by Lynda Stacey
‘My father, he’s a barrister,’ Kate was explaining. ‘He wanted me to go into law once I’d qualified, just like my brother had done. But I didn’t want to. I joined the Met police, went to live in London for a while and only came back to join the local force when my grandmother became ill. I came back to help look after her, until she died. By then, the only position available was as a PCSO, so I took it until something more permanent came along.’ She looked across at Ben. ‘I was considering joining my father’s firm, doing as my father wished, then …’ She faltered. ‘… then there was the accident. My sister Eve was paralysed and James, my brother, was killed. Everything changed.’ She paused and swallowed hard. ‘After the accident I simply couldn’t follow my father’s wishes. I couldn’t step into James’s shoes; it wouldn’t have felt right. I couldn’t comprehend the idea of doing the job that he’d done. It was all too painful. Besides, my father sold the company, went to York and took a position there within another firm.’ Her voice drifted off; again her mind flashed back to the accident. She vividly remembered drifting in and out of consciousness. The pain that had soared through her and the memory of her brother’s body, lying there.
Kate glanced around the room. She knew he’d be watching her mannerisms, watching how she handled herself under pressure. But it was easier to look around than at where William perched. He was still clasping his hands tightly together as though holding onto something for dear life. She waited for him to speak, but when he didn’t she looked over to where Ben now sat, studying her every move.
‘I’m sorry, I should have told the truth, you know, on the application form,’ she said as she crossed her legs. ‘It felt easier to omit the truth, than to try and explain. Yet here I am, trying to explain.’ She felt stupid that Ben had so easily managed to find out so much about her.
‘So, why did your father sell the law firm? Surely it would have been something to hang onto?’ William suddenly asked.
The question had been fair but Kate struggled to answer. ‘He … he didn’t want it any more.’ She took in a breath and gritted her teeth. The last thing she wanted to do was to cry, not here, not today. ‘He couldn’t bear to drive these roads, or to walk into the office and to see James’s desk empty. You see …’ She choked back the tears. ‘… James … he … he was his favourite, the only boy and my father didn’t take losing him very well. He didn’t even tell us about the sale. I was at the hospital a lot of the time, with my sister, and before we knew it, he’d sold everything and even though he only moved to York, it was far enough away for him not to have the daily memories that the company had given him.’
She looked around, battling her thoughts and was relieved when Gloria walked in with a tray of coffee and biscuits, carefully placing it on the desk next to where William still perched.
‘There you go, I brought more coffee. Just give me a shout if you need anything else.’ She glanced at where Kate sat. ‘Now, don’t you two go upsetting Kate. It’s her first day and I quite like the idea of having another woman around the place.’ She gave both Ben and William a stern look, before smiling at Kate and patting her on the shoulder. ‘Be nice to her,’ she said, before sweeping out of the room, allowing the door to slam shut behind her.
William picked up his mobile, checked the screen and then tossed it back on the desk. ‘You’ll be working with Ben for the first couple of weeks. I know you did surveillance work in the force, but you need to follow our way of doing things now. But, don’t worry, you’ll quickly learn the ropes. Ben will show you around the place, get you acquainted with the technology that we use and teach you as much as you need to know. The one thing we’re strict on, Kate, is that we do things by the book. At Parker and Son we stay within the law. So, no breaking the rules.’
Kate looked him directly in the eye. ‘Yes, sir. I’m pleased to hear that.’
‘Good.’ He looked at Ben. ‘Maybe you could take Kate out with you on the next job. Let her show us what she can do and, Kate, my name is still William.’ He smiled, but then stood up and Kate watched as he walked across the room, opened the door and once again, he smiled. ‘I’ll let Ben show you to your office. And Kate,’ he paused and held out his hand to shake hers. ‘Welcome to Parker and Son.’
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