Seaside Manor Bed and Breakfast - Lilly Mirren Page 0,53

harder at boxing, although sparring was still off limits. She’d managed to run from her unit to class the evening before. Maybe she’d try that again today, see if her core muscles could manage it. Her instructor was pleased with her progress but had warned her to take her time to heal. Patience wasn’t something Rebecca had a lot of when it came to working out. It’d become a driving force in her life, as if building up her strength, stamina, and reflexes could keep her safe somehow, even after the stabbing.

She knew it didn’t make sense. If the perp had a knife or a gun, it wouldn’t matter how strong she was. But that wasn’t why she was doing it. She needed to be able to fight back, it was all she knew to do. And to fight back, her naturally slight frame meant that she needed to give herself as much of an advantage as she could manage. Strength training, running, boxing — those were the things she could control, the things she could do to make sure no one was able to get the upper hand on her again.

“… Mair? Come on we haven’t got all day.” Franklin’s voice broke through her reverie and she glanced around to see all eyes fixed on her.

Rebecca’s cheeks flamed. “Uh… sorry. What did you say?”

Franklin rolled his eyes, sighed. “Which part did you miss?”

“Um… all of it. Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”

“Clearly. Do you think you could manage to pay attention during staff meetings, Mair? We do this for a reason — everyone updates the team on open cases so we can determine if there’s any overlap, or something being missed, maybe a clue that one person has could help resolve a case someone else is managing. Does that make sense to you Proby?”

Her face grew hotter still. “Yes, sir. Of course. I’m sorry.”

“Wonderful. Glad to be of service. Now… can you give us an update on the status of your shop lifting report from the Foodstore?”

“I’m almost finished.”

His lips pursed. “What’s holding you up, Proby?”

“Nothing, I’ve got everything I need. I haven’t submitted it yet, that’s all.”

“Get on with it then. All right everyone, meeting over,” he replied. Under his breath, she could’ve sworn she heard him mutter. “Ian would’ve had it filed and solved by now.”

Her eyes widened. Had he really said that? She glanced around the room, but no one else seemed to be paying attention. They’d broken off into small groups to chat about weekend plans.

Rebecca stood slowly, collected her teacup, and carried it back to her desk. She sat and stared at the black computer screen for a few moments before flicking it on. That was the problem between her and Franklin — he was always comparing her with his old partner. Ian, the man who never got anything wrong, according to Franklin.

Still, he’d never said it out loud before. Not like that.

She shook her head. She couldn’t be Ian, of course she couldn’t. She was a completely different person. And from what she’d heard on the grapevine, which meant of course via Steph, the station’s receptionist, Franklin and Ian had been best friends since childhood, as well as partners.

That he missed his friend was understandable. She could forgive him for being irritated that he’d been replaced by a proby officer he didn’t know. But when would he stop comparing her with his dead, best friend? It wasn’t fair. She’d never be able to live up to a memory.

She gulped down the last of her tea, then strode to the reception desk. Steph glanced up with surprise, and a book about managing strong willed children thudded to the floor. Steph reached for it, set it back on her desk with a smile. She patted an empty chair beside her.

“You look like you need to talk about something. Take a load off.”

Rebecca’s nostrils flared as she sat. “That man…”

“You mean, Franklin?”

“Yes. Of course.” Rebecca pressed both hands to her face and groaned. “He’s never going to accept that I’m his partner. I thought after the stabbing… well, he softened. It seemed like he was coming around, that maybe he liked me a little bit after all.”

“He likes you plenty.” Steph patted her arm with one hand. “He’s not great at expressing himself, that’s all.”

“Do you know what he muttered in the staff meeting, just now?”

Steph shook her head.

“He said that Ian would’ve had my shoplifting case solved and filed by now. He said it