‘Now, what job do you think she’ll want to promote me to?’

Kennedy met his gaze, unblinking, but the colour had risen in his cheeks. Tom had hit on a sore point – the possibility of Kennedy being shunted out of his role to make room for the first choice for the job.

The inspector was expecting the other man to rage and threaten. Perhaps warn Tom he’d made a serious enemy. That sort of thing. But it was in his reply that Tom realised what the man’s real talent was – an ability to see the writing on the wall and to adapt. Kennedy was clearly not yet as close to Bronwyn Maher as he’d like to be. And maybe he knew Tom had the backing of An Taoiseach himself.

It was too soon for him to go all out in a head to head with the inspector. He’d pushed too far, too early.

‘I think you’ve misread this situation and are over-reacting, Tom,’ Kennedy said, coolly. ‘It’s my job to assist you and make your role easier. I understand you’re tired and feeling the pressure. Against my better judgement, I’m going to let you resume your role in this investigation. Afterwards, though, we will need to have a conversation about our professional relationship. If you do not respect me in this role, Inspector, that is an issue.

‘And I want to leave you with this. I believe you have vastly underestimated the assistance I have provided in order for you to run this investigation unimpeded. Not once have I asked you to deal with the media during what has proven to be one of the most sensational cases in the history of our force. I’ve ensured you’ve had all the resources necessary at a time when budgets across other departments are hanging on by a thread. And not once have you thanked me for any of that. I promise you, we will return to this at a later date.’

‘Let’s do that,’ Tom said.

He was trembling from the anger coursing through him. And more – he knew he’d given Kennedy what he wanted. The inspector had allowed the chief to provoke him into showing his best hand.

But he also felt chastened. Kennedy had thrown stuff back at him that Tom hadn’t been prepared for. What he’d said was true and the inspector was annoyed that he hadn’t even considered that side of things.

Worse still, Tom might have just created a situation where the only way he would be able to deal with this man was to actually take his job.

As good as that threat had sounded, it really wasn’t what he wanted.