Rose was hoping for at least an escort back to the B&B. She still wasn't sure she had not been spotted on the pathway coming down or on the beach itself. She had told the WPC the person had turned around and could possibly have seen her. She was just leaving the area when another police car came along and more uniformed officers got out, followed by a van that Rose assumed was forensics. Getting back to her room, she lay on the bed and fell asleep.

She was woken at seven by her alarm, putting it back for another hour but she wasn't going to get any more sleep. Just after eight, she received a phone call asking her to call in and see DI Hardy. Great, as if seeing him for two hours each night wasn't bad enough, she had to face his questioning.

She was supposed to be at work for eleven so she called into the Police Station just before ten, hoping it wouldn't take long but she was told that Hardy and DS Miller were out of the office so she had to wait. Just before ten thirty, the woman who had told Rose about the job walked in, followed by Hardy.

"Hello Rose, what are you doing here?" DS Miller asked.

She didn't have time to reply.

"She's our main witness Miller" came the dry voice behind her.

Rose had not known the woman who came in the coffee shop next door and told her about the job was a police detective.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rose, I never realised. Someone never told me who our witness was."

Rose guessed who that was and he was standing in the doorway. She added that to her now growing list of dislikes about him.

She was led to an interview room and DS Miller switched on a recording device and Hardy asked her to put in words what was written on her statement from last night. She told them everything that happened up to the police arriving.

DS Miller asked if she thought whoever had left the body on the beach had seen her.

"Well they turned around when I was halfway down the path but didn't look up but maybe, when I had reached the beach, I might not have gone for cover as fast as I should have done. Do you really think there was a chance I was seen?"

Miller seemed to think so but it wasn't up to her. Hardy was just taking his own notes.

"So Miss Tyler, you make a habit of walking on the cliff top at night?"

"No, not really. I couldn't sleep so I decided to go up there, I didn't intend to see someone leave a body on the beach. Was it a young boy?"

"I can't tell you that until the press conference later today. Until then, go back to whatever you would be doing, follow your normal routine and if you think you're being followed, call the station, not the emergency number and ask for DS Miller or myself. Ask the desk sergeant for the direct number and keep it with you."

Rose knew she was already late for work. She hoped DS Miller would help her out. She had turned her mobile off and her boss would be trying to contact her. Hardy left the room and Rose saw her chance.

"DS Miller, I know it's a lot to ask but I'm late for work, can you explain to them I was helping you?"

DS Miller smiled. "Sure, I'll call them for you. Just go to work and tell them you were helping us over an incident. The news will get around anyway and the beach is closed off now. I expect you'll be busy today. You got the cleaning job then?"

"Yeah, thanks for that. I'm really grateful to you. Did you enjoy your holiday?"

"Yes, the kids loved it. It would have been nicer if we'd had a bit more spending money though, my husband didn't have as much saved up as he thought."

Rose said goodbye and went back to work, saying she had got caught up with the events on the beach, which by now were all over the town with people coming in and moaning the beach further up was closed off. She didn't yet want to tell her boss she had witnessed the events in the middle of night. DS Miller's husband came in with their youngest son and sat by the window and DS Miller came in to join them. He always spoke to Rose when they came in but he seemed quiet today, fussing over the youngster.

Hardy was still grumpy when Rose went to work later on, hardly saying two words to her but at least DS Miller came back in, telling her just to carry on as normal. Rose had got the direct number for the station and had put it on speed-dial on her phone, just in case. She was going to need it. She walked up to her accommodation and went to her room, watched a bit of TV and saw Hardy on the local news, vowing he would catch whoever had done this, deciding she was certainly not going out for another walk that night.

Hardy was having a hard time, this was not what he came here for, he was supposed to stay out of the limelight and let things calm down after his last case and his operation. He had tried to put that off but he knew he couldn't survive much longer without it. He had laughed off the warnings but in the end, his last case had almost killed him, he couldn't risk it again. The new case and the witness were now getting to him and worst of all, the witness worked at the station.

Rose had been in bed about an hour, it was almost midnight, when she heard a noise out in the hallway and thought it was a resident but footsteps stopped just outside her door. Switching the bedside lamp on, she put her dressing gown on and stood away from the door, listening. Suddenly, the handle of her door started to turn. Rose grabbed her mobile and pressed the key for the Police Station.

Talking quietly, she told the duty officer who and where she was and that someone was trying to get into her room and was told to alert someone in the building if she could and wait for assistance. Then she remembered the window on the landing led to a fire escape and whoever it was must have gained access through it. Someone was still messing with the door, it seemed to stop then start again so instead of shouting, she called the landlord's number and said someone was in the building.

The next minute, there was shouting outside and a noise, like someone running and an 'hey you' from a male voice followed by several 'what's going ons' so Rose unlocked her door. The landing window was still open and the landlord was shouting down to whoever had just fled down the fire escape.

"Miss Tyler, are you alright?" he asked, looking at her then everyone behind him.

"Yes Mr Phillips, thanks. Whoever it was tried to get in my room, I've called the police and they said to raise the alarm."

"Quite sensible, ringing me instead of shouting out but it still woke everyone, if that was what you were trying to avoid."

Rose tried not to look guilty. "Sorry, got a bit spooked."

Just then, there was a loud banging on the door and the landlord went downstairs, letting in two uniformed Police Officers. They were shown to Rose's room, one officer was the WPC from the previous night.

"Miss Tyler, are you alright? We've informed DS Miller there was just an incident at your lodgings. Did anyone see who it was?"

"I kept my door locked like I was advised to do, the landlord came upstairs and whoever it was must have gone down the fire escape."

The landlord chirped up. "All I saw was a figure in dark clothing going down the fire escape. I can tell you she wasn't imagining it. We can't lock the window, it's against fire regulations but I'll see if I can put another handle on it so it can't be opened from the outside."

Rose thought it was whoever she had seen on the beach last night, someone had followed her home earlier and waited somewhere. It wasn't just a coincidence and she told the policewoman so.

"Ok Miss Tyler, we'll send forensics around in the morning, see if there are any fingerprints on the window but whoever it was probably used gloves. I'll give your statement to DI Hardy. Goodnight Miss."

Rose could only say "Thank you."

She went back to bed, not thinking she could get back to sleep now but did, waking to her alarm. She knocked on the landlord's door to apologise, not wanting to say she had seen what had happened on the beach yesterday, she knew enough not to go spreading that around, someone had already been after her. The landlord just put it down to an opportunist trying his luck as her room was the nearest.

She was just walking down to the café to get some breakfast when her mobile rang. "Miss Tyler, DI Alec Hardy. I just heard what happened last night and we think it was connected to what happened on the beach. Can you call in at the station? It won't take long, just inform the desk and DS Miller will come down, we just need you to sign your statement from last night."

Rose had suspected as much. Now she was worried. Should she express her concern to DS Miller? She had very little chance with Hardy.

"Yes, I can call in. Say in about an hour?" He hadn't bother to ask if she was ok though.

"Yes, alright if you must." Hardy hung up.

Well it was better than she usually got from him. She really wanted her breakfast first before facing any more of his questions. She eventually made her way to the Police Station from around the other side of the harbour. She had found a nice café to get a decent breakfast for under a fiver and now went every morning and she wished she worked there instead. She was glad she only worked Monday to Friday though and didn't feel like taking on yet another job. She had worked out how many hours she was working now and she just might as well get a full-time job somewhere, if there were any. If she was going to stay beyond the summer, she was going to try the local supermarket on the road out of town, just past the roundabout.

Hoping not to have to face Hardy, she walked into the Police Station and asked for DS Miller and was shown into the interview room. Miller looked tired, Hardy was probably running her ragged and she probably wanted to be at home with her family.

"Hello Rose, I'm sorry to hear what happened to you last night and we think unfortunately the killer or whoever it was managed to get a glimpse of you, maybe recognised you from the café or seen you around town. We're not ruling out that the figure in the boat was not the actual killer, he may have been an accomplice and just been disposing of the body. All we can suggest you do is keep your door locked when you're in and keep in populated places. The landlord apparently is going to fix the window so it can't be opened from the outside. We're also not ruling out last night wasn't just a coincidence, at least that's what we're telling the landlord. You haven't told anyone have you? About your discovery?"

"Of course not. I don't want to put myself in any more danger. I'm not working until Monday, what am I supposed to do all weekend? I normally spend most of Sunday at the sports centre, I go swimming then do some training."

"I think you'll be ok to carry on with that, it's a public place. Stay away from isolated places. Just sign your statement and you can go. Once you're back at work, carry on with your normal routine."

Rose signed her statement and left, deciding to go back to her lodgings, use the free internet and call her mother.

"Rose, are you alright? I saw on the news about that poor boy there. Are you sure you're safe there?"

"I'm fine mum, really. I'm at work all day and then I go straight back, don't worry about me."

"Mickey came around last night, he's not seeing Trisha Delaney any more. He asked what I thought about him calling you."

"I'm not taking him back again, he gave up any chance of that. I've given him more than enough chances. Tell him not to bother, I won't answer him."

"Well suit yourself, I'm just telling you what he said. Don't blame me if he takes no notice. I was going to come down for a visit but I don't think I'll bother just yet. Be careful Rose."

"I will."

She decided to go get a few things from the local mini market down the road, coffee, tea and biscuits and a couple of weekly magazines to read and a puzzle book and when she came out, she was sure she saw a dark figure by the garages next to the fish and chip shop but thought it might just be one of the residents. The shop was adjacent to the caravan site and it could have been someone from there so she didn't really take any notice. She crossed over to go get her tea from the fish and chip shop and walked back, hoping again no-one could smell the hot food, which was why she always asked for them in a carton.

She was able to relax on Sunday, going to the sports centre and trying to forget the events of the last few days and more importantly, that Mickey was on the prowl again and most likely to surprise her with a visit or plague her with phone calls. Luckily, he had done neither yet and she hoped it would remain that way.