There Is More Light Than Dark

Chapter Six

Monday July 4

'Hello, Detective McCoy. I am Detective Harper Lewis, your new partner.' Harper Lewis' eyes held steady on Dean McCoy, just like her father had always reminded her to do when meeting someone. She couldn't read anything behind his fiercely grey eyes as he held her gaze.

Except it became more of a glare as she waited for him to respond.

Dean McCoy wasn't sure what he was expecting from a new partner, but it sure as hell wasn't this.

He looked up and down the perfectly pressed, deep navy uniform of the young woman who stood across from him and sighed heavily as he shook his head. He noticed her badge was perfectly horizontal, that she wore no make up and that her hand shake was stronger than he expected, given her light frame.

'How long you been out of the academy, Lewis?'

She had expected to have to earn her stripes as a strikingly young graduate and smiled gently. This was only the beginning and she knew it.

'Five and a half years, Detective.' She was sure to take the higher ground and use the formal manner of addressing her new partner, even if he didn't.

'And you came from... where before they sent you over here?' McCoy leafed through a folder and didn't look up as he continued to put her on trial.

'I was stationed at St. Kilda for the first eighteen months and then at Dandenong for another eighteen months. I sat and passed my ISA immediately and since then have gone through my detective training at Geelong and Footscray CIU, completing my Advanced Diploma of Police Investigation whilst there.' She hesitated before deciding to go all the way with her work history.

'This is my first posting as a detective.'

'Steady on, Lewis – this isn't a fucking interview – you got the job already.' McCoy put the file on his desk, still avoiding eye contact after the initial stand off. He began to walk down to the tea room and added, 'Let's see if all of that learning means you know what the fuck to do when some arsehole points a gun at you.'

Harper Lewis stood and watched him walk away whilst the four other detectives in the room pretended to continue to work on the screens in front of them.

She cleared her throat delicately but to no avail, so stepped towards the detective closest to her, a middle aged man of Asian descent.

'Excuse me, ah, Detective? I'm Detective Lewis, just transferred here – is there any particular desk I have been assigned?'

The cop looked at her and smirked. 'Well, if you're partnering McCoy I would suggest getting a desk as far away from him as you can.' The other detectives laughed quietly, now all watching. 'He sits just there behind you. His last partner sat over there.' He pointed to a mostly cleared desk but for a few thick files and a half full pot of used biros, 'And that still probably wasn't far enough.' The other detectives laughed more loudly this time.

'There's a locker for your stuff out in the watch house. Sergeant Stein is in there most days. He'd be the one to ask if you need anything else.' The detective looked back to his screen, in a sure sign he'd spent enough time on her.

As she approached the desk they all took glances, partly because she was young and, to any eye, was attractive. But they also watched as she placed her work bag on the desk and then took another bag, a brown satchel that looked like it had done the rounds, reached inside it and rummaged for a few seconds. They watched her as she brought her hand up to her nose and tried to pretend she was scratching an itch but could all see she inhaled the air that came from it.

They didn't see her turn from them, close her eyes and take a big breath.

She felt her father's warm, steadying hand on her shoulder, whispering, 'It'll be OK.'