Jessica speaks, her too-bubbly voice coming down the line. ‘We can’t identify the complainant.’

‘God, you can’t be serious?’

‘We take these complaints seriously and, given the nature of the complaint, we’ve expedited things until we can complete our investigations. Part of the complaint concerns a call in which you failed at first to correctly diagnose an abdominal aortic aneurysm.’

‘That was Scotty.’

‘I understand you were the lead on the call.’

‘I took over for him!’

‘When you arrived at the hospital your colleague was driving.’

‘This is bullshit.’

‘It is, there’s no proof that you were using on the job, Lina,’ Rob adds.

‘No,’ James says. ‘But four nights ago, two hundred ampoules of fentanyl were removed from the medical lock-up. You were spotted loitering in the car park, despite the fact you weren’t rostered on.’

I search my mind, tracing back to the day. That was just after Cain was arrested. I was exhausted from the night before. ‘I had a nap. I got my dates mixed up.’ I pause. ‘Look, I’ve had a lot on my mind.’

Rob seems to double-take at this. Why is it so often the people we have to rely on are the most comically inept?

‘This doesn’t prove she did anything, this doesn’t prove she took the fentanyl.’

‘No,’ James says. ‘But at some stage over the course of the evening her passcode was used to enter the building and the safe.’

I’m shaking my head, tears starting. ‘Test me,’ I say. ‘Test me for fentanyl.’

‘That’s not going to help with our investigations, Lina.’

‘It’s him. It’s Scotty. I called him out and he’s setting me up. He was groggy, he messed up the call. He’s seen me punch my code in a thousand times.’

‘If that were the case, why didn’t you file a complaint about him like you’re supposed to?’

‘Because I’m an idiot. Because I thought maybe he was developing an addiction and it would cost him his job. I was trying to help him.’

The irony hits me – I wish there were cameras here like at the WeStays. I wish they had surveillance on the drug room 24/7.

‘Eight months ago, we discovered over one hundred ampoules of fentanyl had been taken from another station. That’s an ongoing investigation but we can’t take any further risks.’

‘Call the police,’ I say. ‘Search my property.’

Jessica speaks now. ‘A thorough investigation will be conducted. For now, Lina, the best course of action is for you to be placed on leave. This will be paid leave and, given everything else in your life, it might be a good opportunity for you to reflect.’

‘Reflect?’ I say but she’s still speaking, powering through.

‘We’ve also organised for you to speak with a drug rehabilitation counsellor. The ambulance service is fully invested in your psychological welfare through this time.’