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Park Life

Harry sat on the park bench looking out over the cricket pitch. The grass seemed greener in the early morning sunshine. He frowned slightly, aware that Tariq and Calum were watching the scene from the Obs van a few feet away. He knew Ruth and the others would also be watching as the scene unfolded. He couldn't help but remember a time before he had married Ruth, the day Tom had shot Dolby and tried to kill him. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, two people were in custody and it was very unlikely Fitzgerald would use a third party. Hit men really were not his thing.

"Harry." He heard Calum's voice over the earpiece both Ros and Ruth had insisted he wore. "Erin and Adam are in place."

"Ok." Harry paused, wondering if Fitzgerald would keep to his part of the bargain. Glancing at his watch he was beginning to wonder.

"Malcolm has the CCTV footage for the park on his screen. We'll see Fitzgerald the moment he arrives." Harry glanced up at the CCTV camera in the corner of the green. He desperately wanted to know where Ruth was but didn't want to ask. He knew the analyst hadn't wanted him to meet the current head of Internal Affairs outside of the Grid but Harry could see no other way of drawing Fitzgerald out. He looked out over the green and tried to imagine happier times he would spend there, watching Nic play cricket with Graham and Charlie or Gracie-Jo playing football. He focused on the fact he was about to become a granddad for the second time or the way Ruth sang when she didn't think anyone was home to hear her. Even the cats sleeping on the bed and Scarlett snoring. Anything other than the fact Fitzgerald had a twenty year old grudge and had almost certainly been involved in the death of his ex-wife.

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"He's wearing a vest." Zaf stated. Ruth nodded, her eyes fixed on the screen in front of her. Alec shook his head, knowing the fact Harry had a wire on and body armour was doing nothing to calm Ruth's nerves. He was as worried as shee was. Juliet was in as much danger. He glanced across to see Ruth's already fear filled eyes widen.

"Doesn't stop an explosion blowing him up. Or a bullet in the head." She blinked as Zaf nodded.

"Adam is there. Ros and Erin are minutes away." Lucas stated as Ruth nodded. "He knows what he is doing. This is Harry we are talking about. If Dimitri and Beth." Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Talking of which, has anyone spoken to the dynamic duo in the last hour or so?"

"No." Zoe frowned. "Lucas North, don't tell me you are worried about them?"

"No." Lucas shrugged his eyes focused on the desk. "Just wondering if Juliet has killed them yet."

"Do not even joke about that." Ruth smirked slightly. "Zoe, shouldn't you three be down there by now? Fitzgerald isn't going to be alone when he meets Harry."

"True." Zoe pushed her chair away from her desk. "We need to be on our way." She slipped out of the Grid as Malcolm glanced at Ruth, worried about his friend. Ruth turned her attention back to the screen knowing that more was going on than met the eye.

"Ruth." Malcolm approached her once he was certain the others were engrossed in their work. "What are you reading?"

"Jane's autopsy report." Ruth stated calmly. "It's just."

"I thought you would be working on the footage." He nodded to where his own computer showed the image of a rather bored looking Harry sat waiting. Ruth smiled slightly as she watched him, remembering how he had tried to find a shirt and jacket that would fit over the bullet proof vest. Seemingly he had lost weight since they had been married - something to do with more exercise. She blushed slightly as she remembered the comment, glad that he had at least kept one slightly larger jacket.

"It's just so clinical."

"I would have thought a professional report like that would be. The coroner is involved."

"I know." Ruth paused. "It just sounds so, well, so descriptive. I never liked the woman but she didn't deserve this. She was a mum and a grandmother, this reduces her to a load of body parts. Death by hypoxia and strangulation. No obvious defensive marks on body suggesting self intent." Ruth read it out as Malcolm shook his head. He remembered the sharp, quick witted woman that was mother to his godchildren. "Hang on." She clicked the computer screen a few times as the report faded out to leave a photograph, mercifully in black and white of Jane's left arm. "What's that?"

"A puncture wound." Malcolm ran a hand over his face. "Oh my good Lord."

"She was drugged." Ruth paused. "I was right. She didn't fight back because she was sedated." Ruth turned to look directly at Malcolm.

"By who?"

"I'll go through the prison staff logs. We already know Jane's cellmate was released that morning. We don't see how another prisoner could get into her cell and back out again before the warder found her body. It has to be someone on the staff." Malcolm nodded before returning to his work station, relieved that Ruth was able to focus on the investigation rather than the fact her husband was essentially on a suicide mission.

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"Fitzgerald." Juliet shook her head as Dimitri handed Alec a mug of coffee. "That slimy little."

"He was never to be trusted." Henry took his hat off and placed it on the coffee table as Beth watched him. "I should have known. Aye, I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

"No it isn't." Juliet paused. "No it really isn't. It's Terry's fault for being weak enough to be turned. Jane's for being a slut."

"Excuse me!" Henry widened his eyes.

"Oh I know I had an affair but I wasn't the one that was married." Juliet hissed. "I spent three weeks in ITU because that poisonous bitch couldn't keep either her legs nor her lips together." Dimitri and Beth exchanged glances as Henry almost choked on his coffee. Alec smirked, glad that at least Juliet had some fight left in her.

"Anyway." Dimitri said. "Moving on, we can't stay here long. We should really split up."

"Yeah." Alec agreed. "Sat here we are literally sitting ducks. Fitzgerald isn't going to want the DG or any of the others finding out what was going on back then. There will be a clean up squad, especially now Harry is meeting him in the park."

"Harry is what!" Juliet snapped. Beth nodded.

"It's true." She paused. "He is. Ok, Juliet you go with Alec. Dimitri and Henry with me. Come on, drink up." She got to her feet as Dimitri smiled, knowing that given the option she wouldn't want to spend more time with Juliet Shaw than she really had to. Alec got to his feet and nodded.

"Back at the Grid, rv at 12?"

"12 it is." Dimitri glanced at Juliet before following Beth and Henry to the fire ecape, hoping there wasn't a reception commitee waiting for them.

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"Stand by." Erin stated calmly as she sat between an industrial sized rubbish container. Her coat pulled up to her throat with a dirty wollen hat pulled down to hide her long black hair and facial features. Fingerless gloves and battered traingers completed the look. To anyone walking in the park that time of day she was just another homeless person looking for shelter. Ros leant against the back of the cricket pavillion and nodded.

"I see the target. Repeat I have eye ball."

"Yeah." Lucas replied as he walked along with Calum's dog Spike on the end of a lead. "I could get used to having a dog."

"Focus." Ros couldn't keep the smile out of her voice.

"He's heading towards the children's play area." Lucas carried on walking Spike.

"You lose my dog." Calum stated. "And I don't care how big a field officer you are."

"Calm down." Lucas smiled as he knelt down, to fuss the little cavilier King Charles Spaniel. "He's fine. Aren't you boy? He's heading your way, Zaf." Lucas glanced sideways as he saw the older man slip past him into the children's play area. At 6 am the place was abandoned. The children's swings erily moving in the breeze.

"He's checking for a tail." Ros stated. "Bit crap at it."

"Out of practice. Too long behind a desk." Adam slid the hood of his parker up as he leaned into Zoe, aware that for all the world they looked like a pair of drug addicts. Zoe glanced at her watch, rolling her eyes at the time.

"I heard that." Harry snapped as Adam and Zoe couldn't help but laugh.

"You were meant to." Adam replied. Harry merely rolled his eyes. Moments later Zaf's voice could be heard once more. Fitzgerlad was headed towards the bench in the cricket pavillion.

"Here we go." Ros stated. "Harry, be careful." Harry nodded once before getting to his feet. This was it. This was the meet that could kill him. He took a steadying breath before looking the older man in the eye. There was no going back now, this was showtime.

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A/N May not be able to update until weekend. Hope this is ok, please review.