I don't own Midsomer Murders
Ellen Walker walked to the bar in her uncle's house and poured herself a huge drink. After she left the hospital she drove around in circles. She kept hearing the voice of her now ex boyfriend Detective Sergeant Ben Jones telling her to get out of his hospital room. Ellen agerly paced the room. She had a great relationship with Sergeant Jones. Correction she once had a great relationship with Sergeant Jones until DCI Barnaby decided to stick his nose where it did not belong.
"DCI Barnaby is going to pay for destroying the only good relationship I ever had in my life" Ellen snarled walking down the hallway to her uncle's study and opening a dware. She took out a small box and opened it up. Inside was a small pistol. Ellen ran her hand over the gun. Her thoughts were filled with revenge. Nothing mattered now. Ellen knew she had lost the sergeant for good. She had seen the close bond between Barnaby and his sergeant when they were in the woods. The Chief Inspector was always going to be in the way. Sergeant Jones was always going to be loyal to his boss and that was something Ellen could not accept. She decided right then to destroy the bond she could not have with Sergeant Jones. Killing Barnaby she felt would give her great satisfaction.
Detective Chief Inspector John Barnaby woke up to the sound of footsteps coming down the long tunnel. Phil Walker walked down the tunnel carrying a tray. He smiled as he approached the bars to the cell.
"I hope you are hungry Barnaby," he said placing the tray on the floor "It is a good breakfast"
Barnaby said nothing.
"It is good" Phil said, "Bacon, eggs, toast"
Barnaby just glared at Phil.
"You are not going to say anything?" Phil asked, "Maybe I should get Carl here to loosen your tong"
"I have nothing to say to you Phil" Barnaby snapped.
"That is too bad Chief Inspector. I thought we had an understanding"
"You really think you can get away with what you are doing?"
"No one is going to know Barnaby. You will not be able to tell anyone"
Barnaby smiled. Before he left the station he had told PC Wilkins everything and he was sure she had told Jones. The Chief Inspector was not going to tell Phil that.
"I am going to get out of here Phil and when I do I am going to expose you for the mad man you are" Barnaby said.
"If you get out of here alive" Phil said.
"Oh I will get out of here"
Phil laughed.
"You better eat your breakfast Chief Inspector before it gets cold" he said.
Detective Sergeant Ben Jones looked up as PC Wilkins walked into his hospital room. He could tell by the look on her face that she had no good news.
"You do not need to tell me" he said "I can tell just by the look on your face you do not have any good news"
"I am sorry sir" PC Wilkins said, "We are having a hard time locating this laboratory the DCI mentioned"
Ben thought for a minute. He might hate Ellen at the moment but the sergeant felt she was the only one who could help them now.
"Could you locate Miss Walker and ask her to come to my hospital room" Ben said.
"You think she might know something?" PC Wilkins asked.
"Ellen might know where this laboratory is and might be able to tell us"
"What makes you think she would betray her uncle sir?"
"Her boyfriend was stealing those eggs. I think Ellen knew what her uncle was up to"
"Yes sir"
Just as the PC got to the door Ben called her back.
"Also could you get me a laptop?" he asked.
"Yes sir" PC Wilkins said as she left the room.
Ben did not really want to see Ellen at the moment but had no choice in the matter. Barnaby`s life was at stake and time was running out. The sergeant prayed that Phil had not already killed the Chief Inspector.
Ellen was not pleased when she was cornered by a PC and asked to go with her to the hospital. The officer said the sergeant wanted to see he. What could Ben possibly want after their fight? Ellen was not really in the mood to see him. As Ellen walked into the hospital room she saw that the sergeant had been waiting for her.
"Have a seat Miss Walker," he said.
Ellen nervously took a seat by the bed. The sergeant sounded very formal. Whatever reason he wanted to see her it was not for a social call.
"We need you help" the sergeant said, "We are having no luck locating your uncle's laboratory"
"Why should I help you Sergeant?" Ellen asked a little coldly.
"You know where the laboratory is. We need to locate it as fast because Barnaby has gone missing"
Ellen gave a sly smile. So that is what this is all about she thought.
"I don't have to help you" Ellen snapped "Not after the way you treated me"
"This has nothing to do with you and me. Lives are at stake," the sergeant said firmly.
"Why should I care? I thought you cared about me Ben but you just could not let go of your stupid loyalty to that dame DCI"
"DCI Barnaby is my boss Miss Walker. If you could not see that then you really have problems"
Ellen's face turned really red with rage.
"Don't you talk to me like that Ben!" she cried.
"It is Sergeant Jones to you" the sergeant said firmly "Now are you going to help us?"
"I have no choice am I right?"
"You have answers we need so no you do not have a choice"
Ellen wanted to hit Sergeant Jones so bad but she just glared at him.
Phil sat in his office. He had been trying to phone his niece. However Ellen was not answering her phone. It was odd. Normally she would have answered on the first ring. Something had to be wrong. Was Ellen hurt? Just then Carl knocked on his office door.
"What is it Carl?" Phil asked hanging up the phone.
"I want an answer Phil" Carl said "Why are we keeping that cop alive?"
"I told you Carl I have special plans for Barnaby"
"We should just kill him and dump his body"
"Are you crazy? He is a DCI"
"What has that got to do with anything?"
Phil sighed. Carl did not to seem to understand that because Barnaby was a DCI he was very important and if they killed him and dumped his body his death would be in all of the papers and on every TV and radio station.
"If Barnaby is killed out here his body will not be found" Phil said "And even if it was the cops would not be able to link it back to us"
Carl stared at Phil as though he did not understand. Phil could not believe anyone could be that stupid
"Killing him would be more fun then what you have planned" Carl said "Come on let me do it"
"Carl you just do not understand" Phil said "How sad"
"I know what this is about. You think you are the only one who can handle Barnaby. He is just a stupid cop"
"Carl you just do not understand my genius. However I am not surprised since you are a mindless thug"
"Do not call me mindless Phil"
Phil laughed.
"Why don't you do something useful like check on security?" Phil suggested.
Carl turned and left the office. Once he was out of sight of the office he punched the button to the elevator and went straight to the basement.
Barnaby just remained still. If he could convince Phil or Carl that something might be wrong with him he could escape. He heard footsteps coming down the tunnel.
"Okay Barnaby" Carl snarled "You better come with me. You are going to die one way or the other. I don't care what Phil says"
Barnaby remained still.
"Hey Barnaby" Carl said, "I am talking to you you no good cop"
Barnaby held his breath. He hoped his act was convincing or he would never see another day"
"Barnaby!" Carl said, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Carl got the keys and opened the door to the cell. He walked slowly to where the Chief Inspector lay. Carl keeled by Barnaby and was going to check for a pulse when the Chief Inspector grabbed his arm.
"What the…" Carl exclaimed not quiet understanding what just happened.
"Give me the keys Carl" Barnaby said.
"Do you think I will just hand them over to you" Carl sneered, "You must be joking"?
Barnaby rolled onto his knees facing Carl.
"You give me those keys Carl," he said still holding onto Carl's arm.
"Or you will do what?" Carl said his eyes flashing dangerously.
"You do not want to know" Barnaby said, "Now give me the keys!"
"No"
"Don't be stupid Carl. You don't want to mess with me"
"I am bigger and stronger then you are Chief Inspector. What could you possibly do to me?"
Barnaby realized that was true. If it came down to a fight Carl would be able to beat him to a pulp. The Chief Inspector needed to rely on his brains.
"The reason I was on the floor is because I fainted. I became light headed. I need fresh air" Barnaby said, "I don't think Phil would be too happy if he knew you did not look after me properly"
"I had no idea" Carl said, "I will take you outside if that would make you feel better. It is not wise to upset Phil"
Barnaby got to his feet with a sly smile. He knew Carl was slightly afraid of Phil.
"That is a good lad," Barnaby said.
Just as they got outside the cell Barnaby suddenly snatched the keys and pushed Carl into the cell and locked it.
"Hey" Carl cried.
"It is you own fault for falling for that" Barnaby said, "I would have called for a doctor"
Barnaby threw the keys into the corner and walked down the tunnel.
"Barnaby you get back here" Carl said but the Chief Inspector just ignored him.
Ben and several PC`s were in his hospital room. Since the sergeant could not leave the hospital they were having meetings in the room. The sergeant sat up in bed with a laptop while the PC`s sat in chairs or stood in corners of the room. The room was not very big so it was hard to move about. Ben apologized for the lack of space.
"Okay PC Wilkins" Ben said "Any progress on finding that laboratory yet?"
"No luck so far Serge" PC Wilkins said "We have looked in the area Miss Walker told us it was located but found nothing"
"So she is deliberly trying to lead us astray?"
"It seems so sir"
"Dam it"
"We will keep looking sir"
"I hope you find it soon. We are running out of time. I don't know how long Phil will keep the DCI alive"
"I know that sir and I know you feel frustrated tied to this hospital bed"
Ben did not reply. Feeling frustrated was not even close to what the sergeant felt. He felt really helpless right now. Ben remembered while they were in the woods Barnaby had stayed by his side. He wished he were by the Chief Inspector's side at this very moment.
Barnaby felt along the wall as he made his way through the underground tunnels. Since he had no flashlight he had to rely on his sense of touch. He froze when he heard several voices up ahead. Barnaby ducked back into the shadows. Several security guards came down a tunnel laughing and talking not noticing the figure in the shadows.
"I heard that the boss has something really big planned" one of the guards said.
"What does the boss have in mind?" another guard asked.
"I think it is something to do with that cop that he is holding prisoner"
"I heard that the boss has big plans for all of Midsomer" a second guard said.
"What ever it is it is going to be huge," the first guard said.
Just then the guard spotted Barnaby moving.
"Halt" he called out "Who goes there?"
Barnaby held his breath.
"Show yourself," the guard ordered.
Barnaby felt his heart hammer in his chest. He was just seconds from being spotted and possibly shot. He turned and ran down a tunnel his heart in his mouth. He heard several footsteps running behind him and knew the guards were giving chase. The Chief Inspector hated to think what they would do to him if they caught him. Barnaby turned a corner and realized he had reached a dead end. The footsteps were coming closer. Barnaby stood still his back to the tunnel wall hoping the guards would just hurry on by. Just as he hoped to guards ran by shouting orders. As soon as he was sure they were gone Barnaby made his way back through the tunnels. Finally he reached the room he had been in yesterday. What he needed was in those filing cabinets. Proof of Phil Walker's experiments and plans were also in those filing cabinets. There was also proof that Phil had murdered his colluges because they did not approve of his theories. Barnaby looked around to see if there was anyone around and then he went and opened a filing cabinet.
Phil was surprised when Ellen came walking into his office. It was obvious she had been crying because her eyes were red.
"Ellen" Phil said looking up "What is the matter love?"
"DCI Barnaby is what is the matter," Ellen snapped.
"What did he do to upset you love?"
"He convinced Ben that I was cheating on him and now Ben will only talk to me about police business"
"Ellen dear I am sure you are wrong about this. Ben would never believe such nonsense"
"He believes Barnaby uncle Phil believe me. I saw how close those two were when we were in the woods. That bond is unbreakable"
Hearing this gave Phil an idea. A plan formed on how to use the sergeant against Barnaby but he did not reveal anything to his niece.
"Ellen love Ben has feelings for you" Phil said softly "Sooner or later he will see that Barnaby is wrong"
"What planet do you live on uncle Phil" Ellen cried, "All Ben needed was some reason not to trust me to break up with me which he did"
"He did what?" Phil demanded.
"You heard me. I lost Ben all because of DCI Barnaby. I really hate that cop"
Phil took his niece into his arms.
"Don't worry my dear," he said "I have special plans for Barnaby"
"I hope you make him suffer and I want to be there to watch" Ellen growled.
"I promise you love that Barnaby will suffer and that you can watch"
"Thank you uncle Phil"
"Now why don't you go and wash your face. I have some work I need to get done"
Once Ellen was gone Phil pushed a button and said to his Chief of Security:
"I have a little assignment for you"
Phil's security guards entered the hospital and took the elevator to the floor where Sergeant Jones had his room. No one paid much attention to them because they just looked like security you would find anywhere. The guards got off the elevator and went down the hall to the sergeant's room. Jones sensed something was very wrong when the men entered the room.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"It does not matter who we are" the man who appeared to be the boss said, "You have been causing a lot of trouble and so has your boss DCI Barnaby"
"Where is he? What have you done with him? Is he dead?"
"Don't worry Sergeant. You will soon be joining him"
The sergeant jumped to the other side of the bed to get away from the men.
"Come on Sergeant" the main man, said, "Don't make this difficult"
"Where are you planning on taking me?" Jones asked.
"No more questions. Now you better come peacefully with us or we will get rough with you"
"I am not going anywhere with you"
"You have no choice in the matter Sergeant. Either you come with us or we will kill you"
The sergeant suddenly realized he was outnumbered and also he was still recovering from his experience in the woods. He would not stand a chance against these men. The only positive thing Jones could see was that he would be lead to Barnaby.
"All right" he said "I will go with you if you take me to Barnaby"
"You will be with your boss soon enough" the main man said.
The group got strange looks as they headed to the elevator.
Barnaby got all twisted around in the tunnels. It was so dark the Chief Inspector could not see where he was going. He entered what looked like a large room. It appeared to be some sort of garage. There were three expensive looking cars. Creates were stacked all over the place. Barnaby jumped behind a create when the garage door opened and a car drove into the room. Five men got out of the car with another man who was blindfolded with his hands tied behind his back. As the men passed the create Barnaby was hiding behind the Chief Inspector got a good look at the man.
"Jones" he gasped.
Barnaby wanted to jump out and attack the men. Why did they have his sergeant and what were they planning on doing to him? Barnaby knew it would not do either of them any good if he did anything now. It was best to follow them hoping he was not spotted.
Phil looked up as Sergeant Jones was brought into his office.
"Release him" Phil ordered.
The security chief untied the sergeant's hands and blindfold.
"Leave us" Phil said.
The five men left the office. Phil noticed the cold stare the sergeant was giving him.
"I am so sorry Ben that you were treated badly" Phil said, "I consider you my guest"
"What do you want with me Phil?" Ben demanded.
"Nothing really. Come sit down and have a drink and we can talk"
Ben did not take a seat.
"Come on Ben" Phil said, "Take a seat"
"I would rather stand thank you," Ben snapped.
"Suit yourself"
Phil poured himself a drink.
"We have a lot to talk about Sergeant," he said sitting down at his desk.
"What could we possibly have to talk about?" Ben said coldly.
"Your loyalty to Barnaby for starters and your treatment of my niece"
"What about your niece's treatment of me?"
Phil chuckled.
"Don't try to play innocent with me Ben" Phil said, "You never really cared for Ellen did you. That is why you believed Barnaby`s story about my niece cheating on you"
"Barnaby would never lie to me," Ben said.
"Are you sure about that? Are you really sure of your so-called partnership with DCI Barnaby? Does he tell you everything?"
Ben looked away from Phil.
"So he does not always tell you everything" Phil said smiling "And I thought you were so close"
Ben turned back to Phil.
"He may not always tell me things but that is only if he trying to protect me" he said.
"Protect you" Phil said laughing "Keeping you in the dark is protecting you"
Ben saw what Phil was trying to do. He was trying to test the sergeant's loyalty to his DCI.
"I will not fall into your trap Phil" Ben said firmly "I know what you are trying to do. It will not work. You have no idea what real loyalty is"
"You are the one who does not know what loyalty is Sergeant" Phil sneered, "It is obeying orders without question"
"Your idea of loyalty is being a robot am I right?"
"Human emotions just get in the way"
"So you would not risk your life to save the ones you love?"
"If they die well it is of no consequence. My work is what is important"
"So you niece is not important?"
Phil's eyes widened.
"If she dies protecting my work she would have done her duty"
Ben could see the madness in Phil's eyes.
"You are mad" he said, "One way me and Barnaby are different from you is that we would die to protect one another. You saw that when we were in the woods"
"Weakness" Phil said "Human weakness. That was what that was. Both of you are weak. That is why you are both going to die"
Ben smiled.
"We shall see," he said.
Barnaby remained hidden. He had no idea what they were doing to Jones. He could be dead for all he knew. From what he read in the files he had taken from those filing cabinets Phil was the one who had suggested cloning dinosaurs in the first place but his friends objected. He released the dinosaurs and people were killed. Anyone who objected or he saw as a threat was killed. Phil was really was mad. Barnaby could not believe he was dealing with a real life Dr Frankenstein. The Chief Inspector knew that Phil would allow the dinosaurs to leave the Midsomer Campgrounds and roam around Midsomer. Who knew what could happen if Phil got his way. Barnaby suspected that some of the dinosaurs had already escaped the campgrounds. He heard voices and ducked into the shadows.
Phil, Sergeant Jones and two or three security guards walked down the tunnel. Phil was explaining things as though he was giving a tour of the place. Ben pretended he found it all fascinating in fear that Phil would order him executed.
"As you can see Ben" Phil said, "This whole thing was my idea. You should appreciate my dream"
"All I do Phil" Ben said, "How did you manage all of this?"
"I am a genius"
The sergeant rolled his eyes but Phil seemed to not pay any attention. He was too busy admiring his work. Ben looked back over his shoulder. He thought he saw Barnaby but was not so sure. He was glad that his boss was not dead. However Ben knew it would not be long before Phil discovered that Barnaby had escaped and was wondering around in the basement.
"It took years to get this laboratory up and running" Phil was saying, "It also cost a lot of money but it was worth it"
"It must be nice to be so successful," Ben said keeping a lookout for his boss.
"It is the best thing in the world Sergeant. That is why it is too bad that I have to kill both you and Barnaby to keep my secret"
Ben saw two of the security guards come over to him and they grabbed his arm.
"You really are mad if you think you can get away with killing police officers" Ben said.
"You and Barnaby are a threat to everything I worked for Sergeant" Phil said "Do you think I would risk keeping you alive"
"You don't have to do this Phil. We will make sure everyone will know about your work"
"I wish I could believe you. You just want to put me in prison. Bring him. We will put in the cell with his friend and I will decide what to do with them later"
Just then two more security guards came running up followed by Carl.
"Sir we found Carl locked in the cell and Barnaby is nowhere to be found" a guard said.
"What?" Phil demanded, "Barnaby is wondering around down here. Find him. Who knows what he has found out."
Ben laughed which got him a backhand across the face.
"You just shut your mouth Sergeant" Phil snarled "I think we should kill you now"
Phil turned to the guards who held the sergeant.
"Take Sergeant Jones to the courtyard" Phil ordered, "We are going to have an execution"
Ben was taken down a tunnel. The sergeant hoped that Barnaby got out okay. His boss's safety was more important right now.
Ellen walked down the hall to her uncle's office from the woman's bathroom. After she had washed her face she felt a whole lot better. When she got to the office she noticed that the office was dark and her uncle was not there.
"Uncle Phil" she called.
Ellen went into the office and turned on the light. No one was about. Ellen began to sense that something was really wrong. She went over to the desk and noticed Sergeant Jones's ID on top of the desk. Ellen was puzzled. Why in the world would her uncle have her ex boyfriend's ID?
"Ben" she said "Oh my God! Uncle Phil has done something to Ben"
Ellen ran out of the office and towards the elevator. She knew there was one possible place the sergeant could be. Ellen punched the button to the basement hoping she was not too late. She was angry about the break-up but she did not want to see Ben hurt. She knew her uncle was mad but until now she had no idea how mad he was. Her uncle she knew was extremely dangerous and had to be stopped. Ellen just hoped that Ben had not been killed already. Just as she got off the elevator she heard her uncle's voice over the load speaker announcing that there was going to be an execution in the courtyard. Ellen ran down the tunnel hoping she would get there in time to stop it.
Barnaby watched, as his sergeant was lead down a tunnel. There was fear written all over the Chief Inspector's face. He was convinced that Phil had lost it. Phil had just ordered his sergeant's execution. Barnaby had noticed Phil's sanity slowly slipping away. The man was clearly insane. The Chief Inspector did not care if he was killed. There was no way he was going to allow Phil to execute his sergeant. Barnaby hurried after the men. He noticed that they entered what looked like a huge courtyard. Barnaby ducked behind the nearest tree. He watched as Jones was tied up and blindfolded. Barnaby could not stand it any longer. He jumped from behind the tree.
"You bastards let him go!" he cried.
The Chief of Security turned when he heard Barnaby`s voice.
"Well well" he said, "Look who has decided to join the party. We can tell Phil we can have a double execution"
Barnaby was grabbed by two other security guards and was also blindfolded and tied up. The Chief Inspector knew he had just blown it. The only good thing was that Jones was not going to die alone.
Ellen saw her uncle walk down the tunnels that lead to the courtyard. He seemed to have a big smile on his face. Ellen could not believe her uncle had ordered an execution. He had gone completely mad. She followed making sure to stay fare enough away so she would not be seen. The sight that greeted her in the courtyard shocked her. Both the sergeant and Barnaby were blindfolded and tied up. Several of the security guards began to line up. Ellen saw her uncle looking cool and calm as though this was ordinary business. She knew she had to stop this. Executing people this way was just plain evil. Ellen heard her uncle give the orders.
"Ready, Aim, Fire"
Before the security guards could get a shot off Ellen ran towards them crying:
"Stop!"
The guards lowered their weapons confused.
"Ellen" Phil yelled "What in the world are you doing?"
"Uncle Phil please do not do this" Ellen pleaded, "This is wrong"
"I thought you wanted Barnaby to suffer and you wanted to watch"
"Yes but not like this. Also Ben is really innocent"
"Innocent? He believed Barnaby that you cheated on him"
Ellen looked at the ground.
"I did cheat on him" she said "With Raymond"
"Raymond" Phil exclaimed "That no good punk"
Barnaby spoke up.
"She and Raymond were stealing dinosaur eggs," he said.
Phil turned to Barnaby.
"No one gave you permission to speak Chief Inspector" Phil snapped.
"Oh just let him speak" Ellen said.
"I suspect that Ellen and Raymond knew what you were doing Phil and planned to expose you"
Phil turned cold eyes on Ellen but did not say anything.
"Raymond was killed trying to get more eggs. We found his body all torn and eaten" Barnaby continued.
"What?" Ellen exclaimed.
"Just shut the hell up Barnaby" Phil said his face turning an ugly shade of red.
"Ellen dated me so you would not suspect what she and Raymond were doing" Ben added.
"Why would you help that little punk Ellen?" Phil asked.
"I knew that there was something fishy about the story you told me" Ellen said "I knew you were mad but up until now I did not know how mad you were"
"I have heard enough. You are all going to die"
The security guards pointed their guns at detectives first.
"No" Ellen cried jumping in front of Ben.
There was a loud gunshot
PC Wilkins upon discovering that the DS had also gone missing went to the station and with several other PC`s went to search for both the sergeant and the DCI. There were already several PC`s in and around Badger's Drift. Someone was bond to find something. It was not long before PC Wilkins got word that the laboratory was discovered. PC Wilkins and several other PC`s went into the building while several others searched the grounds near the building. PC Wilkins entered the courtyard in time to here Ellen scream no and a gun going off. The PC hurried over and caught Ellen before she hit the ground. Several other PC`s came running in and started to round up the security guards who had scattered when they spotted the officers. PC Wilkins turned to PC Rollins.
"Untie the Sergeant and DCI," she ordered.
PC Rollins went over and started to untie Jones. PC Wilkins noticed the distant look in Phil Walker's eyes as though he was not really there. He just stared into the distance. The man clearly had lost his mind completely.
Ben heard a gunshot going off and then a lot of shouting. He had no idea what had just happened but he knew he was not shot. The first thought that came to his mind was: Barnaby! Just then someone was untying his hands and taking off the blindfold. Once the blindfold was off the sergeant looked around for his boss.
"Sir" he called "Sir are you okay?"
"I am fine Jones" Barnaby replied.
Ben turned and noticed a PC untying the DCI.
"Who was shot?" Ben asked puzzled.
Ben then noticed the answer was right in front of him. PC Wilkins was holding onto a wounded Ellen. The sergeant gasped when he noticed blood on Ellen's shirt. PC Wilkins looked up at her sergeant and shock her head. Ben knew it was not good.
"Ellen" he whispered kneeling by her side.
Ellen opened her eyes and looked at Ben and smiled.
"You are okay," she said.
"Why did you do that?" Ben asked.
"I could not let you be killed"
"Ellen…"
Ben grasped her hand. Barnaby came over once he was untied and keeled by his sergeant's side.
"You saved my sergeant's life" he said "Thank you"
Ellen was touched by Barnaby`s kindness.
"You're welcome" Ellen said.
Ellen suddenly coughed up blood.
"Just stay still," Barnaby said softly.
"Ben" Ellen said.
"I am here Ellen" Ben said feeling a lump coming to his throat "I am not going anywhere"
"I am so tired Ben"
"Just go to sleep Ellen. We are both going to be here"
Ellen closed her eyes. Her breathing became slower and slower. Ben held her and began to talk to her quietly until Ellen breathed her last. The sergeant pulled her close to him and wept. Barnaby put an arm around Ben's shoulders and gave them a little squeeze. He looked up when he heard Phil yell to the two PC`s who held him:
"Let me go you scum!"
The Chief Inspector's eyes were hot with rage.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" he asked his voice dangerously soft.
Phil looked at Barnaby as though he did not know who he was or what was happening.
"What is going on?" Phil said confused "What is happening? Who are you?"
Phil was lead away by the two PC`s. Barnaby embraced his sergeant.
"Come here lad," he said.
Ben wept quietly while Barnaby held him.
A few weeks later Ellen's funeral was held. The few people who cared for her were there. Ben was rather quiet during the service, which worried Barnaby. The sergeant barley spoken ever since they returned from the laboratory. He had stayed in the hospital a week before he was released. After returning to work Ben had just went about his business without saying anything to Barnaby. The Chief Inspector knew this was not good. He had to try to get his sergeant to talk to him. Barnaby found some time alone with Ben after the service. The sergeant stood looking at Ellen's gravestone.
"Jones" Barnaby said walking up and standing next to his sergeant "Are you alright?"
Ben turned to his boss and gave a small smile.
"I am okay sir" Ben said knowing why Barnaby asked.
"I am worried about you" Barnaby said "You barley have talked to me"
"I am sorry if I have been rather distant sir. I have had a lot on my mind"
"Want to talk about it?"
"No sir. I just want to forget"
Barnaby was not going to give up.
"Oh no you don't Jones" he said firmly "We are going to talk right now! I will not have you shutting down on me"
Ben wanted to turn and run. He was not in the mood to talk to his boss. Barnaby he felt would not understand.
"Sir just leave me alone" he snapped "Leave me the hell alone"
"No" Barnaby said, "Talk to me"
Ben started shaking trying to hold it together. Finally he just collapsed to the ground sobbing as though his heart was breaking. Barnaby sat next to him and just held him.
"I am not going to leave you alone" he said softly "You need me"
Ben cried into Barnaby`s shoulder and tightened his grip. He felt comfort knowing that Barnaby would never leave his side.
THE END
END OF PART FIVE