‘… and, Mum, the Chief shook my hand!’

It would be his forever story.

Down the corridor on the other side was Wheels’s office. The door was closed.

Wozza put a hand on my shoulder. ‘I’m right behind you,’ he said.

‘I know you are.’

I opened the door.

Wheels’s office had a desk at one end and a table with six chairs at the other. Sitting at the head of the table was the Chief Commissioner in full dress uniform, hat on the table. Wheels stood next to her, drawn up to his full height.

Wheels frowned when he saw Wozza behind me. ‘Detective Pollard,’ he said in a stern voice, ‘this is the Chief Commissioner. She and I have been discussing your conduct.’

‘Ma’am,’ I said, shaking her hand formally. ‘Nice drive up from Melbourne?’

‘Need a camel and a cut lunch,’ said Pip, winking at me.

‘Sit down, Pollard.’ Wheels pointed to the seat opposite him.

Wozza introduced himself nervously. ‘Detective Senior Constable Warren Harvey, ma’am.’

Pip shook his hand. ‘I’ve heard great things about you, Detective.’

Wozza turned the colour of a tomato and sat down on the nearest chair as if he might faint. Once the shock wore off, he looked like he’d won the lottery.

Wheels started to speak but Pip raised her hand in a stop gesture, like she was directing traffic.

‘Senior Sergeant,’ she said, ‘you’re like a labrador with a slipper. If you don’t mind, I’ll take it from here.’ Her tone made it clear that even if Wheels did mind—and by the look of him, he clearly did—she didn’t care. Looking at me, Pip began: ‘Senior Sergeant Wheeler has told me a compelling narrative of misconduct on your part, Senior Detective Pollard.’

I nodded. Said nothing.

She flicked open a notebook in front of her and referred to notes she’d made in her scrawling handwriting. ‘I’m afraid the list is long. According to Senior Sergeant Wheeler, you propositioned a man outside a pub, then assaulted him. You’ve been followed. You and your dog attacked and hospitalised a man visiting your property. You were rude to the secretary at the high school and refused to let the school principal sit in on an interview with his students. You gave an unauthorised talk to the women at the CWA. You offered to teach them self-defence and, despite instruction to the contrary, you did teach self-defence.’

I glanced over at Wheels. There was a look of unbridled joy on his face as Pip listed his complaints.

‘And as a consequence, of the aforementioned self-defence lessons, Senior Sergeant Wheeler holds you personally responsible for the knee to the groin of one Dimitri Christopoulos—although I am led to believe you didn’t wield the actual knee.’

Wheels’s smirk faltered.