When Hathaway returned from lunch, Knox was waiting for him in the doorway. He checked his watch as James entered. "Very good, Hathaway. You're doing much better."
"To what exactly are you referring, Sir?"
"Being a good sergeant and keeping on time, that's what I'm talking about. Here, take a look at this." He pointed to a heavy file laid open on the desk. The type was small and Hathaway bent over to get a close look.
Knox stepped behind him and pressed himself hard against Hathaway's backside, grinding with his pelvis. "Oh yes, that's a good sergeant," Knox hissed.
Hathaway shut his eyes, willing himself to think about something else. Anything else.
"Back off humpin' my sergeant, Charles." Cold fury made the voice unrecognizable.
Knox whirled to face Lewis, sitting in his wheelchair in the doorway.
"Your sergeant? He's all mine until you return to duty, Robbie."
"Well, I'm back now."
"You can't do police work. You can't even walk."
Without taking his eyes from the man, Lewis set the brake on the chair and hoisted himself up to standing. Then one step at a time, he made his way slowly across the office until he stood toe-to-toe with Knox.
Despite being considerably shorter than Knox, the ferocity of his presence made Lewis appear the larger man. "He's not your cabin boy any more."
Then Lewis turned and carefully made his way back to the chair. Breathing hard, he sat, released the brake, backed out of the office, and swiftly wheeled down the corridor.
Hathaway followed him out, ignoring the shout of "Sergeant! Get back here!" behind him.
He had not anticipated the small crowd of officers gathered around to watch the drama, who burst into applause at its conclusion.
Hathaway had expected Lewis to go to their office, but he went past it, ending up at the Chief Superintendent's office.
She was clearly surprised to see him. "Lewis! I didn't expect you back already, or are you just visiting?"
"I'm back and I'm ready for work right now. And the first thing I'm going to do is arrest DI Knox for sexually assaulting my sergeant."
Her eyes widened. "What? DI Knox would never!"
"I know what I saw, Ma'am. And what DC Macklin saw this morning that made her call me."
She turned to the younger man. "Hathaway, what is this all about?"
At last, Hathaway could tell her what had been going on. He recited not just the blatant abuses of the day but how Knox had built up to it, touching him more and more intimately ever since Hathaway decided to put up with everything Knox did.
She sighed angrily. "Well, here's the way I see it. If he gets charged with sexual assault, and it goes to trial, it's going to be all about consent, isn't it? Lewis, you've seen how that goes. The victim gets dragged through the mud, every time. Do you want to put Hathaway through that?"
Lewis studied his partner. Sometimes Hathaway seemed so young, so vulnerable to the hard cruelties of the world. Knox should pay, but if there was a trial, James would pay, too. All the questions insinuating that maybe he didn't want it to stop, maybe it was the kind of attention he liked. The defense would shred him.
"No, Ma'am, I don't." Resignedly. "But he can't just get away with it. Can't he be sacked for harassment or anything?"
"First offense for harassment, no. If this was his second time, yes. But I can't recall anyone else ever complaining about him."
Hathaway spoke up. "But there is someone else. She just didn't report it. If she comes forward, would that be enough?"
She set her jaw. "Yes, James, it would. You bring me her complaint and write one up yourself, and you won't have to worry about DI Knox groping any more police officers."
* * *