"Your Honour," the prosecution addressed the judge as Rose was finally called to the witness stand. "It has been agreed this witness's name be withheld from the public and the press."
Rose was glad they'd agreed her name wouldn't be splashed all over the news headlines.
"So noted," the judge agreed, reading her notes. "Proceed."
"Tell us in your own words what happened the night Pippa Gillespie was killed," the barrister directed her attention to Rose.
Rose related everything she remembered, then she was asked what happened the next morning and how she discovered Lee Ashworth had been responsible.
"I confronted him," Rose replied truthfully. "A few days later and told the police. I moved out at the same time."
"You had been living with him?" she was asked.
"Yes, I didn't say anything before that because I didn't want to believe it."
"Were you in any way coerced into saying it was Lee Ashworth who admitted killing Pippa?" she was asked, to make sure.
Rose shook her head. "No, Lee threatened me if I told the police, I'm taking a big risk."
When the prosecution had finished, Rose thought she'd be allowed to have a rest but that wasn't to be. She knew Alec was on her side, he was directly across the courtroom from her and she wished she could just go to him.
"I'll keeps this fairly short," the defence told her after looking at her notes. "You were in a relationship with my client?"
"Yeah, until I found out what he did," Rose replied truthfully.
"You never suspected he had anything to do with the girl's death?" she was asked.
"I began to, after I got proof I'd been drugged and then she was found. Then the police started asking me questions."
"You mean they began putting ideas into your head?" the barrister speculated.
"No, that wasn't the case, I'd already began thinking about it," Rose told the court.
After a few more questions, the barrister changed tactics.
"When did you begin your affair with DI Hardy?"
The court then erupted with gasps, including from Alec, who mouthed a 'What?' at no-one in particular.
"What affair?" Rose tried to bluff.
"Come off it, we have it on very good authority you and the detective in charge have a relationship. My client already knew before he was arrested and you told the police he drugged you that night."
"Well he did," Rose insisted.
"Your honour," the prosecution interrupted. "We have medical evidence that the witness had been drugged."
"Which could have been ingested at any time within the limits of the test," the defence insisted. "I put it to you that you began an affair with DI Hardy to get back at my client and to frame him for killing Pippa Gillespie, so the police could end the case."
"That's not true," Rose almost cried.
The defence took hold of the edge of her robe.
"I think it is. No more questions, your Honour."
The court was adjourned for lunch and Rose wanted to run to Alec but Tess got to him first.
"See, what did I tell you?" she pointed her finger at him.
"Don't gloat so much Tess, you may still be called as a witness, despite the chief trying to keep you out of it," he replied.
The prosecution had not been happy about both Alec and Tess having affairs, even though they were now separated.
"Well you'd better hope we can get him having Pippa's pendant and the fact he had Claire steal it back," she replied. "Everything Rose told the court of what happened to her is for nothing."
They had failed to get Claire to testify she'd stolen the pendant, she had said Ashworth could threaten her the same way he did with Rose and she wasn't prepared to take the risk. Rose had since learned that her once boss and friend had put the business up for sale.
"Your Honour," the prosecution began after lunch. "We have physical evidence that Pippa Gillespie was in the defendant's car the night she was killed."
There were a few murmurings around the courtroom.
"I will accept the evidence into the proceedings," the judge agreed.
"Your honour, it proves nothing," the defence objected. "My client said he had given the girl a ride to school one morning, she could have lost it then."
"Your honour, we have a sworn statement from the mother to say her daughter was wearing it the morning in question. We also have a statement that both the young girl and the defendant's girlfriend at the time were drugged that night and that the defendant confessed he drugged them both. Does the defence need reminding to read their client's statement?"
Rose wanted to let out a giggle but didn't think she'd get away with it.
"Call your next witness," the judge ordered after a few moments.
"The prosecution calls Detective Sergeant Henchard to the stand."
Rose watched as Tess entered. Things had become strained with Tess, herself and Alec had stayed away and Daisy had constantly complained about how much smaller her bedroom was after Tess moved. The house hadn't yet been sold but Alec had told the estate agent he was open to reasonable offers for it. He had already put in for a transfer, without telling Rose or Tess his intensions, he wanted somewhere safe for Rose, in case things turned sour and Ashworth got off.
His boss had argued that no chief would take him if Ashworth wasn't convicted but Alec wasn't going to take the blame on his own.
"Is it true you were formally DS Hardy?" the defence wanted to know, when the prosecution had finished with her.
"Yes," Tess sounded surprised at such a question.
"And are you jealous that your almost ex husband may have taken up with someone else?" she was asked.
"Objection," the prosecution stood up. "What is the relevance of this line of questioning?"
"Exactly," the judge agreed. "Explain the relevance," she turned to the defence.
"Is it true, DS Henchard that when the pendant was found, you were followed and had your car window broken and the pendant you had obtained by searching my client's car was taken?"
"Yes, that's true but later, it was found that the defendant's new girlfriend stole it, at his insistence," Tess defended herself.
"Your honour, how do we know it was the same pendant that was returned?" the defence wanted to know.
"Objection," the prosecution stood again. "The pendant was tested and found to belong to Pippa Gillespie. There is no doubt the pendant is genuine, your Honour."
The judge studied for a moment. Alec ran his hand over his face, Rose was staring blankly and Tess was praying she wouldn't have to explain to the jury why she'd even stopped that day.
"The pendant may be entered into evidence – for now," the judge concluded. "The defence is to ask no more questions as to the authenticity of the pendant. Move on."
Alec let out a sigh of relief, wishing Rose was sitting next to him.
The defence seemed not to be bothered about it and moved on.
"DS Henchard, were you aware your ex husband was having an affair with the main witness?"
Another round of murmurings went around the courtroom, the judge banging the gavel again.
"Were you still married when he began the affair?"
"Your honour, I must object," the prosecution stood again.
"I must agree," the judge replied. "The defence will justify this line of questioning to my satisfaction."
"Your Honour, the witness had left my client for DI Hardy, it is highly relevant," the defence claimed. "My client was somewhat taken aback when they had been in a relationship for some time."
"Your honour, the defendant drugged her," the prosecution reminded the court. "It's hardly any surprise she chose to leave. The prosecution would have seen no wrongdoing as to the witness starting a relationship with the officer in question, if he had already sought a separation order and if it was true. If the witness had already given a statement, her testimony would still have been accepted."
"The defence will move on," the judge ordered, much to Alec's relief.
The defence was determined it was far from over.
"Your honour, the defence moves that the charges against my client should be dropped."
"Silence," the judge ordered as the courtroom erupted. "On what grounds?"
The prosecution was already on her feet again, wondering the same. They had thought on Rose's testimony and the pendant, they had him.
"On the grounds my client cannot get a fair trial, your Honour. His then girlfriend left him, told the police and she then got involved with the lead detective to frame my client."
"Your honour, there is no proof that the witness and the lead detective are involved," the prosecution declared.
Tess was wondering if they'd forgotten she was still in the witness box.
"I have proof, your honour. DS Henchard, I ask you again, under oath, if you were jealous your husband began an affair with the witness. For the record, DS Henchard chose to go back to her maiden name shortly after her split with DI Hardy. Were you so jealous that you warned him to stay away from the witness and that it would compromise the investigation yet he completely ignored it to continue his affair?" the defence seemed pleased Tess's cage had been rattled and Alec was trying to hide, with no success.
"The court will be silent or I will have it cleared," the judge ordered, getting tired of it. "This should have been settled before it was brought into the proceedings. The court will be adjourned and I will see both sides in my chambers."
With that, the court was ordered to stand and Tess assumed she was free to go. Once outside, Alec challenged her.
"If he goes free Tess, it will be on you, not me," he warned her as Rose watched the two of them.
"Alec, it's my fault," Rose insisted. "I should never have delayed telling you about Lee."
"You should have told us and walked away," Tess turned on her.
"Stop it Tess," Alec warned his almost ex wife.
They were interrupted by a furious looking prosecution barrister.
"What are you going to do now?" Alec asked before she could say anything.
"Try to pick up the pieces and get the judge to agree to my looking into whether we can continue. We have a good argument that you were in an abusive relationship," she addressed Rose. "That you were under threat if you told the police and that was why you delayed telling them."
"Will ya have to tell the judge what Lee threatened me with?" Rose was worried.
"You will have to tell me and I will answer for you. The judge may want to see you but I'll try to keep you out of it. I have to go now."
They all watched as she was called and Alec pulled Rose around the corner.
"He's gonna get off Alec, then he'll come after me."
"Rose. Listen to me. If he gets off, I promise, he will go nowhere near you."
"How are you going to do that Alec?" Tess wanted to know, since she had followed them.
"By getting her out, how do you think Tess? Rose, I will take you somewhere he will never find you, I promise."
Rose was stunned when the judge ordered the jury to bring in the verdict of not guilty. She could see Lee Ashworth smirking to himself in the enclosure he'd been sitting in all throughout the trial, he'd not even been required to take the stand and now, she knew the press would be waiting for her outside. She knew Alec would do his best to shield her from it, to try and keep her name out of the papers under the headline of 'Sandbrook trial collapses' and Cate would be waiting for her as well.
She was right as there was a commotion outside the court building and Cate had already been contacted by a journalist to get the scoop of a lifetime.
"I knew he'd get off because of you," Cate confronted her in the doorway.
"Leave her alone Cate," Alec warned her. "Blame the defence team, she had nothing to do with it."
"Of course she did," Cate continued as her name was being shouted by the ever hungry press. "She should have given him up from day one or had she really been drugged by him?"
"Yes, she has proof she was," Alec argued as Rose stood behind him. Then he turned to Rose. "Stay behind me and keep quiet, I will deal with the mob out there and Tess, that goes for you. Do not mention her name, understood?"
Tess was annoyed he was still ordering her around, when they weren't even working.
Despite Alec giving a statement, Cate had given the exclusive to a big city London newspaper reporter and Rose's name was mentioned in the following morning's edition of 'The Herald' newspaper or was it 'The Daily Herald' Alec had wondered as Tess confronted him with it when he arrived at work.
"Take it away Tess," he dismissed her from waving it in front of him. "I had to tell Rose to stay indoors until this blows over. Has that newspaper got no ethics?"
"It's front page news Alec," Tess reminded him. "How are you going to protect her from Ashworth if you can't keep the press away?"
Alec walked past her, grabbing the offending newspaper and knocked on the chief's door.
"I need that transfer, as soon as possible," he told the chief as he placed the newspaper on the desk. "Rose is now in danger, from Ashworth and I promised to protect her, that she would be safe. Can we get him involved in what happened to Lisa?"
"Alec, they were being tried separately," the chief reminded him. "Ashworth wouldn't admit any part in what happened to Lisa."
"Well Ricky Gillespie killed her after seeing her with him, how can he not admit he was involved?" Alec wanted to know. "Why won't Ricky incriminate Ashworth? His wife gave him up."
"I know that Alec. Even if Rose had witnessed that, we can't use her now. Take her somewhere safe, if you have somewhere in mind?" the chief suggested.
"Where's Broadchurch?" Rose wanted to know, after Alec's chief spent most of the day on the phone, calling in favours.
"It's down on the coast, near Weymouth," Alec tried to explain.
"Then why can't we go to Weymouth?" she wanted to know.
"We need to go somewhere quiet, where they won't be bothered about newspaper headlines," he reminded her. "The chief got me an interview there, he used up all his favours in doing so and the chief there may have to pass over a detective sergeant due a promotion in order to offer me the job. We'll go down, this weekend, the interview is on Monday morning."
"That means staying in a hotel, we might be recognised anyway?" Rose wondered.
"There's a caravan park, right on the harbour. We can stay there," Alec suggested.
"Well at least we can have a break?" Rose managed to smile.