The end of the school day finally came and Tom, tailed by the ever present Helen Cresswell, was making his way to the exit to wait for Doug when he saw Kelly Morris across a crowd of over excited teenaged girls. She was looking around nervously as if she was expecting someone to jump out and follow her. Tom thought it was probably him she was looking out for as he had spent most of the afternoon trying to talk to her. He decided to stay lost in the crowd and watch her from a distance. Noticing her nervous state he decided to follow her.

"If you see Douggie, tell him I'll see him at home ok." He said turning to Helen.

"Where are you going?" Helen said puzzled.

"I gotta do ….stuff" he said simply as he headed down the hall.

"Where should I say you've gone if he asks me?" she shouted after him.

"I don't know. Home" he said with a wave of his hand. It didn't really matter, he would catch up with Doug back at Chapel. He trailed down the corridor after the small girl, keeping close to the edge of the wall and to any available cover, watching for any sign as to why she seemed so nervous. One of the other girls stopped her, smiling warmly at her and placing a friendly arm around her. It was one of the girls Helen had introduced him to at lunch the other day, Emily or something, he couldn't quite remember. Kelly seemed extremely anxious to be rid of this girl, from where he was standing, Tom couldn't make out the conversation, but watching Kelly's face, he could see the tension and the short replies Emily was receiving. She made short work of ridding herself of her unwelcome guest and hurried away out the door. Still maintaining his distance and staying with the crowd Hanson headed after her. As the crowd dispersed and thinned out to a trickle of other students and general public, Hanson silently thanked Hoffs for not forcing him to wear heels. The soft padding of his footsteps was easily drowned out by the clicking of Kelly's high heels.

Suddenly she ground to a halt listening intently to the noise of the street around her. Before she turned around Tom ducked behind a car parked conveniently by the side of the road and watched as she scanned the street. He stayed safely behind the cover of the old Corvette until she had satisfied herself that she couldn't see anyone suspicious and set off round the corner. After glancing quickly round himself, Tom headed after her. By now he was beginning to know this city pretty well and he was starting to form a pretty good idea of where she was heading.

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Doug walked through the halls on Sam Taylor's heels. He had a gut feeling that something was going on. He has come to trust his partners instincts, after all the guy had turned out to be a scary judge of character, yet no matter how convinced Tom was that Sam had nothing to do with Nikki's murder, he wasn't so sure. He seemed like a nice enough kid, nothing like some of the slime he had encountered over the past couple of years, and he seemed to have really cared about Nikki. But something didn't add up. The nagging voice (that sounded strangely like Dorothy's) in the back of his mind just wouldn't quit. He couldn't stop wondering how Nikki could've been on crack, or bought it for that matter, without at least one person knowing. Logic said to Doug that the one person would most likely be her boyfriend.

"So, you got anything planned. You wanna grab a pizza or something?" Doug asked in his usual exuberant fashion.

"Maybe some other time." Sam replied.

"Come on, man. You need to take your mind off stuff. I know someone who'll give us a few beers" he said suggestively.

"Like I said, another time. Anyway, don't you have to pick up that fine looking piece you dropped off this morning?"

"Oh, she's mad at me cos I only called her twice last night". Doug said with a slight grin and desperately trying not to laugh imagining Hanson's reaction to being called a fine looking piece.

"Sorry Doug. I've got some things I really gotta do. I promised someone you see and it's kind of important."

"No problem. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure."

Doug watched as Sam headed off down the road.

"Promised someone he'd do something important." He thought to himself. With one wistful look back at his motorcycle Doug shrugged his shoulders and followed quickly after him.

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Kelly was leading Hanson on a merry dance through the streets of the vast city. This girl was on to him, he was sure. Somehow she knew he was there, or at least that someone was, and again, common sense would suggest to her that it was him. The question was, just how wide had his cover been blown. Did she know who and what he was, why he was there? He hoped not. Maybe it was just that his resemblance to her departed friend made her nervous. It must be rather creepy to have someone who apparently looks remarkably like a dead person asking questions about her. He really hoped that was all there was to it. Besides, even if his cover was blown it was hardly his fault. He had told Fuller he wouldn't be able to pull this one off. But then his act seemed to be fooling everyone else, even Dorothy he thought to himself chuckling quietly.

He snapped out of his thoughts as his surroundings began to seem very familiar. Suddenly, like a lighting bolt to his brain, Tom realised that she was heading to the Hastings Precinct's station. She was going to the police. Hanson groaned inwardly.

"Perfect!" he thought. Hastings was stretched as it was and there had been talk about their precinct being disbanded. The good old mayor's office trying to be more cost effective. Whatever Kelly told them would probably take six days to file and even longer for someone to get round to investigating.

As she neared the building Kelly was joined by anther figure. St Mary's was located in an area of Hastings that was still relatively respectable, nice houses with well kept gardens and white picket fences, the kind lined with vast shrubbery. In his eagerness to get out of sight if the two teenagers, Hanson caught his foot in one of the overgrown routes on one of these bushes that lined the sidewalk across from the station and stumbled into it.

"Shit!" he said softly as he glanced over and noticed Kelly and who he now realised was Sam Taylor looking nervously up and down the street. As luck would have it they were not looking in Hanson's direction. He quickly scanned the immediate area for a convenient hiding place and saw nothing but the bushes.

"Why is it always bushes?" he thought to himself rolling his eyes and disappearing as quickly as possible into the offending shrubbery, catching his wig and restricting skirt on the way in. The numerous twigs and leaves clawed at his face as he crouched down and positioned himself for a better view.

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Doug had easily followed Sam to the building on the outskirts of the Hastings area. The 18 year old was obviously in a hurry and was totally oblivious to the large man following him. However as Doug noticed the figure of Kelly Morris that his quarry was running towards he panicked and looked for the nearest cover. He didn't know if Kelly had seen him with Hanson outside the school but he didn't want to take any chances, so he threw himself behind the nearest cover, which happened to be the bushes growing along the sidewalk.

He landed roughly on something rather large that let out a surprised yelp that mirrored his own perfectly. He lifted his head up from the floor and found his light hazel eyes looking into very angry chocolate ones.

"You!"

"Hanson? Oh god, I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

"No I'm not ok. You're sitting on me!"

"Sorry." Doug said sheepishly as he rose up on his knees. "What are you doing here? he asked as he helped Hanson up.

"I followed Kelly. You?"

"Sam".

"I guess they both had the same idea." Tom said as he resumed looking through the branches at the teenagers across the street.

Sam and Kelly seemed to be having a rather heated discussion. Kelly looked both angry and scared. Sam was growing impatient and the look on his face was grim and stubborn. Kelly was growing more and more distressed. Hanson strained to hear what they were saying but all he could catch was mumbled voices. These two knew something and they needed to find out what.

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"Kelly" said the familiar voice as a hand rested on her shoulder. Kelly Morris turned round and pulled the young man into a hug.

"Thank God Sam. I thought you wouldn't show."

"Are you ok?" Sam asked as he pulled away.

"I'm scared half to death."

"It'll be ok. Your doing this for Nikki remember." He said as he affectionately tucked her long wavy hair behind her ear. She turned to walk into the building but spun round again turning panicked eyes on her friend.

"I can't do it." She said distraught. "The police are investigating, they'll find out for themselves soon enough."

"And what do you think will happen then?" Sam said beginning to get angry. "They'll know we withheld information. You already said you think Doug's girlfriend is snooping around. It's only a matter of time."

"Oh, Doug now is it?" she snapped.

"Will you stop. Look he's a good guy, and I'm sure this Tammy is only trying to help."

"Oh come on! Have you seen her?"

"Yes, it's weird I know. I just really think you're reading too much into this."

"Do you?"

"Yes. Do you want me to come in with you?"

"I can't do this." She said as tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Ok. I'll do it" he said, his features set in grim lines.

"No Sam. I'm not letting you go in there."

"Look. Someone has to." His face softened as put his hands on the petite girl's shoulders. "I promise it will be ok."

"You're really going to do this aren't you?"

"For you and Nikki." He smiled at her. "Go home".

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Tom and Doug watched this exchange with interest. They saw Kelly stand up on her toes and kiss Sam's cheek before she turned and walked quickly away, looking back only once. At this glance back Tom saw something like shock register on her face and for one awful moment he was sure they made eye contact. Doug felt Hanson stir beside him.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he grabbed hold of Tom's arm.

"I think she saw us. I'm gonna follow her" he said as if stating the obvious.

"But he's goin' in, and if she's have seen us don't you think she'd be running much faster" Doug said gesturing across the street. Tom let out a sigh and sat down cross legged on the grass.

"So what now?" Penhall asked.

"We wait" Hanson replied shortly.

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"Excuse me". Officer Dorian looked up from her paperwork to see the tall blond kid standing over her.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes. I need to talk to someone. I have information about Nikki Stokely's death."

"Someone will be right with you" Dorian said, her green eyes sharp and serious.

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Doug was still intently watching the building across the road and Tom was sat patiently picking the debris from his curly wig. Hoffs was gonna kill him when he got back to the Chapel.

"Hey!" Doug said suddenly, "He's coming".

"About time!" Hanson said as he moved to crouch beside his partner and trying to work out stiffness in his back. After nearly an hour of hiding in the bushes they were beginning to ache in places they didn't know existed.

"So what now? Do we just let him go, or do we follow him?" Tom said

"No problem. All we gotta do is go in and ask nicely for them to tell us what Sammy told them"

"Couldn't hurt" Tom said with a shrug as he half pulled his partner to his feet.

As ragged looking pair headed for the building, Tom followed behind his partner, still picking leaves out of his 'hair'. He silently prayed that Sam had either confessed to killing Nikki, or told them who or what had so he could drop the drag act. He suddenly found himself walking smack into the back of his best friend as he ground to a halt in front of the building.

"What is it?" Tom asked in a low whisper looking round to make sure that their teenaged friends had not made a reappearance.

"Look who's on duty." Doug answered as he pointed a finger through the glass panelled doors at the figure behind the desk.

Tom's eyes were met by a familiar sight. The slim, green eyed, auburn haired Officer Jennifer Dorian. Hanson had spent six months at the academy with the young Officer Dorian and over the past couple of years he and Penhall had come into contact with her on a number of occasions when running background checks and requesting funds over at Parker Centre.

"Shit! What is she doing here?" Hanson asked horrified.

"Probably helping cover shifts. You know how short they are. Anyway, this'll be cake. She knows us and it shouldn't be too difficult to get her to help us out."

"You can't be serious. I'm not going there like this. She'll recognise me."

"What are you worried about. You look gorgeous." Doug said suppressing laughter as he picked more leaves out of his friends wig. However the glowering look Tom was giving him made him decide that maybe this wasn't the time to wind him up any further. "Responsible police officer time" he said to himself. Then he turned his attention back to his partner.

"Ok" he said, "I'll go in and see what I can get out of her ok. You can stay here."

"Thank you" Tom replied impatiently.

"But I'm only doing this cos I love you." He said with a smirk.

"My hero!" Hanson replied smiling despite himself as his eyes followed Penhall's progress through the doors.

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"How's it going Dorian?" Doug said cheerfully as he approached the officer behind the desk.

"Penhall!" she replied with a smile. "Good to see you. Is this a social call or are you looking for favours?"

"Actually that kid who was just interviewed, he's involved in a case me and Hanson are working on and I'd kinda like to know why he was here."

"Come on Penhall. You know you have to wait until everything's filed before it can be released."

"Yeah, but this pertains to a possible homicide, and we need all the information we can get right now." Doug said smiling and giving Dorian his best puppy dog eyes.

"Still trying that one Doug?" Dorian said with a smile. "Look. I'll try and get it rushed through and have it sent over to Jump Street as soon as I can. How's that?"

"It'll have to do" Doug said. "But could you really rush it through?" he said with a whiny note in his voice.

"I'll do as much as I can. You know how many problems they're having down here."

"Thanks. You know you've always been my favourite girl."

"Still a charmer too." She said with a warm smile. She had quickly developed a soft spot for the teddy bear like Doug Penhall and his smaller more reserved partner. She gave a sly smile as she glanced out the door, before a more concerned expression appeared on her kind face. "Hey, how is Hanson? We heard about his girlfriend and we're all really sorry."

"It was rough, but he's doing ok now. Actually," Doug said smiling, "He's gone through some huge changes, you wouldn't even recognise him." He said before turning and heading for the door.

"Tell Hanson curl's suit him!" Dorian said with a wicked grin. Doug spun round and stared at her dumbly.

"How-" he began to ask. Dorian pointed to a figure sat on the grass, back to the building.

"You two never travel alone" she said with a shrug. Doug smiled to himself, shook his head and walked out the door.

When he got half way to the side walk Hanson jumped him.

"So what did she say?"

"She said hey!" Doug said walking away with a grin on his face. Tom stood dead still for a beat before glaring at his partners back.

"I hate you!" he said as he followed after him.