Alex smiled as Kitty Larkin handed her a cup of tea and took a seat opposite her. 'Thank you.'

'Thought I told DCI Hunt and DCI West everything,' Kitty said.

'I'm a psychologist and part of my job is to establish a profile that often helps us solve cases.'

'Of the criminals you mean?'

'Not just the criminals. Sometimes it can help to have an idea of the psychological make up of the victim at the time.'

'You mean our Sandra.'

Alex gave her a sympathetic look. 'I just had a few questions I wanted to ask if that's all right.'

'If it'll help find her I'll do anything,' Kitty said.

'You remember we took away Sandra's diary yesterday?' The other woman nodded. 'Have you ever read it?'

'No. Like I said, she were a good girl, DI Drake. Is a good girl. Never felt the need to intrude on 'er private thoughts.'

'Of course not,' Alex said gently. 'Aside from her brother, did Sandra know anyone called Michael?'

Kitty looked thoughtful. 'Not that I remember,' she said. 'She had lots of friends though.'

'A boyfriend? Brother of a friend?' Kitty shook her head. 'What about your son? Did he have any friends called Michael?'

Kitty shook her head again, her expression becoming drawn. 'Our Mikey didn't have many friends we knew of. And none as were allowed in the house.'

'How did Sandra seem before she disappeared?'

'She didn't run away, DI Drake.'

'I know, but one of your neighbours said she saw your son here, the night Sandra disappeared and I was wondering whether you knew Sandra had been in contact with him recently.'

'Mikey was here?'

Alex nodded, wondering why Mabel hadn't told her.

'She was quieter,' Kitty said thoughtfully. 'Usually she'd be talkin' nineteen to the dozen. To me at least.'

'What's her relationship like with her brother?'

Kitty smiled, her eyes taking on a faraway look. 'She loves her brother. 's like he's her hero.' Her smile faded. 'Least he used to be.' She took a sip of tea and Alex waited for her to speak again. 'You're wonderin' what her relationship's like with her father. DCI West spoke to 'im. Said he was asleep the night Sandra disappeared. Didn't hear a bloody thing.'

There was the sound of keys in the front door and Kitty looked up. 'That'll be himself now.' She looked back at Alex. 'Would you mind – ' she opened her eyes pleadingly.

'I'll let myself out the back door,' Alex said. 'You could come to the station if –'

'Thanks, Inspector, but I better get his tea ready.'

Alex held her gaze for a moment before rising and heading into the kitchen, Kitty hot on her heels. Just as she pulled the door open the other woman laid a hand on her arm.

'You will find her, won't you Inspector? You and Mr Hunt. You'll find my little girl and bring her home?'

Alex squeezed the other woman's hand before turning and leaving the kitchen. She felt a complete coward but she'd been unable to speak in the face of the woman's need to see her daughter again. The memory of the moment she'd realised she would never see Molly grow up was still too fresh, although even standing in the cold outside the Railway Arms it had been more a rising awareness of something she'd known for months, rather than a sudden realisation.

She realised it hadn't even occurred to her to correct the woman, to say it was DCI West's case; they were just helping out. Shaking her head to clear it, she headed down the alley behind the terraced houses and back onto the street. As she approached the frankly terrible pool car she'd been assigned, she heard someone call her name. Looking up, she saw Mabel Stubbs heading towards her, shopping bags in hand.

'Hello again,' she greeted, smiling.

'Morning, lovey,' the older woman said. 'Give us an 'and with these would you?'

'Of course,' Alex said, reaching out and taking the shopping bags.

'Eugene not with you?' Mabel asked as she headed down the alley and towards the back of her own house.

'He's investigating another case with a colleague today.'

'Got time fer a brew?'

'Well I should – '

'Course you 'ave. Come on.'

At Mabel's insistence, Alex sat at the kitchen table and watched the older woman bustle around the kitchen, putting the shopping away and making tea.

'Struck a nerve with our Eugene yesterday, I'll warrant. All that business about young Mikey Larkin.'

'Because of his brother?' Alex asked, fighting down the sudden resurgence of the voices from her dream.

Mabel nodded, drumming her fingers on the counter while she waited for the kettle to boil. 'I didn't want to say owt but I want that little girl found as much as anyone else down this street. More than some,' she added darkly.

'Who do you mean?' Alex asked as the other woman carried the pot to the table and sat down.

'That father of hers,' Mabel said, shaking her head as she poured the tea. 'I don't like to speak ill of folk but he's a bad apple. Doesn't give two figs about his wife or his kids. That's why their Mikey went to the bad. A boy needs a strong father figure if he's to make a go o' this life. Mikey didn't 'ave one.'

'Like Gene's brother.'

The older woman nodded. 'I've often thought Eugene only turned out like he did because he had Stuart to fight for. Always looking after his brother 'e was. Hated to see 'im picked on. P'raps that's why 'e wanted to be a police officer,' she mused. Her gaze snapped to Alex, sweeping over her. 'You strike me as someone who's lookin' for somethin', Alex.'

'I – ' Alex began, taken aback at the sudden change in tack.

'Who isn't lookin' for something though, eh? A safe place, the truth, answers.' She lit a cigarette and blew smoke towards the ceiling before continuing, 'You know, before I married Mr Stubbs, my married name was Morrison.'

'Morrison?'

'My Ronnie was in the force. Didn't have a particularly glittering career, mind. Died of a heart attack when he were thirty-eight. Never made it above PC. But he took Eugene under his wing when he first started. Looked after him on his first week on the job.'

Alex remembered Gene's voice, echoing slightly in her memory, although he'd been speaking in a monotone at the time.

'But he had Morrison to guide him. That was until somebody gave the old fella a nip of whisky, and before you know it he's hokey-cokeying with the locals. Young bobby's suddenly on his own.'

Mabel nodded, watching realisation dawn on Alex's face. She leaned forwards to pour more tea. 'You're thinkin' my Ronnie should've been there when Eugene were shot.'

Alex opened her mouth but Mabel's steady gaze killed the protest in her throat. 'Do you know what happened?'

'Ronnie got drunk,' Mabel said simply. 'Eugene disappeared off on his own. Turned up next morning, covered in blood. I gave my Ronnie such a tongue lashing for leavin' him on his own. Him just a kid and Stuie having disappeared. Liza was beside herself. Not that he didn't disappear enough on his own account,' she added disapprovingly, although there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. 'But this was different.'

'Where was he… hurt?' Alex asked, her mind conjuring images of the young PC Gene had been. Tall, lanky and silent, half his face an inescapable reminder of just what this world was.

'They got 'im in the leg. Dragged 'imself back to the station.'

'They got away,' Alex said weakly, staring down into her teacup.

'Not bloody likely,' Mabel said sternly. Alex's head shot up. 'Arrested one of 'em. Killed the one with the gun. No choice.'

'He killed him?'

'Shot him. No idea where he got the gun, or why he had it.'

Alex blinked in surprise, realising she'd never considered what had happened when Gene woke up here. 'But he was all right?' she asked. 'Gene was all right?'

'As all right as you can be, after somethin' like that,' Mabel said, sipping her tea. 'As all right as you and me.'

\/\/

When Alex arrived back at the station, she found CID almost empty. She'd seen the Merc in the car park so she knew and Simon had returned, but there was no sign of either man in the incident room.

Seeing the light on in West's office she dropped her coat on the desk she'd been using – Sam's desk, she remembered – and headed over to the doors. She hesitated. If this were Gene's office she'd have no problem just barging in as she always had done, but here she felt compelled to knock.

To her surprise, West didn't call out for her to enter, instead he elected to open the door, peering out at her with a bemused expression.

'Very polite of you to knock, DI Drake.'

'Yes, I thought you might not be used to that,' she said, smiling brightly.

He stepped back and swept an arm out, inviting her in and following her as she made her way over to the desk. 'Get anythin' from the mother?'

'Well, she has no idea who "Michael" could be,' Alex said, making air quotes. She turned to address West and found him standing only inches behind her. 'She doesn't want to talk about her son,' she added, looking up at him. She wanted to step away but the part of her that had worked with Gene for almost four years refused to be intimidated. 'And she's afraid of her husband.'

'You know, I could've told you that, Bolls.'

Alex jumped as Gene's brash tone filled the room. He'd entered the office silently enough, but now she could sense him standing by the door.

Gary West turned to face Gene. 'All right, Gene? Catch your fella?'

'Not yet,' Gene said mildly, although Alex heard the bite of annoyance in his voice. 'So is this a private party, or can anyone join in?'

She stepped to the side slightly to distance herself from West. 'I spoke with Sandra Larkin's mother.'

'I heard.'

'What happened with –'

'Going to question Harry the Hand again. I want you to sit in.'

He held the door open, waiting for Alex to precede him out of the office. As they walked towards Lost and Found, Alex glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye.

'That man makes my skin crawl.'

'Gaz? He's all right, Bolly.'

'He's a bloody perv, Gene.'

He smirked. 'Smile and be nice, Bolly, and I won't ask what you were doin' alone with 'im in his office when you know what these northern coppers're like.'

'And what exactly are they like, Guv?' she asked, trying to keep her face straight.

He looked down at her, his eyes glittering but his expression otherwise impassive. 'Can't resist tryin' ter corrupt a bit of posh southern totty,' he said, shoving the door to Lost and Found open before she had the chance to respond.

Alex followed Gene into a dusty room filled with abandoned items. She paused in the doorway, realising the room was probably just as Sam had found it. Ahead of her, Gene stalked around a shelving unit and approached the room's only other occupant, lounging in a chair as though he felt right at home.

'You've been giving us dodgy information, Harry,' Gene said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. 'You know that's not good for my temper.'

'Not too worried about your temper, if I'm honest, Mr Hunt. Where's your young officer, then? Not brought 'im with you this time?'

'Nope. Brought someone much worse. Bolly!'

Alex hurried around the shelving unit, her heels clicking against the cement floor.

'Things're lookin' up I see,' Harry the Hand said, sweeping his eyes over Alex as she sat down. 'You didn't 'ave to bring me a bird, Mr Hunt. I'll be out soon. Mind you, don't think I know many birds as classy as you darlin'.'

'Come off it, Harry. You don't know any birds at all. We all know how you really got your nickname,' Gene said.

And indeed, watching Harry closely, Alex saw his body language was at odds with his words. He shifted in his chair, sitting up straighter as his mouth set in a line, his eyes flicking distrustfully from Gene to Alex and back again.

'We want to know where your mate Carson is.'

'I told you, yesterday, I 'aven't seen him and I don't know.'

'I think you do. You two used to pal around quite a bit in the old days. I think he came up here to see you. His mother's dead, sister hasn't spoken to him in years. His missus'd shop 'im the minute she clapped eyes on him.'

'So we're mates. Don't prove nothin'.'

'We know you know where he is, Harry,' Alex said. 'The sooner you tell us, the sooner we can leave you in peace.'

Harry shifted in his seat again and looked down at his hands, his neck flushing with rage and embarrassment. 'I don't know nothin' about that London job.'

'What about David Benson?' Alex asked. 'Do you know anything about him?'

Harry resolutely refused to look at her. 'Who's that then?'

Alex opened her mouth to speak but Gene got there first. 'Davy Benson is the son of the owners of the shop your mate turned over.'

'He lost an eye,' Alex said, watching as Harry turned an even deeper shade of purple. 'And he might never walk again. He's eight.'

'I don't –' Harry began, trailing off and lifting his head to glare at Gene.

Gene held his gaze for a moment before rising from his seat. 'Right then, no sense keepin' you in 'ere. I'll 'ave you taken back to the cells. Spot of lunch, DI Drake?'

Following Gene's lead, Alex rose preceded him out of the room.

Gene pulled the door closed and extracted his cigarettes from his pocket, shouting 'Cells!' over his shoulder as he put a cigarette to his lips and lit it. 'What d'you reckon?'

'He has a problem with women,' Alex said. Gene nodded. 'What was all that about David Benson?'

Gene didn't answer immediately, merely turned and headed towards the station entrance, pausing by the front desk. As they started to walk down the stairs to the front desk he said, 'You were right, Harry's 'opeless with women. But he's got a little brother. 'is mam don't let him see him o'course. Terrifying woman,' he added, in the tone of someone who had met her. 'But Harry doesn't like to hear about bad things happenin' to kids. He really doesn't like it.'

'You wanted me there to put him on the back foot so you could see his reaction,' Alex realised.

'That, and I wanted you away from Gaz.'

Alex smirked. 'Where's Simon?'

'I've got him lying in wait,' Gene said. He approached the desk. 'Right. Cell three, Harry Carr. Let 'im out.'

'Yes, Guv,' the desk sergeant said, sliding the paperwork across the desk.

Gene signed it and shoved it back across the desk. 'Give us your radio.' The man handed Gene a radio and Gene brought it to his mouth. 'DS Tremaine, come in.'

'Guv?' Simon's voice came through the radio, crackling slightly.

'Harry's on his way out. Your team in position? I don't want this bastard getting away.'

'No problem. We're ready for him, Guv.'

'Good work. Call me when you've got something.' He handed the radio back to the sergeant and turned to Alex. 'Come on. You can buy me a drink.'

\\/\/\/

They were standing at the bar in the Railway Arms, Gene nursing a pint and Alex picking at the pie she'd been served.

Gene glanced over at her. 'Are you eating that bloody pie or giving it a post-mortem?'

'I'm just thinking,' Alex said. 'Kitty Larkin.'

'What about her?' Gene asked, taking a gulp of his beer.

'She said said.'

Gene sighed and looked down at her. 'Knew it was only a matter of time before you started talking in bloody riddles again. I've had a long day, Bolls, and it's only bloody lunchtime. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd consider it a personal favour if you could talk sense for ten minutes together.'

'Sorry, Guv,' Alex said, still distracted. 'When Kitty was talking about her husband, she said he said that he was asleep. She made a point of phrasing it like that.'

'Did you speak to the 'usband?' Gene asked thoughtfully.

'No. You?'

'No,' he said, pouting. 'Might be time to ask Gaz to 'ave a word with Mr Larkin.'

'I spoke to Mabel Stubbs today,' Alex said.

'Did you now? Inseparable, you two.'

Alex paused, wondering how to broach the subject of her discussion with Mabel. Just as she'd plucked up the courage Gene's radio crackled from his pocket.

He drew it out. 'Hunt, what?'

'Guv,' Simon's voice came through. 'Um…'

'Out with it Simple Simon, I'm havin' a lunchtime beverage with DI Drake.'

'We um…'

'Don't tell me you bloody lost him.'

'Yeah. We did.'

Gene slammed his pint glass down on the bar. 'You useless bunch of twats. How did you manage to lose him?'

'Guv,' Alex said, laying a hand on his arm.

He shook her off. 'Never mind. You can tell me back at the station. Get your useless arse back here in ten minutes or hand your bloody warrant card in.' He clicked the radio off and looked at Alex. 'Come on, Bolls. You can bring your pie.'

'No thanks.'

'Tut tut, Bolly. Waste not, want not,' he said, snagging it as he headed for the door.