“At no point has anyone ever asked Josh if he’s planning to slow down.”
I look back at the article.
“If Josh had run this incident, people would say command was cautious.”
I tap the paper.
“If one of the lads had run it, people would say procedure was followed.”
I point at the quote.
“I get she and first female watch manager.”
Amanda takes a moment before answering, her eyes moving over the article again.
“Oh.”
I nod.
Amanda sets the paper down.
“I didn’t notice that.”
I shrug.
“That’s because you’ve never had to.”
The words come out sharper than I mean.
To her credit, she doesn’t flinch. She only nods.
I stare at the article.
I know exactly what the journalist thinks he’s done.
Local interest.
Context.
Human angle.
Fair reporting.
But now I’m not the officer in charge.
I’m the female officer in charge.
Again.
I rub a hand over my face.
“I’ve been a firefighter for twenty years.”
This time, Amanda says nothing.
“I passed the same assessments. I made the same call Josh would’ve made.”
I swallow.
