Series 26, Episode 28: Death Knock
Date: Thursday 21st January 2016
Investigating Officers: Inspector Dale Smith, Sergeant Callum Stone, DS Max Carter, DS Hannah McKay, DC Terry Perkins, PC Kirsty Knight
Hannah avoided awkward conversations with Terry as they returned to the station. She was out of the car, muttering something about cigarettes and disappearing from sight before he could even open his door. Still musing on the redhead's strange behaviour, Terry made his way into the station and towards custody, knowing that his partner's fiancée was in charge of the desk.
Jo smiled warmly as he approached. "Hey, Terry, what can I do for you?"
"Have you heard of Denise Jones before?"
"The woman you suspect of running a brothel on Mobely Street?" She clarified. When he nodded, she shook her head. "No, I've never come across her before. Hadn't even heard the name until today."
"Right…"
"Why?"
Terry smiled weakly at the piercing gaze Jo had fixed him with. "Just wondering, that's all. She's given me information and helped me out a couple of times, but I was wondering if anyone else might have a slightly different angle."
"Sorry, Terry, can't help you, I'm afraid." Jo apologised with a shrug. She leant on her forearms, tilting her head a little. "How's Han doing?"
"A bit quiet… not her usual maverick self." He admitted.
"Well that's a relief." The Sergeant sighed. "I was worried she'd come back and decide she had something to prove. I wouldn't have put it past her to do her superwoman routine and end up back in hospital."
"Hannah's not stupid." Terry reassured her. "She's being careful."
Laughing, clearly not believing him for a minute, Jo turned to the suspect that Mel and Roger had brought to be checked in. Terry watched her for a moment, before making his way up to CID.
No sooner had he arrived than Smithy waved him over to join them. He leant against the board next to Hannah, listening to what Sergeant Stone was telling them about the case. Apparently the victim had been able to tell them her version of what had happened on Mobley Street.
"She jumped before he could get to her." Callum explained. "He wasn't even in the room."
"But she was sure it was this Dylan at the door?" Max clarified.
"She's sure." The Sergeant snapped irritably. "She wasn't gonna go down and check, was she? It doesn't change anything. If we prove he went there to threaten her it's still attempted murder."
"That is a big if."
"You said that Zoe was with a punter." Smithy said, trying to look for other ways around the situation. "Maybe he saw him?"
Callum shook his head. "Can't find him."
"What about Denise?" Smithy asked, turning to Terry and Hannah.
Terry inhaled deeply. "Denise… Denise wouldn't leave the house unless she knew the geezer was harmless."
"Can you talk to her again?"
"About her punters and her pimp?" The DC arched an eyebrow and Hannah snorted, knowing they'd get nowhere with that line of enquiry.
"What if we said we'd only go after Dylan for living off immoral earnings? What about that?"
"Then she would say he was just a landlord and he came once a month to pick up the rent and read the meters."
Hannah nodded. "We ain't gonna break her, Sarge. There's no way we're going to get her to talk about Prest."
"Ah! She speaks!" Max said tauntingly. "I'd forgotten what your voice sounded like, McKay. Thought maybe you'd decided to stay at home a bit longer."
"Shut up, Max." Terry and Callum said at the same time.
"What? I just wanted to acknowledge that she's finally been good enough to contribute something to this case."
"Whatever… at least I haven't been actively making things harder like you have." Hannah snapped.
He rolled his eyes at her. "Wake me when it's over, will you?"
As Max strolled away, Hannah sent the middle finger to his retreating figure. Smithy chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, before following the route the Detective Sergeant had taken.
"What're you gonna do?" Hannah asked, perching on the edge of a table and looking seriously at Callum. "We can't just let this drop. We need to work out who did that to Zoe."
"I know." He agreed, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "I'm gonna keep looking into that punter. There must be some trace of him somewhere."
"Did you ever get the info on that cash machine in Mobely Street?"
"I had Nate chasing it up. He'll let me know if anything comes of it."
"Right…"
Terry nudged her with his shoulder. "Let's go and grab a coffee, yeah?"
"Sure…" Hannah stood up and followed him down to the canteen, her mind somewhere else as they queued.
Her colleague watched her thoughtfully, wondering what was going on in her mind. She had been her old self when she'd first come on shift. It was only when they'd been heading down to Mobely Street that something had shifted and her mood had changed. Briefly, Terry considered going to speak to Jo. As he watched her fumbling in her purse for change to pay for her coffee, he changed his mind and decided to talk to her himself.
"How do you and Denise know each other?" He asked gently once they'd settled themselves at a table in the far corner of the canteen. "Why did she call you Coco?"
"I don't really want to talk about it, Terry."
"Something's obviously bothering you and I want to help. We're mates, right? Nothing you can tell me would change that, you know that, don't you?"
"I'm glad you're so sure of that."
"Hannah." He reached out and squeezed her hand. "Whatever you think is so bad… well, it probably isn't."
"That's where you're wrong, Ter-bear." She replied, looking up at him and smiling weakly. "It's worse than you're imagining."
With a snort, he shook his head. "Now I'm imagining that you're a serial killer. Is it worse than that?"
"You're an idiot."
"Right. So it's not that bad." He shrugged, smirking at her. "So go ahead. I promise there'll be no judgement and it won't go further than this."
"I knew Denise when I was a teenager, alright? Back on the estate." Hannah admitted reluctantly. "She knew me during a time I'd rather not remember. That's all."
Terry clearly didn't believe that was all, but thought better of pressing her for more information. He had some ideas about what else Hannah might be hiding but knew that if he asked any more questions she wouldn't react too kindly. Instead he shrugged and asked what she'd been getting up to while she'd been recovering from her injuries.
"It's all wrapped up." Kirsty appeared at the end of their table and sent them a wry smile. "Perhaps not the result we were wanting, but it's over."
"Prest?"
She shook her head. "The punter she'd taken back to the house felt like he'd been ripped off and was trying to get back in. Zoe thought it was Prest coming after her and jumped out of the window."
"So that scumbag's just walked?" Hannah's lip curled in disgust.
"Zoe's dad beat him up. Selena told him where he could find Prest and he took justice into his own hands."
"Good for him." The redhead muttered, earning herself an amused frown from her colleagues. "Obviously I'd caution against vigilantism, but you can't say he didn't get what he deserved."
"Well, anyway, Callum's putting some money behind the bar. You in?"
"Yeah, I'll see you there." Hannah assured her with a smile.
She finished her coffee with Terry, before heading back up to CID to finish up for the day. She pointedly ignored Max as he made a couple of snide comments about the outcome of the case, before turning off her computer and heading down to the yard.
Jo called her name as she stepped outside, beaming at her and hurrying to catch up. Hannah returned her smile, holding out her hand to link with her fiancée's. Leaning in, she pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of Jo's mouth, before suggesting they gave the pub a miss and went straight home instead.
"You might be wanting to get back to the mad house, but I could do with a drink after the shift I've had." Jo told her, pushing her arm through Hannah's and directing her towards The Seven Bells.
"I'll come for one but them I'm going." Hannah sighed. "I'm just not in the mood."
"What's up, babe?"
"Nothing. Tired."
Jo chuckled. "Ahh, the uncommunicative stage of tiredness. That's my favourite."
"Hilarious." Hannah pretended to glare at her as they reached the building. She pulled Jo aside and kissed her, looping her arms around the brunette's neck. "Are you sure we have to go in?"
"I'm sure."
Hannah was about to argue, when she spotted someone approaching from the corner of her eyes. Her stomach clenched as she realised who it was. Muttering something about needing a cigarette before she faced everyone else, Hannah pressed a final kiss to Jo's lips and pushed her through the door.
"How did you find me?" She demanded as Denise Jones stopped a little way away from her.
The older woman snorted. "I've got eyes everywhere, as well you know, Coco."
"Stop calling me that!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, DS McKay." She shot back sarcastically. "Am I not showing you the proper level of respect?"
"What do you want from me, Denise?" Hannah demanded angrily. "It's been twenty years and I'm not fifteen anymore. I paid what I owed when I got out of that…"
"I want you to keep me out of the firing line."
"Why now? I've been back in Sun Hill since–"
"2007, I know." Denise agreed casually, shrugging. "Like I said, I've got eyes everywhere. It just turns out that our paths haven't crossed until now. Now you can be useful."
"Useful? How?"
"You don't want me spilling your secrets? You can help me out a bit, here and there."
"Denise–"
"Just a bit of information every now and again… I kept you out of trouble back then, you can do the same for me now."
"I'm not going to risk my job or my family to–"
"Then I'll go in there and have a word with them, shall I?"
Hannah shrugged, forcing herself to appear blasé about the threat. "They know I've got a past, Denise. They all know where I came from."
"OK, that's fine. So they won't be surprised by what you did, then?" The older woman asked. She shrugged and took two steps towards the pub door. "Do they normally let ex-hookers into the police?"
"Stop!"
"What? It's the truth, isn't it?" Denise asked with an air of innocence.
Considering her for a moment, Hannah shrugged. "You know what, I don't actually care anymore. This job has nearly killed me more times than I can count. So you just go ahead and do your worst. You don't scare me. Nothing does, anymore."
Leaving the woman staring after her, Hannah pulled open the door and stalked into the pub, exhaling sharply before rearranging her expression into something less likely to draw questions and joining her colleagues at a table in the corner.
