‘Oh, OK.’ Sarah pulled out the swivel chair. Her stomach was swarming with butterflies, like a kid on the first day of school. The kid who had been marked out as unpopular before they’d even begun. She caught the side glances from her colleagues, heard whispers from the back of the room. The atmosphere had taken a nosedive the second she walked in. I’m in my bubble, she told herself, as she sat at her desk. It was one of the coping mechanisms her therapist had taught her in the course of the year. But her beautiful rainbow bubble popped at the sound of her sergeant’s voice.

‘What are you doing?’

‘I was going to log on, check my emails.’

Gabby looked at her indignantly. ‘You don’t need to check your emails. I’m right here in front of you. Come, talk to me.’ A low ripple of murmurs rose from the corner of the room. Her head bowed, Sarah approached her sergeant and was handed a folder of paperwork. ‘There’s lots to do. You can’t sit on your backside all day.’

Gabby silenced the whispers with a glare before returning her attention to Sarah. ‘Take a job car and start taking statements. You can brush up on the details case by case.’

Sarah’s heart sank as she flicked through the paperwork. ‘Reports of a prowler,’ she said. ‘Do we need a statement for these? Last night was Halloween.’

‘Are you questioning my authority, Ms Noble?’ Gabby said, one eyebrow raised.

‘No, Sarge.’

‘Well, as it happens, I agree with you. But the DI has decreed that the good residents of Upper Slayton need a bit of hand-holding today. It’s the perfect job to help you find your feet.’

Sarah nodded, relieved at least that her sergeant had agreed with her. ‘Here’s your trolley.’ She pulled out the small suitcase on wheels. It contained a portable printer and notebook computer as well as pens, paperwork and everything she needed to take statements. ‘I don’t expect to see you until this evening. We’re not exactly in a hurry for these.’

‘Um …’ Sarah stalled. It seemed a waste to use her as a statement taker when she was a trained detective. She knew she was on restricted duties, but she thought she’d be dealing with more pressing matters than Halloween pranks. These were the words Sarah wanted to say, but they failed to materialise.

‘Yet despite the look on my face, you are still here.’ Gabby drummed a red-varnished nail on her desk. Clearing her throat, Sarah signed out the keys of an unmarked car before turning to leave. Why had her sergeant pushed her out the door the minute she stepped inside?

‘Good riddance,’ somebody muttered in her wake. It seemed rock bottom had a basement.