At 3pm in the afternoon of that long day, with no sign of his missing Constables, Sergeant Oscar Blaketon finally got a call from Inspector Dudley. "The hospital have been in touch," he said crisply. "Brian Jefferson has come round and he said he needs to talk to someone. Someone in charge as he put it. I'm going to the hospital now Sergeant so perhaps you could meet me there?"

"On my way sir," Blaketon said.

On the way through the duty room he called to Alf, "Call from the hospital Alf, Jefferson's awake and wants to make a statement. Come on. Inspector Dudley's meeting us there."

"Sarge." Alf swallowed hard but felt that he had to ask. "Is Jefferson keen to make a statement because - well, something pretty bad's happened and he wants to make sure his mate takes the blame for it?"

"I know what you're saying to me Alf," Blaketon said quietly. "But either way its best we know isn't it? Its this not knowing that's the worst thing."


It was a very tense journey over to the hospital. Neither Oscar or Alf spoke much. There was just too much at stake.

They met Inspector Dudley who looked equally tense. "With me, Sergeant," he said. "Lets see what Jefferson has to say shall we?"

"Does he know?" Blaketon asked. "About Robson I mean?"

"Yes, he asked after him when he came round and the doctor told him," the inspector replied looking round as the doctor himself came up to them.

"He's ready for you to speak to now," the doctor said. "I can tell you he's said nothing more to me so I can't tell you anything about your missing officers I'm afraid. But he is keen to speak to you. I'd be grateful if you'd remember - whatever he tells you - he has been badly hurt himself." He took a breath. "As he is my patient I will stay in the room whilst you talk to him. I hope you get the answers you need and you find your officers safe."

"Thank you doctor," the Inspector replied.

Jefferson had not been handcuffed to his hospital bed - with two broken legs in traction it was felt he was a safe bet for not going anywhere! He also had fractured ribs and mild concussion. In all it was a miracle he was awake and talking.

He swallowed hard as Inspector Dudley, Sergeant Blaketon and PC Ventress came in. The doctor took up a position in the corner of the room. "There's no need to get heavy with me!" Jefferson whispered nervously. "I'm ready to talk!"

"Then get on with it!" Dudley hissed

"Right, well, I helped Len out of the nick didn't I? You'll have worked that out for yourselves. And I hid him at my Gran's old place Top Ghyll. Up on High Moor." Jefferson paused. "She died a while back and left it to me. Any road, plan were I would get Len what he needed to get out of the country."

"Why were you doing all this for him?" Dudley asked as Blaketon shifted impatiently just wanting to get to the point, to know that Nick and Phil were alive.

"Because he went down for stabbing Billy Flanagan and I helped him, I got rid of the knife and he didn't get me involved!" Brian said wearily. "But I've paid for it every day since then." He took a breath, wincing with pain as he did so. "Any road he were up at Top Ghyll and I went off to get his documents, his fake documents. And whilst I was away two coppers turned up. Len thought they were after him!"

"They were looking for some missing kids," Blaketon said flatly.

"Well Len didn't know that did he - he thought I'd gone to you lot to say where he was and that the coppers had come up to take him in - and he clouted them both with a poker. When I came back they were both out of it, good and proper." Brian was getting tired now as the painkillers and injuries combined were having their effect. "Any road Len tied them up and we got out of there. Only we had to use their car as mine had packed in. We were going to abandon it and nick another car only I ...I lost control on the bend..."

"You left them.." Blaketon wsa incredulous.

"I was going back!" Brian said miserably. "I was going to get Len on the ferry at Hull then go back to the farm and say I'd come up to check on the place and found them but I couldn't get back could I because I were in here - " He paused. "Although we reckoned you'd turn up yourselves, you must have sent them there in the first place."

"We didn't know they were there," snapped Blaketon. "They were out on a search and hadn't radio'd in their location."

"Yeah well, that's not my problem is it!"

The doctor stepped forward. "All right now, " he said to the Inspector. "You've got what you need."

Dudley shook his head as Blaketon said, "No doctor, what we need is my missing officers found safe and well and we're a long way off that." He turned to Alf Ventress who was standing quietly to one side. "Alf? Do you know roughly where this farm is?"

"Aye Sarge. Its not far off where they were given to search. They must have decided to go up there on a long shot like. And there's a good chance the radio wouldn't have worked, out of range or summat."

"Well right now, lets concentrate on finding them safe," Blaketon said. "That's all I care about."

"Sarge."

Blaketon turned back to Jefferson. "So you left them tied up and hurt? How bad do you reckon?"

"I dunno! I mean one of them seemed to be like starting to wake up, the other one were well out of it. And I didn't leave them like anything, it were Len!"

Blaketon leaned over him menacingly. "Aye and you played yer part so don't think you're going to get out of this! You're in serious trouble starting with assisting an offender and that's just ter be goin' on with!"


As the day dragged on the two police constables became awaer of the gathering gloom."I don't think," said Phil, "I can actually stand another night up here."

Nick, resting his head tiredly against the wall said," Think that's what we might be looking at to be honest."

"Its just sick!" Phil exclaimed. "To dump us here like this and leave us!"

"Perhaps whoever it was banked on us being found by now," Nick said. "Although by who I don't quite know."

Phil was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "We must be being searched for high and low. Someone's bound to find us. They'll spot the car outside surely - if its there of course and hasn't been moved."

Nick nodded. "That's all we can hope for I suppose," he said. He paused. "I hope the missing kids turned up safe. Maybe I was being a bit hard on them. They must have been pretty scared to run off like that."

Phil nodded. "It was a stupid thing to do but they couldn't have known Mrs Butters was so ill. And being honest Nick, she could have gone any time."

"Yeah."

"Nick? What do we do if whoever put us here does come back?"

Nick replied quietly, "Then maybe we'll get some answers Phil because I can't make any sense of this!"

Phil looked at him. "If they come back Nick...we might get more than just answers. They might want to shut us up for good."