Alec didn't see the disappointed look on Tess's face as they went to work and neither did he see it for the next few days as he sent a card and present off to Rose, putting a note in the present that he still loved her and hoped she'd come up and see him, even if only for a few days.
Tess had offered to help him choose something but he'd politely turned her down, saying he'd managed all this time to get something nice for his fiancée, if she still was. He planned on calling her during his break, wishing he could get on days, mainly to stop being partnered with Tess but so he'd be free to call Rose.
Jackie had caught the postman on her way out, on the morning of Rose's birthday and smiled at the neatly wrapped small parcel and the card with Alec's writing. She put them on the coffee table and hoped Rose would at least call him to thank him. She was just leaving again when the phone rang.
Alec had stayed awake so he could call Jackie before she set off.
"Oh hello Alec, ya just caught me," Jackie laughed.
"How's Rose? Did my card and present arrive for her?" he asked cautiously, in case it hadn't.
He was glad he'd not taken up Tess's offer to post it for him. He was wondering why she had been so interested to know the rest of the story regarding why Rose was scared to come back but so far, he'd only told her bits.
"Yeah, it just arrived," Jackie told him. "Why don't ya come down and surprise her at the weekend?" she suggested.
"I only wish I could Jackie. Has she said anything about coming up here? I know she was thinking about it," he asked hopefully.
"She's not said anything to me but maybe she's talked to Donna, about having some time off? Maybe Donna processed some without Rose even asking?" Jackie replied.
"I hope so Jackie, it's really hard for both of us, being so far apart. I was thinking of trying to get one of those mobile phones, it would maybe make it easier for her to contact me. Anyway, I will give you the number of the station, she can call me when she gets home maybe?"
Jackie wrote the number down, feeling so sorry for the pair of them and Rose being so stubborn.
"Well let me know the number, if ya get a mobile phone," Jackie told him.
"I will go see about one Jackie, on my day off. I know John's been going on about them but they are still quite expensive. It would be worth it though, if it made it easier for Rose to call me. Tell her I love her and I hope that she has a brilliant day."
When Rose got home, she saw the card and present on the coffee table, along with the piece of paper with the station's number on.
"Call him Rose," her mother urged her. "He called this morning, that's the station's number."
Rose relented and thought the least she could do was thank him for what he'd sent, a card with roses on and the gift of small soaps in the shapes of roses. She somehow managed to miss the note he'd written that he still loved her. A tear was forming in her eye as she dialled the number, hoping her mother had written it down right and that the switchboard would put her through.
Unfortunately, Alec had been called away from his desk five minutes before, to go sit in on a briefing concerning a case he was working on with another division, one that hadn't interested Tess. She'd tried to beat Alec in almost everything that went on but she'd sat this one out, since it was about child abuse and it made her skin crawl to think about it.
She'd thought though that maybe the reason why Alec was interested was because of what his girlfriend in London had got mixed up in. Was she still his girlfriend though or was it just out of habit he'd sent her a card and present? She'd have to try and find out but she herself had been a bit put out when he'd not wanted her help in choosing the present.
Rose had asked for Alec and was being put through, the operator not knowing Alec wasn't there so as his phone rang, Tess thought she would answer it.
"DC Hardy's desk," Tess put her best voice on.
"Oh, is he there?" Rose replied, thinking of just hanging up.
"Sorry, he's at a briefing, can I help?" Tess told Rose, trying to determine if the woman had a London accent.
"No, I just wanted to speak to him, can ya ask him to call me back? Tell him it's Rose."
"Oh. So you're Rose?" Tess half laughed. "He goes on about you all the time."
"He does?" Rose replied, trying not to sound embarrassed to the woman who obviously worked with him.
"I'll tell him when he comes back. Did you get his present?"
Rose was wondering just how much Alec had said about her.
"Yeah. So, when will he be back?" Rose wanted to know.
Tess looked behind her at the small glass-fronted briefing room, Alec with his back to her. She was already jealous of this Rose, Alec had hardly ever shut up about the woman for the last few days. Why couldn't he pay her some attention for a change? She was right in front of him and Rose was hundreds of miles away but he didn't see it that way.
"I'm not sure, it could take a while. Did he tell you he confronted the man you and your mother used to live with?" Tess asked, trying to stir things up a bit.
"What? No, he didn't tell me," Rose replied, being a bit surprised.
"Well he did, I went with him," Tess made a point in telling her. "I'll let him tell you what happened then?"
"Yeah, he'd better, what was he thinking?" Rose told Tess.
"Well he did it for you," Tess reminded her. "So, you've known each other a long time then? He said something about meeting in the library?"
Rose wished he hadn't done that, she'd rather he hadn't.
"I'll call back another time, if he doesn't get chance to call me," she changed the subject.
"That's just it though," Tess told her boldly. "You've hardly spoken to each other, so he keeps saying. Maybe you should try actually talking to him when he does call you?"
"Excuse me, whoever ya are, it's none of your business, is it?" Rose was annoyed.
"I'm Tess, his friend and colleague. He keeps saying he wished you'd answer when he calls and not only that, you wouldn't even come up for his birthday," Tess reminded her. "Weren't you thinking of coming up for yours? Have you decided you will, only you're leaving it a bit late, if you are."
Rose had heard enough.
"Will ya just say I called?" Rose repeated herself, then hung up.
She went into the kitchen and her mother saw the look on her face.
"He wasn't there Mum and this woman answered. She was a right cow. She sounded jealous Mum, what if Alec's going out with her?"
"What?" her mother asked. "He wouldn't do that to ya Rose, he was only on the phone this morning, saying he loved ya."
"Well tell that to her then," Rose replied. "She sounded like she wanted him to get rid of me."
"Rose, just because someone else answers his phone?" her mother questioned her. "I'm sure he'll call ya back to say happy birthday to ya. Did he get you something nice?"
"Yeah Mum, he always does," Rose tried to calm herself down.
Alec got back to his desk a while later.
"Have I missed any calls?" he asked Tess.
Tess shook her head.
"Were you expecting any?" she asked.
"I thought Rose would have rung to say she got her card and present," he admitted. "I asked her mother this morning to make sure she got it."
"Well, she will have done then," Tess replied, not going to say Rose had rung. "What time did you ring? Weren't you meant to get some sleep?"
"Don't fuss Tess, I wanted to make sure it had arrived. I put a note in it for her," Alec replied, beginning to worry. "What if she didn't want it though?"
"You can't make someone want a present Alec," Tess reminded him. "Does she always like them?"
"She had done, until now. Maybe the note I put in was too much?" he wondered.
Tess just shrugged her shoulders and went back to writing a report of an earlier incident.
Rose hadn't noticed the note tucked within the wrapping paper, which itself was in a large brown envelope. Her mother didn't want to mention it to her, in case she was upset about it so it had got thrown out with the rest of the paper.
Jackie had already seen how upset Rose had been, when she'd finally got her to call Alec at work, something she'd rarely done in the past. So asking her what was in the note would have been even more upsetting. She waited all evening until deciding Rose wasn't going to try calling Alec again so she went to bed.
Alec was sat at his desk, wondering why Rose hadn't called, glancing over at Tess as though he was trying to get her to admit Rose had called earlier and she'd either forgotten or she wasn't telling him on purpose.
"Something wrong Alec?" Tess finally got tired of him creeping her out and that he knew she wasn't telling him something but didn't want to say anything about it.
Alec shook his head.
"I just thought Rose would have called, that's all," he admitted. "I'm worried that I've finally lost her. I was hoping she would come up here, when she finally realised Bob wasn't going to go after her."
"You never told me the full story Alec," Tess reminded him.
"I can't, Rose wouldn't want me to," he replied. "Some bits are really personal to her. Needless to say, she had been scared of him and now she's older, she might have realised she can come back."
"How long did she live here Alec?" Tess wanted to now.
"Three years and yes, I know it's not a long time but it was for us, though not long enough. She became my girlfriend properly when we were fifteen but we had realised long before that. We were never apart until one day, her mother said they were going back to London and we were devastated, like we had been ripped apart. I went down, every holiday after that, until I joined the police."
"Why didn't you join it down there?" Tess wanted to know.
"Because I already had been accepted up here, after I finished school and Rose wanted me to still go. Only it turned out I then got sent to Aberdeen and there went any chance of encouraging Rose to join me. It's been too long now since we last saw each other, I thought this would be the time she'd say she still wanted to get married."
Tess tried to avoid his eyes. Now she had done it, how could she just come out and say the woman had called while he'd been in the briefing room? She thought oh well, maybe this Rose would call back tomorrow, then she'd have to think of an excuse.
The next day, Donna asked Rose if Alec had sent her a present.
"He always does Donna," Rose reminded her friend. "He'd left the station's number with my mum and I called but he wasn't at his desk, this woman answered."
"Well he could have rung back," Donna pointed out.
"Donna, what if she didn't tell him I'd rung?" Rose asked.
"Wouldn't he have asked if he'd missed any calls?" Donna replied.
"I suppose so? What if he didn't want to talk to me though? Well not in front of her anyway."
"What are you saying Rose? You mean he's going out with her, whoever she was?" Donna had her mouth open in surprise. "Well call back and find out then."
"I can't Donna, I can't listen to him telling me not to call again and he's got someone else. I don't even remember her name, if she told me," Rose admitted.
"Trust me Rose, she'd have made sure you knew her name," Donna told her.
"What do I do about it Donna?" Rose asked her.
"Go up and see him?" Donna suggested, doubtful it would work after all this time.
"I can't face him Donna. I could go all that way, just for him to say it's all over."
"Well I don't know what else ya can do," Donna admitted defeat.
Neither did Rose so she was stuck. She really couldn't face him if she went up there and calling John, his dad or his aunt may do no good, if he'd already told them he had someone else. They may not want to talk to her if that was the case and he was moving on after she'd been stubborn and not wanted to set foot in Scotland after all this time.
When she thought about how they would always be together, it wasn't as everyone made it out to be, was it? She'd kept turning him down when he'd suggested they got married and now, refusing to go up there on her birthday, that had finally done it.
She looked down at the ring on her finger after Donna got up, took it off her finger and put it in her purse at the side of her. She'd never wear it again so she'd gather everything Alec had ever got her and put them in a box and maybe look at them once in a while but she'd never stop loving him.
Donna had turned around and caught her.
"I'm sorry Rose, I know you loved him but maybe it's not too late? Take the train on your day off and go see if he'll talk?" she suggested.
"To catch him with someone else?" Rose laughed nervously. "No, I don't want to chance it, thanks Donna."
When Alec got on duty that night, wishing it was his night off, he was determined not to leave his desk in case Rose decided to call him. Tess knew what he was doing when she saw he was all on edge.
"Expecting her to call?" she dared to ask him.
"She might, I have to at least hope she got the note I put in her present. I'm sure I mentioned it to her mother but even if she sees it, she may not believe it,"
"Why, what did you put in it?" Tess wanted to be nosy.
"I can't say Tess, it was personal. Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts to think they don't want anything to do with you, ever again?" he asked her.
Tess shook her head.
"No Alec but if she doesn't, what are you going to do about it?" she replied. "You said you were going to get her back."
"I was but not while I'm stuck up here and she's in London," he replied, a bit louder than he should have done as everyone looked in his direction.
He caught the attention of the sergeant, who went across to him.
"Shush Alec, what's the matter?"
"Sorry Sarge, Alec got a bit carried away," Tess replied.
"Well keep it down eh? Are you still having problems Alec?"
Alec nodded, wanting to lean on the desk and when he looked up, Rose would be sitting opposite him instead of Tess.
"Sorry Sarge. I was expecting her to visit but she's not, I'll keep my problems out of the station," Alec replied.
"Aye, see you do. I'm sorry it never worked out Alec but you have to leave your troubles at home. I just got word they are about to make an attempt to capture that child exploitation ring, if you want in?"
Alec stood up.
"Yes Sarge, very much so," he replied keenly, Tess rolling her eyes.
"Not wanting to go with him Tess?" the sergeant grinned.
"No thank you, I'll stay here," she remained seated as Alec went off.
"I'll give you a word of advice Tess. You make yourself known at briefings and such but Alec is the one who actually does something, even when he remains quiet. You should follow his example and Tess, you should tell him about the call you took while he was away last night."
"I don't know what you mean Sarge," Tess replied.
"Don't lie to him Tess. He's about to break up with his long-term girlfriend and you may be the cause of it. Can you live with that?" he asked her.
Alec went to join the team who were about to go out. The chief inspector who was about to lead them, who reminded Alec of a tough British TV cop from the 70s acknowledged him.
"Nice of you to join us Hardy. Just why are you interested in this, you're not in the CID."
"No Sir, it's personal. My girlfriend almost got caught up in it, when she was a teenager," he admitted.
"She was lucky to escape then. Right, let's get going," the chief inspector told them. "Your friend not joining us Hardy?" he asked as Alec passed him and nodding towards Tess.
Why was everyone thinking Tess was his friend, he wondered. Maybe because they sat opposite each other and Tess made it clear they were in competition with each other but she was the one doing it, making people think they were friends.
They went in vans to an address just on the edge of town, a place where Alec had never been before and slightly run-down, with empty shops and houses boarded up. It made him think of the kind of people who were into that sort of thing they were going to investigate but Bob had lived in a better area, near where he himself used to live.
Had Bob made his money and got out of this sort of place but his friends still remained there? He couldn't see Jackie visiting this sort of place but as far as he could remember, she hadn't gone out much, Bob electing to have their friends visit them instead.
He heard the sergeant in charge of the men say they had arrived so he got ready to follow the others. He heard someone say they were looking forward to this and so was he, if he could arrest at least one offender. Rose would have been proud of him because he'd promised her he would do something about what happened to her.
When they had rounded everyone up, including women and several teenagers, he thought this was going to take some sorting out. He was surprised though that Bob wasn't amongst them, well disappointed was more like it. Maybe the man was absent because he didn't have a teenager with him any more and Rose had been unlucky he'd found her and her mother whilst working in London.
Alec was now helping one of the inspectors interrogate a couple who seemed to have been organising things.
"Did you know a teenager called Rose?" Alec asked as he looked at the inspector, who didn't say anything.
The couple, who looked to him like they were in their late fifties showed no sense of recognition at the name.
"Let me refresh your memories," Alec continued. "It was around twelve years ago, when she was a teenager. She was English."
He saw their reaction and leaned forward, banging his fist on the table.
"You tried to get her into whatever was going on back then. She was with someone called Bob."
The inspector indicated he wanted to talk to him.
"Is this going somewhere Hardy?" he asked Alec.
"Sir, these are the ones who encouraged the man she was living with, with her mother, to pick her out and try to groom her, I'm certain of it," Alec replied in a low voice.
"I'll let this go on, for now but you need to get the proof, understand?"
"Yes Sir," Alec assured him.
"Has your memory come back?" Alec resumed his questioning.
"It was him," the woman spoke up.
"Stop telling them," the man told her.
"Do you want us to go down on our own?" the woman argued. "Yes, we knew her and Bob but we never saw much of her, she was too clever to stay," she told Alec. "We excluded him, from our circle when she disappeared, he tried to tell us he would get her back. We've co-operated with you, will you go easy on us?"
Alec shook his head. So Bob had been certain Rose would come back and he himself had been the bait. Bob had known Rose wouldn't be able to resist but she had and now, they'd paid the price. Bob had got her so scared of coming back, she'd not risked it to the point she'd not even wanted to get married.
Now, he was going to make Bob pay as he turned to the couple.
"You give us the names of those not with you tonight who were involved back them, then I want a statement as to Bob's involvement and what he promised you back then," he told them.
"You want to know what he promised us back then, to be included?" the man spoke up.
"Yes, because I know you wouldn't let him get involved until he had a teenager living with him," Alec told the man.
"What's going on here?" the inspector wanted to know. "This was twelve years ago, so it's now historic child abuse? How many teenagers are and were involved?" he asked in disbelief.
"Back then, half a dozen or so," the man admitted. "Rose would never join in."
"Thankfully," Alec commented.
"Who is this Rose?" the inspector wanted to know.
"I remember now," the woman chimed in. "She was your girlfriend, Bob was annoyed as hell about it at the time."
"Your girlfriend?" the inspector repeated.
"I did not know it was the same people involved now as back then until now," Alec swore. "I need to be in on this Sir, to get some justice for her almost getting involved."
"Very well, for now," the inspector agreed.
"Bob wasn't the only one annoyed," the man grumbled. "He got in on it under false pretences, saying he had found this blonde teenage girl but we all thought he wanted her for himself, when he kept making up excuses why she was never in when we went to visit."
"She was too clever," the woman told him. "I knew she never wanted to be there, she was an outsider."
"So, you groomed your children from an early age?" the inspector wanted to know. "And this Rose knew what was going on and wanted no part of it? I've heard enough. DC Hardy, take them away and have them detained, along with the others and have someone take care of the teenagers. Oh and Alec is it? You can obtain a warrant for the arrest of this Bob, if you know his surname."
"Yes Sir, I do and it will be a great pleasure, I've waited twelve years for this."
By the following day when he arrived at the station, they had all been charged and let out on police bail to appear in court at a later date and a warrant was waiting to be served with Bob's name on it, after he'd left details that morning. Tess was waiting for him, wondering what he'd been doing all that night.
"Want to come with me, to arrest that man we went to see the other week?" he asked Tess.
"You mean the one who caused your girlfriend all that pain?" Tess asked, wondering if Rose still was considered as his girlfriend and now hoping the answer was no.
She'd thought if Rose was out of the picture, she herself may stand a chance with him. After all, they spent a lot of time together, where else were they going to meet anyone, given the hours they worked?
As Alec pressed the buzzer and told Bob he was there on official business, he was surprised Bob hadn't been warned he was wanted to answer some questions but he figured the others wanted nothing more to do with him, considering he no longer had a teenager living with him.
Alec and Tess waited for Bob opening the apartment door then Alec shoved the warrant in his face.
"You are under arrest, DC Henchard, read him his rights."
He'd waited a long time for this and leaving it to Tess was the right thing to do in order not to compromise the ongoing investigation but now, he was worried Rose and her mother's names would come up so he was going to have to be very, very careful.
