In a flash the small-town station became Mitch’s headquarters, his staff darting around like spinning tops, setting up printers, taping numbers to phones, labelling equipment like an angry divorcee tagging items allocated in the settlement. There was a fury in how they worked and Chandler had to admit, a presence and authority in the way Mitch led them that he was impressed with, exhibiting an arrogance that Chandler wasn’t capable of. Chandler supposed that to climb the ladder you had to be able to step on a few fingers.

‘Meeting in my office,’ announced Mitch. Chandler held his tongue and crowded into the office with everyone else, a dozen extra bodies raising the temperature in the small room a notch further.

Mitch addressed them, the ancient projector casting an overhead map of the town on to the wall.

‘Okay, I assume we’re all fully briefed regarding the situation, but to summarize, we have a suspect at large, possibly holed up in town, possibly on his way out of town. So far we’ve been trying to contain him, but now we need to be more proactive.’

Brandishing a laser pointer he aimed it at the screen. ‘Roper and Flo, you take Watkins to Fenley; Darren and Neil, Pomarroo to the Creek. Erin, you and Mick take North down to Eagle’s Brook; and MacKenzie and Sun, you have this area,’ said Mitch, pointing to George Street and Dieskirt, where Chandler’s house was situated.

‘What about my team?’ said Chandler.

Mitch didn’t turn from the map. ‘They can remain where they are and check the traffic as they have been doing.’

‘And me?’

‘You’re in command, Sergeant,’ said Mitch. ‘With me.’ With this he raised the laser pointer, guiding the dot back to the map. ‘We have until dark to locate the suspect. If we cannot we will be forced to try something else. Everyone understand?’

His orders issued, he faced his audience to accept the obedient nods before his team swiftly exited one by one like unthinking robots. Chandler hoped that all emotion hadn’t been whipped out of them like it had been in their boss.

Chandler remained behind. He was curious what Mitch had meant by being ‘forced to try something else’. It seemed to suggest that he had a plan for that eventuality. If Chandler was really in joint command then he should divulge what it was.

‘So what if we don’t track him by nightfall?’ asked Chandler.

Mitch didn’t bite. ‘Then, as I said, we try something different.’

‘I know you, Mitch,’ said Chandler. ‘You know exactly what you want to do.’

Mitch nodded. ‘Correct, Sergeant. And if it comes to pass, I’ll reveal it.’

If it wasn’t bad enough being sidelined when Mitch wasn’t here, it felt ten times worse now that he was – it was an additional, personal, brush-off.