Ellen Crawford showed Daniels into the room, then retreated to her own office, closing the door behind her. Bright was sitting at his desk engrossed in his work, highlighting text in a report.
‘Take a seat, Kate.’ He didn’t look up. ‘I’ll be with you in one second.’
Daniels couldn’t figure what mood he was in. He seemed relaxed and she assumed his appointment with the consultant had gone well. She sat down, crossed her legs and glanced around the room, wondering if she’d ever occupy the rank and post that came with it.
Force Crime Manager.
She liked the sound of that.
Signing off on his document, a modest signature that didn’t quite fit with his colourful personality, Bright put down his pen and sat back in his chair. ‘What’s up?’
‘I was just passing, wondered how you went on last night.’
‘Since when does a ten-mile detour qualify as“just passing”?’ he asked, appreciating her concern. ‘The scan was clear. I’ll live, apparently.’
‘That’s great news, guv! I can’t tell you how relieved I am.’
‘I’m touched.’
‘You should be ecstatic!’
‘Except the consultant hasn’t got a bloody clue what’s causing the headaches. Not yet, anyway.’ A frown formed on his brow. ‘You know what the cheeky git asked me?’
Daniels waited.
Bright made a crazed face. ‘Was I under any stress?’
Daniels searched his face. He looked very tired and she was concerned he was doing too much. Stress was cumulative. Dangerous even. It crept up on people when they least expected it to, silent symptoms, like a charged bomb waiting to explode.
‘What?’ Bright said. ‘You’re making me nervous.’
Daniels drew her chair a little closer to his desk. ‘I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to say it anyway, guv. You’ve had a hell of a time the last six months, one way or another. Stella’s death . . .’ She could see he didn’t want a lecture. ‘Well, let’s face it, you feel responsible, even though you’re not. That’s bound to have an effect on your general health. Your headaches are probably the result of that and of carrying this department under difficult circumstances for far too long. Trouble with you is you’re too stubborn to seek professional help. If you want my honest opinion, the consultant you saw is probably spot on.’
‘You quite finished?’
Daniels spread her hands. ‘It needed to be said.’
‘And if you repeat it outside of these four walls, you and I will fall out big time!’
‘C’mon, guv. You know me better than that. You’re doing two jobs at a time when you should be—’
‘What? What should I be doing, Kate?’ Bright was angry now and it showed. He was like a coiled spring, tapping his fingers on the desk. ‘Relaxing with my feet up? Going out of my mind with boredom in an empty house I can no longer bear to live in?’
‘I was talking about the job, guv. Delegate some of your stuff to me. Let me take the weight off you for a bit, at least until they’ve found your replacement. And if the headaches continue, then at least you’ll know it isn’t work-related.’
‘No. You’ve got enough on your plate already.’
‘Then I’ll give Hank more responsibility. He’s up for it. What harm can it do?’
‘No. This stays between me and you, understood?’
‘He’s your mate, for Christ’s sake!’
‘You already told him, didn’t you?’
Daniels looked out of the window.