Rick Bainbridge watched Nikki leave, and let out an audible sigh. He knew so much more about her than anyone else. He’d known her since she was an eager young probationer, full of all the right things that would make her a great officer. But then she had volunteered to take a distress call, and had finished up cradling a dying teenage girl in her arms in a rat-infested basement. The death of Emily Drennan changed her life for ever. It screwed up both her marriage and her head, and it sent her off on a personal vendetta that had been waged constantly, from the moment the youngster died to the present day. If she had never raised her hand and volunteered for that particular job, Rick was sure that Nikki Galena would have been weighed down with brass, gold braid and respect by now. She certainly wouldn’t be the hard-nosed loner, the scary enigma, that she’d become over the last years.

Rick stood up, picked up his jacket and briefcase, and walked slowly to the door. He would hate to lose her. She practically kept their arrest target going single handed, but now the ice had become too thin for him to support her for much longer. And at this late stage in his career, he couldn’t afford to sink below the waterline with her. He turned off the light and closed the door. The partnership with Joseph Easter was their last chance. Because if they both went down now, there was no one left to throw them a line.

CHAPTER FOUR

AS 5 A.M. APPROACHED, Greenborough Police station still buzzed with activity.

WPC Yvonne Collins flopped down gratefully into a messroom chair and watched as her partner, PC Niall Farrow, unclipped his heavy equipment belt and lowered it gently to the floor.

‘Maybe if you put on a few pounds around your gut, you’d be able to cram a load more gadgets on that thing.’ She stared at her crewmate in exasperation. ‘Something useful, like an AK47, or the kitchen sink, maybe?’

‘I like to be prepared,’ said Niall smugly.

‘You’re a copper, not a boy scout! And if you jam anything else around your waist, there won’t be room for us both in the patrol car.’

‘Lighten up, Vonnie. One day I’m sure you’ll be grateful for my excellent selection of equipment.’ He grinned at her.

‘In your dreams, sunshine.’ Yvonne smiled as she pulled off her hat and placed it on the chair next to her. Her crewmate’s constant exuberance amused her. Niall was only two years into the job, and still viewed every moment as a great adventure. Yvonne was nearing fifteen years service and had a more pragmatic approach to her job, usually praying for peace and goodwill to all men, something she rarely got to see.

‘So, how many mask-related incidents do you think have occurred tonight?’ asked Niall, leaning back and stretching.