Chapter 2, hope people are liking it, in case anyone finds it confusing, the reason behind sometimes calling him Boyd and sometimes Peter, is meant to reflect the difference between boyd and Grace's work and personal relationships.


Chapter 2 – Work Life

Peter's car pulled into the car park and came to stop, Grace was in the passenger seat, they didn't normally ride to work together, but Grace's car was being serviced. As he took the keys from the ignition he turned to Grace, they couldn't be seen by anyone in the office, so he took a risk and put his arm across the passenger seat, his hand gently stroking her neck, "Come away with me for the weekend?"

"Slight problem with that suggestion, Amber."

"You're always going away to seminars, what do you normally do with her?"

"She's not a pet dog Peter, I don't leave the cat flap open and put out an extra tin of meat."

He smiled at that thought, "I didn't mean it like that, I just meant, where does she normally go when you're away."

"It depends where I am, she doesn't like staying in the house on her own, sometimes she stays with Frankie, sometimes she stays with my sister, but she doesn't get along with my sister very well."

"You leave you're impressionable teenage daughter with a workaholic forensic scientist who spends her spare time in the morgue?"

"Frankies a good influence on Amber, and Amber likes spending time with her, I also trust Frankie implicitly!"

"So see if Frankie's busy, I'll book us into a nice country hotel, we could leave Friday and come back Sunday, you said you would prefer our first time to be more intimate."

"What do I tell Frankie, the truth?"

"What ever you want to tell Frankie is fine by me."

"You said you wanted to keep things between us."

"Yeah well, I've changed my mind doc, I'm too bloody old to worry about other people's opinions."

Grace smiled at him "Ok, I'll speak to Frankie" she looked over her shoulder before leaning across and kissing him.


Inside the CCHQ DI Spencer Jordan, DS Mel Silver, and Dr Frankie Wharton sat around the table in the bullpen discussing the case that had landed on their doorstep over night, "Morning all" Boyd said as he walked through the door, followed by Grace, which caused the team to look at each other quizzically, "Before your little minds run away with you, Grace's car is being serviced and she asked me to pick her up this morning, anyone have a problem with that?"

"Nope" Spence answered shaking his head, the others agreed quietly.

Boyd hung his jacket in his office and then returned to where the others were sat, "Ok, Frankie what have we got" he asked as Grace joined them at the table

"Umm, where do I start, Ok, the body of an unidentified male was found on some wasteland yesterday, he was a white male, about 50 years old, and had been beaten to death, he had several broken bones, and severe bruising, actual cause of death was a asphyxiation, caused by what looks like a trainer."

"So what, someone standing on his throat?"

"Yeah, or more likely just asserting pressure with the foot on the throat, rather than standing on it. He was bound up with ropes, and naked, but there was no signs of any sexual assault."

Boyd started to wave his hands around, willing Frankie to get to the point, or the point that had brought it to the attention of the CC team, "come on Frankie get to the point."

"I'm getting there, to try and get an ID they ran his DNA through the database, and although this didn't give them an ID on him, it did flag him up with the disappearance of 7 year old, Hannah Owens."

"Hannah Owens?" Boyd repeated the name willing himself to remember why it was familiar to him.

"Yeah you remember, little girl who disappeared from an adventure playground 5 years ago, she was found 2 weeks later, she had been raped and murdered, they found traces of semen on the body from 3 different men, and one of those traces belonged to this guy."

"So have they ID'd him yet?"

"Yes, he has now been identified as 50 year old Paul Akin, he lived in the Malton Park area, and get this, he was, until recently, a music teacher in a primary school, this is a picture of our man" Frankie held up a picture of an average looking man, white, balding, no distinguishing features, she placed the picture on the board.

"You said he was a music teacher?"

"Yes, he had recently been suspended amid allegations of sexual abuse, the school and police were investigating."

"OK, well thank you Frankie, Spence can you make a formal request for all the usual stuff on the case to be sent to us, Mel can you look up the school for me, find out where it is, and Grace and I will pay them a visit" Boyd looked around the room, "Where is Grace?" it had just come to his notice that Grace had left the briefing and returned to her office, closing the door behind her

Boyd walked away from the table and over to Grace's office, she was stood behind her desk facing away from the door, her arms folded, her eyes staring blankly, he knocked on the office door twice, but Grace didn't answer, her failure to flinch or move at the sound of him knocking led him to believe she had not even heard the sound, he proceeded to open the door, he closed it quietly behind him, and approached her, "Grace, you Ok?" again she did not respond, he put his hand out and gently touched her arm to bring her back from whatever place her mind had wandered to, she jumped slightly, "You Ok?" she looked at him, her eyes glazed slightly, but not actually crying "What is it Grace?"

"He was Amber's piano teacher, he taught music at the primary school she attended, and he gave her private piano lessons."

"Shit" Boyd then tried to cover his concern for Grace's sake, "Grace it doesn't mean anything, you know as well as anyone paedophiles don't abuse every child they come into contact with, how old was Amber at the time?"

"She was 7, he suggested the private tuition, he said Amber had an aptitude for it, she loved it at first, she was full of it, but then she changed, she cried, said she didn't want to go, she became clingy, wouldn't let me leave her with anyone, something changed in her at that time Peter, I didn't twig at the time, but it could have been those lessons, oh god, what if he's done something to Amber?"

Boyd put his arms around Grace and pulled her to him, just as he did the office door opened and Spencer walked in, "GET OUT!" he bellowed the words at his DI, who stopped dead, turned and left the office, "Listen to me Grace, we'll sort this, I promise, whatever has happened we'll sort it."

Grace pushed away from him, "How? how will we sort it? if he's abused my daughter, how can we sort it?" Boyd again tried to pull Grace to him, "No Boyd, I need to talk to my daughter."

"No Grace, stop, listen to me, let us deal with this, let us talk to Amber, it will be easier for her to talk to someone that's not so close to her, we'll bring her in here, but you can't interview her Grace!"

"How dare you tell me what I can and can't do, she's my daughter, this isn't about a bloody case, I want to know if someone's hurt her, I need to know if he's hurt my baby" her words broke slightly as she spoke.

"I know, and I understand, Grace I really do, but we need to think about what's best for Amber, let me get Mel and Spence to bring her in here, you can observe the interview, we'll get Mel to talk to her, she'll be able to relate to Mel better than anyone else" Grace eventually relented, and agreed to Boyd's suggestion, Boyd cupped Grace's face in his hands as he talked to her, "I'll brief the others Ok? you phone the school and explain that we need to pick Amber up, you don't need to tell them the reason why, just that we need to pick her up, Ok?" Grace nodded her agreement, and he rested his head against hers, "Everything will be Ok Grace."


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