She fought the instinct to bundle him back into the car and return him. She knew how that felt. She took a deep breath and moved forward, taking control.
‘Okay, boy.’ Barney stopped what he was doing at the sound of her voice. ‘If this is gonna work we need some rules. Erm … I’m not sure what they are right now but the first one is absolutely no sofa, get it? There’s laminate flooring, a rug and your own bed. The sofa’s mine.’
Strangely, Kim felt better now that was understood. She walked around him to go into the kitchen. Barney continued his exploration but less fervently.
Coffee made, Kim sat and watched him wander around her space, his tail wagging contentedly. She took a moment to wonder what he was thinking. Was he really so easily transplanted or was he wary? Did he suspect that he was on nothing more than a holiday from the dog’s home and that his return would be guaranteed?
Barney approached and sat beside the coffee table, looking at her. He turned his head and appraised her mug and then returned his gaze to her. She did nothing and he repeated the motion.
‘Are you kidding me, dog?’
His tail swished the floor as she spoke.
She leaned forward and dipped her little finger into the cooling drink. His rough tongue lapped at the liquid and then he waited. Kim smiled, only she could get a dog that liked coffee as much as she did.
She poured a little of the liquid into his water bowl and cooled it with milk. His tongue slapped the bowl until it was bone dry. He raised his head, showing a creamy moustache.
Kim laughed. ‘No more. Dogs and coffee don’t mix.’
She took the rest of her drink back to the sofa. Barney seemed to get the message and lay close to her feet, almost touching.
She lay her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. She had to make this work. As uncomfortable as it was having another living being sharing her space, something had driven her forward to the dog shelter. The idea of discarding him again made her feel sick.
Kim felt a movement on the sofa. She opened her eyes and found him sitting beside her. Still not touching.
‘Barney, I told you …’
In a single move that channelled the speed and deftness of a ferret, he was in the crook of her arm.
Okay, it was time to show the dog how this relationship was going to work. There would be food, water, a couple of toys, a bone or two, late night walks, but certainly not this.
As she opened her mouth, he nudged closer, rested his head on her right breast and looked deep into her eyes. His own gaze full of questions.
Her hand found its way to the top of Barney’s head, her fingers moving backwards and forwards in the smooth fur.
He sighed and closed his eyes and so did Kim. Yeah, she’d certainly shown him who was boss.
The rhythmic motion of stroking his soft fur lulled her into a state of relaxation.
Gradually the sensation of a small, warm body nestled against her evoked a memory so powerful, of another time, many years ago, of another small body beside her seeking protection and reassurance.
For the first time in twenty-eight years the tears escaped and rolled silently over her cheeks.
TWENTY-NINE
‘Jesus, Kev, put it away,’ Stacey said, turning left out of the car park. ‘It’s like yer palm cor let it go.’
Kev ignored her and continued to mess with his phone. ‘Fuck off, Stace.’
A slow smile spread across his face before he expertly used two hands to text.
Stacey had offered her services as designated driver to the Dunn house. No way was she trusting Kev to drive in his permanently distracted state.
‘If I had a dick, I’d name it Dawson,’ she observed.
‘Stace, I don’t know what you think you know, but whatever you think you know ain’t your damn business anyway, got it?’
Stacey shrugged. She didn’t get offended when he told her to butt out. In fact, she rarely got offended at all. She had an opinion and she wasn’t afraid to use it.
‘I know you’m heading for trouble, Sonny Jim.’
‘Since when did my private life become available for public consumption?’
‘Since you hassled us all for advice the last time she caught ya.’
Although his phone was on silent, she heard the soft vibration of a reply.
‘I’m gonna keep talking until yer phone goes back in yer pocket.’
‘Is this your idea of I’ve got a song that’ll get on your nerves?’
‘Yeah, I like to call it, I’ve got an opinion that’ll get in yer brain.’
He sent another text message.
‘You are so gonna get caught. It’s a good job she don’t work in our office.’
‘What are you talking about, Stace?’ he asked, his fingers pausing above the keys.
‘We all know you’re putting it about, Kev. You’re a cocky bastard at the best of times but normally you’re a bit likeable to boot. But not right now. I don’t really like yer at all. And you’re getting on the Guv’s last nerve.’
Reluctantly, he put the phone away.
‘Aah, network gone down, Kev?’
He stared ahead.
Stacey shook her head. Whether he realised it or not, he was more bothered about the boss finding out than his missus.
‘Remind me again why we’re going to the Dunn house,’ she asked.
‘Scene of crime have finished the second sweep and the boss wants us to sign it off.’
Stacey knew that the techs had been back searching for forensic evidence since it had been discovered there was a potential second person in the room while Dunn had been abusing his child.
‘Now, I know it’s your first time with forensics but you’re not gonna embarrass me are you? I mean, it’s not like a computer game. These are real people, yeah?’
‘Oh, Kev, I think I preferred you messing with your phone,’ she said. Her addiction to the game World of Warcraft was a constant source of amusement to him.
‘Park just here on the left,’ he said, undoing his seatbelt.
‘I’m a detective, Kev. The big white van kinda gave it away.’
‘Smart-arse,’ he said, getting out of the car.
She locked the doors and followed him into the property. Her heart rate had increased just a little. He didn’t know how accurate he was.
Since joining the team of detectives eighteen months earlier, Stacey’s place had been in the office. The boss and Bryant tended to pair up. Dawson was often sent out on his own and she made friends with the computer.
For a short period she had resented it, but had eventually come to love the technological digging and searching for facts that would support the rest of her team.
And now the boss had thrown her a curveball and pushed her out of the safety zone. So, in some ways Dawson was right. She wasn’t quite sure how to act and as much as it pained her she would have to follow his lead. For now.
There was no activity in the living area as they strode through the house. She took the steps down into the basement. Three white suits remained.
‘All done, Trish?’ Dawson asked the one in the middle.
Stacey would never have guessed the figure was a woman. She pulled the white hood back to reveal a shaved head and a tattoo of a rose behind the left ear.
‘Trish, Stacey, Stacey, Trish,’ Dawson offered as an introduction. Trish offered her a brief smile. Stacey nodded in response.
Dawson faced the technician. ‘So, what did you find?’
Trish moved to the left. ‘The shadow in the footage was here,’ she said, standing by the wardrobe. ‘The camera was set up here, and the spotlamp was here.’
Stacey followed the woman as she used herself as a prop around the room.
‘So, given the mathematics and common sense, our subject would have been standing right there. Just where you are now, Stacey.’
‘Oh, shit,’ she cried, as though standing on hot coals.