K9 Blue: Ground Zero by Matt McCredie

Author:Matt McCredie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Impulse Australia
Published: 2014-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

The Dog Squad muster room buzzed with expectation. The windows had been opened to offset the heavy atmosphere, the small room unaccustomed to such a large gathering. Mike sat down with the rest of the section. Fifty handlers sat chatting and laughing, seated on all the chairs and desks. Some wanted to see what their new boss was going to be like. Most were wary; they knew she had come from a staff position, and although she had been in the force for over twenty years, she had limited operational experience. She was a ladder-climbing cake-eater, as Mike put it. There were rumours she had brought others with her to take up staff positions. For what purpose, no one knew, but there was a general consensus that things were definitely not going to be as pleasant as they had been under Harry’s command.

The door to the muster room swung open. Superintendent Gunt stalked in. Much to Mike’s horror, she was flanked by Inspector Simon Hughes and another inspector whose nameplate read Arnold Morton. She ambled to the centre of the crowded room and waited for silence. The general buzz and hubbub from her audience subsided as everyone centred their attention on the new commander. Her uniform was stretched tight, and, capped off by bleached blonde hair cut short in a bob, her appearance wasn’t instilling much confidence among the group of hardened dog-handlers. She glared at them, waiting for complete silence to descend before she spoke.

‘Good morning. I am Superintendent Gunt, your new commander. The days of slackness and unprofessionalism you enjoyed under my predecessor are over. I will not put up with cowboys and inefficiency. You will all do things my way or leave. I don’t care how attached to your dogs you are, or how much you enjoy working in this section. I will happily remove anyone who doesn’t want to do things my way. I have been made aware of an incident in the city near where you were all drinking after the funeral. I want all those involved to stand up and wait outside my office.’

There was a shocked murmur from the group. Everyone was looking around dumbfounded at their colleagues.

Mike rubbed his neck. It had started to tighten and throb again. The bruises were still purple and obvious. Looking around the room, all he saw was stunned and angry dog-handlers who couldn’t believe what they were hearing. It was a complete turnaround; they had gone from having the support and confidence of their popular and respected commander to the disdain and distrust of this chubby bureaucrat, who was obviously looking for an excuse to make an example of someone. Studying the faces of their new common enemies, the men were instantly bonded tighter together as the new regime flexed its muscle.

Simon Hughes shifted forward. Wading through the seated officers, he stopped directly in front of Mike, who smiled happily back. Looking down dispassionately at the senior constable, he focused his attention directly on the incriminating, deep purple bruises, dark and obvious even against Mike’s tanned neck.

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