"Ok people, listen up; we have an extensive collection of CCTV tapes to go through so I need a couple of willing volunteers. One can take the tapes from the front of the building, see if you can spot who left the car there, the other can take those from the back of the café, we need to find out what happened to Abigail Nixon's son and we need to find out as soon as possible if his disappearance is linked to the explosion or whether we're looking at two isolated incidents here." Jack took charge in Sam's absence, failing to conceal his surprise as Jo walked through the doors to the CID office. Without speaking to anyone, she picked up the crate of tapes, leaving the office as quickly as she had appeared. Terry and Ramani exchanged worried looks having seen the dark rings beneath Jo's eyes and the fact she was still wearing the same clothes as she had been the previous day.
"I guess that lets us lot off the hook for the tapes then Guv." Phil wise cracked, oblivious to his colleagues concern for the brunette.
"No one could ever accuse you of being a team player, could they Phil?" Ramani shook her head as she spoke, rising from her seat as she volunteered to help Jo go through the tapes.
"Thanks Ramani, but I'd rather put your expertise to good use elsewhere. Checking CCTV tapes doesn't need two sergeants. Mickey, perhaps you'd give Jo a hand?" Jack asked his trusted friend.
"Course Guv." Mickey walked from the room, grabbing two coffees on his way to the room set aside for viewing tapes.
As he entered the room, Jo never took her eyes from the screen, accepting the coffee with only a brief offer of thanks. "You know, no one expected you or Sam in today. How is Abi?"
"She's still heavily sedated at the minute but signs are good. Sam insisted I came in, she wants to know exactly what's going on. Besides sitting around the hospital was driving me mad, I felt so useless. At least here I can do something productive to find Joey." Jo's gaze still never wavered from the small flickering screen before her.
"Chuck us the tapes from the front entrance then, I'll see what we've got of the car." Mickey settled himself in the chair beside Jo, leaning forward to power up the second TV and video. Pausing her own tape, Jo pushed a pile of videos towards Mickey, grimacing slightly at a twinge in her shoulder, reminding her that the muscles still bore some weakness from her attack at the hands of Mark Somerton three months earlier.
Mickey leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head, two hours of watching the same section of blurred, grainy CCTV pictures at high speed having left him with a pounding headache and stiffness in muscles he didn't know he had. Jo was still engrossed in her viewing, jumping slightly as Jack's voice broke into the oppressive silence that had settled on the room.
"Found anything we can use yet?"
"I've watched the footage from both the cameras near the bus stop but neither gives a clear view of the car, or whoever left it there. I've got Abi Nixon entering the café at approximately 10.30 yesterday morning with the pushchair but I can't really tell for sure whether her son's in it." Mickey stole a glance at Jo, fearing some reprisal from his statement but she showed no sign that she'd actually heard him. "There's another three people entering the café immediately after Abi. Any of them look familiar Jo? Any one of them on the tapes from the back of the café?" Both men looked at the sergeant expectantly, waiting for her to share her findings.
"Until the police arrive, there's not a single person in this alleyway. No one comes out of the back of the café or any other building along this stretch. The view's uninterrupted so it's not that they can have slipped past unnoticed. However they got Joey out, it wasn't through the backdoor." Jo ran a hand through her hair, exasperation evident on her face. She had been so certain the tapes would show Joey's abductor. Her mind was reeling with the possibilities and implications of no one exiting via the rear of the café.
"Take a break, come back to it after lunch with fresh eyes." Mickey nodded rising from his chair, glad of the excuse to move for a while. He wanted to find the culprit as much as anyone but had found it hard to concentrate in the warm, dark, silent room. When Jo made no move to leave, Jack prompted her, "you too Jo. The tapes aren't going anywhere and you're more likely to miss something vital if you don't take a break."
"In a minute Guv. I just want to check something." Jo swapped the tape she had been watching for one of the tapes from the front of the building, hitting play as soon as the video was installed.
"Don't make me pull rank on you Jo. Technically, as a sergeant you should be delegating this type of work to officers less senior to yourself but I realise this case is more personal to you so I'm willing to allow you to do the work on these tapes. That won't stop me pulling you off though if I think you're compromised. You need to eat and sleep and take time away to give yourself time to think, if I don't see that happening, I will replace you and sign you off duty." Jack watched Jo's jaw clench, unsure whether he was about to receive a mouthful of abuse or whether she was trying to stop herself from crying.
"Sir, if Joey wasn't taken out of the backdoor, he must have left via the front…unless…" Jo rapidly ejected the tape Mickey had been watching, placing it carefully to one side and replacing the tape with the one she had taken from her own machine minutes earlier, scrolling through until the police presence had disappeared. She looked intently at the screen, hoping her hunch was accurate.
"Unless what Jo? What are you thinking?" Jack sensed the renewed energy emanating from her as she viewed the tape, eyes scanning the screen constantly for any signs of movement.
"The back half of the café was practically untouched by the explosion. We weren't looking for a missing child at that point, not really. What if he wasn't taken out of the building until after we'd all left? Were all the back rooms, store rooms, freezer rooms checked for people? Was the area above the café checked? Whoever had Joey could have been hiding somewhere, waiting for activity to die down before they made their escape." Jo suddenly dived on the pause button as movement on the screen drew her full attention. She tapped the screen as a female figure emerged from the back of the café with a bundle evident beneath her jacket, trying visibly to shield her face from view. "Bingo."
"Let's get stills from this done so we have something to release to the press. The sooner we get an image out there, the more likely we are to get an ID. Good work Jo but now you are going to take a break, that's an order." A commotion in the main office drew their attention. Stopping the tape and noting the place on the tape, both officers rushed through to find out what all the noise was about.
"Why is no one taking this seriously? A three month old baby is missing and no one seems to be doing anything towards finding him. Has anyone been to the prison, questioned Hugh Wallis yet? Ramani, Terry, get down to Longmarsh and talk to him, he must know something about Joey's disappearance. Phil, Zain, Suzie why are you sitting around waiting for information to come to you? Get out there and shake things up, talk to your snouts, see if there's any word on the street about the abduction or the explosion. Someone knows something, you can't just take a baby and not have anyone notice." Sam slammed a hand down on the desk in front of her as no one made any move to leave the office. "Did I miss something? Are you all deaf all of a sudden?"
"Sam, everyone is doing everything they can to find your grandson." Jack tried to diffuse his DI's temper, knowing it was simply borne out of fear and frustration. Sam spun around to face Jack, her eyes lingering on him only momentarily before they settled on Jo, who shifted uneasily under her lover's scrutiny.
"What are you doing here sergeant? I told you to go home."
"I know, but I couldn't. I had to do something to help." Jo was rooted to the spot, concerned by Sam's demeanour, worried that it may mean Abi's condition had worsened. "How's Abi?"
"There's no change. The hospital wouldn't let me stay, told me I had to go." Sam didn't elaborate that the hospital staff had stipulated she should rest. Relief flickered momentarily on Jo's face.
"Jo's been helping us sort through the CCTV tapes," Jack offered.
"And? Have you found anything?" Sam jumped in approaching the pair.
"And we're still looking… I just needed a break from staring at the screen." Jo supplied, not wanting Sam to know about her finding just yet, knowing that the blonde woman needed sleep and would not rest if she knew there was a potential lead to be followed up. Jack looked at Jo but said nothing, assuming she must have her reasons for keeping Sam in the dark.
"Where are the tapes? I'll take over while you have your break." Sam made a move to leave, heading for the viewing room.
"Sam, there are other people who can be doing that. Mickey's already been helping Jo and there are plenty of willing volunteers. You haven't slept, go home, get your head down for a few hours. You too, Jo." Jack stalled Sam's exit, looking to Jo for backup.
"Sir, I appreciate your concern but I'm fine. I don't want or need to go home, what I need is to be doing something to move this case along. It's been twenty-four hours now since we have a confirmed sighting of Joey. We can't afford to be sluggish, Hugh is capable of anything and will stop at nothing to play his games." Sam also turned her gaze pleadingly to her lover, willing her to offer support.
"And it's that kind of blinkered attitude that could jeopardise this entire investigation. I don't need officers on my team who can't think straight because of fatigue. I've already warned Jo that I will pull rank if necessary and that goes for you too." Jack stood his ground, refusing to be cowed despite Sam's stony glare fixed upon him.
"Sam, this isn't achieving anything. Come home, get some rest, then we'll go and see Abi again before coming back with fresh eyes and ideas. We can get more done, be more effective if we give ourselves some time away. I'm sure we can count on Jack to let us know the minute there's any news." Jo raised her eyebrows asking for Jack's reassurance as she risked a showdown with Sam, conscious of their colleagues watching with interest. She reached out to Sam from behind, placing her hands on the DI's shoulders, unsurprised by how tense her muscles were.
"Of course, as soon as we hear anything, you'll be the first to know." Jack acknowledged. "You can't work twenty four hours a day until Joey is found. You're no good to anyone running yourself into the ground." Sam tried to pull away from Jo, fearing the affectionate touch would be enough to dissolve her tough mask.
"I'm taking Hugh's case notes with me, I want to review them in detail, see if there's anything that might help in them." Jo stepped closer to the diminutive blonde, wrapping her arms around the slender form, preventing her from crossing to the filing cabinet housing the case files.
"That won't help you rest and there's no guarantee it will be of any use. What's the point in going over old ground and opening up old wounds unless you have to? Let Phil or Ramani go over the notes, someone who isn't so closely involved." Sam writhed in Jo's embrace, feeling her façade crumbling and willing herself not to breakdown in front of her colleagues, despising Jo's ability to unmask her in that moment.
"Let me go." Jo heard the edge in Sam's voice, not needing to see her face to know that she was on the verge of breaking down. Skilfully, the sergeant managed to turn Sam around without breaking her hold on the struggling woman, pulling her closer even as blows reigned down on her in Sam's fight to free herself.
"Sshh, it's ok. Come here, come on." The tall brunette tightened her grip, trapping Sam's arms and preventing her from flailing about any more, holding her close as fatigue and fear hit the feisty blonde full force.
"I need to find him. I can't fail her again." Sam's voice was so quiet, only Jo heard her words.
"We will find him, you don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you, always. Abi won't blame you for this, it's not your fault, no matter the reason Joey was taken." Jo reassured her lover, aching from the blows Sam had landed but relentlessly holding onto her until she had completely ceased her struggling. All the while, she murmured reassurances into Sam's ear, dropping kisses lightly on her head and cheek.
"Take her home, Jo. I don't want to see either of you 'til tomorrow. I'll phone you later with an update." Jack indicated for the rest of the team to get back to work, knowing Sam would not appreciate being gawped at like an exhibit in a museum. Jo ushered Sam from the room, still holding her close, grabbing her bag and jacket on the way, ready for a turbulent few hours at home.
"I'm going to run you a bubble bath, give you a chance to unwind so that you might be able to sleep for a bit." Jo made a move towards the stairs as they entered the small terraced house.
"You trying to tell me something about my level of personal hygiene?" Sam attempted to relieve the tension between them with humour.
"Well, I didn't like to say anything but…" Jo grinned, grateful that the gulf between them seemed to be diminishing a little.
"I can't say you smell too peachy either!" Sam ducked away from Jo as she playfully swatted the petite blonde.
"Do you think your bathtub's big enough for two? We'd be doing our bit towards saving water then since we keep being threatened with drought." The brunette never thought for a minute that Sam would agree to sharing a bath with her given their recent disagreements but wanted to keep the light-hearted banter going.
"Want me to grab a bottle of wine while you get it running? I think I'm going to need some sort of anaesthetic to knock me out and I don't want to give Jack any reason for not letting me back in the station." Jo nodded her assent, weariness washing over her as she climbed the stairs, entering the bathroom and sitting on the side of the tub as she turned the hot tap on fully. Waiting for the water to warm up, she leant forward, head in her hands, still trying to get used to the quietness of the house without Abi and the baby around. Moments passed before Jo moved, pushing to plug in to capture the toasty warm water, wandering to the top of the stairs as she listened for Sam coming to join her. It struck her that the house was maybe too quiet, no other sounds apparent besides the running water and her own breathing. Dashing back into the bathroom, spinning the hot water tap until the gushing torrent abated, Jo dashed back down the stairs, calling Sam's name as she went. Skidding to a halt in the hallway, she glanced at the table beside the front door where she had dropped the car keys on entering the house, finding them gone along with Sam.