Bob saw they hadn't gone back into the court building from his patrol car and assumed Hardy had suffered another attack or had come close to it. It was almost two, he'd give them a few more minutes then resolve these ridiculous charges brought against the detective. Hardy had been ill for quite a while or so he'd been told, the man had been foolish and put off much needed surgery. So what would he be doing with someone's wife? Was he really hiding someone or had he, as the other man had accused in his complaint, slept with the man's wife?

Well he and the young blonde looked cozy, she was fussing over him and now they were arm in arm so where did Hardy get his strength to string two of them along? The blonde didn't look like she was used to sharing him as he saw her finger Hardy's beard then kiss him

"Alec, you said you were gonna trim some of that," Rose teased him.

"I will, when I am back in my own house love," he smiled, kissing her back.

"Aw, some excuse that it, you could bring your shaving kit with ya."

"I will try to remember it tonight, if Bob over there doesn't lock me up," he indicated to the patrol car.

"He won't do that. Do ya think it was Lee, making the complaint?"

"What do you think?" Alec asked, seeing Bob getting out of the car and putting his hat on. Rose then thought she saw a scruffy white van go past the entrance to the car park but didn't want to worry Alec.

"Rose, go back inside right now and find Miller. Don't be on your own, promise me."

"I promise. Do you really have to go with him?" she asked as Bob approached.

"Now Miss, let's not start that again eh?" Bob asked her. "Ready to go Sir?"

"If I must? I take it the accusations made were from Lee Ashworth?" Alec asked, watching Rose walk off. "I'm not leaving until she's inside, he tried to drug her and take her off in a white van the other morning. A white van has just passed the entrance, she is in danger and you're taking me for questioning about some made-up charges?"

"Sorry Sir, I'm just doing my job, orders from above."

"Does the chief know about it?" Alec asked.

"She doesn't need to be involved, unless you are refusing to come with me?"

Alec shook his head. He saw Rose go back inside and there was still no sign of Ashworth's van again, he'd be hiding around the corner, wait for him to be driven off then he'd try and catch Rose on her way out. Well she was safe enough with Miller, Ashworth wouldn't be that stupid to snatch Rose now. He trusted Miller would walk out with other people and then drive Rose to Sandbrook, he would then get a ride back to pick up Rose's car and go join her at Sandbrook police station.

Tess should be very interested to hear the latest developments, especially Ashworth trying to get him out of the way to get to Rose. He followed Bob to the patrol car, ready to look if the white van had come back and just as they drove off, it turned into the car park, Alec pretending not to notice.

He turned to Bob. "See, what did I tell you? Where are you taking me?"

"'Erm, to where Lee Ashworth is staying? You have no proof that was him just driving that van, whoever it was, was hidden from view, he could have lent it to anyone."

"Who looks exactly like him? Have you even met him?" Alec asked, losing his cool and he'd promised Rose that he would try to keep calm but being parted from her was not helping, especially since his attack not that long ago. "Look, I'm telling you, just turn around and we will see, what have you got to lose? If it's not him, you've wasted five minutes and he will be where he said he'd be. If it's him, we can have it out now. You seem to forget, I give the orders around here, I am still of senior ranking, I could bust you back to traffic warden when I go back full time."

"Is that a threat Sir?" Bob asked as he pulled over, debating whether to turn back. "Okay, we'll go see and if you're wrong, I will have to note you tried to delay confronting the complainant."

That eased Alec's mind somewhat as Bob waited for a car to pass and did a U-turn. Rose had got inside the building and the usher opened the door for her as she approached. She stood just inside, looking for Ellie but Beth nudged her husband and whispered, "It's DI Hardy's girlfriend, I wonder where he is?"

"Someone said he was taken ill again just a while ago," Mark whispered back, getting him a scowl from the judge.

Ellie turned and saw Rose, waving her across. "Where's Hardy, is he okay?" Ellie whispered.

The judge had enough of the interruptions. "What is going on?" she asked, picking up her gavel and halting the defense summing up, which rather pleased most of the court as the ones that mattered already knew how many lies and half-truths they had come out with. "Who exactly are you?" she asked a flustered Rose.

"Sorry your honor, I had to stay outside with my friend, he wasn't feeling well and I came to find DS, I mean PC Miller to tell her he was feeling better but he's gone home.'

"Well less of the interruptions and try to be on time in future. Who is your friend, why find PC Miller?"

"You want to truth my lady?"

"That would be nice since you have halted the proceedings," the judge sighed, sitting back.

"He had another bad turn, there's something wrong with his heart, most of the town know that and it's been made worse by all these ridiculous accusations going around, no names mentioned. He doesn't need all this extra stress. He had to be taken home by a male colleague."

"Well if he's gone home, he must be feeling better?"

"Slightly but he didn't want me to go with him because we had somewhere important to go after court is adjourned and he wanted PC Miller to take me."

Rose thought it was as good a way as any to relay the message to Ellie that the police officer had carted Alec off on yet more false accusations.

"You still haven't told me who it is, what was your name?"

That's what most of the residents of Broadchurch wanted to know.

"Rose Tyler Ma'am, I came with DI Hardy."

"I see. No-one informed me he was so ill," the judge stated, looking through her notes. "Miss Bishop, Miss Knight, were you aware of DI Hardy's health issues?"

"I heard in the media he had been taken ill arresting the defendant my lady," the prosecution answered.

"I had no idea my lady," Sharon Bishop lied. She had simply chosen to ignore it to get her client off, convinced the defendant's wife and the DI had really been having an affair, since they had sat together the first few days of the trial. Then this Rose Tyler had turned up and now, she wasn't so sure but they were almost there.

"Well, it should have been taken into account, this trial has been flawed since the start with dis-information. Proceed Miss Bishop. On second thoughts, we will take a ten minute break for those who want to speculate on DI Hardy's latest shall we say, incident."

The judge got up and Rose dragged Ellie outside and to the top of the stairs, just in time to see Lee Ashworth going through the security check.

"Ellie, he's here for me. I saw his white van as Bob was going for Alec, supposedly to meet Lee about the complaint."

"He's not in the building yet, come on, we'll use the rear exit and go get my car and I'll take you to see DS Henchard," Ellie assured Rose.

They were about the use the lift to avoid Lee when Ellie saw Bob, followed by Alec. "Wait here, Bob must have changed his mind," Ellie told her as Bob caught up with Lee, pulling him to one side. At least Rose felt a bit safer, Lee wouldn't be able to come after her now.

"Come on Ellie, let's get out of here while they keep Lee busy."

"No, I say we go confront him about the other morning," Ellie suggested, turning towards the stairs.

Alec was still downstairs, looking up at the balcony for Rose while Bob addressed Lee.

"Are you Mr. Ashworth?" Bob asked Lee, who was more than a little surprised he'd been seen, since he thought Alec was looking the other way and the other officer had never met him before.

"Yeah. I see you got him?" Lee replied, a smirk on his face.

"Then Sir, why did you say to bring him to where you were staying?" Bob wanted to know.

"Oh, I thought it would be later, I was planning on being back when the court sessions finished but since you're here?"

"What are you doing here Ashworth?" Alec asked Lee, tired of being polite in front of Rose and calling him Lee. Alec didn't do first names at the best of times.

Just then, Rose and Ellie got to the bottom of the stairs and walked towards the three men. Alec saw them and went to greet Rose.

"I thought you had already left?" Alec asked her, wanting to kiss her to assure her he was feeling better.

"And let him get away with the other morning?" Ellie pointed to Lee.

"What's she talking about?" Lee laughed, eyeing Rose.

"You know what she's on about Lee," Rose spat at him. "You trying to kidnap me in the car park the morning before last."

"See officer? She's as deluded as Hardy is. Where's my wife Hardy? You threw her out of the cottage."

"Yes, because she was seeing you again, she didn't need to hide from you anymore," Alec replied, not caring who was with them and putting an arm around Rose.

"So what's this really about? Who kidnapped who?" a puzzled Bob asked everyone.