Drive

Ros gripped the steering wheel as she drove towards Thames House. Lucas would live, a few more scars to add to the collection and more to feed her nightmares but he would live. She forced herself not to think of all the reasons why she should still be angry with him and focus on the case. She knew Lee , the mild mannered lad with the spiky hair and tattoos was now their main lead. What she didn't understand was why? He was a young lad, born and raised in the East End. How did he become a whipping boy in what appeared to be a resurrected Cold War conspiracy? She didn't understand it. But she knew by the time she parked the car in the underground below Thames House Ruth would have answers. Fighting exhaustion she hoped the brown liquid that passed for NHS grade coffee would be sufficient to keep her alert until they got answers.

Xxxxxx

"Lee was born on 21st April 1990. Parents are Julie and Mark, older sister Nicola is training to be a solicitor in Manchester." Catherine stated. Ruth shrugged, still feeling numb.

"No Russia connection?" Adam glared as he looked around the meeting room table. Zoe looked up.

"Stan says he had been not right the last week or so. Said it was girlfriend trouble and being skint." She paused as Dimitri shook his head.

"It's enough. Money worries. May be nothing to do with his family." The former sailor looked around as Ros walked back in. He smiled slightly, knowing his senior officer would be as determined as he was to find the truth. Calum held Catherine's gaze for a moment as Ros took her customary place by the wall.

"Would now be a good time to mention we've picked him up on CCTV?" Tariq smirked as he walked into the Briefing Room. Harry nodded once.

"Where?"

"Old Trafford."

"Manchester." Will frowned. "The home of Man United."

"Yeah. Seems when he barged past Alec and Ruth one of them put a tracker on him. He's not a spook so probably won't have noticed it." Tariq continued.

"He's going to his sister." Ruth watched Catherine nod. The gesture so like Harry it unnerved her for a moment. "If it were Graham, he'd run to me."

The room fell silent for a moment before Harry spoke. "Zaf, Adam, Will. Manchester now. Fetch." Zaf and Adam exchanged looks before leaving the room with Will. Beth bit her lip, clearly angry she tried not to let her feelings get in the way of her job. Ros folded her arms.

"Lucas?" Harry turned to her.

"Alive. In recovery. Says he thinks he heard Lee before the car blew." She paused as Catherine swore.

"How could I be so wrong about him? We were mates. He came to our wedding." She looked at Calum who was equally as angry. "What now?"

"Now I keep digging." Ruth stated firmly. "And so do you." She ushered her out of the room as Ros instructed the remaining officers. For a moment Ruth was angry with her stepdaughter for allowing herself to become emotionally attached to the case. Then she remembered the phone call that had told her she was a widow. The gut wrenching feeling that he had left the world made her light headed. In that moment the anger dissipated.

"How do you do it? Ruth? In this job?"

"What?" Ruth turned to her.

"Facts, figures, tangible evidence I can do. It's what I'm good at. You've seen my documentaries on the Yemen and West Bank. I can do dispassionate. Why can't I do that now?"

Ruth squeezed her hand as she listened.

"Because this affects us. This is our friends and family. This is our home. It's what we do. However Ros and the others seem this is personal." She paused.

"How do I turn it off? Stay objective?" She ignored Beth, Dimitri, Zoe and Alec as they left. Ruth looked from the computer to the younger woman as Malcolm and Tariq carried on tracking the suspect and the officers following them. Ruth sighed heavily.

"I'll let you know when I work it out."

Xxxxxxxx

Sarah fed the dogs, relieved that she had seen Malcolm before she had sent him back to work. Bodie and Doyle ate their dog biscuits as she set about photographing the blood stains on the carpet. She knew that the blood would never wash out, either physically or metaphorically. She had no idea who it belonged to. The thought someone had been in her home while her and Malcolm weren't there made her feel physically sick. Sat on the carpet next to her dogs she shook. How? Who and why she had no idea.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Zaf drove towards the motorway, knowing that Will had been to university in Manchester made the trip a little easier. It seemed that the new boy was finally coming into his own. He checked the rear view mirror as Adam checked his phone.

"Ok, So we are going after Lee?"

"He's currently a murder suspect." Adam stared at his phone. An image of Wes, Isabella and Carrie smiled back at him. He looked way as Zaf explained there was no way the regular police would be able to handle the job. He felt his best friend tense next to him. "Friends?"

"I don't think so." Zaf pushed his foot to the accelerator. "Not planning on finding out."

Xxxxxxx

A/N please review- filler chapter. Next stop Manchester, is Sarah Wynn-Jones really safe? Can Lee really be the murderer and will Lucas have chance to recover from his injury? Is anyone reading?