Free The Shadow Maker by Robert Sims

procedure.’
    She paced up and down, swearing - a delayed reaction to the ticking off she’d received from Nash.
    ‘Procedure, my arse!’ she said. ‘You know as well as I do it’s only an excuse.’ She stopped pacing and stood at his window, looking at the city skyline. ‘What it’s really about is resentment. They won’t accept what I do.’
    ‘Give them time.’
    ‘Time for what?’
    ‘To get used to the idea of profiling.’
    Rita shook her head in exasperation. ‘It’s like waiting for a new primate to evolve. I haven’t got the patience.’ She pulled a frond off his potted fern and began to shred it.
    ‘They’ll come around,’ Loftus said wearily. ‘But in the meantime patience is something you’re going to have to learn. For the sake of your career.’
    ‘Maybe it’s just the wrong career.’
    ‘There’s nothing wrong about it at all,’ he said, ‘if you’ll just leave the politics of the job to me. And perhaps you’ll listen to me the next time I warn you not to do something. That move on Kavella
    - you did clear it beforehand with Strickland, didn’t you?’
    ‘He was under pressure at the time. He was just about to go into a press conference.’
    ‘So you let him off the hook instead of yourself ?’
    ‘What’s it matter? It’s an attitude I’m up against.’
    Loftus sighed. ‘I admire you, but your sense of honour might be misplaced.’
    She turned and looked at him sharply. ‘I always do what I think is right.’
    ‘That’s fine up to a point, but don’t add to the obstacles in your way. And you bloody well keep me informed if Proctor decides to enlist your services.’
    She turned back to the window, plucked another frond from the plant. ‘Are you lecturing me, Jack?’
    ‘No, just giving you good advice,’ he said irritably. ‘And leave my fern alone.’
    She huffed and folded her arms. ‘So what am I supposed to do?’
    ‘First of all, I want you to go and cool off.’ He looked at his watch. ‘You’ve got half an hour. Then I’m holding a fresh briefing in the squad room. Thanks to you and Strickland, this case has turned into a can of worms that’s now my personal responsibility.
    Apart from anything else, I don’t want it going off the rails.’
    As detectives gathered for the briefing, Rita pulled over a chair to sit next to Erin.
    ‘You look pissed off,’ said Erin. ‘Want to tell me about it?’
    ‘No,’ answered Rita. ‘I want you to deliver on your promise.’
    ‘What promise?’
    ‘Wine. Lots of it.’
    ‘When?’
    ‘Tonight. Jimmy Watson’s Bar. I’ll ask Lola to come as well.’ Lola was Rita’s best friend. ‘We’re overdue for a blow-out.’
    ‘I can do threesomes,’ agreed Erin. ‘I’ll have to check if the couch commander can look after Tristan, but it shouldn’t be a problem.’
    The chatter in the room tapered off when Loftus entered and started adding items to the whiteboard. Rita could tell he was psyching himself up to deliver the briefing.
    He cleared his throat and turned to face his detectives. He had a printout of Strickland’s crime report in one hand, a pen in the other. Behind him was a wall map of the city and a noticeboard with duty lists alongside a display of crime scene photos. ‘I’ve pulled some of you off other investigations for obvious reasons,’ he said.
    ‘The attack on the prostitute’s not only vicious, but thanks to the media it’s a high-profile case. However,’ he took a deep breath, ‘I don’t want that to distract you. There’s more likely to be a stuff-up if we go charging off in search of a quick bust. If you’ve got the impression people are breathing down your neck, ignore it. Any pressure for a result will be dealt with by me - personally - from now on. I’m talking internal and external pressure.’ He shot a look at Strickland. ‘Including the press.’
    There were nods of appreciation. Loftus was generally admired by his squad members.
    ‘You may have got wind of another