Hey hey! Happy New Year to you all! 2021 - what could possibly go wrong?

This would have been up sooner, but ffnet was having a few 503 issues, and wouldn't let me do anything.

Anyway -

New chapter, obviously, and I would like to think I'll be posting sort of twice a week, weekends and Wednesday or Thursdays.

And you might have noticed the chapter count is now 24. I wanted to sort out one little issue in a later chapter and that spiralled into needing to change other bits and so on. So we're not actually half way yet!

Thanks to everyone for their reviews and PMs, both to this and to "Adventures In" - I've sent replies but I wanted to say thank you again, as it is very good to hear from fans who are enjoying this.

Chapter 11

Imaginary Friends

Dr Moran stood outside a door, his hand on the handle, looking solemnly down at the Chief. Ironside had spoken to the others, Tim had been very annoyed but he'd agreed to wait with Fran and Mark while Ironside went to speak to Katie alone. It wasn't the ideal situation for any of them, and the Chief hoped Mark and Fran could keep him company. But the truth was that no one could be sure of how Katie would react.

'Chief Ironside,' said Dr Moran. 'Are you ready?'

Ironside nodded.

'Good. We've taken some blood, and given her a transfusion. I think that's helped her feel more calm. We're considering dialysis but until the tests come back, we're not sure what we should be trying to get out. It's my hope you can find out something that will help us help her.'

'I understand, Doctor.'

'You might be surprised by what you see,' Moran continued. 'She might be lucid, or she might not speak to you at all, I can't predict it. She was wary of us, saying she didn't feel safe. If you can find a way to reassure her, she might be more cooperative. But if she can't remember or won't answer your questions, you must not push her. She will be fragile and easily frightened. And please, this is a confidential meeting. I doubt she will remember it, but I trust you will respect her privacy.'

Ironside nodded, the mix of worry and professionalism spoke volumes for Dr Moran's compassion for his patient. Katie was in the best hands she could be in, that was at least something to be grateful for.

Moran opened the door and held it for the Chief as he rolled in. Ironside looked around the room in surprise. It wasn't what he expected.

Katie was on the bed, lying on her side with her knees drawn up towards her chin, her arms wrapped tightly around them. The blood on her face was gone but she was still very pale. The gown she'd been given swamped her, making it look like she was wrapped in a great, grey thundercloud. She had a hospital towel wrapped around one hand, and she was chewing on the corner of it, staring blankly at the floor in front of her.

She didn't react as he entered, or as he came forward, and for a few moments Ironside was at a loss as to how he should start this conversation. As he sat there, she gave a forced blink, changing the direction of her gaze suddenly and giving the Chief a slight surprise. Her eyes were bloodshot, she looked like she had been crying for weeks. The effect was disturbing enough, without the hard stare she was giving him.

The Chief held her gaze, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Her expression gave nothing away, but her eyes were wide, as if she was trying to look right into him. He had to be very careful what he said.

'Hello, Katie.' She acknowledged her name with a nervous lick of her lips. 'Can I talk to you?'

She nodded slowly, and when she spoke it was in a soft voice with little intonation.

'I saw you. You were with the nice policeman.'

She could only mean Ed Brown. That description of his sergeant made Ironside smile. He nodded.

'Yes, I was. He's a friend.'

'He said you were a friend. He told me I'd be safe.'

'Are you?' he asked. 'Are you safe?'

She gave a girlish pout, but nodded.

'Safe. Yes. If I keep the towel on my hand I'm safe. You have to know where your towel is.'

Ironside nodded, relieved she was talking to him. He had to make the best use of his time, no matter how hard it was to ask these questions.

'I need your help, Katie,' he said gently. 'I want to ask you some questions. Can you try to answer them?'

She didn't react.

'I need your help,' he repeated. She still didn't react. She hadn't said yes. But she hadn't said no. 'I need to know what you remember from earlier. Can you tell me?'

The pout changed into the look a child gives after they've been told off and they don't understand why.

'I can't say,' she replied quietly. 'I can't tell you. I don't know what was wrong. You'll arrest me.'

'I'm not going to arrest you,' he told her, thinking about what Fran had said in the van, how she had been so upset at the thought. 'I'm not here as a policemen. I'm here as someone who needs your help. As a friend.'

'The nice policeman is my friend.' She pursed her lips and frowned, as if she was confused about something.

'The nice policeman is my friend too. That's something we have in common. But I need your help.' He waited for a moment, but she didn't speak. 'What can you remember?'

Her eyes grew wide with a sudden glee and she looked past him, lost in her own memories.

'I can remember everything about my sixteenth birthday party. Everything is right here. I can see it all. It's beautiful.' She stared off to the side, her expression bordering on transcendent joy, and she was quiet for a long time.

Ironside waited.

'It's my special day,' she said at last. 'Most important day of my life. My party. I can stay here forever. I want to. It's perfect.'

'What do you remember, Katie?' he asked, wanting to encourage her to keep talking to him. 'Can you tell me that?'

'I can see everything. I can smell. I can taste. It's all here. And it's all perfect. I can see it all. Things I didn't know I'd forgotten. Mom's dress caught in the gap between the cushions, it pulled to the left as she stood up. She didn't notice. I didn't know I noticed. I can remember it all so clearly.' She gave a wistful sigh. 'It's all perfect and I want to stay here forever.'

Ironside paused. He didn't want to upset her, but he had to push, he had to find out what she knew.

'How about something more recent?' he asked gently. 'How about the Kingston Building?'

She gave him a scared, threatened look, tucking her chin further into her towel-covered hand. She shook her head.

'I'm your friend,' Ironside said. 'I know you were there. The nice policeman said he'd seen you there.'

The look faded to a vague, vacant gaze.

'He told me I'd be safe. He was there with his gun.'

Ironside leaned forward. That wasn't what Fran had told him about this afternoon, Ed hadn't drawn his gun then. So Katie must be meaning the morning of the explosion. When Ed had gone into the Kingston Building to look around, he'd have been expecting to encounter trouble, of course he would have gone in armed. Ironside have a thin smile. It was a small start. Maybe Katie could give him more.

'Where did you see him?'

She blinked rapidly, her breathing shallow.

'By the wall. In the dark. Near the door.'

'And?'

Katie closed her eyes.

'It's so hot.'

The way she said the phrase was nearly identical to how the Chief remembered Ed describing it. The similarity was eerie. Again, the Chief felt like he was making headway. She was speaking about the first morning. The heat was something Ed had told him and Fran hadn't mentioned it this afternoon.

As he was thinking, Katie's eyes flicked unexpectedly open again. She looked at him.

'My nose hurts,' she said.

'Why?'

She didn't answer. Ironside felt a stab of frustration.

'Why does it hurt, Katie?' he asked.

'Hot.'

She rubbed her nose, then held it briefly and puffed out her cheeks as if she was about to jump into a swimming pool.

'What else do you feel, apart from hot?'

'Scared,' she whispered. 'I feel very scared.'

He could see by the way she pulled herself tighter into a ball that she meant what she said.

'Are you still scared?'

Katie nodded.

'I called, I screamed as loudly as I could. I shouted for them to come and help. They promised someone would help.'

'You called the police?' he asked gently. She nodded.

'I screamed and screamed so that they would come.' The report of the emergency call had said the caller sounded hysterical and frightened. That fitted in as well. 'I can't open the door. I can't get out. I try everything I can think of. I do anything I can. I can't stand the smell. And it's so hot. I'm scared. Scared.' Katie drew a shuddering breath, her eyes staring blankly in front of her. 'He broke the door. He heard me crying. He said I'd be safe.'

'Who? Ed? The nice policeman?'

'I'm too scared to move,' she said, not appearing to be listening. She kept staring past him. 'It's so hot. I hurt, and it's so hot.'

'And the nice policeman?' Ironside asked, feeling suddenly anxious. 'What happened?'

Katie didn't say anything, but she looked more frightened. Then her eyes went wide.

'Katie?'

'I have to get out now.'

'Katie!'

'He tells me to run,' she said, ignoring his attempt to say something. 'I'm so scared. So, so scared.'

Katie gulped down a number of breaths, and started rocking slightly back and forward.

'I want to go back to my party now,' she whispered. 'I don't want to be here. I want to go back to my birthday party.'

Ironside watched her in silence, hoping she would grow calmer, and using that time to think through what she'd told him. There wasn't much more detail. She had called the police and Ed had broken down a door to get to her. It's so hot. Ironside frowned. Why had it been so hot? Where had Ed found her? Why had the door been locked? The Chief thought about what had happened earlier, Fran had said that Katie hid in the basement of the Kingston Building, and that's where Ed had immediately gone to find her.

'What were you doing at the Kingston Building, Katie?' he asked as gently as he could, not wanting to upset her. But her reaction surprised him. She suddenly looked furious.

'I waited. I didn't see what happened.'

She glared at him and he waited to see if she would say more. When she didn't, he asked:

'What about the basement?'

Katie pulled back from him, shaking her head rapidly. She tried to put her hands over her ears, but the towel got in the way.

'The nice policeman found you there,' Ironside said. 'What happened?'

She shook her head again. Ironside leaned forward.

'What happened before that, Katie? What do you remember?'

This time, Katie looked to the ground, her forehead furrowed in a deep frown. She started to shake her head again, as rapidly as before. Then she closed her eyes and tears leaked out from underneath.

'I didn't do anything,' Katie whispered. 'I hid, and I waited. That's all. I don't understand why.'

It was the Chief's turn to frown. It sounded like she was telling the truth. He wanted to push and demand answers, but he was acutely aware of what Dr Moran had said. If he pushed too hard now she might stop speaking altogether. And who knew how much long term damage it might do to her. He'd thought he'd do anything for answers, but now he wasn't sure.

'Katie?'

'It's so hot,' she whispered. 'I can't breathe, it burns each time I try. I hate the feeling of choking and the smell. I don't understand what's happened. I can't get out, the door's shut and I can't get out. No matter what I try, what I twist and turn, I can't open the door. Nothing works.'

She opened her eyes and gazed blankly at him, then gave a soft sigh of relief.

'But the nice policeman found me. He tells me I'll be safe.'

Ironside stopped himself getting angry or frustrated, but they were back where they started, and he'd learned very little. Again he wanted to push, but instead he smiled at Katie. She looked down to the floor with another soft sigh.

'He said I should go. Get out, be safe.'

'The nice policeman?'

She nodded, her expression miserable.

'And he stayed. Policemen do.'

That made some sort of sense. If Ed had been worried about the safety of the building, or if he'd missed something, then he'd have told the girl to get out and stayed to keep checking.

Or would he? Ed Brown wasn't a man prone to taking dangerous risks. Ironside gave a mental shake of his head. Ed wasn't usually like that, no, but he went into that situation sleep-deprived and completely overworked. The Chief could just imagine Ed having second thoughts, needing to make sure he was right, unable to trust his judgement. The girl was safe, Ed might have thought she wasn't alone, or there was something else he should do. That made a lot more sense. Ed was always thorough.

She left, he stayed. Then the front of the building blew off. But he doesn't remember the explosion, he thought. A concussion from a high-powered explosion was the obvious explanation for that, but somehow it still didn't fit in the clean way it should. But the missing twenty minutes were filling up with some details. Ed had spent some time down in the basement, he'd forced the door and helped Katie. Then he'd stayed while she had left.

Katie was watching him with that distant, disconcerting stare. There were still more questions to ask, before she stopped being willing or able to answer them.

'Did you take anything, Katie? Before? Did you take something to help you keep calm?'

She scowled.

'He was cross. He was scared. He gave me what he had.'

'Todd?' She gave a tiny nod.

'He's always got some mellow. He gave me what he had.'

'Did you take anything else?'

'Cake.'

Ironside waited, unsure. It wasn't a slang term he'd heard before.

'Birthday cake,' she continued, as if she was having to explain something ridiculously obvious. 'Mom makes it for my birthday. She always makes it for my birthday.'

'Did you take something else? Any pills?'

Katie shook her head.

'He gave me what he had.'

She lay there, starting to rock slowly back and forward on the bed, whispering birthday cake over and over again. He tried to ask her something else, but she ignored him, acting as if he wasn't there.

Looking at her, Ironside was filled with a terrible, sad compassion. What had done this to her? There was so much more he wanted to find out, to ask her, but he didn't. It was time to stop and respect the promise he'd made to Doctor Moran.

'Can I come and see you again soon?' he asked her. She stopped whispering to herself, and nodded.

'They're singing happy birthday to me,' she said seriously.

He nodded, unsure for a moment how to respond.

'Well, I'm sure they're singing it beautifully,' he told her.

Katie smiled, for the only time in the whole interview, she gave a wonderful smile that lit up the room, and he thought about the picture Fran had shown him. A young woman with pretty, fun-loving smile and her whole future ahead of her. Not anymore.

He made a move to turn, and she grabbed suddenly at the chair. He waited.

'The nice policeman,' she said. 'He said I'd be safe. Where is he?'

The Chief smiled once again at the description of Ed. "The nice policeman who said she'd be safe". It suited him.

'It's alright Katie,' Ironside said. 'I know where he is, and he's fine.'

The evening was warm, and the streets were filled with movement. It wasn't as busy as a Friday but there were plenty of people out on the town enjoying the nightlife, the clubs and bars and restaurants.

Ed kept moving too, but was feeling increasingly agitated, recognising the familiar chill of panic. He'd made a mistake, yet another mistake. Why had he thought walking to the Kingston Building was a good idea? Why were so many people looking at him? His eyes were sore, and people stared at him as he wiped the blood from his nose. It was taking him too long to get there and he hated being out in the open like this.

At first, no one had given him a second glance. Slowly, he'd started to sense other people watching him. And now, though he'd no idea how long he'd been walking, it felt as if everyone on the whole street glared at him behind his back. The feeling made his skin crawl.

Then a much more worrying thought occurred to him. People could be following him. That might be why he felt unsettled and vulnerable.

Ed didn't like feeling so disoriented. His recent memories might be a mess, but all the time he felt the weight of what had happened six months before, images circling like sharks at the fringes of his consciousness. Keeping it all pushed away was getting more difficult. Every so often some detail would flash into his mind, catching him off-guard and each time it did it was more difficult to control his reaction. He didn't want to think about that ever again, and certainly not tonight. He couldn't let himself get distracted as there was so much more to be worried about right now.

It didn't help that he was so strung out and exhausted, so far below his best that he couldn't remember what best felt like anymore. If Bob saw him now he'd be fired in an instant. He'd felt like this all day, from the moment he'd been woken by that phone call. When he'd heard Katie was in trouble he'd pushed it aside, forcing himself to help, desperate to make sure she was safe. He kept on losing people.

But now, after those interminable hours stuck in the office, he was feeling terrible, worse than being drunk, worse than anything else he could compare it to. He'd never taken any junk, at least not willingly. Only that one time a few years ago, when he'd been grabbed off the street and had to fight for his life, then he'd had uppers forced down his throat to get him standing. That was a experience he never wanted to repeat.

There was good reason to avoid them, not counting the fact they were illegal. He'd seen what they could do to a person, how they could strip away reality, leaving only vacant darkness and terror behind. How many addicts and pushers had he dragged into the department over the years? How many junkies had he seen on the streets, high on coke or H, uppers, hash, mellow, and all the other variations.

Each step was taking up more of his concentration, the road felt as if it was continuously sloping upwards. But Ed kept going, staggering on through the streets, his progress slow, but always heading in the rough direction of the Kingston Building.

As the time passed, he grew more sure he was being followed, trusting his instincts in spite of the tiredness, the coffee and the painkillers. He'd had that uncomfortable, unpleasant, spied-on feeling since he'd left the Department. The more he tried to ignore it, the more acute and irritating it became, like an itch he couldn't scratch or a fly that wouldn't leave him alone.

Why had he left the office? This was a bad idea. It was a mistake, another mistake, and last time his mistake had caused… No!

No, he was not going to think about that. He had to concentrate on getting to the Kingston Building. It was too late to change his mind. Besides, where else could he go?

Glancing behind, Ed stopped, looking at the dull, grey faces of the people, searching for answers that he couldn't find. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no one gave any obvious sign that they were interested in who he was. But that wasn't what his instincts were telling him. They were telling him loud and clear that someone was there behind him, following him, watching him, spying on him. And no one was coming to help.

Without warning, a detailed memory dredged itself up from his subconscious, pushing forward. With it came a feeling of being helpless and abandoned to his fate, of being a disgrace to his boss and everything Ironside stood for. He could virtually hear Richards' malicious laughter and see his wicked, gloating smile.

Ed staggered, the sharpness of the images left him gasping for breath. His pulse sped up and there was a sudden sheen of sweat on his forehead. He couldn't stay here. He had to keep going no matter what.

He had to get to the Kingston Building sooner rather than later.

Mark steered the van out of the hospital parking lot, and on to the street, finally heading back to the office. Fran was next to Mark in the passenger side and she turned to look back at Ironside.

'Well, Chief?' she said. 'What was Katie like?'

That was a difficult question and Ironside shook his head sadly. Doctor Moran was right, these kids played Russian Roulette. All drugs interact, no one could predict every interaction, every possibility. There might be no way back. He had a horrible, horrible feeling that was true.

'Not a happy picture,' he said heavily. 'And they don't know why. I'm not sure they can help.'

'We guessed,' Mark said from the front. 'Tim wasn't pleased about being left on the bench either.'

'I know, Mark. But I told him what I could, that she's safe, and she's calm. And that she's with doctors who care enough to help her.'

'But can you tell us anything more about what she said?' Fran asked. 'Did she say anything that helped the investigation?'

'The nice policeman who said she'd be safe,' Ironside murmured.

'Ed?' Fran asked, surprised.

'A good description, don't you think?'

Fran paused, and Ironside was pleased to see that she didn't immediately say "No!". Perhaps there had been other benefits from Ed's rescue of Katie in the basement, maybe Fran had seen a glimpse of the kind of man Ed was. It had been a better display of honest police work than storming off, intimidating students and upsetting his colleagues.

'It's okay, I suppose,' she said. 'But I don't think "nice" is much of a compliment.'

Well, you couldn't hope for miracles. Even so, he gave a gruff smile.

'Katie was able to give me a few details.'

'Ed's missing minutes?' Mark asked. 'Any more information?'

'Maybe,' Ironside said thoughtfully. What Katie had told him was surprisingly unsurprising. Somehow he had expected something more dramatic. 'Somehow she got trapped in that basement. Ed got her out, he broke down the door. He told her to leave, but then he stayed.'

'So why didn't he get out too?' Fran asked, sounding exasperated. 'If it was that dangerous he wouldn't have stuck around.'

Ironside paused, not wanting to follow Fran further down that line of thought. Tired, overworked, anxious, Ed had stayed to make sure he got the job done properly. Flamin' typical!

'He must have thought it was necessary,' Ironside replied carefully. Fran accepted that explanation with a nod.

'Well, what about the rest of it?' she asked. 'Why was Katie there? Why was she worried about being arrested? What about the drugs?'

Again, Ironside paused, trying to organise the information in his mind and see the patterns. He smiled at Fran, grateful for her listening ear and for asking good questions.

'Let's do those one at a time,' he said. 'Why was she there? I still don't know for sure. I'm not even sure she knows any more. I think we'll have to accept what Tim said, that she went there to find evidence of something illegal.' He arched his eyebrows. 'But what that means in reality, I don't know.'

'Do you think she found evidence?' Fran asked. 'Do think someone attacked her? To stop her telling anyone else?'

Ironside saw Mark nod, but he waited for a few moments before replying, wanting to be sure of his answer.

'No I don't, Fran,' he said, noting her look of surprise. 'There was nothing she said that indicated she'd seen anyone else but Ed.'

I didn't do anything, Katie had said. I don't understand why. Ironside gave a huff. That made two of them.

'She got stuck in the basement. She said she couldn't get out and Ed broke down the door.' Ironside narrowed his eyes, trying to remember exactly what Katie had told him. 'Ed heard her crying.'

'Why was she crying?'

Ironside thought for a moment.

'She was frightened. It was hot and uncomfortable. She couldn't get out of the basement.' He shook his head, frustrated at the vagueness of the answers, knowing that there was no way to find out more. 'I don't know.'

'That's not much to go on,' said Fran with a sigh.

'Anything else?' asked Mark. 'What about being arrested?'

'Well, she called 9-1-1,' Ironside said. 'What do you remember of the transcript, Mark?'

Mark was silent for a few moments, concentrating on the traffic and the question.

'Loud,' he said. 'Hysterical I think was in the description. Mentioned something missing?' Mark shook his head. 'It wasn't very clear. Control called it as a robbery.'

Ironside nodded. Control had thought Katie had meant something was missing. He thought back to the transcript.

'She might have meant she was missing something. She didn't understand something. "I didn't do anything. I don't understand why", that's what she said to me earlier.'

'So it might not be a robbery?' Fran asked. 'That would explain the lights, and the doors.'

'But if it's not a robbery, then what was going on?' Mark asked in an exasperated tone. 'I think it might even make less sense now than before.' Ironside agreed.

'And we still don't know why she called the police,' Fran put in. 'Do you call 9-1-1 if you think you'll get arrested?'

'And if she called the police, she would have expected a policeman,' Mark added.

Ironside nodded. Mark had made an astute point, as always. They were all silent for a few moments, the Chief thinking once more through the details of what Katie had told him. She was trapped. Ed broke the door. It was hot, so hot. She called the police but was afraid of being arrested.

'She called the police and was afraid of being arrested,' he murmured, repeating the thought out loud. 'Afraid of getting the blame. But the blame for what?'

'The explosion?'

Ironside shook his head.

'That hadn't happened. And she couldn't have known.'

'But why not?'

'She'd been hiding and crying,' Ironside said slowly. 'She left and Ed stayed.' He stayed, policemen always do. He looked at Fran. 'I don't believe she would have let Ed stay if she'd known he was in danger. No, I don't believe that at all.'

'Why?' Fran asked. Ironside struggled to reply. The way Katie had spoken about Ed, the comfort she'd taken from his presence and his help, was clear in what she'd said. The nice policeman who said she'd be safe. She wouldn't have left him if she'd known what was going to happen.

'She was scared.' He heard her say I'm so scared in the back of his mind, the terror was real to her, but it wasn't just a fear of arrest and getting the blame, it was a fear of something else. Was that what she didn't understand? Something had happened she didn't understand, but she was afraid of it. And, if she had somehow implied that to Ed, then that could be another reason he'd stayed. He would have had no idea the building was rigged to go.

Something had happened. But what? It must have been something before Ed had arrived on the scene. Something that had happened before she called the police.

Ironside pursed his lips. Without questioning Katie more, they had few opportunities to find out.

'We are still going round in circles,' he said gruffly. 'Just different ones now.'

Fran gave a disgruntled sigh.

'But what about the drugs?' Mark glanced round as he spoke, his eyebrows raised in a questioning way.

'That is another good question, Mr Sanger,' he said. 'Did you both read the statement from Chadwick?'

Mark shook his head.

'Not really,' Fran replied. 'I just skimmed it. There didn't look to be anything new. He sticks to his story of some mellow. That would certainly have calmed her down.'

Ironside was thinking that she didn't look very mellow any more, but didn't share his thoughts.

'So the question becomes, if that was what she took, how come she ended up in the hospital?'

'Cut with something?' suggested Mark. 'Whatever it was sure made a mess of her face. Looked like a girl with a pretty major drug habit. What did the hospital think it was?'

Ironside shrugged once more, thinking.

'They don't know. I think that's the big problem.'

'Something new?'

'Maybe. Or something mixed in.'

'Can we test?' asked Mark eagerly.

Ironside shook his head.

'Mr Chadwick helpfully flushed the remainder.'

'But hadn't he taken some? Maybe not all of it was cut.'

'Maybe,' repeated the Chief. 'Maybe.'

'Or,' said Mark. 'He's telling the truth, and she took the "something else" while she was at the Kingston Building.'

'She found something?' Fran asked. She sounded incredulous. 'And she took it? Do you take something you find in a lab, when you think they are performing illegal experiments for the government?'

'You have a point,' Mark said, smiling. 'But what else do you suggest?'

Fran had no answer, and frowned at the ground.

'And more to the point,' Ironside put in, 'she said she didn't when I asked.'

'Could she have been lying?'

'I don't think so,' the Chief replied. For a moment he thought about Katie and how she had wanted birthday cake, and to be safe back in her party, lost to the real world for who knew how long. 'I think she told the truth.'

'Maybe she didn't know what it was when she took it,' Fran suggested.

He nodded, conceding the point.

'But there's still no way for us to find out.'

Fran sat back in her seat with a sigh.

'This is hopeless,' she said. 'You're right. Each time I think we are making some progress, we just end up going in circles.'

Ironside smiled at her, nodding.

'Just like usual,' he said. 'But we always find our way out in the end.'

His words got a grudging smile from Fran.

'And we're almost back,' Mark said. 'What's our next move, Chief?'

A good question. First on his agenda was to speak to Ed, to make sure the man had done what he'd been asked and written out a statement. It was a long shot, but it might have a few new details to help them. Then they had to go through the other statements again, and he needed to make notes of his conversation with Katie and the meagre conclusions they had come to. Then dinner. Then sleep. Then the start to a new day.

'Ed and paperwork,' he replied. Mark groaned at the last word.

A few moments later, the van pulled into the police garage under the Department of Justice, and Mark guided it to their usual parking space with practised skill. Once it had come to a stop, the Chief smiled, please to finally be back. Both Mark and Fran turned to look at him.

'Fran, you should go home,' Ironside said. 'It's been a long day for everyone.'

'I know, Chief,' she replied. 'But you're still working, so why can't I. And I want to check up on Ed.'

'He's not going to appreciate anyone checking up on him,' said the Chief, with a pointed look.

'You know what I mean.'

'Yes, I do know, but Sergeant Brown might not see it that way.'

'But we're working.'

'As long as you don't say "checking up" I think you'll be fine.'

'And what about dinner?' she asked. Ironside's smile grew wider at the thought of a big bowl of chili. That would help his mind sort through all the facts. Chili, as hot as he could get it. But it would take time to make, and to get it just right. Maybe he should save it until tomorrow, when they could let the spice infuse properly.

'Do you think Ed's made dinner?' Fran asked. Ironside thought back to the perfunctory conversation he'd had with his sergeant before he'd spoken to Dr Moran. It was unlikely that Ed was still awake.

'He might have done,' Mark said, but the slight hesitation in his voice indicated he thought the answer was no. 'I think it's happened before. 1968, maybe.'

Ironside shook his head, watching Mark's amused expression. He gave a short laugh.

'Ed's not employed to make my dinner, Mr Sanger, that vital task belongs to someone else.'

It was Mark's turn to laugh.

'Well, how about we pick up some sandwiches to keep us going,' Fran suggested.

'I'll give you a hand,' added Mark. 'It will be good to get outside after another long day at the hospital.'

It was said with a slight sigh, and though Ironside would have liked Mark to come up with him to the office right away, he knew that this time the other man needed a short break. Waiting in hospitals was never easy, in spite of all the practice they'd had.

'We have work to do,' he reminded them. 'So don't take long.'

'Sure.'

'Okay, Chief!'

As Fran and Mark walked off towards the other exit, Ironside made his way inside, and upstairs to his rooms. Manoeuvring around in the department on his own was more time consuming than awkward, he wasn't quite as fast pushing himself as he was when being pushed.

It was dark in the office when he came in, the main lights were out, only the three tables lamps on the desk near the kitchen were switched on.

He could make out the silhouette of a man sitting in the seat at the table, back towards the door. His head tipped slightly to the side and resting on his hand, as if he was asleep. Ironside gave a relived sigh. At least his sergeant was still here.

'Evening, Ed,' he called. 'Fran's gone to find some dinner, if you can… stay… awake…'

The man in the chair turned as Ironside was speaking, and by the time he'd reached the end of the sentence the Chief was shocked to see Frank, not Sergeant Brown. Where devil was Ed?

'Frank? What are you doing here?'

'I know it's a bit late for a social call,' he said.

'Most people are doing it these days,' the Chief replied caustically, moving himself closer to the table.

'You're a hard man to track down. Do you know how long I've been waiting?'

Warily, Ironside shook his head.

'Over half an hour. They said downstairs you were on your way back from the hospital.'

The Chief was hardly listening. Instead, he was looking around the office.

'Chief? Wh-'

'And you didn't see anyone else?' Frank shook his head firmly, looking at the Chief as if he was asking a stupid question. 'No one?'

'No one, Chief.'

Ironside felt a swift rush of fear that he pushed away. That didn't mean anything. Ed might have borrowed the couch in the den, taken some of the painkillers and gone back to sleep.

'Give me a minute,' Ironside said, leaving a confused-looking Frank at the table. Ironside took a quick look around in the private rooms, half-expecting to see Sergeant Brown sound asleep on his bed. No one else was there. He rolled back through, silently looking around to see what, if anything, was different from when he'd left after lunch.

A few files had moved, there was a pad of paper on the far desk. He took a moment to go over. He glanced at it, registering it was Ed's statement. Beside it was a scrawled note in Ed's handwriting that said "gone home", and that attracted his attention more. Ironside picked the note up, frowning, rolling back over to Frank.

"Gone home": At least that was something. He had told Brown to stay put, but they had been so long at the hospital. Maybe that was okay, the man was allowed to go off duty. After all, he certainly needed the rest.

Still, the Chief couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Ed didn't usually leave notes. He could have called the van, left a message at the hospital, even told him on the phone when they'd spoken earlier.

Maybe it was a snap decision. Ironside frowned more deeply, not liking the way he was starting to make excuses for Ed. Ed didn't need excuses, he needed…

'Chief?' Frank interrupted his worry. 'I'm sorry, but this is urgent.'

Too many demands on his attention tonight. Ironside frowned once more and put the note down on the table.

Gone home. He would check up later.

A/N - Accidental H2G2 quote no 1 - "you have to know where your towel is". Which is also good advice!