Before either of us could move, Sergeant Bill Wheeler stormed into our office. There was something wrong; his face was red and his mouth was set in a thin line. He breathed in deeply, as if he was trying to calm himself.

His fury was directed at me. ‘The dog attack?’

‘Yes, boss?’ I could hear the weakness in my voice. Aggression always put the recipient on the back foot, on the defence. The timing was ironic given the topic of my morning talk to the CWA.

‘I’ve just had the hospital on the phone. Your dog has caused some considerable damage to the victim.’

My eyes widened. ‘Boss, he was on my property!’

‘Since when is being on your property’—Wheeler spat the words—‘punishable by a dog attack? He’s got a broken arm and bites. You’re a police officer. You know due process.’

I stood up. ‘The victim,’ I said as firmly as I could, ‘was armed with a knife and came towards me after trespassing onto my property in the middle of the night.’

‘So you say,’ said Wheeler.

What the hell?

There was no answer to this, so I said nothing. What had set Bill Wheeler off? I wondered.

Before I could wonder any further, he snapped, ‘And what’s this about you volunteering to teach self-defence at the CWA?’

I was shocked. I had said that an hour ago! How could he know already? My throat went suddenly dry. ‘Is there a problem with that, boss?’ I tried to keep my voice even, but I could feel my colour rising. If this was anyone else, I’d stand my ground, but I had learned hard lessons about the police hierarchy—it was a career-limiting move to defy your boss.

Wheeler put his hands on his hips. ‘Quite frankly, I’m surprised at that question, Pollard. You know the rules.’

‘The rules?’

‘Can you imagine the potential lawsuits! Just say old Mrs So-and-So attacks and injures her husband and claims: I only did it because Senior Detective Pollard told me to. How do you think that would look for us, Pollard?’

‘I—’ I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again as I realised that his questions didn’t require any answers from me. That didn’t stop words choking in my throat as they tried to get out.

‘Let’s not forget what happened in Melbourne. Cancel the classes!’ Wheeler turned around to face Wozza, who was staring at him, open-mouthed. ‘How’s the investigation going, Woz?’ he said, returning to his normal voice so quickly it made me wonder if he was a sociopath.