"The crime scene examiners have been through Kirk's house with a fine-toothed comb, we're waiting on results of some tests but all evidence so far suggests he hasn't been back there in weeks, possibly even a couple of months. Uniform are out canvassing the area to see if any of the neighbours have anything of value to share with us. The tech guys at CEOPs are scouring every inch of the video link footage to see if we can get any clue about their whereabouts from the room. There's been no new broadcast as yet but that in itself isn't altogether encouraging. We've no way of knowing if Dawid is still alive or if Kirk now considers he has exceeded his usefulness." Grace reported back to the gathered team, her face matching their grim expressions as doubts crept in unbidden.
"Jo, see if you can talk to Izzy again. Ask her about the videos he made her watch, see if she knows where he got them from. See if there's anywhere he might have mentioned in passing, even if it's just some old relative's place. We need something to go on and quickly. Time is running out for that little boy and we are not going to fail him." Sam's vehement determination spurred the team into action, all of them whirling into frenzied activity with renewed vigour.
"Sam, do you have a minute?" Jack approached his DI and beckoned her into the office she shared with Neil.
"Guv?" Sam queried. Jack was not known for his penchant for meaningless chats.
"How's Jo holding up? She coping ok?" The DCI got straight to the point, as was his prerogative.
"Considering all things, she's doing remarkably well, why do you ask?" Sam rounded the desk, taking a seat as she watched her superior officer cautiously.
"This is an important case Sam, we need everyone firing on all cylinders if we're going to get the result we all really want."
"And you think Jo isn't? You think she's not 100 per cent committed to reuniting that little boy with his family and putting Kirk behind bars?" Sam felt her anger rising as her friend's competence was questioned.
"Ordinarily, I'd not think twice about DC Masters being in charge of any case, no matter how high profile or crucial it might be but…" Jack found himself cut off mid-sentence as the blonde DI had heard enough.
"Who's been talking to you? Was it Mickey? Jo has done absolutely everything you would expect of her and more besides. There's nothing she's overlooked, if anything she's more hyperaware because she is so conscious of this; of having her abilities doubted and her commitment questioned. DC Masters is the only person right now who I would want in charge of this investigation. For all her external concerns, she is more committed to solving this case than she is about her own health. For God's sakes Jack, she forgot to attend a crucial hospital appointment yesterday morning because she is so wrapped up in finding Dawid!" By the time the diminutive blonde had completed her tirade, she had risen from her chair and was leaning over the desk menacingly at Jack. The DCI visibly flinched, knowing that an angry Sam could be a formidable opponent but needing to press on all the same.
"There have been a few concerns raised by persons who wish to remain anonymous. Whilst it is commendable that Jo is so focused on finding Dawid, if she does so at the expense of her health then in the long-run that will help no one, least of all Jo herself. I know that she is a good friend of yours but I think you need to take a step back and look at this as her supervisor. If it was anyone else, would you be so quick to leap to their defence?"
"And just what do I have to defend her from DCI Meadows? Allegations from a coward too afraid to say to her face that she is doing her job too well? I am detached from being her friend at work. Once we come through those station doors, Jo is just another of my officers, no different from Mickey or Grace or Stuart or Kezia. How come this was never an issue when Stuart and I were involved? Or when I was with Phil? Be honest with yourself as well as me Jack, is this because Jo is ill or because she's a lesbian?" Sam threw caution to the wind, irate at the slight not only on Jo's ability to separate work and social life but on her own as well. "And to answer your question, yes I would be just as quick to leap to the defence of any member of my team whom I felt was being slighted unjustly. I can't believe that you think me so shallow that I would care less about another person than I do about Jo."
"It has nothing to do with Jo's sexuality, or directly her illness and it's not a question of you caring less about other members of the team Sam, that's not it at all. There are just concerns that you are finding it difficult to deal with separating your colleague Jo from your friend Jo now that you know she is ill and that that is leading you to allow her more leniency than you would ordinarily allow anyone." Jack tried to reiterate his position in the most diplomatic way.
"OK, enough beating around the bush. What is it that Jo is supposed to have done that I've missed? Please Jack, clue me in because right now, I don't have the faintest idea what you're on about."
"DNA results came back from samples taken from Andrew Kirk's house – they match control samples taken from Izzy Podowska. There is evidence to suggest that Izzy got a key cut to their house for Kirk to use when he visited them."
"And Jo figures into this how? People lie in interviews all the time Jack. When we questioned her, there was no evidence that Izzy was anything other than a victim and quite frankly I'm still not convinced that a key with her DNA on it is damning enough to warrant this kind of interrogation into Jo's conduct. I was present at that interview also, I saw nothing amiss nor anything to suggest that Izzy wasn't being totally honest about her involvement with Kirk. Everything was recorded, I'm sure if you review the tapes for yourself, you will come to the same conclusion. Is that all or was there something else that this kind member of the team felt necessary to share with you rather than discussing it at the briefing we have just had?" Sam asked, still not clear where the connection was between this new evidence and Jo's apparent failings.
"Sam, we've looked into it, Izzy did get the key cut, we have her on CCTV."
"Have you interviewed her as well? Did you give her chance to explain how it might have ended up in Kirk's possession? Would you like Jo and I to step down and leave you and your informant to run the show? This is pathetic Jack and not how I expect us to run this department. What happened to trust in your colleagues? What happened to sharing information to ensure a full and open investigation? This smacks of the old boys network and I don't like it one bit. I can't work with a team who are not committed to pulling in the same direction and quite frankly I'm surprised that you have given this as much credence as you have. Jo is on her way to interview Izzy again now, I will contact her and ask her to make enquiries about this key. I hope that you will make it known to whoever your informant is that Jo will be remaining in charge of this investigation with my full backing and that any further evidence which comes to light will be discussed at the briefings, with the entire team." Sam stalked towards the door, opening it and effectively dismissing her superior officer, still fuming on Jo's behalf.
"Sam, please don't make this personal. I have to investigate any allegation of favouritism, you know that." Jack implored the younger woman to understand his position.
"Bullshit Jack. If you had any idea of who I really am or how this team operates, you'd have sent whoever it was making the allegation packing with a stinging ear from your roasting. I operate totally above board in my job and in my dealings with colleagues. If you suspect differently, go ahead and do what you have to do. I have nothing to hide. Now if you don't mind, we are wasting precious time which could be better spent looking for a missing 3 year old child."
"Hi Izzy, how are you feeling today?" Jo asked gently, sitting next to the young girl.
"Not great. Any news on Dawid yet?" Two sets of eyes fixed on the DC hopefully who sadly shook her head.
"I need to check a few things with you if that's ok? Same as before, if it gets too hard or you want me to stop, just say the word and we'll stop. You're in control ok?" Izzy took a deep breath and nodded.
"I want to help you find him, I'll do whatever I have to do."
"You're a very strong and brave young woman Izzy, your father would be proud of you." Jo told the teenager, seeing tears spring into her mother's eyes at the statement. "Yesterday, you told us about some films Mr Kirk made you watch with him, can you remember anything about where the films took place? Anything about the rooms they were filmed in? I know it must be horrible to have to think about what you saw on that screen but if you can give us anything at all, it might help track down where Dawid is. Did Mr Kirk ever say anything about how he got the movies?"
"You think Dawid's at the same place? That Mr Kirk has taken him there?" Izzy said, her face stricken with the knowledge of what that might mean for her little brother.
"We don't know but it's one possibility and gives us another place to look for him." Jo replied honestly, not wanting to share with the family that movies of the boy had already been broadcast.
"Mr Kirk never told me where the films came from, just that they were his special films and only special people could know about them. I know the room well, I spent more time watching it than what they were doing to the girls. I didn't like seeing their faces. The walls were covered in flowers, big pictures of strange looking plants – I could draw them for you if it would help?" Izzy suddenly looked more alive, as though she truly believed she could help for the first time since her brother's disappearance.
"That would be great. What else did you notice about the room?"
"The furniture looked very old, the bed was rusty but looked like it had been shiny at one time. There was a door on the back wall, a wooden door with two windows in the top part which had been covered up by more pictures of flowers. You could tell there were windows behind them because there was a bit of light shining through the paper."
"Were there any shadows on the paper over the windows? Anything that might help us find where it was filmed?" Jo watched Izzy's brow crease as she concentrated on capturing an illusive memory.
"I think so… yes there was a slight outline of a building, it looked like a church. It had a big dome on the top with a cross sticking out of it." The young girl looked to Jo, her expression asking the officer to offer her approval.
"You're doing great Izzy, really brilliant. Now, I know this is really difficult but did you see any of the men in the room? Anything at all that you might be able to tell me? Did Mr Kirk ever talk to you about friends or family he visited?" Jo pressed, scribbling down what Izzy had mentioned so far.
"There was a cousin he kept talking about, he lives in London also but I don't know where. It must be quite close, Mr Kirk would go there from school on his lunch breaks sometimes. He said maybe Dawid and I could go there with him one day and play with his cousin's children. One of the men in the films was very tall, I remember, and wore leather trousers. I remember thinking they were too tight for him and too short. He had a thing round his ankle, something black and bulky with a little tiny light on it, I could see it when his trousers pulled up his legs. He seemed to be in charge of holding the girls down. He was in all the films we had to watch, always in the same trousers." Jo's heart was pounding as she suspected that the man in question may have been wearing a tag – another possible lead to chase which might lead them another step closer to tracking the men holding Dawid. Between that and the knowledge that Kirk had visited someone near the school, she was more hopeful that they could begin to close the net around him.
"That's brilliant love. Did Mr Kirk ever let himself in to the house when he came round here?" Jo asked, watching Izzy's reaction to the question carefully.
The young girl vehemently shook her head. "I always had to open the door to him. I didn't do it once and he kept banging and shouting he was coming in one way or another until I was so scared he would knock the door down. He really hurt me that day so I always answered quickly after that."
"I think that is done for today." Zofia interrupted, suddenly seeming anxious about the questions being asked.
"Just one more thing, then I'll leave you in peace. Have either of you lost any keys recently?"
"No, we have our keys." As if to illustrate her point, Zofia brandished hers with a flourish.
"Those are your old keys Mum, where's the one you asked me to get cut for you last week? When you put those ones down and couldn't find them?" Izzy asked her mother, a confused expression on her face.
"I thought you have it, where did you put it Izzy? What have you done with it? Did you give it to that monster so he could hurt Dawid?" Zofia rounded on the young girl causing Jo to consider stepping in.
"I'd never do that Mama, I love Dawid and hated what Mr Kirk did to us. I gave that key to you the day I had it cut. You probably threw it in the drawer like the last one when you found those." Izzy pointed at the keys in her mother's hand to illustrate her point. Tensions between the two seemed to be simmering rapidly, suggestions that the situation was taking it's toll becoming more evident.
"Yes, maybe that is it." Zofia concurred, turning to Jo and proclaiming, "you see we have all our keys. Why is it your question to ask that? Izzy already says Mr Kirk did not enter himself, she let him in."
"There's some suggestion that Mr Kirk may have a key to the flat, we're trying to track how he got hold of it." Jo answered carefully, something about the woman's behaviour jarring her senses.
"So he is a thief as well as a monster then." Zofia concurred with an air of finality, leaving Jo in no uncertain terms that she would get nothing further from mother or daughter that day.
"Sam it's me," Jo stated as Sam answered the phone on her desk.
"Hi Jo, how did you get on?" The DI leaned back in her chair, thoughts of her earlier confrontation with Jack still fresh in her mind.
"I've got us a couple of things to chase up but I'm concerned we're looking in the wrong direction. Have we done any digging into Zofia? Who is she? Where she comes from? Whether she herself has any connection to Kirk? My guts telling me something's off, her reaction to my question about the key was all wrong. Up until then, she sat back calmly listening to her daughter describe what she'd seen in those movies but as soon as I asked about the key, she got jumpy and defensive."
"I'll get Kezia to look into her background and her movements over the last few weeks, see if we can track something down. You think she gave Kirk a key to her house? How does that explain Izzy's DNA being on it?" Jo filled her friend and colleague in on the conversation which had taken place just prior to her leaving the Podowski's new home. "Leave it with us Jo, we'll look into it. Where are you off to now?"
"I thought I'd do some searching for buildings with domes and crosses on their roofs, try and narrow our search area a bit. Once I've got a general area, I'm going to ask Probation for their cooperation in tracking down the guy in the leather pants and an ankle tag, hopefully there won't be too many people fitting his description wearing one in the area! While Kezia is looking into Zofia, can you ask her to check who lives closest to the school and if there are any connections with Kirk. Izzy mentioned him visiting a cousin in his lunch break, could be an accomplice or someone who may know if Kirk has a different address."
"Will do. Good work Jo. Keep me posted and let me know if you need anything else doing from here. I'll call you if we find anything that can't wait 'til your back in the office." The women hung up and both went about their next steps in the investigation, each wondering just what was the involvement of each person they were looking into.
Sam walked out of CID just as she spied a familiar figure exiting the DCI's office, head bowed as though wishing to seem inconspicuous. Without another thought, the diminutive blonde strode purposefully towards the office, ready to ask Jack if that was his informant. She raised her hand to hammer on the flimsy wooden barrier when voices beyond it stopped her in her tracks.
"…I can find no evidence whatsoever to support your theory Sir, she is perfectly capable of running the investigation and I'm surprised we're still having this conversation. Jo has done an exceptional job of building up a rapport with the girl and that is proving invaluable to getting the information we need."
"Maybe that rapport is just a little too good?" Superintendent Heaton inferred causing Sam to need to bite her lip to prevent her temper from boiling over once again.
"With all due respect Sir, that is out of line. We both know that DC Master's would never allow herself to become too involved with anyone attached to a case."
"Really? What about that business last week then? You know as well as I do that 'no smoke without fire' is often true. And how about her involvement with Seth? Can you honestly say her attachment to him was strictly professional?" Heaton spouted pompously.
"Jo was cleared of any wrong-doing in that case last week and she has a perfectly plausible and valid explanation for her presence at the hospital. Or do you suspect that she is in fact not really ill? If Jo was more personally attached to Seth than she should have been, who can blame her? She'd known him for years and had spent six months working very closely with him on her undercover assignment. I defy anyone to remain emotionless after practically living with someone for six months. His death hit her hard, yes, but it did not cause her for one second to become sloppy or unable to complete her duties to the best of her abilities. She is one of the best officers on this force Sir and I will not allow anyone to hound her out of it." Jack stood firm, his belief in his officer seemingly unswayable. Sam felt a little churlish for her earlier display, realising that Jack was doing what was necessary to be able to stand his ground during this confrontation.
"And what of her relationship with DI Nixon? Do you think it is appropriate that two women who are so close work together as they do? Surely it must make the position untenable, you cannot supervise someone with whom you have a relationship."
"Jo and Sam have a purely platonic relationship which compliments their work rather than detracts from it. Prior to their friendship being cemented, they had a somewhat rocky relationship which was neither good for the team nor for the smooth running of this force. I, for one, would rather have them pulling together in the same direction than back to how they were. We cannot afford to lose either one of them and I am satisfied that their friendship does not have any detrimental effect on the hierarchy that is in place. Indeed, I think they both handle the situation admirably, with neither party accepting or offering preferential treatment. If anything Sir, I would say that Sam is harder on Jo than other members of CID in a conscious effort to avoid such accusations being levelled at her. Which is why I find all this a little difficult to accept."
"I'll leave it with you for now Jack, but I expect you to take these accusations very seriously and monitor the situation closely. I will expect regular reports from you on what you are doing to appease the complainant and to ensure equality for all members of the CID squad. To that end, I want you to ensure that all DC Master's appraisals and performance monitoring is done by DI Manson. If that involves altering rotas to accommodate it then so be it. I want everyone to be clear I do not condone any form of close relationship between cross-ranking staff which might affect the smooth running of this unit." Sam heard footsteps approaching the door and scooted back down the corridor a short way, her mind in turmoil over the revelation that an accusation had been made against both herself and Jo. She could only assume it had been the toe-rag she had witnessed leaving the DCI's office a few moments earlier who was responsible for the accusation but whilst she dearly wished she could tear them limb from limb, she knew she had to act very carefully. Her first thought was to phone Jo and forewarn her of what was likely to happen but knew that would be ill-advised. Still, she would not be content to sit idly by and allow one person's twisted imagination to jeopardise the career of someone for whom she cared deeply.
A/N: Know what would really make my muse happy? If you click that little button and left us a review! lol. Any and all feedback gratefully received, if you feel so inclined to comment.