She and Bryant watched on in amusement as the two of them fed off each other.
‘Or maybe an appendectomy isn’t really that at all,’ Stacey said.
Penn opened his eyes wide. ‘Or maybe they exorcise it out of you.’
‘I hate the bloody gym.’
‘Not that kind. I mean full-on exorcism. The power of Christ compels you.’
‘And the power of the boss compels you two to knock it off now.’
Both of them sobered.
‘Stace, how’s your other thing going?’
‘Still missing, boss, except now we’ve got him withdrawing a large amount of money from their savings right before he disappeared.’
‘Okay, I trust you to know when you’ve done all you can.’
Stacey nodded her understanding.
‘Penn, I want you doing background on Change. Any scandals, any lawsuits, history, everything. And while you’re in a digging mood, check out the past of Charles Stamoran and his loyal assistant and a quick check on the good doctor, Megan Shaw.’
‘Will do, boss.’
‘Bryant, do anything you can to help these two while I’m gone,’ she said, checking her watch.
‘Gone where?’ he asked.
‘Meeting with the boss,’ she said, rolling her eyes. The instruction to attend his office at 7.15a.m. had tinged to her phone just after 6 a.m. She was pretty sure it was just a welfare check and she didn’t expect to be gone long.
She hoped not. She was eager to head over to this clinic in Bridgnorth.
She was interested to see if the organisation itself was any happier to talk to them than the people who recommended their service.
THIRTY-FIVE
Kim took a seat in front of Woody’s desk and peered into the mug that was sitting right in front of her.
‘What’s that?’ she asked.
‘Coffee.’
She looked around. ‘You expecting someone?’
‘For you.’
Kim stared at it suspiciously. ‘Sir, never once have you made me a cup of coffee,’ she said, playing back the events of the previous day. Clearly she had done something either very well and she was in his good books or she’d done something really bad and she was about to get fired. Either way the drink was making her feel uncomfortable.
‘Strictly speaking I didn’t make it. It came out of the machine, but it is a welfare meeting after all.’
Kim sat back putting space between her and the offending cuppa. She didn’t intend on being here long enough to drink it.
‘Sir, I’m fine,’ she offered.
‘That doesn’t quite satisfy the requirements of our welfare guidelines, Stone, so forgive me if I delve a little deeper.’
She glanced at her watch.