Witness Protection

Chapter Three

Rose picked up the form that Alec had placed on the table, and looked at it closer. At the top was a section for her personal details, and then a bigger section for the statement itself. For the past four years, Rose had managed to keep her past buried, despite her own struggles following it, but now that Alec was asking her questions about it, it was beginning to bring certain memories back.

Memories that she didn't want to relive.

"I'll have to think about it." Rose decided, placing the form back on the coffee table. "I'll need to speak to my Dad."

"Of course." Alec nodded in understanding. "That's a London accent you've got, isn't it?"

"You're very observant." Rose muttered, rolling her eyes. "Can I get you a drink?" She asked, going into the kitchen before he could ask anything else. "Coffee, no milk or sugar, right?"

"That'd be great, thanks." Alec called, getting off the chair and taking a closer look around the living room. He spotted some family photographs along the mantlepiece, and smiled at a goofy one of Rose and whom he assumed was her younger brother. They had the same eyes. He stopped when he saw another inside a pink photo frame, and his heart skipped a beat. It was a photo of Rose, giving a piggy back to a young Pippa Gillespie.

"The picture was taken a week before Pippa went missing." Rose told him, holding out his coffee to him. "Normally we'd have sleepovers every other weekend, and that weekend she was at mine. We were meant to be doing our homework, but Mum caught us being silly together and ended up taking it. It's one of my favourites."

"You had sleepovers a lot, then?"

"Every other weekend." Rose confirmed. "It became a ritual for us. We'd take a bag of clothes for the weekend, and go straight after school. I lived around the corner from her, so it wasn't too far of a walk."

"What did you do at these sleepovers?"

"You know, girls stuff." Rose said with a shrug, sitting back on the sofa. "We'd do our homework, sometimes baking. We tried making pancakes but got one of them stuck on the ceiling. Pippa's Dad Ricky had to use a step ladder to get it off." She chuckled at the memory. "We'd paint each others nails a lot, that was until Pippa learnt how to do hair. She once said that Claire could do perfect French plaits, and insisted that we practice."

"Claire?" Alec perked up. "Who's Claire?"

"She was Pippa's neighbour, lived there with her husband Lee. I can't remember their last name."

"Rose, I'm only going to ask you this one time." Alec implored, leaning forwards. "You would've known Pippa differently, in a way that her parents might not have. Please consider writing a statement, after that you won't need to get involved."

"There isn't really a lot that I could put that would be useful." Rose said, currently feeling very uncomfortable.

"Could you at least tell me what happened from your point of view?" Alec asked, literally pleading. If he had even the smallest of details, there was more of a chance to reopen the case and get things rolling. Especially with Claire in his back pocket.

Rose sighed, knowing that Alec wasn't going to give up until she gave him some sort of explanation. She took her mind back to that fateful day, choosing carefully what she told him. "It was Friday afternoon, and like we always did, we had a sleepover planned. I was supposed to go over to Pippa's after school, but last minute, my Mum asked me to babysit my brother Tony so she and my Dad could go to a friends wedding. Pippa's Mum and Dad were also going to the wedding - it was a mutual friend -, so that's why Lisa was there, to keep an eye on us."

"How did Pippa feel with the sleepover plans cancelled?"

"I mean, initially she was disappointed, as we had made plans to make a fort in the living room and have a movie night, but she was very understanding. She always was. My Mum promised that the following night, Pippa could have a sleepover at mine to make up for it."

"Did you speak to Pippa at all whilst you were babysitting?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing note worthy. We had a chat on the phone for about ten minutes, and texting here and there. Normally we'd be on the phone until we went to bed, but I had to sort Tony out and get him ready for bed. By about ten o'clock, Pippa stopped responding, so I assumed she went to sleep, and I went to bed not long after. My parents came back from the wedding at around midnight."

"How did you find out that Pippa was missing?"

"When I woke up the next morning, Cate Gillespie had come round, asking my Mum if she'd seen Pippa. I overheard what was going on, and Cate asked me the same question. I told her that I stayed at home that evening, and last heard from Pippa the night before. My Mum and I offered to help look for her, but then my Dad didn't want me to go in case we came across something traumatic. Then the police arrived, and my Dad wanted to protect me, so he didn't allow me to be questioned. I wanted to help, but he refused."

"I remember asking your father to talk to you." Alec recalled, remembering the frustration he felt at the time. "He was determined to not get you involved. I can understand from his prospective, I'd want to protect my daughter too."

"You have a daughter?" Rose asked, having not known this fact.

"Yes. That's why I was so drawn to the case and determined to get the truth." He explained. "It took us three days to find Pippa. I was the one who found her in the river, and I retrieved her body."

Rose felt a shiver go through her. She couldn't imagine having to do something like that. "I'm sorry. I remember being told that Pippa was passed, and I was devastated." She recollected. "Following her death, I went on a downward spiral. I started drinking heavily, to the point of blacking out, and at one point, I abused prescription drugs. It wasn't my proudest moment. This is why my Dad had me moved down here, for a fresh start. I went to rehab to get help, got clean and sober, and her I am now. It's still a struggle, day to day, and that's another reason why I don't want to get involved."

Alec nodded, his heart breaking hearing her story. She was still so young. "I'm sorry. I'll leave the form with you, and you've got my number if you decide to change your mind." He got off the chair with a groan, feeling the immense pressure in his heart coming back.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked with concern, standing up to catch him in case he fell.

"I will be once I've had my medication." Alec confessed, taking out his medication and using the coffee Rose had made to drink it. "This case has nearly killed me, Rose. The stress of it has. I have heart arrhythmia, and I'm supposed to get a pacemaker fitted in a weeks time. It'd be nice to get this case solved and get some justice for Lisa and Pippa before then, but I know this can take a long time. I'll see you around. Thank you for the coffee."

"Yeah, see you." Rose muttered, bidding him a goodnight as she closed and locked the door behind him. She pressed her back against the door, and held her hand against her mouth, muffling a wail of despair as she slid to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. "I can't." She sobbed, her eyes drifting to the photograph of her and Pippa. "I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry for what happened. I wish I'd been brave. But I'm not, I'm a coward. I'll always be a coward."

Two days later, Ellie Miller opened the door of her house, greeting Rose with a smile. "Good morning. Are you ready for a fun day with Fred?" She asked, letting the young girl into her house.

"I think so." Rose nodded. "I've brought some supplies so we could do some arts and crafts."

"Oh brilliant, he'll love that!" Ellie said, delighted for her son as she led Rose into the family living room, where Fred was playing with his toys, the TV playing cartoons. "Now, he's just had some breakfast, and he'll probably want a snack after that. Depending on the weather I normally take him on a stroll for an hour or so to get some fresh air, or go to the park before lunch. He typically has a nap after he's eaten, and usually has about two hours. He can have longer if he needs it." She added. "His bedtime is at half seven, and he tends to have a bottle to go to sleep. Once that's done, you should be in for a quiet evening - he's a good sleeper -, I should be back at around nine or ten o'clock at the latest, is that alright for you?"

"That'll be fine. I'm sure we'll have a good day, won't we Fred?" Rose had knelt down beside the toddler, tickling him which elicited a giggle from the two year old.

"My number is on the fridge, personal and work, and my sister's is there as an emergency number. She works at the Echo, along with her son and my nephew Oliver. I'd avoid him if I were you. The minute he sees a pretty girl he'll circle them like vultures until he gets them into bed."

"Oh. Thank you for the heads up. It's been noted." Rose affirmed.

"Right then, have a good day you two." Ellie reached down to kiss Fred on top of the head. "I'll see you later gorgeous. Call me if you need me. Bye!"

"Bye!" Rose waited until the front door closed, before she turned to Fred. "Right then, little man, what should we do this morning? How about a snack?"

Ellie was startled to see Alec leaning against her car outside of her house. "What are you doing here?"

"Is Rose inside?"

"Yeah, why?"

"We need to make a trip to Sandbrook." Alec explained, getting into the passenger seat before Ellie could protest. "I want you to speak to Rose's parents to confirm her alibi, and I need to speak to Cate Gillespie to confirm it."

"Oh I see. I don't get a choice in the matter, do I?" Ellie muttered, getting into the drivers side. "Did Rose say she was involved?"

"No, but she was best friends with Pippa Gillespie and lived around the corner. Rose said they would have sleepovers every other weekend at each others houses. The night Pippa went missing, Rose was supposed to sleepover at hers, but had to cancel because her parents wanted her to babysit her brother. Her parents were going to the same wedding as Pippa's parents were, so if that's true what she says, then her parents can confirm that."

"Do you believe that?" Ellie wondered, sensing the doubt.

"Following Pippa's death, Rose has a chequered past. She turned to alcohol and prescription drugs, but she went to rehab and got clean, that's why she's down here. Her parents sent her down here to give her a fresh start. As far as I see it, she has no reason to lie, that's why I need to check with her parents. They wouldn't let Rose be interviewed at the time because she was underage, so I'm hoping they'll open up to you. You're a good people person."

"Thanks, I think."

Jackie Tyler was minding her own business, when the doorbell went. "Coming." She called, opening it to see an unfamiliar woman on the other side. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs Tyler, I'm DS Ellie Miller from Broadchurch police." Ellie introduced, holding up her badge.

"Oh my God, is Rose alright?" Jackie wondered, hand to her mouth. "Pete!" She called over her shoulder.

"Oh no, she's fine." Ellie reassured her quickly. "As we speak she's babysitting for my son. I wondered if I could talk to you, about her friendship with Pippa Gillespie."

Jackie stiffened, as Pete appeared behind her. "What's going on?" He asked, concerned to see his wife so worried.

"DS Miller wants to speak to us about Pippa Gillespie." Jackie said, under her breath. "And her friendship with Rose."

Pete shook his head, the protective father in him coming out. "No chance, absolutely not. We sent Rose down to Broadchurch to get away from all of this, why is it coming out now?"

"That might be because of my partner. I believe you know him. DI Alec Hardy."