‘May we come in?’ she asked, willing to afford him every normal courtesy for now.
‘What’s it about?’ he asked, stepping back.
The door led straight into a hallway that had rooms on either side. She followed him into a small sitting room with space for only the bare minimum of furniture. He took a seat in the centre of the two-person sofa, making it impossible for both her and Bryant to sit down.
She lowered herself onto the single armchair while her colleague positioned himself in the doorway.
‘You’ve been posting some interesting stuff on social media lately,’ she said, not asking the questions she wanted to but keen to hear his answers all the same.
‘Free country, isn’t it?’
‘You like that kind of stuff, Robbie – men hitting women?’
He looked uncomfortable as he shrugged. ‘It’s funny.’
‘You think so?’ Bryant asked.
‘Some of it,’ he said, looking between them, probably doing a mental checklist of what he’d posted.
‘You got a thing against women?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘No, not really. I mean, some are stuck-up, some are teases and some just need a man to?—’
‘Robbie, I suggest you stop there before you have me thinking you’re not a very nice young lad.’ She was willing to bet that he was a follower of Andrew Tate or some other chauvinistic idiot.
‘Have you met many women that you felt needed a good slap?’ she asked.
He shrugged.
‘How about Ashley Reynolds?’
His face darkened, and the anger exploded before he had a chance to keep it in check.
‘Interfering bitch and a liar as well.’
‘We heard she was pretty good to you. Getting you placed with your gran and keeping you out of the care system.’
‘Just doing her job. She never cared about me.’
‘That’s not true. She cared about you a great deal. Why else would she have kept an eye on you long after she should have closed your file?’
‘Cos she’s a nosey cow,’ he said, looking every inch the belligerent teenager.
‘Did you think that about her before she accused you of stealing from your gran?’
‘Gran likes to give me money,’ he said, looking defiant.
‘Does she always have a choice?’ Kim asked pointedly.
‘Is that what this is about? That bitch already tried to involve the cops once and that didn’t work out well for her.’
Kim stiffened. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘She got taken off the case. Probably got a bollocking as well after my gran complained about her interference.’
His voice dripped with triumph.
‘Did you get her to complain?’
