Chapter 10

Steve knew what his father wanted to talk about must be important, his look was serious and he gave a sigh as he sat down behind his desk.

"There are two things we need to talk about," Mark said. Steve sat opposite him. "First I know that your angry over what has happened and believe me you have every right to be, and you want to see them behind bars, but!" Mark stopped looking at his son. "Rachel is going to need you with her more than chasing down who did this;" Steve hung his head down. He knew that his father was right. "I just don't want you make the same mistake that I made," Mark said there was strong emotion in his voice and Steve knew what he was talking about.

"Dad what happened with Trainor wasn't your fault," He said to him. He hadn't realised that his father still felt guilty about what had happened.

"It doesn't change the fact that I made it easy for him to do what he did," Mark told him sadly. "And that led me to not being here when you needed me most,"

"Dad," Steve protested. Mark held up his hand.

"Plus with what happened last night, it looks like who ever is responsible for it is not going to let it rest," He told him. "So you may as well kill two birds with one stone, you can protect her but also be there when she needs you," Steve gave in with a sigh, his father could be the master of emotional blackmail when he put his mind to it. But he also knew that his father had a point, would he be happy with some else protecting his wife? He knew the answer to that would be no, and he trusted Cheryl enough to handle the investigation, at least for now.

"Okay what the next thing?" He answered. Mark gave a quick smile but it soon faded.

"Cheryl told us last night that they found where she was being kept," Steve looked up sharply. "Apparently it was not far from where Dave and his partner found her," Mark reached in the drawer and fetched out the tape that they had listened to last night. "This was one of the things they found," Steve knew from his father's attitude that it wasn't good.

"Put it in," He told him. Mark nodded and put in the player. To Mark the thing sounded no better second time around, he watched his sons reaction to it and could see the anger build up on his face. When it had finished.

"You realise what they where trying to do?" Steve nodded.

"I take it the drugs they used wouldn't be traceable after death?"

"Yes," Mark said with a sigh. "They break down in the blood and unless you're looking for them you wouldn't find them,"

"Why dad?" He asked softly. "What ever has she done to some one to warrant this?" Mark came and put his arm around him.

"I don't know son," He said. "I really don't,"

Cheryl strode her on her way to the interview room. This was one interrogation that she was looking forward to. In her hand she held the file on the man that had tried to kill Rachel the night before. She entered the room and saw the man she knew him to be twenty-five he sat at his lawyer's side looking terrified. It had been made clear to him the night before when he was arrested that they didn't take kindly to what he had done to a fellow officer's wife. In the room an officer also sat and she knew that behind the glass Captain Newman watched as did Jack and Amanda.

"Right then Mr Tanner," She said as she sat down. "First things first shall we, you where arrested on the charge of attempted assault, but we have now changed that to attempted Murder," The young mans face paled even more than it was.

"What!" His voice squeaked. The lawyer lent towards his client.

"I think it best if you tell the officer what you told me," He stated firmly. Then man swallowed.

"Well Mr Tanner?" She asked.

"First I had no idea about any murder," He said. "All I know is that me and Danny Thompson was hired to grab a woman from her home,"

"Who hired you?" Cheryl asked quickly.

"I don't know Danny handled it," Cheryl nodded. The young man swallowed nervously. " All we where supposed to do was give her so many of these shots of some drug and play a tape, and then after about a week or so we were to let her go,"

"What happened yesterday?" Cheryl asked him intently.

"I gave her the shot and put the tape on, but when I went back in an hour later she had gone," He told them. "Well Danny went mad then phoned the guy who had hired us. Well then he went out and came back and said that it didn't matter all we had to do was give her the final injection and it wouldn't matter anymore,"

"You must have realised that the injection you where to give her would have proved fatal," Cheryl told the man. His eyes looked around wildly.

"No!" He protested. "I swear that I didn't. Danny said it was the same as we had been giving her just a little stronger,"

"Oh yes," Cheryl told him coldly. "That much stronger it would have killed her in seconds, if her husband hadn't stopped you," The mans head hung down.

"I swear I didn't know," He sobbed. "I never would have agreed to it if I had known,"

"Okay then where does this Danny live?" Cheryl asked him. He told her then she wrote it down on a piece of paper.

In the room next door Amanda stood next to Jack.

"Crazy as it sounds I believe him," She said. Captain Newman nodded his agreement. Jack stood with a worried frown on his face.

"So do I," He said to them. " That's why I doubt we'll find this Danny alive,"

"Lets go see shall we," Newman said. Getting outside the room, Cheryl had also come out of the other room.

"What would you say the chances are?" She asked them.

"Not good," Jack told her.

"Somehow I didn't think so," She muttered.

They arrived at the other mans apartment about twenty minutes later. Cheryl knocked on the door.

"Mr Thompson it's the police open up," There was no answer from inside. Cheryl looked at the two doctors. "I would say we've probable cause of concern for the mans safety wouldn't you," Jack grinned at her.

"Definitely ," Amanda said with a straight face. Cheryl grinned, then turn back to the door.

"Best you two stay back a bit," She told them pulling out her gun. Jack made Amanda stand well back and he stood in front of her. A couple of well-placed kicks had the door down in seconds. Moving slowly forward she found the mans body on the floor in the main room. "Okay all clear," Jack came in and bent down at the mans side.

" Dead," He told them standing up. Amanda came and bent down at his side.

"Shot at least three times," She said." Dead about five hours or so," She stood up. "I'll know better after an autopsy," Cheryl sighed.

"I'll call it through," Jack stood and had a quick look round and picked up what was an old newspaper cutting. He looked closely at it.

"Why would he have a newspaper clipping on Rachel's parent's murder?"

"What?" Cheryl exclaimed. Jack handed it over to her. "Things aren't getting any clearer are they,"

"We'll have to let Steve know about this," Amanda said. Both Cheryl and Jack nodded. All wondering what the next step was.