A/N: I'll be wrapping this up soon folks, natural end and all that. As for S/T, have to say it really isn't my flavour, especially because I'm planning another femmeslash story for this fandom so... sorry Solostarr.
Prisons were always dark, miserable places. It was almost funny that she spent her whole life sending people to dumps like this and yet she couldn't bear to spend ten minutes in one. Well, it wasn't really funny, her sense of humour was just cracked.
'Martin Lomax?' Jack asked.
'Yeah,' he said as the prison officer left. 'Who are you?'
'DCI Meadows, DS Nixon, Sun Hill.'
'Oh, yeah, Nixon,' he smirked. 'You tried to do me the other week.'
'We're here about a different matter,' Sam interjected.
'Another gun you probably sold,' Jack added.
'You got that wrong, I'm innocent.'
'We haven't got time for this, Martin,' the DCI insisted.
'I know.'
Sam wracked her brain for something she could use. 'How's your sister, Martin?'
'Surprised you care.'
'I know you do. Still living with that dealer?'
'Yeah.'
'Maybe time we picked him up,' she said casually.
'I'm listening.'
'Ma'am?' Tony knocked on the door. 'I just wondered how the investigation was going.'
'Oh, you and every other person in this station,' Gina huffed. 'Not to mention the press.'
'Who's investigating?'
'Jack and Samantha last I heard.'
'Thought she hated him.'
'Doesn't mean she doesn't want this murderer banged up.'
'No,' he agreed slowly. 'Suppose not.'
'You were good in there,' Jack smiled as he crunched the car into life. 'Thought he was digging his heels in.'
'Just need to know their weak points,' she shrugged. 'Better organise a raid on Lenny Brook's place when we get this sorted.'
'Get it sorted? You make it sound so easy.'
'It will be,' she assured him. 'You heard Lomax, he sold the second gun to Pete Hopkins.'
'This is turning into a merry-go-round,' Jack commented. 'We're going to another criminal on the last one's say so. He could be spinning us a line.'
'Don't think he is, Guv. I reckon it's just a complicated situation.'
'You mean there's no shortage of potential suspects.'
'I know it sounds cold,' Sam agreed. 'But it's true. And I don't even feel sorry for him.'
'That's a bit harsh.'
'Are you saying you do?'
'No one deserves to die that way.'
'I didn't say he deserved it,' she argued. 'But I'm not about to shed any tears.'
'Why did you want in on this?' he asked.
'Professional reasons,' she replied vaguely.
'Not out a fear you'd get the blame?'
He was spot on really, wasn't he? 'You think I'm responsible?'
'No, I think you wish you were.'
'That's madness, Guv.'
'If you say so.'
The whole station was buzzing, Jim found as he walked in late Thursday morning, having already delivered June to her office.
It wasn't the chatter he'd associate with a senior death, no one was wondering what had happened because they were all present and there was no comment about his wife or children. It was a whodunit situation straight out of a film and the prime suspects became the lead characters.
From what he could gather the chief suspect was none other than DS Samantha Nixon. Course she did have an obvious grudge against Manson that made her a prime runner but she couldn't have set up something like that. Jim would bet his life on it.
Then there were the suspects the crowd didn't even know about. For example, it wasn't common knowledge that Tony had sworn Manson as his mortal enemy or that Sean Cooper had vowed revenge when he'd been arrested.
But all criminals made that vow, none actually went through with it. Did they?
'Pete Hopkins?'
'Who wants to know?' the man asked looking them over with suspicious eyes.
'DCI Meadows, DS Nixon,' Jack started but at the first name the guy had already bolted. 'Think he's got something to hide?'
'Looks that way,' Sam acknowledged as she set off through the house after him, knowing full well Jack wasn't going to do it.
He'd gone out the back door and was sprinting down the back street, she took off after him, quite surprised by her own speed, or it may just have been his lack of it, as she fell on him before he got round the corner.
'Running from something?' she queried as she dragged him up.
'It wasn't me!' he protested.
'What wasn't you?'
'What are you here for?'
'Come on, Pete. What wasn't you?'
'That copper getting shot, I didn't do it.'
'We got your name Pete,' she argued. 'If you didn't do it you gave the gun to the man that did.'
'If you don't start talking.'
'I didn't shoot him,' he offered weakly.
'Then who did?'
'My mate, he's got a grudge.'
'What kind of grudge?' she asked cautiously, knowing this could be a trick or a diversionary tactic.
'That guy beat him up,' he shrugged. 'That DI Manson.'
Something was stirring in the back of Samantha's brain. 'This mate's name?'
'I'm not a grass.'
'You don't want us to think you're a killer,' she countered.
'Danny Milson, it was Danny Milson.'
'How did he know where Manson was gonna be?'
'Some journalist told him.'
'What journalist?'
'I dunno, some woman.'
