“We’ll get straight to work,” Rodney said.
Dot held out the keys.“Then follow me.”She had expected at least one of the three officers would travel with her if only to ask questions about the case, but they all got into the hire car and tailed her back to the station.
Rodney greeted Martin and Pierre with courtesy, schmoozing in a way men did only with other men.“Martin, why don’t you show us where the evidence is?”Rodney said.
Dot forced her jaw to relax as she debated pulling rank.No, it would be petty.Martin could explain what had happened.“I’ll be in my office when you’re ready to go out to the scene.”
Pierre was the only one who acknowledged her words with a slight nod.
It was incredible how Rodney made her feel so powerless in her own station.She entered her office and mentally shook off the hit to her confidence.She’d let him get to her at the academy, but she wouldn’t let him make her feel inferior in her own town.He could go to hell.Sitting at her computer, she reached for the phone and rang the crime centre.“I’ve sent evidence on today’s flight.How long will it be to get a result?”
“We’ve got minimal staff today and a bit of a backlog,” the person answered.“Should have them by the end of the day on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
She gritted her teeth to stop herself from declaring that her evidence was more important.They had their priorities.
She flicked over the incident reports from the past few days.Nothing particularly noteworthy, though the domestic reports from the Hamiltons seemed to have increased in the past month.She’d have to talk to Kristy, and convince them to go into counselling.It hadn’t escalated to violence yet, but their arguments were heard all down the street.
Some relationships weren’t meant to be.
Oliver popped into her head, looking refreshed and sexy like he had last night, with the beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands.
Damn him for remembering her weakness.Flowers were such a lovely way of showing someone you were thinking of them, and gerberas were her favourite.
Her heart squeezed painfully, threatening to start feeling something for him again.She couldn’t do that.It made her far too vulnerable, and she refused to be fooled a second time.
She exhaled.
But it was also quite likely that Lindsay had suggested it, manipulating him into coming to see Dot.The woman was the worst sort of matchmaker.Dot frowned.
She didn’t want Oliver in her town, didn’t want to keep running into him.It hurt too much.Maybe Sam could recommend they stay on the boat at the dive site.Then the only chance there’d be of her seeing Oliver was when he left.
That sounded like a good idea.
She lifted her phone to call when a report came in about someone speeding through town.“Pierre, Colin, can you see to that?”
The men left, though both glanced back at the evidence room as if they wanted to stay.It wasn’t often they had visiting police in the station, and the drug squad was rare.
The others came out of the room and Rodney spoke.“Martin is going to take us to the island.”
Like hell he was.Dot smiled politely but shook her head.“He hasn’t been involved in this case like I have, and he’s needed here.I’ll take you.”She grabbed her keys, waiting for him to argue the point, but surprisingly, he didn’t.“This way.”
This was her station, and she was in charge.
***
Oliver heard the boat as he finished his last rest break for the day.He smothered a groan and moved up to the top deck to get a better look at the next lot of treasure hunters.Sherlock was already there, and he handed Oliver the binoculars.“It’s Dot with some others.They must be from Perth because I don’t recognise them.”
Oliver’s heart jumped as he spotted Dot behind the wheel.Next to her was a man who looked kind of familiar.His hooked nose and dark, almost buzz cut hair tickled part of his memory, but he couldn’t quite place him.His only run-ins with police had been when Dot was at the academy.
The memory clicked into place and he groaned.“Son of a bitch.”
“What’s wrong?”Sherlock asked, taking the binoculars back.
“The guy next to Dot went to the academy with her.He was an arrogant asshole, always trying to belittle and one-up the rest of the cadets, especially the women.Dot and Nhiari hated him.”
“That’s not good,” Sherlock said.
No, it wasn’t.Their antagonism towards each other had been legendary, but only away from the senior officers’ eyes.Rodney was always the model officer when they were around.Which made him even more toxic.
