Yvonne nodded. ‘Oh yeah, yeah, thanks to Gabby. She’s very open-minded.’ She lowered her voice as she leaned in to Sarah. ‘She tends to keep her beliefs under wraps. Not everyone appreciates her point of view.’

‘What point of view is that?’ From the corner of the room, Sarah saw one of her male colleagues give them a curious glance. She returned her attention to Yvonne, who was getting friendlier by the minute. Sarah couldn’t deny that it felt good to break the ice.

‘She’s very spiritual,’ Yvonne whispered. ‘You’d never think it, would you?’

Sarah was having a hard time equating her sergeant with the woman Yvonne was portraying. ‘No, she doesn’t strike me as the type.’

‘Yeah, don’t call her a type either, she hates that. I mean, she hates most things; they don’t call her the Ball Breaker for nothing …’ Yvonne broke into a short laugh. ‘But you’ll gain her respect if you show some consideration for her beliefs. You poor thing, you could do with it. You’ve not had the best of starts.’ She delivered a pitying look before glancing over her shoulder. ‘But don’t talk about it here because the others will only take the piss. Speak to her in private, she’ll like that.’ Their conversation was interrupted by the shrill ring of Yvonne’s desk phone. She glanced over Sarah’s shoulder before giving her a wink. ‘She’s coming. Good luck!’

Sarah nodded in acknowledgement, feeling uncertain about what had just happened. From what she could tell about Yvonne, she was a spiky character who took her time accepting people into the fold. Right now, Sarah didn’t know her well enough to trust her, but she had left them short-staffed and she had to start somewhere. She switched her focus to Gabby, who didn’t look all that happy to see her. Sarah inhaled a deep breath. Carpe diem, seize the day.

‘Sarge, can I speak to you for a minute?’

‘As long as it’s worth my while.’ Gabby sighed. ‘Walk with me. You have as long as it takes to get to the vending machine.’ She fished her purse out of her bag from behind her desk and took out some coins. ‘Why aren’t you at Blackhall Manor?’ she asked, the second the office door closed behind them. Sarah was grateful that she had reserved the tongue-lashing for in private. ‘I tasked you to meet with the officers conducting today’s search.’ Given the discovery of Angelica’s body in the nearby woodlands, officers had returned to the property for a more thorough search.

Sarah’s smile faltered. ‘I am … I mean, I got someone else to cover it.’ The thought of going back there again made her feel sick to her stomach.

‘And the source of your unwillingness is …’

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.