Stevie tried to get through to Lizzy, but there wasn't much she could do.
'Lizzy, what is it?' Stevie hoped she could get a response.
'The places they're targeting. The next one's just round the corner. They're getting closer to our nicks every time.' Lizzy knew.
'So the place they're attacking next?' Callum asked.
'They'll use to plant an attack on Sun Hill.' Lizzy looked back at the uniformed officers.
Smithy and Callum looked at each other, worried what it could entail. Lizzy dialled on her phone and held it to her ear.
'I need to talk to Chief Constable Reading. It's his daughter PC Lizzy Reading.' Lizzy almost snapped.
Lizzy got a reply.
'Would you prefer to put me through without any hassle or have the guilt of leaving a Met police station without help from the other station a lunatic is targeting over your shoulders?' Lizzy didn't give them much of a choice.
Lizzy got a reply.
'Dad, we need that backup ASAP. I think they're going to target Sun Hill.' Lizzy was certain.
Lizzy got a bit of an angry response, having to take her phone a bit away from her ear.
'Chief Constable Reading, perhaps this might put into perspective why we need to do this. Sun Hill is at risk of becoming a target of Drayton-Price and if you're not careful, you could lose more than just your job when the inquest found out you thought you'd try and save your pride instead of your fellow officers, especially when one of them is your daughter! Get it done before I put a call in to Mum, Commissioner Matilda Hendy, to get you to pull your finger out!' Lizzy wasn't taking no.
Lizzy got a reply and was hung up on.
'Your Mum is Commissioner Matilda Hendy, our commissioner?' Neil was shocked.
'I did say my family held pretty close to every position in the force.' Lizzy shrugged.
'Any other family members you can call on?' Stevie laughed a little.
'DCI Daniel Reading. He's at Stafford Row. If we need anything, he can help out if Dad falls through.' Lizzy said.
Stevie got a little tense at the mention of Daniel, but she tried to hide it from Smithy, but he saw enough to know something was wrong.
'Stevie, can I have a word?' Smithy asked.
Stevie and Smithy left to the quiet corridor and away from prying eyes.
'Everything alright?' Smithy checked.
'Yeah. Everything's fine.' Stevie tried to lie.
'Stevie, I saw how you reacted to Daniel Reading's name.'
'I dated him ages ago. It didn't end well for us. If he comes back here, there will be some serious tension. I can't put Lizzy in that position. He's her brother.'
'Stevie, does Lizzy know you dated?'
'I don't think she knows much about it. It depends how much he told her.'
Smithy held Stevie close, trying to comfort her worry. Even though after the Cutler situation where Smithy went undercover with Stevie as his girlfriend, there were still some strong feelings for each other and Stevie almost didn't want them to go away.
'We're in a bit of a mess, aren't we?'
'That's putting it mildly. If Dan comes, he'll want to talk to me about us. He did last time we met.'
'Well, I'm here if you ever need it.'
'Thanks, Smithy.'
'Come on. We'd better go back before we find Lizzy leading the entire case.'
Stevie laughed a little at that, getting Smithy's humour right away. They walked back in and found Callum working with Lizzy on a computer, the two of them pretty close.
'Everything alright?' Neil checked.
'Yeah. Nothing to worry about, Gov.' Stevie tried to assure Neil.
An officer walked into the incident room and saw Callum close to Lizzy.
'Lizzy.' The officer spoke up.
Lizzy looked up and smiled seeing the officer.
'Dad sent you?' Lizzy hoped.
'He was yelling round the station, so I suggested I stepped in. Sorry, Neil, looks like we'll be working on this one together, same rank and all.' The officer smirked.
'Have we met?' Neil was confused.
'Not yet. DI Melissa Hemming from Birmingham Central. I'm a colleague of Lizzy's. I also got a message from Commissioner Reading that if she can help you at all, Lizzy, just call her.' Melissa smiled.
'DI Hemming is also my Godparent, being Mum's best friend growing up and all.' Lizzy explained.
'I did promise your Mum I'd keep an eye on you in the force when she found out what you were up to with your career.' Melissa shrugged.
'Then let's bring Birmingham to London, Birmingham Central style.' Lizzy knew the game.
Melissa helped Lizzy go through the other files Lizzy had been sent with and tried to figure out if there was a certain time everything would go down.
'Birmingham Central must be pretty close knit if they're this in sync.' Neil was curious.
Lizzy found a file in a box that made her stop in her tracks.
'Lizzy?' Stevie saw her worry.
Lizzy gripped tighter onto the file. Melissa tried to put a hand on Lizzy's shoulder, but she shrugged it off. Lizzy left the room, clinging to the file as if her life depended on it. She didn't stop walking until she found the yard. Lizzy stopped by the railings by custody and leaned against the metal, the coldness of it touching her skin making her more cautious of her surroundings. Callum had followed her and stood on her right.
'Everything alright?' Callum checked.
Lizzy looked at the file and then up at the perfectly parked Police cars in front of her.
'Lizzy, we know something's wrong. We can help.' Callum tried to get an answer.
'It's not as simple as that. This complicates everything.' Lizzy spoke with some anger starting to surge through her words.
'As a Sergeant, I know how difficult things can get with cases that mean you're relied on a lot. Trust me, you need to tell us what's going on so we can make it easier for you.'
'It's not as easy as that. This file is my life. This file tells everything.'
