Timeline of a friendship

Sandra

I met Brian at his you UCOS interview,he seemed odd, well he still is. From then he began labelling all of this stuff in the office as if he didn't trust any of us. Despite all of that he was a great detective, and when I say great I mean great I don't handout compliments easily. At first I found his odd ways difficult but now dealing with them has become second nature. I often walked into the office to find him laying on the floor or drawing diagrams on the board or even using Lego bricks and coffee pots as props to reenact murders. For all the annoying obsessions over the years and generally annoying traits I still loved him like a brother. At the beginning all of us were just work colleagues slowly we became bigger part each other's lives until we knew all about his alcohol addiction, Esther and Mark and we were at his and Esther's on a weekly basis.

His relapse hit us all hard and make me feel like a failure of a friend and when he left for rehab it was even harder the office was far too quiet and too different. He came back and soon enough he was back to normal well back to his usual self is more fitting he is not normal in any sense of the word.

Losing Jack turned Brian into a wreck for awhile, while we all tried to come to terms with our grief and settle into a new routine before Steve came along and Brian was sent back into a downwards spiral but as things settled down again it was all fine and he was civil with Steve and eventually friends.

We all thought everything was going along smoothly I should have known the whole Anthony Kaye thing would rear its ugly head again after all it was the only thing he thought about all those years ago.

Gerry

I'd heard of Brian Lane in the past when I was still serving officer but I knew all about how wrong rumours could be my self. It wasn't until I met my new colleagues in the pub that I actually met Brian. I thought him weird at first when he walked in and reserved his desk and coat hanger.

We had our ups and downs and stupid fights over nothingness. I remember his luckdown the dogs when he tried to put it all down to maths and logic. Or when we fought over our wages when Sandra wouldn't tell us if we were paid the same.

At UCOS we all became close and a big part of each others life's, it was hard when he relapsed but as I was undercover in the rehab centre it was made easier as I could keep an eye on him and eventually he was back on the straight and narrow.

Jack leaving hit him hard, and after the first time Jack had gone away after the Hanson trial he was convinced he'd come back and he was a mess and it didn't happen.

I thought everything was fine but I fully agree with what he did I think Strickland was just a pain in the bum like normal.

Steve

Obviously I've not known Brian as long as Sandra or Gerry and he didn't even like me at first. I understand his apprehension at first as he'd just lost Jack Halford and met me. I think he was jealous of how well I was getting on with Gerry and that I was messing up the balance but things became better after Esther intervened. After that he'd accepted me, or seemed to at least, I'd move desk and we became friends. I'd heard all about his drinking demons and mental health issues but it wasn't until all the stuff with Anthony Kaye that I witnessed it but now that he's left UCOS and back spending time with Esther and his son, he's the happiest ever seen him.