The Recovery Assignment Read online

  Not in a million years.

  ‘Take a look at these bulbs.’ Hawk pulled another item from the box and stepped towards the fire officers as the laughter faded. ‘When a light’s on and the filament is hot at point of impact, you’ll get that kind of distortion. Great physical evidence.’

  The tall, blond fireman was still smiling as he reached out to take the bulb. A corner of Hawk’s mouth curved slightly. He could bet the fireman wasn’t married. He looked far too happy. And Hawk hadn’t missed the way Laura’s gaze had veered at the sound of his laughter. She did have a lovely smile and she looked…homely was the best word Hawk could come up with. Comfortable, maybe. Honest, anyway. She wasn’t the type to adopt a flashy image and pretend she wanted nothing more than a good time, only to start sinking emotional claws into her male companion. Manipulating unsuspecting guys into losing control and then taking over their lives and futures.

  ‘The position of the switches must be important.’

  ‘Sorry?’ Hawk was jerked back from the now familiar, but definitely unfair, line of thought. He couldn’t blame Cassie. It had been Cam’s choice and he had jumped more than willingly.

  ‘For the lights and so forth,’ the fire officer expanded. ‘We should keep that in mind when we’re crawling around inside cars. We probably turn things off by leaning on them without even noticing.’

  ‘You don’t even have to lean to turn things off, Stick,’ someone quipped. ‘Isn’t that right, Laura?’

  Laura laughed but flushed slightly.

  ‘Stick?’ Hawk raised an eyebrow at the solid figure now handling the row of light bulbs mounted on the narrow wooden board.

  ‘He got hit with an ugly one,’ his companion explained.

  ‘Oh.’ Had Laura rejected an advance, maybe? Not that he was remotely interested but at least a relationship between people working from the same base was reasonable. Hell, even living in the same country seemed reasonable now. If Cam had to allow his brains to get addled by a woman to that extent, why did he have to choose one that lived on the other side of the world? And why didn’t she move permanently to New Zealand instead of expecting Cam to follow her home to the States like some lovesick puppy?

  Hawk knew why. It was all part of the manipulation that came so naturally to the female of the species. It wasn’t evil. They probably didn’t even know they were doing it half the time, but the effect was the same. It was a take-over bid. The undermining of a man’s independence and self-esteem. They got you right where they wanted you…and then what? ‘Sorry, buddy, but I’ve changed my mind.’ Or, ‘I’ve found someone better than you.’

  Cassie had better not treat Cam that badly. Sure, she had looked as besotted as Cam but she’d been married before, and that hadn’t lasted long, had it? Cam had been married before as well. They should both have known better. Still, the fact that Cam was being uprooted to such an extent might even be the saving of his mate. He’d realise what he was giving up, get over the infatuation and come back. The desertion of his career and the principles on relationships they had espoused so enthusiastically in recent years was probably only temporary.

  And that gave him the perfect excuse not to allow any fill-in partner to interfere or gain too much of a foothold in his department. She was going to be totally unsuitable and Cam would be welcomed back in a month or two. Hawk just had to grit his teeth and put up with it. He could do that. In fact, now that he was confident it was only temporary, it didn’t seem that bad any more.

  Hawk finished his session by fielding questions.

  ‘How much time do you guys have to spend in court?’

  ‘Quite a bit,’ Hawk responded. ‘Some cases can drag on if someone’s lost their licence or their livelihood by being blamed for an accident. Or if an insurance company won’t pay up or a family is determined to clear someone’s name.’

  ‘Who does the detective work?’

  ‘We can end up doing quite a lot of it,’ Hawk said. ‘We visit the scene and mark evidence and take photographs and measurements. We oversee the vehicle inspection and call in any experts we might need for an opinion on, say, tyres or mechanical faults. And we conduct interviews.’

  ‘Who with?’

  ‘The driver or passengers. We might liaise with the hospital initially until we can talk to them. We talk to families and friends, witnesses and often a lot of other people. A GP might be interviewed if the driver had a medical condition. A mechanic could be asked for input if the vehicle had had any recent repairs. We’ll often talk to members of the fire and ambulance services, especially if we’re having any problems reconstructing a scene. That’s where noting things that were moved or damaged during the incident becomes important. As do your unbiased views of what you saw. We respect your roles and value your input.’

  Hawk smiled. His mood was lifting steadily now and a glance at his watch told him it was time to head home. A new watch would be clocking in at Inglewood station at 6 p.m. and he could see the first arrivals manoeuvring in the car park outside. A session in the pub with some of these guys could be just what he needed. It didn’t have to be a male-only session either. He didn’t mind at all if Laura came along. She was clearly a popular member of this group. One of the boys, probably, and no threat to anyone, either professionally or personally. Hawk could only hope that his new temporary partner would be from the same career-oriented mould with little interest in accentuating her femininity.

  With a bit of luck she might even be built like the back of a brick outhouse and have a slight problem with facial hair. Hawk picked up the board of light bulbs and fitted them inside the box with a sigh. No, that thought was even more unappealing than having to contend with a willowy Barbie clone who couldn’t possibly inspire any professional respect. He just didn’t want to work with a female, dammit!

  He didn’t want to work with another guy either. His previous partner had been a guy. Perfectly competent as far as the job went but the lack of anything in common on a personal level had kept them purely colleagues. And even that had fallen apart when he’d discovered what a jerk the guy had been in his private life. Nobody could abuse and abandon a wife and kids in favour of an affair with a bimbo half his age and remain acceptable on any level.

  No. He didn’t want a new partner—of either gender. He wanted Cam back. His mate. Someone he could bounce ideas around with and know that the input from both sides carried equal weight in terms of experience and intelligence. Someone who understood the attraction of blondes, both willowy and curvaceous, and would empathise with the kind of hassles that took periodical sorting out when the current choice needed replacing. Someone who could smash a squash ball, fire a gun or down a few pints in front of a rugby game when time out was needed.

  Hawk’s response to the thanks from various members of his audience was a trifle perfunctory. The Cam he knew was gone. His mates—possibly even his career—had been dumped in favour of a short, bouncy redhead who never drank beer, hated guns and couldn’t understand the rules of rugby.

  ‘The talk was great. I learned a lot.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ Hawk looked up from shutting down the projector and nodded at Laura. ‘The more we know about how each other works, the more we can help each other.’

  ‘Maybe you should come out on the road with us sometime, then.’

  His glance was more deliberate this time but he relaxed when he decided this wasn’t some kind of a come-on. Laura looked like a nice person but she was definitely not his type. She was several inches too short, way too…solid and her hair was dead mouse. He could work with someone like her, though. She looked intelligent. Or was that just the impression the spectacles bestowed? Hawk was annoyed at himself at even making such a judgement. He had been doing it for days now, with every stranger he met—especially women. What would she be like to work with? What would his new partner be like? It wasn’t that he was nervous about it. It was the sheer inconvenience of having to go through that learning curve. Trying to adapt to someone el
se’s methods and having the job done far less efficiently because mindsets were too disparate. That was what bothered him most about trying to work with a female officer. How could they possibly be on the same wavelength, the way he and Cam had been? Hawk’s foul mood settled over him again like a wet blanket.

  ‘Good idea,’ he said dismissively. ‘But impractical. With a two-person unit we’re basically on call on a permanent basis, and I’m currently working on my own anyway.’

  ‘You’re based at the Grisham Road station, aren’t you? Covering the north and east sectors?’

  ‘That’s correct.’ Hawk was almost packed up now. The flow of men around them was increasing as the shift changed. He was ready to leave and no one had suggested a quick drink. Unless that was what Laura was leading up to. Hawk’s gaze flicked over the paramedic almost involuntarily. No chance—especially in his current mood. Glancing back to her face, Hawk was surprised to see the hint of a smile. If the message had been received, the interpretation certainly hadn’t caused her any distress.

  ‘Maybe the pressure will come off a bit when you get a new partner.’

  The upward movement of Hawk’s dark eyebrows was also involuntary. ‘How do you know I’m getting a new partner?’

  ‘You said you were working on your own…currently.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Hawk picked up his box and moved towards the door, acknowledging farewells as he went. Annoyingly, Laura was following him to the car park.

  ‘I also happen to know your new partner.’

  That stopped him. Hawk dumped the box on the front passenger seat of the squad car and turned. Laura was smiling more broadly now.

  ‘Charlotte and I did our paramedic training together. She’s my best friend. In fact, she should be unpacking the rest of her gear at my house right now. She’s moving in with me until she gets settled back in Wellington…and her new job.’

  ‘She’d better not get too settled.’ The remark popped out before he could help it.

  ‘Oh?’

  Hawk had the chance to retract, or at least explain, the unfriendly comment but he didn’t want to. He wasn’t about to lay out any welcome mat.

  ‘My partner has only taken a three-month leave of absence. I’m expecting him back.’

  ‘Three months is quite a while. You may find you like working with Charlie.’

  ‘Oh?’ The sound reflected Laura’s previously dubious tone. Charlie? Anyone called ‘Charlie’ probably was built like a brick outhouse.

  ‘She’s very good at her job. She’s just been awarded a medal of commendation.’

  ‘So I heard.’ Hawk slammed the passenger door of his car.

  ‘She was awarded “Paramedic of the Year” two years in a row.’

  Hawk was pulling open the driver’s door but his head turned swiftly. He didn’t want to hear how great Charlotte Laing was. She was choosing this. He wasn’t. He was going to be spending more hours than he cared to count in her company. Sharing his small office. Hell, it was his life that was being turned upside down and he had no choice but to accept it. He had no control and that’s what he hated most. He didn’t even have Cam around to try and thrash him on the squash court and get rid of his frustration that way. The only outlet available was standing in front of him.

  ‘So why did she change careers, then?’ Hawk snapped. ‘Does she have trouble making up her mind?’ His snort was derogatory. ‘I suppose it is a woman’s prerogative.’

  Hawk could feel the assessment in the stare he was subjected to. The judgement being made was hardly likely to be complimentary but he didn’t give a damn.

  ‘Charlotte’s fiancé was killed in a car accident two years ago. The Serious Crash Squad screwed up the investigation and he got blamed for the crash that also killed two other people.’

  Hawk said nothing as he eased long legs under the steering-wheel. He dismissed the automatic flash of sympathy for someone who had gone through a particularly rough patch. So somebody had made a mistake. It happened.

  ‘Charlie became involved with the investigation. She also became convinced that if the SCS did its job well enough, they had the potential to prevent other accidents happening.’

  ‘Accidents are acts of God,’ Hawk muttered. ‘We investigate crashes.’ ‘Charlie’ had better not be about to step onto his patch expecting him not to be doing his job well enough.

  Laura ignored the mutter. ‘She started out as a cop before she joined the ambulance service. It didn’t require much retraining to get up to speed and she hasn’t let her paramedic qualifications slip either. She carries a full kit and if she gets to a scene first, she can use whichever role she needs to.’

  ‘You can’t do two jobs at the same time.’ The only input Hawk had managed to get into this appointment had been challenging the suitability of Cam’s replacement. He’d hunted for something to argue about, dammit, and that paramedic qualification had been the best he could find. Not that it had carried the slightest weight. His complaints about both the gender and the qualifications of his temporary partner had earned him nothing more than a reprimanding glance from his boss.

  ‘Try telling that to the last driver whose life she saved. He would have died if they’d had to stand back and wait for an ambulance.’

  Hawk turned the ignition key. Laura sounded quite ready to continue defending her friend but he wasn’t interested in second-hand information. He could make up his own mind.

  And if the way he was feeling right now was anything to go by, he probably already had.

  ‘Rather you than me, that’s all I’ve got to say.’

  ‘Oh, no, you don’t.’ Charlotte Laing pointed her fork at Laura. ‘You can’t tell me you’ve met the man I’m going to be working with for the next three months and then not tell me what he’s like.’

  ‘He’s a cop. He seems to know what he’s talking about. He’s probably very good at his job.’ The two women were sitting at a small kitchen table and Laura turned her attention firmly back to the plate in front of her. ‘This lasagne is great, Charlie. Your cooking’s improved an awful lot since we last flatted together.’

  ‘Don’t try and change the subject,’ Charlotte ordered. ‘I heard a rather large “but” in there somewhere. You didn’t like him, did you?’

  ‘I don’t have to work with him,’ Laura said calmly. Her lips quirked mischievously. ‘Thank goodness.’

  ‘Aha!’ Charlotte sounded satisfied. ‘So what’s wrong with him?’

  ‘He’s…’ Laura seemed lost for an appropriate adjective. ‘He’s not…very friendly.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  Laura took in her friend’s intense gaze and rolled her eyes. ‘OK, you asked for it. I think he’s conceited and arrogant and intolerant.’

  Charlotte grinned. ‘Don’t hold back on me, now.’

  Laura chuckled. ‘I just got the strong impression that he’s not keen on working with a new partner and he’s particularly not keen on working with you.’

  Charlotte’s jaw dropped. ‘He hasn’t even met me!’

  ‘He thinks you can’t make up your mind about what job you want to do. Whether you want to be a paramedic or a crash investigator. He made some derogatory remark about it being a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.’

  ‘Whoa!’ Charlotte was grinning now. ‘This could mean war.’

  ‘He also expects his partner to come back. He doesn’t want you getting your foot too far in the door.’

  ‘That’s not what I heard when I went in to collect my uniform today.’ Charlotte scooped up the last forkful of her dinner. ‘I heard that his partner, Cam, fell head over heels in love with an American woman and he’s followed her home with the intention of gaining permanent residence in the States or getting married. Whichever comes first.’ She reached for her glass of wine. ‘I also heard that Officer Hawkins has been like a bear with a sore head ever since Cam defected.’

  ‘That might explain the anti-woman attitude I picked up,’ Laura conceded. ‘It’s not going to help
you enjoy the job, though.’

  ‘I can handle it,’ Charlotte declared. ‘Owen Hawkins can’t stop me doing the work to the best of my ability, and three months should be quite long enough to prove I’m up to scratch. Then I’ll be able to request a transfer to another squad.’

  Laura nodded as she put her fork down and then sighed as she looked at her empty plate. ‘That was delicious but that cheese sauce is going to land straight on my hips. I can feel it oozing in there as I speak.’ She looked up and shook her head. ‘I wish I knew how you could eat like that and stay so skinny.’

  ‘I’m only skinny because I’m so tall. It’s all stretched out.’

  Laura watched Charlotte as she stood up and moved to rinse her plate at the kitchen sink. Tall and lean, Charlotte moved with a confident and fluid grace that provoked a thoughtful frown from her friend.

  ‘You look a bit like him.’

  ‘What? Is he effeminate or something?’ Charlotte’s eyes widened. ‘Don’t tell me he’s not keen on working with a woman because he’s gay.’

  ‘No way!’ Laura said dismissively. ‘I just meant your build. He’s tall and lean as well and you’ve both got black hair. His eyes are blue, though, not brown.’

  ‘Hazel,’ Charlotte corrected. ‘Jamie used to tell me my eyes reminded him of the decanter of sherry his grandmother always had sitting on the sideboard.’

  There was a moment’s silence and then Laura spoke softly.

  ‘You still miss Jamie, don’t you?’

  Charlotte sat down at the table again. ‘I always will,’ she said simply. ‘I doubt that I’ll ever fall in love again. I’m never going to meet anyone who could hold a candle to Jamie.’

  ‘You’re only thirty-two, Charlie. You can’t give up yet.’

  ‘You haven’t even hit thirty,’ Charlotte countered. ‘And what was it you said about men in general when you finally walked out on John?’