29

Ros walked into Harry's office as he closed the door behind her. She was sure that somehow the death of Lydia Morgan would be her fault. She was in charge, the woman had died in her custody. Harry had trusted her to manage the Section while he wasn't there. Harry frowned slightly.

"Not your fault."

"Harry." She stared at him. "You left me in charge."

"And you think that is I had been in the building she wouldn't have taken Alec's gun? That she would not have taken the suicide pill? Ros, think about it."

"She was my responsibility."

"I am not arguing the point here." He held her gaze. "You are not to blame. If anything the Inquest will want to know where the guard was. She was in Section D's protection but her actions led to the deaths of other people. We identified and controlled the threat."

Ros narrowed her eyes. Very few people knew how Ros really took things to heart. It wasn't so much the death of the former Prime Minister that worried her, it was that she felt she had missed something. Let Harry down. It was a side to her that others often missed. Harry nodded slightly.

"Ros, if I had been here she would still be dead." He kept his voice low. "She pulled a gun on my daughter. I don't care who she was. I like to think I would have handled it as well as possible, that Alec taking the gun from her was always going to happen." He frowned slightly. "You have nothing to reproach yourself for."

Harry watched as the Ice Queen he had thought had been relegated to the past was back in full force. It broke his heart slightly to see the walls she had spent years trying to knock down - that would make her the perfect candidate to succeed him go back up.

"Is that all?"

"No." Harry stated firmly. "Sit down."

"What is it?"

"The other gunman. I was there, no one on our team took the shot. I want to know who did it."

"Lucas is on the way back in with Zaf and Erin. She recovered a bullet. Tariq is going to run it when she gets here."

"Good."

"Looks Russian."

"Nightingale is truly international. If it is we pass it to 6. Let it be their problem. Officially."

"Harry." Ros was incredulous. They didn't pass anything to the Vampires in 6. It just didn't happen. He raised an eyebrow.

"I said, officially."

Ros smiled slightly before turning to leave the office. Somehow they would get to the bottom of everything. As she reached the door Harry called her name.

"Yes?"

"Be ready to meet with Crowther in one hour. I want her to know before the demise of our former PM is announced." He had already picked up his phone. Ros let a sly smile creep over her face, knowing that if the current Home Secretary was a traitor now would be the time they would find out. She sent a silent prayer up that she was one of the good guys.

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Ruth sat at her desk as the computer files she wanted loaded up. Catherine glanced over at her as she began working.

"Anything I can do?" Ruth asked as Catherine sighed.

"What are you looking at?"

"The CCTV footage from the Docks." Ruth sighed as Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"The shooting?"

"Yes."

"But, you."

"Yeah." Ruth sighed. "I am in the video. As is Harry and moments later Beth and Dimitri arrive. I think I know where the shot was taken." She tapped a few keys. "Erin is right. The gunman wasn't on the roof. He or she was in the top floor."

"Ok." Calum looked at the screen over her shoulder. "I think I can enhance that."

"Then I can run it through the facial recon. Get a name." She swallowed hard as she thought about what could have happened had the mystery gunman not fired. She began to wonder if Nightingale had a mole on the inside, if someone else was on their side. "Whoever it was saved my life. I want to know why."

"Beth."

"She got rid of the bomb. I know, she said it was fake but." Ruth frowned. "If he hadn't been shot it would have gone off, plus he had a garrotte around my neck." Her hand instinctively went to the dressing where the wire had cut into her. "The way he had me there was no way any of our team could have shot him without the bullet hitting me first."

"Like when Jo died." Tariq answered as Ruth shot him a look. She hated thinking about how her young friend had died. She nodded once as Calum clipped him around the back of his head.

"So why do it? Why?"

"Nightingale clearing up?" Zoe suggested. "Maybe they already knew we are on to them? That we know all about the Morgans' involvement and Igor?"

"Well, we are running out of options." Ruth sighed as Harry and Ros exited the inner office. Harry glanced at his daughter before catching Ruth's eyes.

"Not all is lost. Ros and I are going to be at Whitehall. Adam is running things here until we get back. Call everyone in. Briefing at 6. We end this now." He marched to the Pods with Ros at his side. For a moment Ruth couldn't help but pity the current Home Secretary. She had no idea what she was facing.

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a/n one chapter to go, then Return to Havensworth?