at the bottom, and my eyes tracked my assigned rotation printed next to it, I blinked. That didn’t make any sense.
I rubbed my eyes and read it again. ‘It must be a mistake,’ I said, my voice sounding tinny. ‘That can’t be right.’
Molly’s hand reached for mine and squeezed it. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘It must be an error.’
I spun round, blindly pushing my way through the crowd and into the meeting room. I’d get this sorted out in a jiffy.
Barnes was still standing by the podium, frowning at some papers. She looked up when I entered. There wasn’t any surprise in her expression; I had the impression she’d been waiting for me.
‘Detective Superintendent,’ I began.
‘You’ve called me Lucinda until now,’ she said. ‘There’s no reason to suddenly become so formal.’
I sucked in a breath and marched up to her, my arms swinging. The closer I got, however, the more my confidence leaked away. I stopped a few feet away and my hands dropped by my sides. ‘Supes?’ I asked, in little more than a whisper. ‘I’m going to Supes?’
She regarded me implacably. ‘It’s very rare that trainees like you are given a rotation to Supernatural Squad. You should look on it as an honour.’
But it wasn’t an honour. As green as I was, even I knew that nothing could be further from the truth. ‘I’d been expecting Cyber Crime,’ I said, aware of the tinge of desperation in my tone.
‘That rotation is already full. You should consider this an excellent opportunity to hone your investigative skills, Emma.’
I straightened my back. ‘I don’t think it’s a suitable department for me.’
‘On the contrary, I believe it’s theperfectdepartment for you. And if it proves otherwise, well,’ she shrugged, ‘it’s only for two weeks. Once you’re done and you’ve got your full warrant card, you can request all the long-term postings to Cyber Crime that you want. For now, Supes is where you’re going.’ DSI Barnes nodded, indicating that the conversation was over. ‘Enjoy it while you can. Not many people get this opportunity.’ She picked up her pile of papers and walked out, leaving me gaping after her.
Molly edged into the room. As soon as she saw my expression, her face paled. ‘It’s not a mistake then.’
