Disclaimer: Blue Heelers does not belong to me. It belongs to Channel Seven and Southern Star. The only things that belong to me are the plot, and some of the characters – i.e. Brett, Olivia, etc.

SAPPHIRES AND DIAMONDS

Chapter 1: Missing Person

Jonesy sat at his desk, idly tapping his pen on the surface. He gazed over to the surveillance screens, watching Susie talk to a man at the service desk. He felt that odd feeling in his chest again – like momentary pins and needles, like he always got when he thought about Susie, but now they were starting to feel heavy and painful. At least he and Susie were friends again, but he doubted that they could ever go back to being more. He knew things were too complicated, and even after all the moments they had shared when Susie was found with the drugs in her handbag, he knew she was still raw from all the hurt that Jason caused. At least the bastard's in gaol now, he thought.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Susie poked her head into the room, concern etched on her face. "We have a missing three-year-old," she said to Mark, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Kidnapping. Her father's just come in; do you want to speak to him?"

Mark hurriedly stood up, "Bring him into the interview room," he said before heading there himself. Susie beckoned for Jonesy to follow her, and went and to get the man from the front desk. They led him into the interview room.

"Now, Mr–" Mark began.

"Leighton. Brett Leighton." He said, not lifting his eyes from the table.

"Leighton? The multi-millionaire?" Jonesy asked from his place in the back corner. Susie, who had taken her seat to the side of the man, looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"If you must know, yes. Why does that matter?" Brett asked.

"Because," Mark began. "If this is a kidnapping, as you say, the kidnappers could want a ransom."

"Kidnapper," Brett corrected. "There was only one."

"Did you get a good look at them?" Susie asked gently from her seat.

"Not really, no. As I was coming round the side, I saw a man jump into a car, and drive off. I saw my daughter in the back seat, and that's where my gaze was stuck."

"Can you remember anything about the man at all?" Mark asked.

"Um…he was tall – about his height," Brett said, tipping his head in Jonesy's direction, "Um, longish hair – about chin-length. It was dark. Um, I think he was Asian, but he could have been European, I'm not sure. Sorry if that's not much help." He said, looking at his hands.

"No, that's good. It's enough to go on looking for suspects." Susie reassured him quickly.

"Did you get a good look at the car?" Jonesy asked, walking in to take a seat by Mark.

"Um, it- it was an old car – a sedan. I think maybe a Holden Commodore. But I can't say that for sure, I'm not much of a car guy."

"Did you get a look at the number plate?" Mark questioned.

"Um, yes. But they had black over it – I think a garbage bag. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but whatever it was, it was black and covering the number plates." Brett looked first at Mark, then Jonesy, before settling his gaze on Susie. She looked the most sympathetic of all three.

"Okay, can you describe your daughter please, sir?"

"Of course. Olivia, she's only three, has blonde curly hair, blue eyes…wait. I think I may have a photo." Brett pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and started searching through it. After a bit of rummaging, he produced a small photo of a grinning girl, sitting on a lady's lap.

"She looks just like you," Susie smiled and said warmly.

"Yes, except for the curly hair – she got that from her mother."

"Were you home when she was kidnapped?" Jonesy asked, his tone turning testy.

"Yes."

"Then how could the kidnapper get in, take your daughter, and make a run for it, without you noticing until the end, and without a struggle?" Jonesy asked, failing to mask the anger in his voice.

"You said, earlier," Susie began, with a warning glance at Jonesy before turning sympathetic eyes on Brett. "That you were coming around from the side."

"Yes, that's right," Brett began, with a nervous look at Jonesy. "Olivia was having a nap, so I thought I'd get some gardening in."

"You garden?" Susie asked, unable to keep a smile from playing on her lips. "But you're a millionaire – don't you hire people to do that for you?"

"No," Brett answered with a smile. "I may be rich, but I enjoy tending to my garden, one of the few pastimes I can manage while having to take care of Olivia."

"What about her mother?" Mark asked.

"Her mother?" Brett asked, a dark, sad look appearing on his face. "Her mother died when Olivia was only one – hit by a drunk driver when she was coming home from a visit to her mother's. Olivia was in the car, too, but thankfully was in her baby seat in the back, and escaped serious injury.

"Anyway, I had been pruning my bushes, and was taking the leaves out the front to put in the bin, when I saw the man drive off. I was frozen on the spot. By the time I got into my car, and headed off, I couldn't find where he had gone. Instead, I came straight to the station."

"Okay, well, do you have any enemies? Anyone who may hold a grudge?" Mark asked.

"No, at least, no one that I know of. It could have been, I dunno, maybe another car complex owner, trying to scare me into closing down my business, but it would be pretty drastic. I think you may have been right when you said it was someone trying to get a ransom."

"Right, that will be all for now, Mister Leighton," Mark began, before turning to the recorder, "Interview terminated at eleven-fifty-five A.M. I'll just see you to the front desk – Raynor, Jones, accompany Mister Leighton to his house and get a crime scene report. And get PJ to travel with Mister Leighton there."

"Yes Sarg.," the two Senior Constables replied in unison.

"Must be terrible," Susie said after five minutes of silence in the control car.

"What must be terrible?" Jonesy asked from behind the wheel, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Having your daughter kidnapped. I mean, all they really have is each other. And what if something happens to her? He's already lost his wife."

Jonesy was silent for a moment, but then he felt a smile spreading across his face. He tried desperately to smother his laughter, but couldn't help it.

"It's not funny!" Susie glared.

"No – no, no, no. I wasn't laughing at his situation – never. It's just-"

"What?" Susie pouted.

"You're always doing that – plucking statements out of the blue. And I never have any idea what you're talking about, it's always so random."

Susie relaxed, "It's a good habit to pick up – great way of starting conversations. Sorry that you can't always follow – I seem to forget that I'm the only one who can hear my thoughts. To me, the sentence makes sense, but to everyone else…"

Jonesy snickered again, and didn't try to wipe the smile off his face.

Brett was in the car in front of them, and had his blinker on to pull into a driveway. Jonesy followed him.

When all four of them were standing on the front lawn, Brett turned and asked them where they wanted to go.

"I think we better check the door handle for prints," Susie said, glancing at PJ who was get his detective's kit unpacked.

"No point," Jonesy said. He had wandered over to the front of the lawn. "Our kidnapper isn't stupid, Suse, he wore gloves."

"How do you know?" Susie asked, offended.

"Don't be offended Suse," Jonesy replied nonchalantly. "I just meant this was obviously pre-meditated. Here – he left them on the ground. On second thoughts, maybe he is an idiot."

"How do you know they aren't Mister Leighton's gloves?" PJ enquired sceptically.

"They're not," Brett answered for himself.

"But he didn't even ask you," PJ replied.

"I knew they weren't his," Jonesy interjected, "because, for starters, this lawn is kept immaculately. So unless Mister Leighton lied to us when he said he hopped straight in his car – which, by the way, parks on the other side of the lawn – he wouldn't have run here to drop his gloves on the ground, and then run back. Adding on to that, he dropped the branches over there –" Jonesy pointed to near the car. "Which meant he wouldn't have crossed this part of the lawn at all. He came around that corner, and jumped into his car, all over on that side. Secondly, why would he need rubber gloves to trim bushes? They wouldn't form much protection. Thirdly, these gloves are perfectly clean, while Mister Leighton has dirt and numerous scratches on his hands – he definitely didn't use gloves. Fourthly, these gloves are very cheap – home-brand. Mr Leighton has so much money, I doubt if he would ever buy anything that wasn't a quality brand-name – even if it is only disposable rubber gloves. Finally, you will notice Mister Leighton's attire is perfectly matched," it was, to Jonesy's credit for noticing, "Colours go beautifully together–"

"Are you getting at something?" PJ asked impatiently.

"Of course! Orange isn't his colour."

The other three looked at him incredulously, but Jonesy just shrugged.

"What?" he asked. "It's true. And it wouldn't go with his outfit. Of course, if it was me, I wouldn't care, but Mister Leighton obviously takes great pride in his appearance."

Following all these revelations from Jonesy, the other three were rendered speechless. Brett looked at Jonesy in awe and respect, Susie looked surprised, and PJ looked happy.

"I think we may have a new detective in the making," he said, smiling at Jonesy.

"So – no fingerprints. What do we look for now?" Susie asked PJ, grinning at Jonesy's proud look.

"We should check the room Olivia was taken from," PJ had been informed of every detail to date by Mark.

Brett led them upstairs to Olivia's room.

What do you think so far? This is probably gonna be a relatively long story, but not too long – only in comparison to my previous works. Maybe 5 chapters, depending on how well it goes. I hope you enjoyed it! A teaser for what happens in the next instalment:

As the suspect list grows – very slowly, mysteries and problems present themselves.

The broken bridges between Susie and Jonesy, however, are beginning to repair themselves.

:D angel-kitten-teddy