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‘Such as?’
‘Looking constantly at her watch if we went for coffee after class and leaving dead on nine o’clock. Recounting her activities with no inclusion of any help from David. A couple of snide remarks from him about the baby weight. You get the picture?’
Yes, unfortunately she did.
‘And it was Bettina’s idea to hold the party?’ Kim asked.
Lisa shook her head. ‘Oh no, that was definitely Catherine. Betts mentioned that she’d been to see Sandy, but it was Catherine who suggested the get-together at her house for a laugh.’
That wasn’t quite how Catherine had described it.
‘And was it…a laugh, I mean?’ Kim asked.
‘It was for me. I had a great time. I don’t believe a word of it, but it was very entertaining and that’s what I took it for, an evening of light-hearted fun to switch off the work button,’ she said, nodding back towards the building site.
‘Catherine gave us the impression you heard something you didn’t appreciate. Something in your past?’
Lisa’s face hardened. ‘Of course she told you that.’
‘Anything you’d like to share?’
‘Not really but seeing as you’re the police and it’s easy enough for you to check, I’ll admit that I have a record. Violence in my late teens.’ She held up her hands. ‘I learned my lesson and it never happened again.’
‘Why would that bother you? It was years ago.’
‘I don’t know how Sandy came across the information but let’s just say I don’t advertise the fact.’
‘Oh,’ Kim said, now understanding the issue. She nodded to the site behind. ‘It’s not on your CV?’
‘Nor the application form or the disclaimer,’ she said honestly. ‘And if Catherine had access to that information, it certainly wouldn’t be staying in my past where it belonged.’
‘You and Catherine don’t get on?’
‘Catherine likes to be top dog and something about me challenges that.’ She shrugged. ‘Like I don’t get enough of that shit here.’
‘Must be difficult,’ Kim said.
‘It is. That’s why I go to yoga class. I bloody hate the pace of it but it does force me to slow down, which I’m not normally very good at. There’s always…’ She smiled as a figure at the gate motioned for her attention.
She held up her hand to indicate five minutes. He disappeared from view.
‘If it’s urgent, please…’
‘It’s not urgent. Kenny is a better plumber than he thinks he is. If I send him away for five minutes, he’ll work out the answer on his own.’
‘Is that your management style?’ Kim asked, intrigued. ‘Send them away until they find the answer themselves.’
‘Management isn’t about a single style, especially when you’re a woman managing men, no offence,’ she said to Bryant.
‘None taken. I’d imagine you have to be quite tough to manage so many different personalities in this environment.’
She smiled. ‘Is that your way of asking how a woman gets on managing approximately a hundred men without wishing to sound sexist?’
Bryant coloured slightly. Kim liked the woman’s directness and was learning about her by just witnessing the exchange.
‘Pretty much,’ Bryant admitted.
‘I’d imagine your boss here would understand if I said it wasn’t always easy. I quickly realised that men are people too. I’m not a raging feminist. I don’t want to do better than men. Attitudes like that are divisive. I want everyone to have the chance to succeed. This position is about being fair. If someone drops a bollock, they get told in no uncertain terms. If they perform well, they get praised. It’s not rocket science. Be fair and be consistent. Anything else?’
