Matthew gave a crack of laughter.

She wheeled on him. ‘And you’re no better. She’s certainly taking the pair of you for the mugs you are.’

After that none of them were speaking to each other.

They attended subsequent briefings in silence. They worked in the gym in silence. They ate apart. Except for Luke and Smith, now seemingly inseparable, laughing inordinately at each other’s jokes while Matthew watched expressionlessly from a distance and Jane went to great lengths to ensure she never watched at all.

And then, one evening, Smith was waiting for her outside her room.

‘Lockland, I don’t know what you said to Luke and Matthew the other day, but I can’t allow you to continue disrupting my team like this. I’m going to request the major removes you. I feel bad about it but I’ve given you every opportunity and you just haven’t responded in any way. I’m sorry, Lockland, but I think you’ve had your last assignment with this team. In fact, given your less than stellar performance, I suspect they’ll let you go altogether. You’ll be offered the opportunity to resign, I expect, although, after the damage you’ve done to my team, I think that would be more than generous.’

And off she went, leaving Jane reeling and without words. Somehow, she let herself into her room. Too stunned even to call for the lights, she sat on her bed and stared out of the window at the unconcerned darkness outside.

Wimpy Jane was all set for a good cry.

‘No time for that,’ said Brave Jane, sternly. ‘Time Police officers don’t cry.’

Getting to her feet, she called for the lights and stared at herself in the mirror. Major Ellis was far too senior to concern himself with such trivia, but she considered approaching North again. Except she could imagine the impatient contempt on her face at Jane’s failure to deal with her own problems. Or worse, she too might see Jane as the problem. Perhaps everyone thought she was the problem and not Smith. In typical Jane fashion, she dithered all evening, finding excuses for doing nothing.

In the end the decision was made for her. North stopped her on the way to breakfast the next morning. ‘What’s going on with your team these days, Lockland?’

Jane hesitated. North didn’t do self-pitying whining and her natural instinct was to say nothing.

North tilted her head to one side. ‘Parrish making a fool of himself over Smith, is he?’

‘He’s not the only one,’ Jane said bitterly.

‘Farrell as well? You do surprise me. Well, what are you going to do about it?’

‘I’m not going to have the opportunity to do anything about it,’ she said, resentfully. ‘Smith’s recommended I be let go. She’s going to have me dismissed.’