I’ll Take New York. Miranda Dickinson

She smiled when she saw Jake’s surprise. ‘I like real-life police cases. My kid thinks I’m crazy. But I want to know what turns a regular person into a killer.’

      Jake coughed to disguise his laugh. ‘Well, I have to tell you we do very little work with psychopaths here. Most of my clients will be dealing with wrong attitudes and learned behaviours, perhaps stemming from trauma in early childhood. The FBI rarely asks for my assistance.’

      Desiree shrugged. ‘It’s all from the same place, isn’t it? The mind.’

      If you don’t want this job I will beg you to take it …

      ‘I guess it is. Did the agency brief you on the required duties of the job?’

      ‘They mentioned you were a young, single doctor,’ she answered, grinning at Jake’s groan. ‘Beyond that, I kinda figured out what you’d need.’

      Jake could believe that. Desiree Jackson was a breath of fresh air, her chutzpah and no-nonsense attitude exactly what Jake was looking for. It was as if Pam had sent her especially for this new role and Jake would be crazy if he didn’t appoint her immediately.

      ‘Then I only have one more question: when can you start?’

      Desiree smiled broadly. ‘Right now, if you want.’