Elias had remained silent. ‘And “Bitch”?’ he’d thought, suppressing a wry smile.
He remembered feeling a boiling heat rise up inside him as she had explained what was expected of him.
‘You’ll be mainly under the supervision of DI Fletcher, a very competent and respected member of my team,’ she had said, watching his face carefully.
Elias had kept his eyes focused ahead. He knew when to pick his fights and when to merely observe.
And what was that last part she’d said? Something that had made him question what he was doing here. He grimaced as he remembered, her words echoing inside his head.
‘I have no time for men who find it hard to work under the authority of a woman.’
She had deliberately let that sentence hang there in silence a moment longer than she’d needed to.
Elias figured he’d deserved that. Still, his eyes narrowed, the memory fresh in his mind, eating away at him.
I wish I knew exactly what was in my file.
Then there had been that parting shot – ‘I won’t tolerate mavericks.’
It was these words that jolted him out of his reverie, back to the lunch room.
He eyed the few people that were gathered around the vending machine, and plucked the biro from his mouth, flicking it across the table with irritation.
He’d decided to sit on his own. He wasn’t in the mood for making friends. He’d had friends before he transferred, or so he thought. Where had they been when he needed someone to cover his arse? Watching their own backs, that’s where. Doing everything by the book. Sometimes rules had to be broken for the greater good.
He tried to push the thought from his mind, staring down at his lunch, but although the hot meal smelled delicious, he didn’t feel very hungry. Instead he added five heaped teaspoons of sugar to his coffee cup and slowly began to stir. He barely noticed DI David Matthews as he sat in the chair opposite him.
‘You’ll come crashing down about five o’clock if you’re not careful,’ he said, as he poured milk into his own cup. Elias stopped stirring, raising his eyes wearily, face blank.
‘Sugar rush,’ Matthews said. ‘You’ll be crashing in so many hours, mate.’ He gestured to the coffee. When Elias failed to acknowledge him, Matthews pushed his own cup to one side and folded his arms on the table. ‘She really isn’t that bad.’
Elias scoffed and shook his head in disagreement. ‘Why do you assume I have a problem with Claire?’
Matthews cocked an eyebrow. ‘Written on your face.’
‘Don’t take the piss.’
Matthews held up his hands. ‘I’m serious, mate, she’s just testing you. She likes to see how tough you are, and no offence, but you’re kinda falling at the first hurdle.’
Elias was having none of it. ‘I grew up in Brixton, mate. I don’t have to prove I’m tough enough. I’ve nothing to prove to her and my credentials speak for themselves. I’m not an idiot.’
Matthews sat back in his chair. ‘Look, I know she’s hard to get along with at first, but everyone agrees once they get to know her… Claire wouldn’t be Claire if she was any different.’
‘I have no intentions of getting to know her on a personal level.’
Matthews chewed his bottom lip, taking in the new DS carefully.
Elias was in his mid-thirties, dressed smartly, with fashionably messy hair that was streaked with blonde highlights.
A pair of large hazel-coloured eyes looked back at Matthews, with a steely edge to them.
‘You got a problem or something, working under a woman?’
Elias practically scowled. ‘No.’
Matthews raised his eyebrows. ‘You sure about that, mate?’ Silence hung heavy in the air. ‘’Cos if it’s a gender thing–’
‘It’s not.’
‘It’s pretty old-school, thinking like that.’
‘I respect women officers… good ones.’
‘DCI Winters not good enough?’
Elias paused, being careful. ‘I never said that.’
‘But?’
‘But… she does have a reputation.’
Matthews saw a little of himself in the new recruit, back when he first started his career as a PC. He also recalled his first impression of Claire when he started in CID. It would be hypocritical of him to be completely hard on Elias for his initial thoughts on their Guv. He ran his hand back through his brown hair and said, ‘You definitely won’t last five minutes with that attitude. She’ll eat you for breakfast, lunch and dinner.’
‘Who’s eating who for what now?’ asked Stefan, as he approached the table.
‘Claire,’ said Matthews, not taking his eyes from Elias.
‘Ah. He’s having reservations about his transfer.’
‘Yep.’
‘To be expected, I guess.’
‘We’ve all been through it.’
‘Yeah, I remember it well.’
‘You know I am sitting right here,’ Elias interjected. ‘You needn’t talk as if I wasn’t.’
Exchanging glances with Matthews, Stefan looked apologetic.
‘You’re right. Sorry, it was meant as a joke,’ he said, taking a seat beside Matthews. ‘Guv’s called a team brief in twenty minutes; see where we are with the body in the lake.’ He glanced at Elias. ‘You ever see anything like it before?’
Elias shook his head, but avoided Stefan’s eyes. ‘Saw my fair share of depravity, but this has a different feel to it.’
Stefan eyed Elias closely, noted his pale drawn face, and then glanced at the untouched food in front of him.
‘Did Claire actually have the power to make you lose your appetite as well?’ Stefan asked. Elias glanced up, and then looked at Matthews, who hid a smile in his coffee cup. He returned his gaze to Stefan and glowered.
‘Hey, I’m being serious,’ Stefan said, jabbing Matthews hard in the ribs. ‘Ignore him. He’s just glad Claire’s taken the heat off him in favour of you.’
‘That’s not fair, Fletch.’
‘Come off it, you love the banter, you practically ask for it,’ he said, winking at Elias. Matthews ignored him and picked up the newspaper on the table.
Stefan looked at Elias and thought he caught a hint of a smile.
‘You gonna eat that?’ Stefan pointed his fork at the full plate. Elias shrugged, then shook his head, pushed the plate aside and sipped his coffee.
Stefan sat back in his chair. ‘Did she give you the “no first name” spiel?’ Elias remained silent. ‘She does give that speech to everyone.’
Elias sat back in his chair, jutted out his chin in defiance. ‘You think I’m taking myself too seriously.’ It was a statement rather than a question.
‘Well you said it,’ Matthews quipped.
‘Ignore him,’ said Stefan. ‘Best thing you can do is not take Claire’s attempts to destroy you seriously. She’s as harmless as a kitten really.’
‘As far as harmless sharp-clawed kittens go,’ Matthews added, nose still buried