Didn't think I would get so many chapters out this week, but I really do love writing this fic! Hope you are all enjoying my take on season three and appreciating that things are beginning to get juicyyyy! I did warn you all this was going to be the slowest burn to ever burn. Comments and reviews make me so happy, and I am the world's worst self-destructor so any affirmations or feedback is very, very welcome!
"Ms Denton, you remain under oath," the judge informs.
"Thank you, My Lady," the woman replies, timid.
Liz sighs as she sits in the crowd. Here we go again…
"Ms Denton," the prosecutor begins, "in your examination in chief by your own counsel, you made a number of references to an undercover operation underseen by Detective Sergeant Arnott of Anti-corruption Unit 12."
"Yes, I did."
"Did any of these operations involve Detective Sergeant Arnott being present at your home?"
"Some did," Denton nods.
"You were alone with Detective Sergeant Arnott?"
"Sometimes."
"And on all these occasions there were no other police officers in the vicinity?"
"There was a constable stationed outside the house."
"Where outside?"
"On the doorstep."
"And where did sexual relations take place?"
"In the bedroom," Lindsay insists. Liz winces.
"And how was the bedroom accessed?"
"Via the stairs."
"And how far do the stairs lie from the front door?" Ebele questions, Liz beginning to catch on to where this line of inquiry was headed.
"I don't know," Lindsay shakes her head, "Three or four metres."
"From the plans of your home obtained by the prosecution," the lawyer says, flipping through some documents, "the distance is 2.7 metres."
"If you say so," Denton challenges.
"I don't say so. It's a fact. And if I am inaccurate I'll be corrected."
Liz does her best to stop from smirking as Denton's face falls.
"There are written statements written by all the officers stationed outside the door in early October," Ebele continues, "and not one recalls hearing you and Detective Sergeant Arnott go upstairs together."
"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Denton says.
"It doesn't surprise you that trained police officers on guard duty in a high state of vigilance don't hear the two of you go upstairs for sex when he or she were less than three metres away?"
"We were discreet," Lindsay insists, Liz covering her scoff with a small clearing of her throat. She can see Hastings shake his head beside her, clearly as tired with the woman as she was.
Ebele hums, "You've told the jury that this intimacy with Detective Sergeant Arnott won your trust and therefore you permitted him unsupervised access to your home."
"There were times I was napping or in the shower and he was free to roam the premises," Denton nods, "I trusted him, completely."
"And you have alleged that on one of these occasions, Detective Sergeant Arnott planted a sum of money in your late mother's overnight case," the prosecutor states, "Did you witness Detective Sergeant Arnott bringing £50,000 into your home?"
"Nope," Lindsay shakes her head, looking flustered. She clearly had not expected these questions, so was unrehearsed - Liz thinks, bitterly.
"Did you ever witness Detective Sergeant Arnott having access to tens of thousands of pounds in cash?"
"He'd hardly do it openly," Denton scoffs, coming undone, "Corrupt officers have access to criminal contacts-"
"Please answer the question you've been asked," the Judge scolds.
Lindsay huffs, straightening the sleeve of her suit jacket.
Ebele repeats, patronisingly pushing for an answer the woman clearly did not have planned, "Did you witness Detective Sergeant Arnott with such an enormous sum of cash?"
"I don't know how Steve Arnott got hold of the money and then got it into my house-"
"Ms Denton, you've answered-"
"And I'm still answering. If I'm inaccurate, I'll be corrected," Lindsay bites, mocking the words the prosecutor had used on her earlier.
Liz studies Denton's face as she glares at the lawyer, that threatening gleam in her eye once again.
She was no longer playing the timid victim she so desperately wanted to portray.
Her façade had slipped.
This is who she was. This is the Lindsay Denton that Liz recognises.
Cruel.
"The nerve of that one," Hastings leans over and whispers in her ear.
Liz hums, her attention brought back to the woman when she begins again.
"Steve Arnott had my complete trust and the trust of the officers on guard duty. He could easily have picked his moment to plant the money and I firmly believe that that is the best explanation for how it came to be there because I had never seen that money before," Denton practically shouts at the court.
There is a tense silence that follows. Liz only hopes the jury are contemplating the sudden change in her demeanour and tone, realising there were two-sides to the woman that stood before them.
"Were you aware that you were under investigation by Anti-Corruption Unit 12?"
"Yes, I was," Denton spits as she reaches for a sip of water. Liz wonders if she regrets her loss of focus.
"And were you cooperating with that investigation?"
"Yes, I was."
"You had been completely honest to the best of your knowledge in assisting them with their enquiries?"
"Yes, I was," Denton says, once again growing increasingly, visibly frustrated.
"And had you always been completely honest with Anti-Corruption Unit 12?"
Lindsay hesitates. Her mouth opens and closes as she struggles for something appropriate to say.
Liz can practically feel the smirk radiating off the older man beside her.
She couldn't wait to see how the woman would try to worm her way out of this one.
"Please answer, Ms Denton," the Judge pushes.
Lindsay sighs, "It was a complex case and there were many details that were elusive and at times required further thought and examination before I could give a definitive answer."
Liz almost wants to laugh.
"Did you lie in relation to matters surrounding the conspiracy to murder Tommy Hunter?"
Denton pauses again, biting her lip as she struggles to no doubt calculates her next move.
"Ms Denton," the Judge warns, again.
"As I said, it was a complex case and many details were difficult to refine or recollect," Denton swallows.
"Did you lie about having prior knowledge of Hunter?"
"No."
Liz hears Hastings let out a breath beside her.
"You lied about having prior knowledge of Hunter, didn't you?"
"No."
"You told the investigators lie after lie to confound them and to pervert the course of justice, didn't you?"
"It wasn't like that," Denton pleads to the jury.
"It was like that," Ebele insists, coolly, "You wove a web of deceit to confound the investigators and to protect yourself? And you've the affrontery to attempt to deceive this jury."
"No," Denton shouts, panicking.
"Did you fabricate the relations between yourself and Detective Sergeant Arnott?"
"No."
"Did you fabricate the planting of evidence against you?"
"No."
"Lindsay Denton, aren't you an artful, devious person who has betrayed the trust placed in her as a police officer-?"
"-No!-"
"-And haven't you repeatedly and shamelessly aimed to obstruct those who would bring you justice-?"
"No, I haven't!" Denton screeches, baring her teeth like an animal.
Another hushed silence falls over the room.
There she is, Liz thinks.
The court proceedings moved swiftly after that, with Denton escorted back behind her bar and a few more witnesses called to testify. But Liz isn't listening. She doesn't need to.
Sat here now, having seen that woman lose control of herself and revealing to the court of who she truly is, all Liz can think about is one thing.
Steve Arnott.
She owes him an apology.
Liz needs to talk to him, to clear the air after their fight. Not that she did not stand by the fact she had every right to be mad at him - she definitely did. And she still would be for a while.
But she trusts him.
To believe Denton, with all her threats and lies, would be to trust her over him. That was something Liz could never do. Not after everything.
It is rather embarrassing, when Liz thinks about it. She should have known it was a set-up, that Denton was lying - once again, twisting the truth and fabricating events to manipulate them. Liz should have listened to him, like her job requires her to do. No matter how she feels towards him, despite how angry she may be at him for whatever reason, she was supposed to be there - professionally and as his friend.
They could get past this, whatever it was. They always did.
Just because Steve would rather bottle things up and let things lie, didn't mean she would have to.
So, she needed to find him. To talk things through.
Walking past the many desks in the office, Liz heads for Steve's desk, hoping to catch him at work. Just as the other morning, he is nowhere to be seen.
"Looking for Arnott again?" a familiar voice beams beside her.
Liz turns to smile at Dot, who leans back casually in his own desk chair, looking at her.
"You know, one day you'll be coming in here looking for me," the man smirks, causing Liz to shake her head, amused.
His phone begins to ring, him picking it up, cheerily, "DI Cottan."
He listens for a moment, then looks over to Liz who raises a brow at him, questioningly.
"One sec," he says to the caller, holding the phone out and pressing the speakerphone button, "Ok go ahead."
"I've been bumped off the op," Liz hears the voice say, immediately recognising it to be Kate, "Too close to Baines."
"What's happening?" Liz asks, assuming as she was being let in on the call, she was being let in on the situation.
"Jackie Brickford came in this morning," Dot explains, to Liz's surprise, "Said Danny was getting them to cover and Hari Baines was the one to shoot him, also blackmailing them to cover."
"There's physical evidence someone else may have been involved in Rod's death," Kate continues.
"I thought he committed suicide," Liz asks.
"That's what it looked like, but the post-mortem and forensics suggest otherwise," Kate responds.
"Only minor evidence, though," Dot argues, "Nothing too strong."
"Steve thinks Hari may have had something to do with it," Kate's voice explains, quietly as to not be caught. Liz assumes she is still at South Ferry Station," If he killed Danny, killing Rod wouldn't be a stretch."
"Hari's car was spotted on CCTV less than half a mile away from where Rod was found on the night he died," Dot reveals.
"Do we know where he is now?"
Kate answers her, "South Ferry's AFOs are operating, heading to his home now. Steve should be there. I've been kicked off."
"Christ," Liz mutters, "Are you ok, Kate?"
She can hear Kate sigh down the phone, "Yeah, just frustrated. I need to be in on this, Dot. Can you make a call?"
"No, this is too dangerous," Dot immediately asserts. Liz feels relieved he is looking out for her, worried also for her friend, "I want you out of there."
"For Christ's sake, Dot," Kate sneers down the phone.
"Sorry, Kate," Dot says, hanging up the phone before she can protest more.
"You know she is just going to head over there anyway, right?" Liz says, folding her arms and chewing her lip out of worry for her friend.
"I know," Dot chuckles, humourless, "And I should be going too."
She watches as he stands from his desk, grabbing his jacket and keys.
"Be careful," she pleads, watching him turn to her and smirk.
He doesn't reply, just winks before heading in the direction of the stairwell.
"What is it?"
Hastings looks up from the phone to Liz who is mouthing at him from the doorway of his office. She must have seen him on the phone, stressed.
He holds up a hand to her, concentrating on the voice at the other end giving him the details of the latest development, "Ok, thank you. I'll be right there."
He hangs up, placing the phone back on its holder and immediately standing to reach for his coat and hat.
"What's happening?" Liz says, concerned and out loud now he is not on a call.
Hastings sighs, moving around his desk as he hurriedly puts on his jacket, "Come with me."
She follows behind him as he strides from his office, grabbing her own jacket as they pass her office.
Ted knows she will want to be there. He will tell her on the way.
"When I got here, Baines jumped me," Dot explains to the two other AC-12 officers, "He was going to string me up the same way he did Rod Kennedy."
Kate hums, Steve nodding. They had found Hari Baines in the warehouse where Rod had been discovered a few days prior. There, Dot was already waiting for them with Hari detained but a brutal bruise forming on his jaw. They had clearly fought. Steve swiftly arrested Baines, himself and Kate then discovering the noose he had clearly planned to use on their colleague.
A car pulls up beside the three officers as they discuss the happenings of the afternoon. Hastings appears first, straightening the cap on his head before making his way over to them. Steve sighs as Liz appears next, her eyes searching frantically in the crowd before landing on them. She moves hastily with the Superintendent to stand beside them.
Sharing a smile with Kate, relieved to see her friend is well after almost a month undercover, Liz meets eyes with Steve. The man looks away, clearly unsure where they stood with each other. It seemed he had felt that way for quite some time now. Her heart aches a little, hoping they will have the chance to talk soon. But for now, especially surrounded by all this chaos about the case, it would have to wait.
"How are you, Cottan?" Hastings asks as they reach them.
Liz turns to the taller man, noticing the swelling on his jawline for the first time. Her eyes widen in concern, but Dot calms her with a characteristically charismatic grin, "Not too bad, sir."
"Glad to hear it."
"I shouldn't have gone in without backup, sir," Dot laments, "I just didn't want him to get away."
Hastings waves a dismissive hand, "Nobody's going to question your judgement. You did a grand job, son."
Liz watches with a small smile, endeared by the way Hastings pats Dot on the arm encouragingly.
"Now, I need to speak with these two," Hastings says, gesturing to Kate and Steve, "So why don't you get yourself off to the hospital?"
"Cheers, guv," Dot thanks as the older man and two officers begin to walk away.
"You ok, Dot?" Liz asks, concern flooding her voice as the others leave the two of them standing together.
He looks down at her, charmed, "Yeah, I'll live."
"May I?" she says, reaching a tentative hand to hover by the side of his face.
Dot nods, removing his hand where the cloth had obscured the extent of the bruising. Liz winces through grit teeth as she studies the beaten flesh and bone.
She slowly reaches her hand over, to gently graze the wound. Dot hisses slightly as her fingers make contact, causing her to quickly retract. She twists her mouth, thoughtfully, before moving past him to one of the ambulances.
Steve, who stands by one of the cars, has been watching the interaction as Hastings bleats on about paperwork and procedure and such. He looks on as Liz returns to the taller man with an ice pack in her hand, lifting it cautiously to his face. Tenderly, as only Liz could, she places it against his jaw, stretching gracefully onto her tiptoes to reach the man's face. Dot looks down at her, a recognisable sentiment in his eye - Steve knows it well. The man slowly reaches his own hand up, placing his palm over her gentle fingers, clearly revelling in her touch under the guise he was simply holding the pack in place. The pair gaze at each other.
His chest hurts.
He has to look away.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Liz asks as she removes her hand from underneath his and places her feet firmly back on the ground, Dot fully taking the pack from her now, "In the ambulance?"
He shakes his head, pressing the ice pack a little firmer against his jaw, "I'll be fine. It's just a bruise."
"Well," Liz says, uncertain as her eyes are unable to look away from his battered face, "make sure you call me as soon as you're fixed up."
Dot nods, smiling softly.
Liz smiles back up at him, her cheeks heating under his warm, gentle gaze.
After watching him turn to approach the back of the ambulance waiting for him, Liz makes her way back over to the cars where Hastings, Kate and Steve - who seems to be glaring at her, again - are waiting.
She avoids his gaze, unsure why the man, after days of no communication, was sending her such a heated look.
Kate, who seems to have noticed Steve's indignant demeanour too, raises an inquisitive brow at her, to which Liz just shrugs. Honestly, she didn't know what was running through his head - and didn't want to.
Focussed on keeping her gaze from meeting the man beside her, she turns back to watch as the ambulance Dot had gotten into drives away.
She can still feel Steve's eyes on her, burning holes into the back of her head. An ache begins to form there.
Liz's blood begins to boil again, as it had done a few days ago. She can only assume Steve had been watching them both. That he was thinking whatever he was thinking the other day when he berated her.
That was why she was mad at him. Why she still is.
In the middle of all this, of all that was going on, he still made a point of making her feel bad. And for what? Why? What exactly had she done wrong?
Maybe he didn't deserve her sympathies or forgiveness just yet.
Liz turns back, seeing Kate flick her eyes between the two of them, eventually rolling them in exasperation.
The tense silence is only filled by Hastings, who had been conversing with another officer, moving over to congratulate them, "Well done, again, for detaining Baines. This is big for us."
"Thanks, sir," Kate and Steve respond, though she holds more of a smile.
"Maybe we should go for a drink to celebrate?" Ted suggests, Liz almost grinning at his hopeful tone.
Kate sighs, putting her hands in her vest jacket, "Sorry, sir. But Denton's verdict is announced tomorrow…"
Liz watches as Kate fixes Steve with a pointed glance, to which the man takes a small step back.
Hastings catches onto her meaning, humming disappointedly, "Aye, suppose we had better get our rest and pray for the best. Save the drinks for after the hearing, eh?"
"Yes, sir," Kate and Steve reply.
"Go on, see you tomorrow," Hastings says as he goes to walk away, "Coming Beth?"
"I'll just stick with Kate, but thanks," Liz smiles at the older man as he waves them goodbye, leaving in his car.
Turning back to the group, Liz sees that Steve has already walked away, opening the door to his own car and stepping in without a goodbye. She hears Kate huff, frustrated, beside her and can only nod her head in agreement. What was going on with him?
"Fancy a drink?"
Liz snaps her head to the woman beside her, brows rising in surprise, "What? I thought you said about Denton's-"
Kate chuckles, "Whatever, I deserve one. And besides, we have a lot to catch up on."
Liz blanches under Kate's expectant, suggestive expression, "Like what?"
Kate rolls her eyes again, though her humoured grin remains, "Lie whatever is happening between you and Steve. And whatever is happening between you and Dot Cottan."
Liz shakes her head, willing the blush blooming on her cheeks to cool, "Nothing is happening with me and Dot."
Kate just mockingly turns her lips downward, nodding her head, unconvinced.
Liz cannot help but laugh, amazed by the woman's brashness - and also a little embarrassed.
"Come on," Kate says, wrapping an arm around her friend and laughing too, "Let's get us a drink."
Liz smiles. While she feels bad they were purposely excluding Steve, she could not help the surge of relief that Kate had also noticed the tension and had done her best to step in and diffuse it. He was being a dick. And she was being a good friend.
"Missed you, Fleming," Liz beams.
"And you, Thornton."
"Jury's coming back," Gill says to him as she passes in the courthouse lobby, "You're free to come in if you want."
Steve shakes his head, "I'll wait here."
He watches as Gill and several other people re-enter the courtroom, letting out a shakily anxious breath when he finds himself alone.
If only Liz was here, he thinks.
"A search of Hari Baines' home found a cache of mobile phones. All of the unregistered pay as you go variety," Kate explains to Hastings and Liz who are sitting beside her at the desk, "Finding these phones allowed us to examine their call history. Hari Baines received a call the night before going to Inspector McAndrew and volunteering to stay on Danny's squad."
"And who was the call from?" the Superintendent asks.
"Unfortunately, it was also an unregistered pay as you go phone and said phone is no longer in history," Kate sighs, disappointedly, "Same MO as the recent texts Baines received telling him to sit tight. Three days later there's another call from the same number, that was the night before Baines murdered Danny Waldron."
"You think they're connected?" Liz asks now.
"Well, if they are, it means somebody's been pulling the strings. Someone who ordered Danny's murder-"
"Well done, Dot," Kate is cut off as a woman cheers from the other side of the office, a round of applause beginning to resound in the room.
The three look over, seeing Dot Cottan stride back into the room, waving humbly as he passes the clapping desks.
Liz immediately stands, making her way over to his desk where they meet each other. He beams at her, Liz sending him a relieved and cheerful grin back.
"How are you feeling?" she shouts over the continued clapping.
"A lot better now," he says, pointedly gleaming at her. She blushes, her grin widening.
Hastings moves to stand beside her, taking the man's hand in a shake, "Welcome back, son."
"Thanks, gaffer," the taller man smiles.
"Great work, sir," Kate now congratulates, also offering her hand for a shake.
"Cheers," Dot says as he takes it.
He turns back to look down at Liz as the applauding begins to die down.
She is studying the now smaller, less brutal bruise on his jawline. Her brow is creased slightly as Liz remembers how painful it had looked yesterday, but it soon eases into another smile when she realises how much better it looked after cleaning and a couple of stitches. The swelling had gone down, immensely, the man now finding it easier to grin down at her, that signature smirk back on his face.
He moves a step closer to her, lowering his voice as everyone makes their way back to their respective desks around them, "Maybe we should get a drink sometime. Celebrate good health and all that."
Liz hesitates, though allows herself to smile, "That would be-"
"Shit."
Liz's attention is pulled away by Kate cursing beside her. The woman is looking at her phone, her eyes darkening.
"What?" Liz asks, worried, "What is it?"
Her stomach jolts as Hastings' face falls when Kate shows him whatever message she has just assumes it has something to do with the Denton hearing today. Do they have a verdict?
She hopes not, with that reaction.
"Is it Steve?" Liz hears herself asking, instinctively.
Kate looks up at her, eyes solemn as she turns the phone to face her.
Liz reads the message.
Steve: Bail granted. She's out.