The mobile phone vibrated across the kitchen table and Dot rushed over to answer it. Picking it up he listened as the person on the other side of the line described what he had to do. He listened intently to the instruction as the muscle sat at the table and watched it take place. He watched as Dot hung up the phone and placed it into his trouser pocket.

"That was my source at the station. WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW! They are on the way here. We'll go upstairs and I'll take Carly out to the van. You take Lindsay outside and do whatever you need to do." Dot said.

The other man rose from his seat at the table and followed Dot up the stairs of the house. Dot unlocked the door and soon they were standing in the room of the captives. Dot in the middle of the room with the muscle man standing at the edge, nearer the door.

Lindsay and Carly had been sitting in silence before the men burst through the door. They both sat on the double bed in the corner of the room with Carly sitting closer to the door. Lindsay saw the look on Dot's face, what was coming up wasn't to be good.

Dot strode across the room towards the bed, grabbing Carly by the arm and lifting her off her feet.

All hell broke loose.

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?" Carly screamed, trying to kick and punch her way-out of Dot's tight grip.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER." Lindsay screamed.

Lindsay made a grab for Carly's hand but the girl slipped through her fingers. Lindsay stood up quickly and pushed through the small gap between the bed and the wall. Spinning around Lindsay pushed herself in between Carly and Dot. She lifted her left arm and brought the heavy plaster down on Dot's forearm. Dot pulled back in pain at the action and let go of Carly. Lindsay pushed into the gap and stood in the gap using her body to protect Carly from Dot.

"Stay behind me. Don't look." Lindsay said to the young girl as Lindsay walked her and Carly backwards, trying to create some distance between herself and Dot. Carly held on tightly to Lindsay's waist, determined not to be split apart from her again.

Lindsay watched as Dot got up from where he had fallen on the floor and reached behind him into the waistband of his trousers, taking out a handgun and pointing it at her. Lindsay gulped, she stared at Dot. She stood still on the spot, filled with terror for what Dot was about to do.

A gun shot rang out and Lindsay closed her eyes tightly waiting for the bullet to hit her but it didn't, or at least she felt no pain if it had. She thought that maybe due to the adrenaline running through her that she hadn't felt it but she could still feel the weight of Carly on her back, the grip of the girl's hands still tight on her shirt. Lindsay opened her eyes again and the sight in front of her terrified her.
Dot was now on his knees in front of her. A look of shock on his face. Blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth. He wasn't dead yet but halfway there. Lindsay looked down to the space where she expected that Dot would fall in front of her. His gun had fallen to the floor and she was scared that if he fell forward that he might pick it up and use it against her. She looked back up to him and she knew that he had thought the same thing. Lindsay bent down quickly and grasped for the gun. Dot's arms went out too but she was quicker. She stood back up and pointed the gun at him. She would be lying if she said that she didn't feel power over him, because in that moment she had and she did. Dot had always been taller than her, one step faster than her and seeing him on his knees in front of her, his eyes pleading, life slowly pouring from him. She enjoyed it and also felt terrified by it at the same time. She had the choice and overall, she was still scared by what he could do. Her eyes tightened as she closed her eyes and quickly pressed down on the trigger. It was over in a fraction of a second but the blood spatter as it hit her gave her into another kind of distress. She looked down at the blood as it steeped into her shirt and down at Dot, at the blood and brain matter down at her feet. The fear inside her rose again, there was still another man in the room. She pointed the gun at him.

"PUT THE GUN DOWN." Lindsay shouted.

This had been Lindsay's first time firing a gun but strangely she wasn't scared in the aftermath. Her mind went back into police mode and said something that she expected other officers in her situation would do.

"DROP YOUR WEAPON OR I'LL SHOOT."

The man looked at Lindsay and was surprised by the mental strength that she possessed. He had heard about her from Dot and if he was correct then this was the first time that she had fired a gun and due to that then she would possess no qualms with firing a second shot at him, if she felt like she had to. Hell, if this was her first time then she didn't possess any knowledge of gun safety and might misfire at him. He had done this in the past. Damn, he was a regular at this. This was his job. Take the undesirables out if he was paid a high enough amount but this woman scared him and any way, he had just finished the job that he was asked to complete and he did not like to do more than that, it only caused more trouble than it was worth. He took the gun that he had in his right hand, kneeled down and placed it onto the ground, he then kicked it across the floor. It caused a noise to be echoed around the room as it hit the bed frame.

Lindsay tentatively stepped around Dot, using her arm to try and keep Carly close to her. She knelt down beside the body. Still holding the gun aloft but now more focused on the task of trying to find an escape plan. She kept her head to the side, trying not to look at the mess that had been created of Dot's body. His brain cracked open and the blood and brain matter seeping into the wooden floor. Dot's body is still warm to the touch but the life inside it was dead. Lindsay took her hand from Carly's and used it to push between Dot's body and the floor, trying to get a feel for his pockets to see if he had left anything inside.

When Lindsay let go of her hand Carly stepped across Dot's body to take a step forward to the man who had just saved them both. She felt safe now knowing that but knew that if he tried anything else to her then Lindsay would take quick care of that. She was still in shock, the events of what had just unfolded still not having truly settled in yet, she expected that would come later though. She had a question though, a question for one of her captors, a question that only he could answer.

"Why did you do it?" Carly asked the man.

"I do drugs, I do guns. The only thing I don't do is girls. Real men don't hurt little girls and anyway, he was getting too big for his boots. I just did the thing that other people have been wanting to do."

Lindsay had found Dot's phone in the time that had happened and slipped it out of his trouser pocket. She noted a crack in the screen and wondered if that had already been there or if it was caused by his body hitting the ground. She threw the thought from her mind; it wasn't something that she should dare thinking about. She leaned over his body and checked the other pocket, in which she found his keys for the car downstairs and took them to. She manoeuvred the phone to his right hand and used his index finger to unlock the phone, quickly changing the password so that she could get into it later if she found it to be locked. She quickly stood up again and grabbed Carly's arm, pulling her back from where she found her to be a little bit too close to the stranger than she would have liked. Pushing the car keys into the girl's hand she asked her to go downstairs and open up the car. Carly quickly left, leaving her and the man alone. Pointing the gun at him again, with more focus than before, she felt happy at the outcome.

"If you follow us, I will shoot you." It was a promise and a threat.

The man raised his arms into a surrender position and shook his head. Lindsay walked backwards keeping the man in her sight until she got to the top of the stairs. She then quickly turned and ran down them, hoping and praying that she would not hear the man's footsteps following behind her, she did not stop until she got out of the house and into the car. Finding Carly, already in the passenger side she jumped into the driver's side and locked the door behind her. Buckling herself in, she quickly turned on the engine and pulled away from the farm. She'd rather not stay longer than she had to. She gave the phone in her hand to Carly and asked the girl to open the glovebox which she did so. Lindsay placed the gun inside and closed it behind her, knowing that just now it was the safest place for it to be. Carly dialled 999 on the phone and it connected a few seconds later.

"Emergency services, what service do you require?"

"Police please." Lindsay said into the phone, as Carly held it up to her face. The loudspeaker making it easy for them both to hear. The phone rang out again and another operator picked up.

"Police, how may I help you?"

"I'm Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton. Myself and Carly Kirk have escaped. We've been held captive on a farm and I'm on the way to Aberystwyth police station in a green Landrover. Number plate BA14 RST. I need to be put through to DCI Mathias who has been working the case. I also have a gun in the car which I have fired in self-defence so I will need armed officers to assist when I stop."
"No problem, DI Denton. I have put all that information on file. Stay on the line and I will connect you soon. I will also locate you using your location so don't be alarmed if a police convoy arrives. We want to make sure you're safe on the ride back to the station."

"Thank you for your help. I don't really know where I am at the moment. I'm just trying to follow signs back to the town centre but I believe that we are nearly there and we'll be back soon."

"No problem, ma'am. The team is ready and waiting for your arrival. I'll put you through to DCI Mathias."

The phone disconnected and connected again and finally she and Carly got to hear the voice they had been waiting to hear.

"Lindsay, are you ok? Is Carly with you?" Tom asked.

"I'm here." Carly shouted down the phone.

"Good. It's so good to be able to hear your voices. What happened? Are you both OK?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally...I'm not going to lie, Tom. I've done something I'd never thought I'd have to do in my entire career but we're ok for the moment. We're holding up."

Hearing those words from Lindsay's mouth, Tom knew exactly what she meant. It's not something that any police officer wants to do in their career.

"I'll get another station on the phone who will come and interview you both when you arrive."

Lindsay looked out her side mirror to see a marked police car behind her. The officer inside switched the lights and sirens on and overtook her on the small, country road.

"Tom, the convoy has arrived. We'll be back soon. I can't wait to see you and the team in person."

"I can't wait to see you both as well. Drive safely and I'll see you both at the station."

Carly clicked the red button and hung up the phone. They were both glad to hear someone familiar on the phone. Lindsay pressed her foot onto the accelerator to keep up in line with the convoy. Glad to see the front of the police station when they arrived minutes later.

Pulling into the pavement, Lindsay stopped the car and her and Carly hopped out to an audience of coppers. Throwing their keys to one of the cops and telling him "The gun's in the glovebox" herself and Carly ran inside flanked with numerous protective police officers. Arriving inside, they both sat down on the sofa at the front desk. Tom and his team arrived quickly soon after, along with the new task force involved in questioning her. She read their badges to get an idea of which person did which task. A Fed representative had been assigned to her, the Force Professional Standards Department and the IPCC had all been called out. Lindsay held Carly close as she exchanged a glance with Tom. It was time.

"Carly." Lindsay said and the girl looked up at her.

"I need you to go with this lady. She wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"She wants to know about what happened today and yesterday, and also about the last week. I want you to tell her everything. Don't leave anything out."

"Why does it have to be her? Why can't Tom do it?"

"Tom can't do it because he's worked on the case. It needs to be done by another police station so that the information they get is impartial. Tom might be able to sit in with you, he just won't be able to say anything. He'll be there as an appropriate adult and for moral support."

"Where will you be?"

"I will also be getting questioned. They may also want to take your clothing for forensics but that's just procedure. We still have your bag here so you will be able to get changed into your new clothes. Can you do that for me?"

Carly nodded.

"When will I get to see you again?" she asked.

"Soon. Go on." Lindsay said with a smile on her face, trying to hide the tears which threatened to fall. Sad that she had to hide the truth from Carly.

Carly got up from the sofa and waved goodbye to Lindsay following the new detective down the corridor. Tom following close behind Carly.

Lindsay looked up at the other detectives who had arrived to deal with the case.

"Shall we get on with this?" Lindsay asked.

Lindsay got up from the sofa and following the lead detectives outstretched arm she made her way down the corridor, the detectives close on her tail, worried about her future in the force.

Carly took a seat at the table in the interview room and Tom sat right beside her. She looked over at the two other police officers on the other side of the table. She was scared, this felt very formal.

"So, Carly, we've cautioned you and we have taken your clothes for forensics. You are part of our investigation as a witness and will be questioned as such. DCI Mathias is here as your appropriate adult. We just want to ask you questions about your last few days in Wales and about the shooting of Ex-DI Matthew Cottan. We've read this station's investigation into finding you, so why don't we start on the day of the abduction. What happened before the crash?"

"Lindsay, woke me up. We ate breakfast."

"We?"

"Myself, Tom and Lindsay."

"Go on."

"Lindsay had washed my clothes the night before and had packed them into my bag. When I finished breakfast, I took it out to the car. They had been packing when I was eating. Tom locked up the caravan and we got into Lindsay's car. I was in the back. Lindsay was driving."

"When did you leave?"

"Around half ten. We were going to the station to drop Tom off and then a convoy was taking us back to Birmingham. We were only on the road for a few minutes when it happened."

"Are you talking about the crash?"

"Yes." Carly nodded.

"Tell us about that."

"I was in the back on my phone and wasn't paying attention. All I remember is being thrown to the side and looking up to see that we were driving into a tree. I was thrown forward and when I woke up, I still had my seatbelt on but I was slumped forward in between the seats in front."

"You're doing great Carly."

"I heard the door open beside me, my seatbelt was unbuckled and I was picked up and lifted out the car. At first, I thought it might have been Tom but then I kept on being dragged backwards across the road. I tried to get out of the man's grip but he was too strong. I was thrown into the back of a car and held down."

Tears appeared in Carly's eyes at the memory and Tom put a comforting hand on her arm.

"The guy beside me was telling Dot in front to drive but that's when I saw Lindsay on the windscreen. She shouted Dot's name and that was the first time I heard it. Dot reversed the car back; I think it was to try and drive around her but then he just drove straight forward and Lindsay went over the top. I looked back when we left and I saw her on the ground.

"Where were you taken to next?"

"The farm. I was taken to a room upstairs and left alone for a while. The room smelled and it had wooden boards on the window. There wasn't much in the room. A TV, a couple of books, a double bed and a table. They were all old or broken."

"Did anything happen while you were in there?"

"If you mean, did they try anything on, they didn't. They barely even looked at me. I would bang on the door if I needed anything, like food or the toilet. They would open the door to shove a plate or a bucket in but that's all the excitement that happened until Lindsay turned up."

"When was that?"

"The next day. After giving me breakfast they left the house. It was really quiet. I thought about getting out and trying to escape but I didn't know where I was and I was hoping that Lindsay and Tom would find me. When they came back, I could hear shouting downstairs and then footsteps and the door opened and in came Lindsay. She said that she was kidnapped too and that Tom would find out soon and that we would be free, that we would have to just wait a while."

"Tell us about the shooting, Carly. Tell us what happened in detail."

"It was the next morning. Myself and Lindsay were sitting on the bed. They hadn't brought us food yet so I thought when I heard footsteps that they were bringing us it. I was sitting on the side of the bed closest to the door but we were facing away from them. The door opened and Dot came inside, the other man was standing at the door. Dot came over and grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me up off the bed. I screamed at him 'where are you taking me?' that's when Lindsay got up and screamed 'get your hands off her' she pushed around me and used her cast to hit Dot on the arm. He let go in pain and she stood in front of me and walked me backwards to create a gap between her and Dot."

"What did Dot do at this point?"

"He was angry. Lindsay told me not to look but I did. He took out a gun from behind him and pointed it at Lindsay. He was going to get to me whatever way possible and if that meant killing Lindsay then he would have done that. He was going to shoot her but then?"

"What?"

Carly was crying heavily now and the woman handed Carly a packet of tissues.

"The gun went off. I was waiting for Lindsay to collapse in front of me but she didn't. I looked around Lindsay again and saw Dot on the ground. He was on his knees and the man behind him had his gun pointed at him. The other man shot Dot first. When I looked at Dot's face, I saw terror and surprise. I don't think that he saw that one coming. Lindsay bent down and picked up the gun that Dot had dropped in the scuffle and shot him. He fell backwards and we watched as the blood poured from him. Lindsay started to look in Dot's pockets. At first, I wondered what for but then later I realised that she had been looking for his car keys."

"What did you do?"

"I went over to the man and asked him why he did it. Why he shot Dot."

"What was his reply?"

"He said 'I do drugs, I do guns. The only thing I don't do is girls. Real men don't hurt little girls and anyway, he was getting too big for his boots. I just did the thing that other people have been wanting to do."

"It was good of you to remember that, thank you."

"That's when Lindsay gave me the keys to the car and told me to go downstairs and get in it and so I did. I waited for her because I can't drive but also, I wasn't leaving her behind. Especially when she had just saved me. She came out a few moments later with a phone and the gun. She started the car and told me to phone the police while she put the gun in the glovebox and we drove to the station. Now I'm here telling you this story."

"I'm glad you've told me this Carly. It was a very tough situation to go through for a girl your age and I'm very proud of you for the actions you took. I now have to go and talk to Lindsay about what happened?"

"When will you be finished? When will I get to see her?" Carly asked.

"It will be a while yet. It could be tomorrow. You should go home with Tom and we will phone when we are finished."

"NO, I'M NOT LEAVING." Carly shouted.

The detective was surprised at her sudden outburst.

"Carly, you should really go home and have a sleep. It's been a long day." Tom said.

"I'M STAYING HERE UNTIL I SEE HER."

Tom and the detective looked at each other, they both knew that it might not be possible but both of them wanted to help the girl in any way they could.

"Ok, Carly. We can stay. We can wait in the staff room but we have to stay there. These detectives still have to do their job but we're still in the same building, does that make you happier?"

Carly nodded. "It does. Thank you, Tom." Carly and Tom left the room with the detective and both went their separate ways.

Lindsay was shown into a side room on the bottom floor of the police station and in the time that it had taken to do Carly's interview, Lindsay had already been processed. Numerous angles and photos had been taken of her, her clothes were taken and put into separate evidence bags and her hands and wrists swabbed for traces of gunshot residue. She tried hard not to think about the memories that this brought up inside her but she was hellbent on nor returning back to that part of her life. Taking a seat at the desk, alongside her fed rep, who after hearing her story made sure that Lindsay should tell them everything and she would. She was desperate to not let her job slip through her fingers for a second time.

"IPCC investigation of Detective Inspector Lindsay Elizabeth Denton for AC-12. I am Elise Mercia, with me in the room is Julia Barett from the Force Professional Standards Department and Carl Saxe, Police Federation representative. Today's date is the 25h of July, 2015 and the time is now 7:30PM. For the tape Lindsay, you are aware that this interview is being recorded." Elise said.

"Yes, I am." Lindsay replied

"Good, then we'll begin. I would like to start with by asking, you were promoted into the position of Detective Inspector of AC-12 which was previously DI Mathew Cottan's role, is that correct?"

"That is correct."

"And you were promoted into this position after a jury found you not guilty on both counts of conspiracy to commit murder and perverting the course of justice?"

"Yes."

"And after this you were kidnapped by DI Cottan and upon your escape you went to AC-12 with information relating to a list of known paedophiles that was kept in the possession of AFO officer Daniel Waldron, and you came into possession of this list by acquiring it from his email account, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is but I don't know how that relates to this case."

"It is just as a judge of your character Lindsay."

"Well you will know, from reading the case file that Matthew Cottan was a bent officer, who the OCG were using him as a pawn in their sex ring operation where they were pimping out young girls for police officers to sleep with so that they could use it for blackmail."

"And you had an affair with a married officer who was a part of their extortion for blackmail from him. That doesn't seem like you're a good judge of character, does it Lindsay?"

"Yes, I was having an affair with a married man. I may not be a good judge of character but I have morals. Skewed when it came to him but when I found out what he had done, I was disgusted by him. I was and still am I angry at what he did. I dropped him like a stone. I became a police officer to help people and when I saw what they were doing to Carly I wanted to get her out of that place that she was in, that she was stuck in and the place that they had put her into. I will never go back to that man; I am better than that."

"Well I'm glad that you feel that way. Now, that we know your connection to DI Cottan I would like you to tell us about how you came to be at the farm?"

"My abduction?"

"Yes, Lindsay. Tell us about that?"

"Well after being discharged from the hospital. I went to the police station by taxi to see how the investigation was going. I was told by DCI Mathias that they had CCTV footage of the car at a petrol station nearby but after that the car was lost. DCI Mathias feared that I was still too unwell to return to work and wanted me to return home so that he could focus on the investigation. He said that he would drive me home to make sure that I got there but I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts so I said that I would walk across the road and get a taxi. I left the building and upon crossing the road I met DI Matthew Cottan and his accomplice. I told him how stupid he was grabbing me from outside a police station and he made a veiled threat about how it wouldn't matter anyway because I would be dead soon. I was tied up, blindfolded and driven to a farm. I was pulled into the kitchen where they asked me very threateningly what I knew about the case and their car. I told them the information under duress and Dot told me that the next time I left the house would be to go out to the back garden where I would be shot, execution style to the back of the head and buried 6ft under the ground."

The detective looked at Lindsay with a shocked expression on her face and Lindsay sarcastically retorted, "Would you like to know more?"

"Yes, please Lindsay. Do go on." The detective replied.

"I was scared by that comment. I knew that if they would kill me that they might, if they hadn't already, kill Carly. I was lifted and taken upstairs to a room and locked in. It was then that I found out that Carly Kirk was still alive. She asked if we were any closer to finding her and I said that we were trying our best to find out where she was and that they were now going to investigate where I had now disappeared to and that they would be closing in anytime soon. This was partly true but I mostly told her this to quell her increasing worry. We then went to sleep and when we woke up this morning, Dot forced his way into the room and grabbed Carly by her wrist. He was about to take her to god knows where and I was not about to let that happen. Carly shouted at him, I shouted at him and when that didn't work, I forced myself in between the two of them and used my cast to hit Dot on the arm so that he would let Carly go and he did. I made Carly get behind me to keep her safe and when Dot realised that he wasn't going to get to her, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. In that moment you have to realise that I feared for my life but more than that I feared for Carly's life. I wasn't going to let Dot and his accomplice escape with her. I saw what they did to a girl who they made out to be her and it was horrendous."

"What happened next Lindsay?"

"Dot was in front of me holding his gun and I heard a gunshot. I closed my eyes tightly and held onto Carly for dear life. When I opened my eyes again and looked down, I saw the blood on my shirt but it wasn't my blood. Dot was in front of me, looking up at me with a look of shock on his face. The gun had dropped from his hands and I feared that if he fell down that he might have had the energy to shoot at me so I picked up the gun and shot at him. He fell backwards onto the floor. I still had the gun in my hands and was still in a room with a girl who needed saving so I held the gun up at Dot's accomplice and told him to drop his, he did. I then searched Dot's pockets for his car keys, it was a chance I took and it paid off. I overheard Carly talking to the man and he said that the reason he killed Dot was because he was becoming trouble and they needed to be rid of him. I gave Carly the keys to the car and told her to go out to it. I went down soon after, after I told the man not to follow us and then I put the gun in the safest place I could find. I got Carly to phone the police while I was driving and drove straight to the police station."

Lindsay took a deep breath and let out a sob.

"And that's it, that's my story. I saved a girl from danger, from a bent cop and might lose my job in the process."

"Well I can't promise you anything Lindsay, I need to go and have a word with my superiors and see how the case is going but for now I have to return you to a cell and will give you the results as soon as I get them."

Lindsay was used to this now, the back and forth of a police investigation. Usually she was on the other side of the table but in recent years this had changed. She was returned to the police cell where she would stay the remainder of the night and into the next morning.

The smell of takeaway wafted around the small staff room. The pizza boxes that had been ordered in were still sitting open on the table alongside Tom's wallet that had been used to order the food. Tom closed the food boxes gently, as to not disturb the young girl who had now fallen fast asleep on the couch. He went over to the bin to empty the rubbish into it and was just about to leave the room when he realised, he couldn't yet. Spotting his jacket over the back of a chair he picked it up and went over to Carly's sleeping body and gently placed it over her body to keep her warm. There was no blanket in sight so he thought that this would be the next best thing. He left the room, closing it quietly so as to not awaken her and went to see how the investigation was coming along.

It was early next morning when Lindsay was awoken from banging on her cell door. The couple of hours she had spent she had spent sleeping were short and not enough to give her a refreshing sleep. Still in the scrubs that she was given yesterday, she shook herself awake and followed the officer from her cell to the same interview room that she was in yesterday. It didn't take long for the other officers on the case to arrive. She wanted to know what was going to happen to her. Elise sat down on the opposite side of the table, a folder in her hands relating to the case. Lindsay took a deep breath.

"Lindsay Elizabeth Denton." Elise started.

"Yes."

"I've had a talk with my fellow officers on the case. Evidence has come to light that shows that you were not at fault for Ex-DI Matthew Cottan's death and so we will not be charging you in relation to his murder. This will however go on your record, the shooting and the reason behind it. You will have to undergo appropriate training before you can return to daily duties. This will be undertaken when you return back to your constabulary but for now this case against you will now cease and you shall return back to AC-12."

Lindsay couldn't believe the stroke of luck she had. She knew that she was in the right to shoot Dot but to actually hear it out of the investigators mouth meant everything to her.

"Are you able to tell me what evidence has come to light?"

The detective wasn't too happy to give away the information but did so anyway.

"The post-mortem report from the coroner states that the bullet which killed him was the execution style gunshot to the back of the head. Your bullet hit his shoulder. The pathologist stated that Dot may have twitched on the way down which you would have taken as him still being alive. Your cause of action was justified Lindsay. You saved a young girl from imminent danger. Copper to copper, I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes and anyway, Dot's accomplice was caught leaving the scene by police and confessed to everything that he did in a recorded interview so for now Lindsay, you are free and can go back to work. Now do what you came here to do and take that young girl home. For you Lindsay, I hope this is the first and last time that I see you. OK?"

"It is. I will make sure of it." Lindsay stated and stood up from the chair.

"Good. I guess this is goodbye then Lindsay."

The woman also stood up and offered her hand out for Lindsay to shake which she did.

The investigator left the interview room, followed by Lindsay and the other police officers in the room. Tom was standing outside really to greet her.

"How did it go?" Tom asked.

"I'm free." Lindsay smiled, tears in her eyes. "It wasn't my fault."

"Come here." Tom said.

His hands moved in a come-hither movement and Lindsay stepped closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her back and she did the same to him.

"You did well. I'm proud of you." He said.

One hand slowly rubbed up and down her back while he ran the other through her hair. She lifted her head from where it had been placed and smiled at him.

"Where's Carly?" She asked.

"She's still asleep in the staff room. She didn't want to leave without you yesterday and was adamant that she was staying put. We ordered takeaway and she fell asleep on the sofa. Do you want me to go and get her?"

"No, I'll do it. Let her wake up and see my face. How are we getting home? Is the convoy still on standby?"

"It is. They are ready to go when you are. I'll drive you and Carly back in my car, call it a thank you for all you have done for me."

"I'm not sure randomly dropping in you, asking you to help me find a missing girl, getting you to help me in hospital, looking after Carly as I get arrested and nearly lose my job is a good thing but thank you for helping out. It really means a lot."

Lindsay laughed at the statement. About all that the group had to go through to get here but she meant the last part with true sincerity.

"I'm just glad that you are here to see it. Anyway, I'll go and get the convoy ready. You go and have your big reunion."

Tom turned from her and Lindsay did the same. Walking in opposite directions to get to their destination. Lindsay slowly opened the door and creeped in. She didn't know if the girl was awake or still asleep so she didn't want to abruptly wake her. She sat down on the coffee table across from the sofa and on the descent, she accidentally sat down on something. She slightly lifted herself and picked it up to look at the item. Something fell out of the wallet which was now in her hand and she reached down to pick it up to look at it. Picking it up and flicking the item over she noticed it was a photograph of two young girls, twins. She opened up the wallet to put it back in and a business card was staring back at her with the name DCI Tom Mathias. Slipping the photo back into the wallet she wondered if she should ask him about it later, but she made sure to keep a hold of it and give him it back. He would need it for the ride home. Lindsay looked at the sleeping girl in front of her and gave her arm a shake to wake her up from her peaceful sleep. Carly's eyes slowly opened, trying to get used to the sunlight now seeping in.

"Carly. Hello, did you have a nice sleep?"

The young girl got up to a seating position and soon started to recognise the figure in front of her. She jumped forward and pulled the woman into a hug which she happily reciprocated.

"Lindsay, it's you. Is that you done? What did they say?"

"It is. I did the right thing to save you Carly. All of this was really a formality. Dot's accomplice confessed and so now I get to take you home again. This time we will actually get there. I will make sure of it. Nothing is going to stop me."

"And Tom?"

"He's outside getting the car ready..."

The door creaked open and it interrupted Carly and Lindsay's conversation. Mared walked it.

"Sorry, did I interrupt?"

"It's fine. We were just about finished. Carly, go and find Tom for me. I need to speak to Mared for a moment."

"Ok." Carly nodded as she got up from her position and left the room, using the door that Mared had just used, making sure to close it behind her.

"I guess this is goodbye then Lindsay." Mared said putting a teabag into a mug.

"I guess it is but before I go, I want to ask you a question."

"Anything I can do to help."

"I found Tom's wallet and inside it was this."

Lindsay took out the photo of Tom's girls and showed it to Mared.

"It fell out after I dropped it. Are these girls Tom's?"

Mared took the photo in her hands and looked at it. It was exactly what she was expecting.

"Yes, they are. Hannah is the only one living though. The other was killed in a tragic accident, she drowned while swimming. Tom was there but it was too late to save her. Hannah and her mother moved to Canada and left Tom here. Him and his wife are separated now and he is barely able to see Hannah because of it."

"It must be terrible for him. They are twins and the death; it must have an effect on him."

"It does. With you arriving here I see a change in him. A good change, a change for the better. You have had an effect on him Lindsay. He's a lot happier and I feel that you feel the same way about him."

"I do. My choice in men hasn't been the best in the past but Tom is definitely the best choice out of all of them."

"That's good. I know you don't need it, but I give you my blessing. He deserves to be happy and so do you. You seem like the perfect fit."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I do too. I best be going though; I don't want to keep them waiting any longer than they have to."

"Well, if this is the last time that I see you Lindsay then I just want to say that I'm happy for you, now go and get your prince charming and get that girl back to her parents."

"I will. Thank you, Mared for everything you and Sian and Llyod have done for us."

Lindsay took the photo from Mared and stuck it back into Tom's wallet. She left the room leaving Mared behind and went up to join Tom, Carly and the awaiting convoy to take her back to Birmingham. Back home to where it all began.