Claire looked at Alec with her eyes washed with worry and sadness, she had just been told that he would be going away for the weekend and leaving her there. Claire's ex was running loose. A dangerous man. A man who wanted her. A man she was afraid of. How could he leave her? She didn't know what to do or what to think. She was scared.
Her dark hair cascaded down the sides of her face in waves and fell around the tops of her shoulders. A loose curl dropped down near her left eye and Alec lovingly moved his had up to the side of her face and gently moved the lose thread of hair behind her ear. His hand ran down gently towards the bottom of her chin before being pulled away. He glanced towards the car with his colleague inside.
"Please", she whispered gently in a way that was almost inaudible, "Please don't leave". Her voice was laced with desperation and it was obvious that she was afraid.
Unaware that her ex was watching from afar. Unaware that the man who possibly murdered two young girls. Two girls who were daughters of their supposed friends. How could he do that to them? How was he capable of such a horrid crime?
The Detective Inspector looked at her and sighed heavily, his eyes briefly closing before looking into the sad and scared eyes of the woman he loved. The woman he had been secretly dating for months now.
"I'm sorry Claire, I have to go. I have to get this case reopened so we can finally find closure for the family and..." he stopped mid sentence, "well ... you know" he said, replacing his intended words.
The beautiful dark haired woman nodded, "and put him away for good" she said simply with little emotion within her voice. She wondered how she had come to hate the man that she once loved. The man that she once saw herself being with forever. The man she once imagined having children with. She wondered how he was capable of such a thing and how she failed to see it. She wished she had seen warning signs.
Claire nodded slowly causing the hair that had been recently pushed behind her hair to fall back into its original position across her face. She made no attempt to move it back and her head was slightly downcast. Her eyes concentrating on the border flowers that were growing just behind where Alec was standing.
Alec Hardy found himself unsure of what to do, knowing that it wasn't the best idea to leave her there alone but it would be an even worse idea to take her with him considering her connection to the case.
He gently put his hand to her chin and coached her to look up at him, to connect their eyes in a gaze full of love.
"I'll be back before you know it", he said soothingly wanting to make sure that she knew he was not abandoning her and that he cared for her, "If you need anything you know where you can reach me and you have the numbers to call if anything happens"
She nodded gently before leaning into him, he wrapped his arms around her lovingly as her body sunk into his.
"I love you, you know that right?", she said with a huge smile as she looked up at him, he always took care of her and protected her no matter what. He had moved away to protect her, and to keep her safe. He had given up a lot for her and she knew that.
He grinned as he kissed her softly upon her softly colored lips, "I know" he said with a cheeky wink.
She playfully hit his chest before he said, "and I love you too"
Claire didn't want him to leave her alone in the cottage, and go away for the weekend but in her heart she knew that he was doing it for the best. He needed closure on the case and he needed to find closure for the family. Even though the chances of finding the eldest daughter was slim, and still haunted by the finding of the youngest's body. He knew he had to try and help. He needed answers. So did the family.
Gently they separated and a soft kiss was shared between the lovers, his colleague was the only one who knew of the relationship and she wasn't about to tell anyone. However the watching eyes of the jealous ex husband were on them and that meant that the most dangerous person to possibly know the information about the affair, knew.
As he got into the car, he settled into the driving seat, Ellie looked over to him and smiled gently, "She'll be ok".
He nodded as he pulled out of the drive way and away from the house, his girlfriend watching the car leave before going back into the cosy home and locking the door behind her.