Chapter 124 Ruined life

Claire was more than annoyed with Lee. Why hadn't he cleared out the car properly before taking it to a mate of his who sold cars? Now she'd have to get a taxi there and hope the police were having trouble getting a search warrant. If Lee had left nothing in it belonging to Pippa then all well and good. If he'd been careless, she had better get there before it was taken to the police station and used in evidence.

She had a good mind to let him get caught but she was going to need him, if her pregnancy wasn't imagined. She still hadn't done a proper test or booked herself into a clinic, she'd meant to go the night it all kicked off but she'd not yet had the courage to tell Lee. Now she wondered what kind of father he'd make and if she should seek help before it was too late.

She arrived at the car sales in a taxi and saw a few cars parked outside, one being a marked police car. Then she spotted Alec and who she knew as Tess, who was talking with another detective as Alec talked to the car lot owner. She stayed on the opposite side of the road, hoping no-one would glance over and spot her but she panicked when she saw Alec hand over a plastic evidence bag.

She cursed to herself then watched as they seemed to be arguing, now laughing to herself as Tess and Dave were trying to avoid the item.

"Well one of you had better take it," Alec had insisted. "Tess, you go that way to your mother's," he reminded her.

So she had snatched the thing out of his hands, muttered something to herself and got into her car. Since Tess wasn't taking any notice, Claire flagged down another passing taxi.

"Where to luv?" the driver asked as she got in.

"I'm not sure, just drive for now mate," Claire replied, keeping Tess's car in sight."Suit yourself," the driver replied, setting the meter going and glancing at her.

When she saw Tess turn into a pub car park, she told the driver to stop. She just fumbled in her bag to get some money out, which she was going to make Lee pay her back.

"Forgot where I was meeting my mates," Claire just grinned at the driver as she waited for her change.

The driver shook his head, cleared the meter and waited for Claire to get out. She crossed the still busy road and stood on the corner, seeing Tess greet Dave and carelessly leave everything in the car as she was too busy to take any notice someone had followed her.

"Huh, some detective she is then," Claire thought. "This is going to be too easy."

Alec had got home and Rose had greeted him. They were relaxing more around each other now they were no longer in the hotel.

"So it could all be over soon?" Rose smiled at him as they finished making dinner, which Rose had delayed.

Alec had already noticed the difference in coming home to Rose, compared to how Tess used to be. There were no more 'where have you been, you're late' complaints fired at him as he entered, just Rose stopping what she was doing and greeting him with a long kiss.

"I said they would slip up love," Alec told her as they sat down to eat.

"Yeah, people get complacent," Rose agreed. "Is it being tested?" she asked, Alec not saying what had been found.

"Tess took it back, I expect forensics will test it in the morning," he replied, having no reason to think otherwise. "If we can prove it belonged to the young girl, we have them. How do you fancy a trip to Broadchurch this weekend eh?"

"Yeah? Really? That would be great Alec, I couldn't even bear to go there after we used to go together. Funny I could go other places though?" Rose admitted.

"It was a special place for us Rose. There were places in Scotland I could never go love. Let's not dwell on it though eh?" he suggested, reaching for her hand. "You could start looking for accommodation maybe?"

Rose agreed, thinking maybe a hotel room for two nights would be nice and romantic as at times, she thought things were still a bit tense between them. It was only to be expected after all this time, she had told herself and didn't want to mention it to him. Maybe it was just her, things were different for her, she'd not lost James out of choice, she was still feeling guilty.

"So did you never even mention the place to James?" Alec wanted to know. "Don't worry, I told Tess nothing about our past, what was personal to us."

"It's okay Alec, I knew you wouldn't have done. If we go off this weekend, we'll have to go see mum and Jamie the weekend after."

"Sure love, we'll make the time," he agreed. "We still have a lot to discuss you know? Mostly about Jamie. I'd like to take all responsibility for him, if you agree?"

"Yeah, it goes without saying Alec, you're his dad. I let James take over right away, sorry."

"Rose, you have nothing to be sorry about," he reminded her again. "You did the right thing, you took the best option between that and being on your own."

"There were times when I wondered what it would have been like?" Rose admitted. "Would I have tried to tell you, if James hadn't been around?"

"I should have walked away from Tess but I had no idea she had such a hold over me," Alec also admitted. "John and my family tried to tell me, before I moved back here with Tess. They tried to make me see she was using me. That reminds me, I still have something to check up on, about getting married in Scotland."

"Why, is it different up there?" Rose asked as they cleared the table.

"Oh Rose, I most certainly hope so love," he smiled at her.

"Well I hope it doesn't take long Alec but ya know I'll wait as long as it takes," she promised.

"I won't let it take any longer than necessary. Now we have that evidence, I can spend more time getting the divorce sorted out."

"Can't ya tell them how she got ya to marry her?" Rose wondered.

"Really? Rose I just want to forget it love. They will deal with it and I don't want you dragging into it," Alec replied.

"I'll have to face it sometime Alec," Rose told him. "Maybe I should tell her how she ruined our lives?"

"Rose, then you would not have married James," he reminded her.

"He'd still be here," Rose replied sadly.

"Don't think you were to blame Rose," he tried to convince her. "What would happen if you admitted it, to your mother and Donna? Then what about Jamie? You could lose everything love."

"They'd turn against me," Rose replied. "Jamie needs Donna, she's his link to James."

"You already said, now forget about telling them. You told me, that's all you need. What if Donna's family turned against you?"
"Fine, if you say so Alec. If you don't think I should say anything, I won't but I feel I owe them some sort of explanation for that night," Rose gave in.

"If you said already you never knew he'd gone out, that's partly true," Alec told her. "What if you had gone upstairs and he'd gone out later? You would not have known then, would you? See what I mean Rose, no-one could have predicted what would happen. John even feels bad now, knowing he'd driven past James."

"What were the chances of that?" Rose wondered. "He never said much about it though."

"I know, I suspect there is more to it, now he mentioned it," Alec replied. "I should talk to him when we next visit. Now, we should finish clearing away then spend some time on the sofa eh?"

They soon forgot all about Tess tricking him and Rose's guilt began to subside but the next morning, Alec couldn't believe what had happened.

Tess had found her passenger window smashed when she and Dave came out of the pub and she had pleaded with him not to call Alec.

"You know we should, him being the senior officer Tess," Dave had reminded her.

"Just help me fix the window Dave, until I get home. Then I can say it happened outside the house," Tess suggested.

"Tess, he'll know when you tell him," Dave also reminded her.

"Just do as I ask Dave. I'll deal with it, I'll get my dad to take Daisy home, I'll tell him I got held up," Tess replied. "Just act surprised in the morning when you get a phone call from me, telling you I'm waiting for the window being replaced."

"What about forensics?" Dave wondered what she was suggesting. "How are you going to explain the missing evidence? Alec knows you took it."

"We could blame it on him, say he took it," Tess wondered. "It's us against him."

"Forget it Tess, I'm not lying to him, he hates me enough," Dave reminded her. "Besides, those uniformed officers saw you take it. You want to put the blame on him because he's divorcing you?"

"Some help you are," Tess complained. "Go on, go home then," she told him as she was about to call about Daisy.

"Get your car sorted now Tess," Dave tried to plead with her.

"If I do, I'll have to call it in and Alec will get to know," Tess reminded him. "Hi Mother, can you take Daisy home for me and wait until I get there?"

Dave was calling the incident in and getting a car to come and pick Tess up while hers was examined.

"I'm doing it for your own good Tess," Dave added.

"Well forget about calling Alec, he can find out in the morning," Tess didn't want to give in.

She went off, telling an officer to have her car taken to the station's garage to check for any clues who might have broken into it. Unluckily for her, Alec had a feeling something wasn't right and Rose noticed.

"Then find out," she encouraged him around nine.

"Rose, I did not intend bringing this home with me," he promised.

"I know it's important Alec, call them," Rose suggested.

"Did DS Henchard hand that evidence bag in, the one from the car that was searched?" he asked the person about to go home.

"Sir, which one would that be?" he was asked.

"There was only one," Alec replied. "One containing a pendant."

"We never got handed anything like that," he was told. "Maybe it didn't get passed to us Sir? We've not been in long."

"Why, did something happen?" Alec wanted to know.

"Did you not hear an officer's car was broken into Sir? Earlier this evening, we had to recover it and dust it for prints."

"Great," Alec was annoyed. "Fine, I will check in the morning."

"What's wrong Alec?" Rose wanted to know, handing him a glass of wine.

"Nothing love, I hope," he replied, thinking it had better not have been Tess's car that had to be recovered.

If it had been, he would have been informed, unless Tess had told them to keep quiet about it. Well, if it had been her car, he had a alibi to say he was home with Rose, she could vouch for him now. Tess was on her own. As Tess was leaving the next morning, Daisy wanted to know where the car was.

"It's fine, I got a ride home last night, we were out," Tess used the excuse.

When Alec got to work though, he asked the desk sergeant if anything had happened last night.

"Was some evidence handed in?" Alec asked.

"I don't think so Sir, unless it went straight to the lab," he was told.

"Find out for me," Alec replied, already suspicious something was going on.

Then he saw Tess, followed by Dave, who she had called to get a ride to work.

"What's going on Tess?" Alec wanted to know.

"Before you say anything," Tess started to tell him. "It's your fault, insisting I took the evidence back last night."

Alec looked at her.

"How do you mean? You did collect Daisy?"

"She got home, don't worry," Tess assured him. "My car was broken in to last night, it's in the police garage, waiting for forensics."

"Well if you will go out before getting Daisy," Alec told her. Then he realised he had a right to be worried. "Hold on, you did come back with the car and the evidence?"

He looked across at Dave, who hadn't been happy to have to set off early to get Tess. He didn't want to go down with her either, once Alec found out. Tess had gone over it in her mind last night, desperately trying to come up with a cover story.

"You didn't come back here, did you?" Alec realised what the signs were. "Harris, what happened?"

"Hey, don't involve me Hardy," Dave objected. "I just picked her up this morning."

"So you left the car here when you handed in the evidence?" Alec asked Tess hopefully.

"You shouldn't have insisted I came back with it Alec," Tess replied, trying to avoid the question.

"The car was broken into before you got here?" Alec realised.

Tess was still unsure how this was going to go.

"I had to stop to use the ladies room when I was passing a pub," she wondered if she'd get away with it. "I wasn't gone long."

Alec shook his head. No wonder no-one knew about the evidence.

"You two, with me," he told Tess and Dave Harris. "You can tell the chief, I'm not taking any of the blame."

Dave hung back then whispered to Tess.

"I told you," he gloated. "He'll find out when your car was brought in."

"Shut up Dave, I can still get out of this," Tess insisted, not willing to let Alec win.

She thought he'd got way too far ahead of things, like him starting divorce proceedings because he'd found his old girlfriend. Alec knew she had done it on purpose, to make him look bad in front of Rose. Well Tess didn't know her, did she? Rose would never turn away from him this time, Tess had already done too much damage.

That was why he was making it clear by not saying anything until the chief knew.

"Alec?" the chief greeted him, then saw the other two. "How did the search of Ashworth's car go last night? Do we have the car?"

"Yes but that is all," Alec replied. "Tess was coming back this way, she was supposed to enter what we found into evidence, you would have got the report shortly."

"What do you mean by would have?" the chief didn't look pleased.

"Tess, tell him what happened," Alec insisted, looking forward to her trying to get out of it. "Before she says anything, I have witnesses to say I told her to come straight back here with it. Harris, you were one of them and don't bother covering for her, I have others."

"All I saw was her driving off," Dave insisted. "So did you Hardy."

"What happened after that?" the chief wanted to know. "Did you go collect your daughter or something Tess? That's not against regulations Alec."

"I know but that's not what happened, is it Tess?" Alec put her on the spot.

"I'm waiting Tess," the chief reminded her when she didn't answer. "This is vital evidence, in case you all forgot? Tess, you are more than capable of simply bringing an evidence bag back here before you go home. Where is your car?"

"In the forensics lab," Alec answered for her.

"Stop it Alec," Tess hissed at him.

"This had better not be personal, like you two trying to get the better of each other," the chief warned them.

"It's nothing on my part," Alec insisted. "We are capable of working together. Tell him Tess, what you told me."

"You're just enjoying this Alec," Tess replied.

"Get on with it Tess. Have you got the evidence you found in the car or not?" the chief was getting tired of games.

"I had to stop on my way home," Tess had to admit.
"You did go get your daughter?" the chief wondered, hoping that was the reason.

"No, at a pub, I wasn't gone long. When I got back, it had been broken into. I panicked and called Dave. I didn't want Alec to know."

Alec had sat down and was running his hands over his face.

"Don't lie Tess, you had planned on meeting him," Alec accused them both.

"Hey, you saw me go off," Dave still insisted.

"Oh no you don't Dave," Tess warned him. "Yes, we were meeting but there was no reason why anyone would target my car when there were others parked."

"That's no excuse Tess," the chief told her. "So what was taken? Tell me you had the evidence bag with you?"

"Before anything else is said, I was in charge," Alec pointed out. "I handed evidence to a senior officer, who took charge of it. My part ended."

"That's easy for you to say," Tess snapped at him. "I told you I had to get Daisy."

"When? After you'd met with Dave?" Alec replied.

"Enough," the chief told them. "Let me get this right Tess. You disobeyed a direct order from the officer in charge, had a liaison at a hotel and left evidence in your car? Do you know what this means?"

"We are back to square one," Alec complained. "We still have nothing on Lee Ashworth. Thanks to you, Tess. You just had to think meeting Dave was more important than putting a child killer behind bars. Well, I hope you are satisfied now. Trust me, I will be glad when the divorce is granted, you have done nothing but ruin my life since we met."

"Alec, this is not the time," the chief reminded him. "Tess, I want a full report, then all we can do is hope there was more evidence in Ashworth's car that was left by the young girl. We keep this quiet for now, I want Ashworth brought in for questioning, see if he will admit anything."

"Agreed," Alec told them. "Harris, take someone with you and bring him in, not under arrest just yet."

"He'll object," Harris argued.

"Well if he does, he knows he's nothing to worry about," Alec replied. "It means either he thought nothing had been left or he made sure there wasn't."

"Such as breaking into Tess's car?" the chief suggested. "Seems you may have been followed Tess? You played right into their hands by stopping. Whoever it was wouldn't have followed you into the station."