She had rushed to greet him when he walked into the kitchen, jumping on him and he picked her up.
"Hey my little princess, how was school?"
"It was great daddy, I made lots of friends when I told them who you were. I made you a picture. Mummy, show him my picture."
Rose held it up and he put his daughter down, then putting his arm around Rose as he studied the picture, he noticed the beard was a bit too long.
"Kelly sweetheart, my beard is not as long as that, is it?"
Kelly laughed. "Mummy said your beard tickles when you kiss her."
Rose looked at her daughter. "Tell-tale Kelly. Why don't you wash your hands for tea while I find out how much daddy's beard tickles?"
Alec was already kissing Rose's neck. "Yuck Daddy, mommy doesn't like that, do you?"
Alec looked around from snogging his ever gorgeous partner who looked just as good to him as the day he had met the shy hairdresser four years ago and he still loved her just as much and tonight, when their daughter had gone to bed, he was going to ask her something really important. They had never discussed getting married, it never seemed important to either of them. Kelly had his name, something Rose had insisted on before she was even born and now, they had become officially partners with Rose named as his next of kin in everything legal and for his police benefits.
"Well young lady, there are two choices, I do it to mommy or I come and tickle you."
Alec let go and Rose smiled as he crept over to the kitchen sink where Kelly was standing on her stool waiting for someone to turn on the water for her.
"No Daddy, no, get mummy, she does like it. You're a scruffy."
Alec picked her up and swung her around then put her back on the stool and ran the water for her, showing her how to wash her hands, putting the liquid soap on.
"You finish up while I get mummy again."
"Ah, Ah, scruffy, I'm getting the food out, you can tickle me some more later."
Rose turned towards the oven and Alec tapped her behind. "Always Rose, don't you forget it."
After they both put their daughter to bed, they relaxed on the sofa and Alec had more than one thing to say to Rose as he pulled her top up and began kissing the soft parts of her, pulling up the cups of her low cut bra and taking his time.
"Do I really tickle you?"
"Mmm but in a really good way. You said you had something to discuss, I hope you mean s.e.x 'cos that I'm very interested in except for the talking about it bit, less talk detective and a lot more action if you don't mind."
She unfastened his shirt and slid it over his shoulders. There was no fear of Kelly coming down to disturb them, they made good use of the baby listening device that their daughter knew she only had to call for them and they would be right there, Alec usually getting there first as his legs could carry him two steps at a time where their baby was concerned. She was still his baby to him, she always would be, Kelly was his life and soul next to Rose and Daisy who he loved equally but Daisy was getting older and came down during the holidays as often as she could but she had exams next year so it wouldn't be as often as they all liked.
Kelly loved her big step-sister coming to visit, she also loved it when nanna Jackie came down to see her and they would all go out down to the harbour and catch crabs and watch Jackie squirm at the sight of them that Alec would accidentally let one wander onto her legs and she would chase him halfway down the slipway and everyone would be watching and laughing at the detective being chased by his mother-in-law.
Ellie and her boys often joined them while her husband and Alec went off for a drink at the pub nearby then they would all go back to Ellie's for a barbecue and Beth and her family would come over on some Sunday afternoons, Beth often saying to Rose she would love to have another baby.
Alec was now well and truly gone as he pulled his partner's underwear down slowly, taking his time kissing across her tummy as she ruffled his hair.
"Alec," Rose gasped as he got to kiss her right where she loved him to as she lost her underwear and curled up slightly. "You'd better hope your daughter doesn't decide now is the time she wants a drink or teddy is telling her he wants to play and make noises."
"Rosie baby, she's your daughter as well you know, she wouldn't be here without you my love."
"I know babe, you know, maybe it's time we thought about having a little brother or sister for Kelly to grow up with. I know you and Daisy grew up on your own and so did I, let's not make it the same for our daughter. What do you think, scruffy?"
"How did you know that was what I wanted to talk to you about? That's exactly what I was going to suggest. We'd have to move but maybe we can still afford it if you go back to work for a few months and we still have all Kelly's baby things in the loft. We can look around for somewhere that's about the same rent, I should get a bigger allowance from the police. So what to you think? Come off the pill next time?"
Rose put her arms around her partner, her soul mate. She had never loved a man the way she loved Alec Hardy. He was a good, kind man and a loving father to both their daughter and Daisy and she had felt so sorry for him when they had first met that his ex wife had betrayed him and stopped him seeing Daisy. Now Daisy was part of their family even though she lived a few hours away, they would drive up when they could if she couldn't come to see them.
Before either of them knew it, they were making love on the sofa, a blanket now wrapped around them in case Kelly did make it down the stairs after teddy had dared her to and as Rose reached the point of no return, so did Alec.
"Mmm, I love you scruffy and yes, I want another baby with you, as soon as we can."
"I love you too pussycat, let's get in plenty of practice then."
Three days later, it was Thursday morning, Rose was getting ready for Alec to drop them at school and then Rose was going to work from nine thirty to eleven thirty which gave her time to walk back in time to wait for Kelly to come out at lunch time. They had talked about Rose doing extra hours once the girl went full time and Rose's boss had agreed she could do another two hours a day and they would work something out for the school holidays but Ellie had suggested since her husband watched young Fred, it would be no problem for him to look after Kelly at the same time so Rose and Alec were considering it.
Alec always now got them there early to avoid parking on the zig-zag lines by the school crossing and always got out of the car to kiss Rose and his daughter goodbye.
"Bye princess, you have a good time today, ok? What did daddy tell you?"
The girl looked up at her impossibly tall father, she probably thought he was as tall as a tree.
"I know Daddy, you told me. Only you or mummy meets me and not to go with anyone else except Auntie Ellie or Auntie Beth or a police man or woman and only if Miss Carter tells me it's ok. Did I get it right Daddy?"
Alec bent down and picked his daughter up. "That's right princess now give me a kiss." He turned and she kissed his cheek.
He held onto the girl's hand while he kissed Rose goodbye. "You have a good day too, I'll see you both tonight, maybe we'll go for a walk on the beach before tea, ok you two?"
He got a yes from the both of them and giving Rose one last kiss, told her he loved her and got into his car. Someone was watching from across the road. Claire had got an early bus up to the Broadchurch infants school that was attached to the junior school and she had watched the last few mornings, seeing Hardy kiss his daughter and then his girlfriend goodbye, Claire knew the two of them had never married. She also knew with Hardy being a detective, he would have drilled it into his daughter not to leave the school with just anyone and had seen Rose arrive five minutes before the new arrivals had been collected at lunchtime.
She had noted that the girl, whom she now knew was called Kelly, was always talking to another girl of the same age and the other girl's mother always got there early and sometimes took her daughter away early and Kelly had looked disappointed when her friend left. Maybe the girl would get tempted to go after them and then she would follow them. Even if it meant she had to come up every day, it would be worth it but she didn't want to get caught and if she was challenged outside, she would say she was waiting for a friend.
She had seen Hardy pick his daughter up after talking to her, probably making sure the girl always waited for one of them but kids were kids and the girl would be easily swayed once outside the school grounds. Maybe Hardy had only told the girl about inside the school playground. Claire went off and decided to find out where Rose went. Maybe she had got herself another job or simply going shopping but Claire then spotted her former employee going into a hair salon and surmised she had got herself another job. Luckily for Claire, there was a caf opposite so she went in and ordered a latte and waited for Rose coming out but by eleven, Claire was getting bored and knowing it was about a fifteen minute walk to the school, decided to set off walking and see if the girl did actually come out early and wait.
Claire also knew how busy the teacher and her assistant could get at lunch time, organising those who were being collected and with it being a new term, determining who was who and relying on the children to recognise their parents or relatives that were collecting them. Claire knew enough about Rose to tell the girl all sorts of believable tales, she even knew a little bit about Hardy as Rose had always talked non-stop about him her hero, rescuing her from mundaying life and whisking her off to the coast to live happily ever after with their baby daughter.
Claire felt jealous, she always had been, Lee had never wanted kids, why would he when they could borrow Pippa from next door and send her back when they'd had enough? Pippa had practically moved in with them, she had shown the girl how to do her hair and put some make-up on, her mother was too drunk to notice most days towards the end and her father hardly came home. Then Lee had betrayed her with Pippa's older cousin and that was the end of it but she didn't regret her part in it all, it had to be done, Lee was her husband and wives didn't let their husband's get arrested especially when someone else had started it all.
She and her next door neighbour held each other's secrets that could never be told, it was mutually agreed, if one told on the other. Claire spotted a woman she recognised as the other girl's mother Kelly had been talking to the day before and the woman opened the door to go inside, probably to catch a word with the teacher or something. She could sneak inside, pretend she was looking for a niece or nephew and pretending she had got the wrong classroom, everyone was new, it wouldn't seem suspicious as long as she mentioned no names.
Clare entered the cloakroom, the woman who had gone in before her was standing around looking at her phone and nodded to Claire.
"You new here too?" the woman asked, putting her phone in her pocket.
Claire just smiled and nodded. "Yeah, hope I've got the right place, I'm collecting my niece for her mum who got held up at work."
There, she had established an alibi if she had to come back, the woman would be gone and forget about it. The girl she recognised as the woman's daughter waved at her mother from the open classroom door as the teaching assistant lined those up who were going home. Good, Claire thought, she probably didn't know who Kelly's mother was. A few minutes later, the other girl was told she could go since her mother was there, Kelly was holding her friend's hand and laughing.
"My mummy is taking me to the park Kelly, can you come with us?"
Kelly looked around for her mum, Rose had indeed got caught up with an awkward customer and had only just left, hoping desperately she wouldn't be late but the teaching staff wouldn't just let her daughter leave until she got there and she would just make it for twelve. She thought of calling Alec but if he was out, he wouldn't make it either and she could always hail a cab if she found herself further delayed so Rose had quickened her pace and hurried along the road out of town.
Kelly went forward with Becky, the teaching assistant was trying to stop two boys from pushing each other and Kelly followed her friend, recognising her coat.
"Hello Kelly, where's your mum?" Becky's mother asked her.
Claire saw her chance. "Oh, it's ok, I was waiting for Kelly. Do you want to go with your friend to the park?"
The girl nodded eagerly, grinning at her friend.
"You remember me don't you Kelly? Your Auntie Claire from where you used to live, your mummy and I are cousins."
The girl thought the woman looked vaguely familiar, Rose used to take her to Claire's salon for her hair cutting before they had left for Broadchurch.
"Yes Auntie Claire. Can we go now?"
Becky and her mother were leaving and no-one was taking any notice since the two boys were taking some pulling apart and Claire took the girl's hand and followed the other woman. Becky was looking back for her friend as they walked to the back of the school and across the playing fields to the park behind the school and calling Kelly's name and both girls laughed and headed for the swings as soon as the playground gate closed behind them. Claire made sure to sit apart from the other woman so she wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions and smiled at the girl when she wanted her swing pushing and got up.
Rose got there just on the dot of twelve and searched for her daughter's coat, not seeing it she assumed the teacher had put it on Kelly pending her arrival. She looked in the classroom since no-one was waiting outside as usual and saw Miss Carter.
"Hi, where's Kelly?" Rose asked.
"Oh, is she not with you Miss Tyler? Miss Stevens was with her and Becky about five minutes ago but two boys were pushing each other around and she came to help me pull them apart. I think Becky's mother was there. Miss Stevens, have you see Kelly Hardy?"
"She was here five minutes ago, holding Becky's hand and laughing then I said Becky could go with her mother and then I came to help you. There was another woman there but I never saw Kelly leave with anyone."
Rose had burst past the two women and frantically searching for her daughter. Miss Carter was going around asking the other children if they had seen Kelly and other parents were taking their children away, wondering what was going on. Miss Stevens went to check the girls bathroom but no-one was inside and Miss Carter picked up her desk phone and called the head teacher. Rose burst out into the playground, shouting Kelly's name at the top of her voice and other parents were looking around, some asking Rose if she was looking for her daughter.
One woman came up to her. "I saw two women more or less follow each other about ten minutes ago, I was just coming in the gate when I saw them walk around the back of the school, each with a little girl, the girl in front was looking behind her at the other one, I assumed their mother's were taking them to the park together."
"Where's the park?"
"Go around the back of the school, across the playing field and it's at the end. Oh my word, was one of them your daughter? I am so sorry, I really had no idea, both girls looked perfectly ok."
Rose had her phone out as the head teacher was making her way across the playground towards her, followed by Miss Carter. Rose asked the woman if she could stay while she called her partner, Kelly's dad at the Police Station. The woman nodded.
Alec answered after three rings. "Hello sweetheart, everything ok? Miss me already?"
"Alec get to the school now and bring whoever you can with you, Kelly is missing."
The phone went dead and tears were streaming down Rose's face as she told the head teacher to tell the police and Alec when they arrived she had gone to find her daughter and headed off in the direction of the park.
Alec hung up in silence, stunned. Ellie noticed him staring at his phone as he stopped to think for a minute then he yelled, "Miller, get every available unit to the infants school now. My daughter has gone missing."