Alec Hardy would have liked to be shocked at the news, but he couldn't quite find himself surprised that everything had gone to shit. He had wanted, hell he had needed a win after Sandbrook, but it was him so of course the bastard had gotten off. After everything the town went through, the Latimers and Miller, he had needed this for them. The universe might see fit to kick him in the teeth, but they deserved better, they deserved justice.

Caught up in his thoughts Alec didn't notice the woman bounding up to him until she was practically right in his face. Some detective he was, letting his guard down like that.

"There you are!" Without warning she lightly grabbed his chin, turning his head from side to side. "I thought you said you were going to shave this morning Doctor." Doctor?

Alec cleared his throat, looking down at the quite frankly stunning blonde woman currently invading his personal space. "Detective."

"Huh?" She quirked her head to the side.

"Not Doctor. Detective Inspector Alec Hardy." Alec continued his correction. She must have mistaken him for someone else.

Her reaction was not what he expected. Instead of a murmured, awkward apology, she grinned up at him, tongue in her teeth. "Scottish again are we?" Alec had barely begun to form a response when she was walking her fingers up his chest. "Is it another werewolf?"

"Uh."

"Tell you what Detective." Her hand wound around his tie, dragging his face down to hers. "After we're done investigating, we can follow up so that you can tame this tumultuous beasty." Before he could blink she had covered his mouth with hers. On instinct his hands went to clutch at her hips while she snogged him.

Finally his brain caught up to his actions and with a jerk he broke apart from her. "Wh-what was that for?" He couldn't think of a reason random women would accost him in the street for a snog just because. Him, the worst cop in Britain.

"That, Detective." She gave him a lecherous smile. "Was a preview of later. Now we need to go catch that alien so we can pick up where we left off." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before darting away.

Alec stood dumbstruck, trying to process exactly what had happened. Falling back on his years as a detective he broke it down in his head. An unknown woman had stopped him, acting like she knew him, brought up aliens and werewolves, snogged him, and then left. It felt like something from one of those reality shows Daisy liked to watch, where the crew would set up some elaborate prank in order to catch said victim out. Of course that's what it had to be. Some sort of practical joke.

Clenching his fists Alec turned on his heel changing his destination. It was juvenile at best, something a teenager would find funny. Yes he had fucked up the case, but that didn't give anyone an excuse to pull this shite with him. There was only one teenager he could think of that would have means and motive. Chloe Latimer.

He knew Chloe was upset about the case, about her brother, and Alec had enough good sense not to confront her about it. But this behavior would not be tolerated. Best to try to talk to her parents about it. They might hate his guts, but he hoped they would have the good sense to prevent her from pulling any other stunts.

Halfway to the Latimer house he was stopped by Beth Latimer herself. "Oi Sandshoes!"

"Beth?" Turning around at her voice he quickly attempted to school his features. Alec knew it had hit the Latimer family hard when Joe Miller was pronounced not guilty, and he knew that every family, every person, dealt with it in their own way. He'd been in the job long enough to see a wide range of reactions, but he wouldn't have pegged Beth as someone to completely change her appearance. Going blonde maybe, but the new outfit was, well, eccentric was the kindest word he could come up with at the moment.

"Oh Beth." Stopping in front of him she took a moment to contemplate before a smile graced her features. A genuine one the likes of which he had never seen. "Beth works. Can't exactly pass as a John Smith anymore now can I? Right so I'm Beth, and you're?" She's giving him an expectant look and all Alec can think to do is supply his name again, for the second time that day.

"Alec Hardy." His tone is even, trying to be careful around her obviously unstable mental state.

She scrunches her face as she thinks on it for a second before smiling again. "Not James McCrimmon? Well anyway, Alec Hardy, yeah, yeah I can see it. And Scottish again with that face. That takes me back that does." She's giggling at some memory he can't fathom to imagine. "Good old Queen Vickie. Knighted and Banished on the same day. Sir Doctor of TARDIS, or I suppose is it Dame Doctor now? Oh did I mention last time I was a white haired Scotsman! Great fun that was, although those eyebrows." She shudders before continuing. "Looked like two angry caterpillars had taken up residence on my face."

"If this is a joke..." He leaves the rest of the sentence unsaid. He would understand Chloe wanting to set him up to look a fool, but if the whole family was in on it he was going to be livid.

"Course not. I wouldn't joke about angry eyebrows." Grabbing his sleeve she starts pulling him down the street towards The Traders. "Now come on, we've got an alien to track down."

-Meanwhile across town-

Beth Latimer is furious. She'll never be over Danny's death, but she at least felt that she had made some small bit of peace with it. That she could start to move on, to forgive her husband and love her new baby without feeling that she was somehow betraying Danny in the process.

All that had come crashing down around her when Joe Miller had been exonerated, and irrational as it was she needed to confront someone about it. Blame someone, anything to try to ease the simmering rage inside. Which is why she was tracking down Alec Hardy.

On her way to the station she came across him sprinting down the street. "Alec Hardy!"

At the sound of her voice he skidded to a stop. "Oh you changed your hair."

Beth barely gave what he said a second thought, too caught up in the fact that he was speaking in an Estuary accent. "Why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like that! I thought you were Scottish."

"Ah we doing that bit again." He slipped into a Scottish brogue. "Scotland. That takes me back. Knighted and banished on the same day! Queen Vickie was not amused. Speaking of, we still owe Rose a tenner for that." He threw her a wink. "Course can't quite blame her with the werewolf and all." After a beat, he gave her a manic grin. "Right then. If I'm Alec Hardy, that makes you?"

"Beth." She arched an eyebrow at him. Was he having her on? "Beth Latimer."

"Beth Latimer. Suppose that'll work. Not like you could pull off John Smith anymore aye." It's as he's standing there, a manic grin plastered over his face that Beth finally takes note of his appearance. He's wearing a suit as usual except this one is blue with red pinstripes, and the battered red plimsouls stand out in stark contrast. He's also shaved for a change.

"What's going on?" The change in appearance is strange enough, but she's never known Alec Hardy to be this carefree and giddy.

"I haven't had much luck so far so thought I'd go look through some records, see if there's anything unusual going on."

"Records, like at the police station."

"The police station, why didn't I think of that!" He punctuates his thought by smacking his palm against his forehead.

Before he can sprint off again she stops him. "Police station is that way." Beth points in opposite direction of where he was about to head. He's finally cracked. That's the only explanation Beth can think of. Alec Hardy has finally gone off his rocker.

"Right. Off we pop then!" Grabbing ahold of her arm he has them sprinting off in the correct direction this time. "Allons-y!"