On her way to the ACC’s office, Matilda almost collided with DI Ben Hales as he turned a corner, head down as usual. She apologized but all she received in reply was a roll of the eyes and a loud tut.
‘Ben,’ she called out to him.
He stopped but didn’t look round. His shoulders dropped as if letting out a huge sigh. Eventually he turned to face Matilda. His smile was false and looked painful.
‘Is everything all right?’ She asked.
‘Yes thank you.’
‘Look, I know you were hoping for the DCI job and to take control of the MIT but we will have to work together at some point. There’s no reason for us to fall out.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Matilda almost scoffed. ‘Ben, come on, I know you’re pissed. I would be too, but we can’t allow this to get in the way of our work.’
‘It’s not going to. You’re MIT. I’m CID. You deal with murders and I’m currently involved in a nasty case of wheelie bin fires on Lowedges. Trust me, it’s cutthroat stuff in my office.’ His reply dripped with sarcasm.
‘Fine,’ Matilda admitted defeat. ‘I’m sorry you feel this way. I’ve tried to repair the animosity between us but you obviously don’t want that so I’ll leave you to it. I will say this though: when my team are working on something big we will need some of your resources, including your officers. We will work together and I will be in charge. You remember that.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, I’ll remember,’ he said, walking up to Matilda so he was inches from her face. She could feel the pent up rage burning through him. ‘I know exactly where I stand in the scheme of things – I’m the carcass you can pick at whenever you feel like it. I’m the carcass, and you’re the vulture.’
She met his stare which lingered longer than it should have done. Neither wanted to turn away first. It was only when Matilda could felt a bead of sweat forming on her hairline that she decided the standoff was childish. She shook her head at how pathetic Ben was being and walked away. Once her back was to him, she let out a massive sigh of relief. For a moment, she had been genuinely scared of him.
‘Do you know anything about coffee machines?’
‘Not that particular one, no.’
ACC Masterson had brought in a coffee machine from home. Since the bill for the vending machines had been cut they had changed to a different supplier and now the black liquid that came out of the spout tasted nothing like coffee. She stood at the low filing cabinet where her shiny silver coffee machine took pride of place along with a set of very stylish cups and saucers. With the instruction booklet in one hand, fiddling with the foaming knob with the other, she had no idea what she was doing.
‘I don’t even know where to pour in the beans,’ she said. ‘I’ve been looking at this all morning. I just want a sodding cup of coffee. I’ve had to send Liz out to Costa to get me one. Oh forget it.’ She threw the booklet on her desk and went to sit down.
The ACC was a tiny woman who looked even smaller behind her huge crowded desk. Her neat uniform seemed to have come from a child’s dressing up box, but her greying hair and severe expression showed everyone that she meant business.
‘How’s the MIT getting along?’
‘Fine. We’ve settled in nicely.’
‘You’re keeping busy by the look of things too. I’ve heard you have a dead celebrity on your hands.’
‘Well, former celebrity. Are you an Emmerdale fan?’
‘Oh. No. I don’t watch much television. Any leads?’
‘Not so far. Plenty of questions that need answering.’
‘And you know where to look for the answers?’
‘We’re getting there.’
‘Good. Now, Matilda, as you know I’ve been trying to establish an MIT for years now. I’ve worked hard to finally get the budget so I need it to work smoothly and efficiently. I have every faith in your leadership and skills as a detective which is why I gave you the job. However, I will be keeping a close eye on you and the MIT as a whole. I hope you understand why.’
‘I do, ma’am, perfectly.’
‘Good. Now, the press will be all over this once they discover our victim is a dead celebrity so be prepared. I thought you’d have dressed in something a bit smarter.’
Matilda looked down at her clothes. ‘Yes, sorry about that. We’ve moved into temporary accommodation while the house is being renovated.’
‘Oh yes, I remember you saying. Didn’t your husband win an award last month?’
‘It was in the summer, and yes, he did,’ she replied, trying but failing to hide her beaming smile.
‘Good for him. Well, I won’t detain you, but remember what I said. The MIT needs to be efficient, dedicated, and above all a success.’
‘You can rely on me.’
As Matilda left the office she could feel the stress building up again.