It was a cheap shot. Sant tried to ignore it.
‘I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude,’ Lister went on, no longer whispering but growling instead. ‘My time – my precious chief officer time – cannot afford to be wasted on irritants like you.’ He waved a skinny wrist in Gilligan’s direction. ‘But since you raise the hypothesis, I’ll briefly address it. Assistant Chief Constable Gilligan is an experienced and reliable leader. I will have you know that he started out as an officer precisely one year after me – several years before you passed your basic ability tests. This man’s loyalty to the force is second to none.’ Then he thrust his scrawny face within an inch of Sant’s rugged nose. ‘You’d do well to learn from your seniors, DI Sant. And as for this man’s competence, I will be the
