I’m not interested in men.’
‘Oh, he hates everyone. Don’t take it to heart.’ It wasn’t often that I found myself defending Derwent, but I knew him better than Liv did. He really wasn’t picking on her specifically. There were very few people he liked in the world, and it happened that the majority of that select group were straight white men, just like him.
Christine leaned her chin on her hand and stared dreamily into the middle distance. ‘He doesn’t have a girlfriend, does he? What do you think he’s like in bed?’
‘I don’t think about that.’ I was hoping to stop her before she got too far with that line of conversation.
‘But if you did think about it …’ She sighed. ‘I bet he’s dominant.’
I pulled a face, appalled at the very idea.
‘Energetic,’ Liv suggested.
‘Go on, Maeve,’ Joanne said. ‘It’s your turn. In a word.’
‘Quick.’
The burst of laughter turned heads at the bar. They were wondering what we were talking about, with that prickly suspicion born of being self-conscious. Because of course the four of us had to be talking about the men we worked with.
They were right, as it happened. But we might not have been.
Liv grinned. ‘I know, let’s play Shag, Marry, Kill. Maeve, who would you pick if you had to choose between Derwent, Godley and … Belcott.’
‘Too easy. You’d kill Belcott straight away then you’d have the party to celebrate. You’d have quite a while before you had to choose between Derwent and Godley.’ Belcott was a nasty little man, the same rank as me but going nowhere. I’d seen him in action, taking credit for things he hadn’t done and sucking up to anyone who might put in a good word for him with the boss. He’d taken pleasure in the fact that I’d had a stalker who had invaded my privacy, gloating about the fact that he’d seen footage of me with Rob, during private moments. And that was only the beginning of what he’d done to piss me off.
‘And?’ Liv demanded. ‘Marry Godley, shag Derwent?’
‘Not so fast.’ I was considering it. ‘I bet Derwent would worship his wife, in a patronising way, obviously. You’d never hear a word about his cases but he’d bring you flowers every Friday night.’
‘And perfume on your birthday,’ Joanne agreed.
‘Always the same brand …’ I said.
‘The same as his mum used to wear.’ Joanne grinned at me.
Liv’s jaw had dropped. ‘You’re not turning down Godley as a marriage prospect, are you? For Derwent ?’
‘I don’t know how happy Mrs Godley is. He’s married to the job, isn’t he? More than any of us. And you’d have to put up with people staring at him as you walked down the street, because the man is beautiful.’
‘I’d turn for him. He’s on my freebie list,’ Liv said. ‘Near the top.’
Joanne nodded. ‘I wouldn’t mind as long as you told me all the details.’
I ran my finger down the side of my glass. ‘I don’t really want to have sex with him, though.’
‘Because you love Rob.’ Liv sing-songed the words and I glowered at her.
‘Thank you, Disney Princess. It’s not that.’
‘But you do love Rob, don’t you?’ Christine sighed. ‘I had such a crush on him when I started working here.’
‘Who wouldn’t?’ I made it sound wry, but I kind of meant it.
‘Me,’ Liv said promptly. ‘But only because I love Jo, and he has boy bits, and I knew he was totally head over heels for you the first time I saw you together.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Anyway, get back to Godley. I’m intrigued.’
Even on the wrong side of three drinks I wasn’t going to tell them what I knew about Godley, but knowing it had changed the way I saw him. He had been my hero. I had worked my arse off to impress him. I’d been determined to prove he’d been right to whisk me away from Borough CID to work for his specialist murder squad. Then I’d found out the truth about him, and suddenly I couldn’t see him any other way.
All three
‘Oh, he hates everyone. Don’t take it to heart.’ It wasn’t often that I found myself defending Derwent, but I knew him better than Liv did. He really wasn’t picking on her specifically. There were very few people he liked in the world, and it happened that the majority of that select group were straight white men, just like him.
Christine leaned her chin on her hand and stared dreamily into the middle distance. ‘He doesn’t have a girlfriend, does he? What do you think he’s like in bed?’
‘I don’t think about that.’ I was hoping to stop her before she got too far with that line of conversation.
‘But if you did think about it …’ She sighed. ‘I bet he’s dominant.’
I pulled a face, appalled at the very idea.
‘Energetic,’ Liv suggested.
‘Go on, Maeve,’ Joanne said. ‘It’s your turn. In a word.’
‘Quick.’
The burst of laughter turned heads at the bar. They were wondering what we were talking about, with that prickly suspicion born of being self-conscious. Because of course the four of us had to be talking about the men we worked with.
They were right, as it happened. But we might not have been.
Liv grinned. ‘I know, let’s play Shag, Marry, Kill. Maeve, who would you pick if you had to choose between Derwent, Godley and … Belcott.’
‘Too easy. You’d kill Belcott straight away then you’d have the party to celebrate. You’d have quite a while before you had to choose between Derwent and Godley.’ Belcott was a nasty little man, the same rank as me but going nowhere. I’d seen him in action, taking credit for things he hadn’t done and sucking up to anyone who might put in a good word for him with the boss. He’d taken pleasure in the fact that I’d had a stalker who had invaded my privacy, gloating about the fact that he’d seen footage of me with Rob, during private moments. And that was only the beginning of what he’d done to piss me off.
‘And?’ Liv demanded. ‘Marry Godley, shag Derwent?’
‘Not so fast.’ I was considering it. ‘I bet Derwent would worship his wife, in a patronising way, obviously. You’d never hear a word about his cases but he’d bring you flowers every Friday night.’
‘And perfume on your birthday,’ Joanne agreed.
‘Always the same brand …’ I said.
‘The same as his mum used to wear.’ Joanne grinned at me.
Liv’s jaw had dropped. ‘You’re not turning down Godley as a marriage prospect, are you? For Derwent ?’
‘I don’t know how happy Mrs Godley is. He’s married to the job, isn’t he? More than any of us. And you’d have to put up with people staring at him as you walked down the street, because the man is beautiful.’
‘I’d turn for him. He’s on my freebie list,’ Liv said. ‘Near the top.’
Joanne nodded. ‘I wouldn’t mind as long as you told me all the details.’
I ran my finger down the side of my glass. ‘I don’t really want to have sex with him, though.’
‘Because you love Rob.’ Liv sing-songed the words and I glowered at her.
‘Thank you, Disney Princess. It’s not that.’
‘But you do love Rob, don’t you?’ Christine sighed. ‘I had such a crush on him when I started working here.’
‘Who wouldn’t?’ I made it sound wry, but I kind of meant it.
‘Me,’ Liv said promptly. ‘But only because I love Jo, and he has boy bits, and I knew he was totally head over heels for you the first time I saw you together.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Anyway, get back to Godley. I’m intrigued.’
Even on the wrong side of three drinks I wasn’t going to tell them what I knew about Godley, but knowing it had changed the way I saw him. He had been my hero. I had worked my arse off to impress him. I’d been determined to prove he’d been right to whisk me away from Borough CID to work for his specialist murder squad. Then I’d found out the truth about him, and suddenly I couldn’t see him any other way.
All three