The next morning, Rose was not looking forward to waiting to be called as the main witness for the prosecution. She'd been relieved the defence had not been able to question her beforehand and a little surprised she'd not been summoned to see the prosecution, that was if Joe Miller hadn't changed his plea but on the way there, Alec said now, he was bound to have changed it.
"Sorry love but we all know what yesterday was leading to. His wife must have got to him and he's changed it already. Why else would the defence want to dig up Danny's grave?"
"Will they get the results in time?"
"Yes, it wouldn't have taken long if everything was already arranged and since they had a court order it would have been rushed through. Sorry love but it looks like you will be called to give evidence. We'll be allowed in to hear his plea then we'll have to leave. Sure you will be okay?"
"Yeah, if they let me sit down but I feel sorry for poor Beth. It's gonna tear her apart, listening to everything."
"I know love, let's hope he doesn't change his plea then?"
Joe had been transferred to the court and his solicitor was preparing him. Her boss had stayed behind in the hotel as she couldn't justify being at the hearing but she had been fairly confident it would go to trial.
"Does your boss think I'll get off?" Joe was asking.
"She wouldn't have taken your case if she didn't think she could. What made you change your plea Mr Miller?"
"My wife made me see sense. Did you meet Rose yesterday?"
"Yes although DI Hardy wasn't letting on who she was at first. It was your wife who pointed her out. So those two are engaged?"
"So Ellie told me. They must be trying to keep it quiet. Will it make any difference?"
"Maybe? She will have given her statement at an early stage though, before they got involved, judging by the dates anyway and we can't prove they were involved already at that stage. We'll ask around though, see if anyone saw them together prior to her giving it. Just answer with guilty or not guilty when you're asked to do so."
"I'm not changing my mind again, Hardy made me feel like I had to admit it, now I know where he got it from," Joe replied.
"Well we can only guess," his solicitor, Abby smiled. "It's not likely they're going to admit it."
Alec led Rose into the courtroom after going through the security check, Alec indicating he was a police officer and they found some seats near the newspaper editor, who had disowned Olly Stevens.
"Ready for this Rose?" Maggie asked her.
"What does that mean?" Alec asked her.
"Come on detective inspector, we all know Rose was friends with the Millers and she used to work with Joe. How do you think he'll plead?"
"Hopefully he will spare us going through a trial and keep to his original plea," Alec replied as everyone was settling down.
"Well I hope you got the right person though the way Olly over there has been behaving, I expect you have otherwise he wouldn't have been trying to prove his uncle's innocence. By the way, I did what I could to keep you both out of the paper."
"We appreciate that Maggie," Rose spoke up, seeing Olly sitting next to his mother and Ellie.
Mark got up and crossed over to Alec.
"How has she got the nerve to be here? Beth's going crazy about it," Mark asked him.
"We can't stop her being here Mark, sorry," Alec told him. "There's nothing to stop her."
"Well if she had any decency, she'd stay away," Mark replied, seeing the bailiff looking at him and indicating for him to go back to his seat.
Alec could see Nigel Carter trying to get Mark to sit down again. He knew everyone to do with the case was tense, Rose had dealt with it in her own way by staying quiet, much as he himself had done.
"I hope this doesn't send Beth into labour," Rose whispered to him.
"Well I hope not nor you love," he managed to smile as they were ordered to stand while the judge entered the court.
The bailiff read out Joe's name and the charges and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
"Mr Miller, how do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?"
"Not guilty," Joe replied, making everyone gasp even though half of them had been expecting it lately, since news had spread Ellie was working in Exeter and being able to visit her husband quite often.
Mark lost it.
"You know you're guilty Joe, be a man and admit it," Mark yelled at Joe.
"Silence," the judge ordered, banging his gavel.
"No, he can't do that," Beth was calling out in tears, Chloe and Mark trying to calm her.
"I said silence," the judge reminded her. "Mr Miller, you will be held over for trial, beginning tomorrow morning, I suggest you get yourself a barrister."
"Your honour, he already has one," Abby spoke up.
"Very well, the court will resume tomorrow morning, 10am, in the meantime it is dismissed."
Rose thought what a waste of time. Abby was giving herself a pat on the back with a small cry of 'yes!' to herself and couldn't wait to call her boss when she got outside.
Mark and Chloe were trying to lead Beth out once the judge had left but Beth lost it as Joe was led out.
"You coward, face up to it and admit it," she called after him. "Ellie, what are you even doing here, have you come to gloat?"
"Beth, think what you like, Joe's going to prove he didn't do it," Ellie replied. "If you want to blame anyone, blame Hardy for listening to Rose, just because he was involved with her when Joe was arrested."
Abby was now gloating she was getting even more information to use when the court resumed.
"Leave Rose out of this," Alec joined in. "She told me what happened before we even got involved and I can prove it."
"You mean sneaking her in for interviews without telling me?" Ellie replied, Abby smiling as she gathered her folders.
"You will clear the court," the bailiff insisted, trying to get those that remained out, others having left, Alec thought probably to tell those who missed it what had just happened, Maggie being one of them.
"You know what she came to tell me," Alec replied to Ellie's accusation. "You think she could have talked in front of you? You know when that was, which proves we were not involved then."
"Does it?" Ellie replied as they followed the others out. "I saw you flirting with her on the beach that morning, you already knew each other."
"What?" Alec asked. "That's rubbish and you know it Miller."
"Leave it Ellie," her sister was trying to tell her. "You'll be able to tell that to the court."
Rose heard what was being said and stopped Alec.
"What if she tells that to the court?"
"We did nothing wrong Rose," he tried to remind her.
He led her to the coffee stand and sat her down, getting some drinks. The vicar came over to speak to Rose while Alec was waiting.
"I didn't think Ellie would be here either," Paul admitted. "You never came to see me Rose, about what happened to Danny. Why not?"
Rose was about to say she had Alec to talk to but maybe she'd best not admit it now.
"Yeah, I was going to but I never had the time, thanks anyway. Have you been to visit Joe?"
"I thought about it but decided it would look a bit odd and that I was on his side. I have to support Mark and Beth, I can't do both. I expect Ellie has seen him whenever she could but what's making her defend him?"
Alec had just come back.
"She's his wife, what other reason would she have?" Alec asked him.
"She worked with you yet she never suspected? Is that where Rose comes in?" Paul wanted to know.
"It will all be revealed now that there's a trial," was all Alec would admit.
"I don't know how he can put Beth and Mark through it, haven't they suffered enough?" Rose asked as Alec sat beside her.
"I know love," Alec tried to reassure her. "Yesterday didn't help them either. Shouldn't you be consoling them?" Alec asked Paul.
Once Paul had left, they finished their drinks and Alec led her to the car.
"Call your mother and get her to come down eh?" he suggested as Rose got in the car.
"She might not agree Alec. I can manage for now but I'll call her if things get too bad. Alec, what if Ellie brings all that up, about us?"
"She won't have the chance love," he tried to tell her as he started the car.
"Well she only has to tell his solicitor of anything she suspected Alec. She's already brought up the fact I went to see you that day before my interview about finding Danny on the beach. Now they'll ask me all kinds of questions and I could get him off."
"Try not to worry love, it's not good for you," he replied as they drove home. "Take my advice and don't say any more to her, she'll only tell the defence. It may not have had her name on the court order but she will have put them up to it."
*"I figured that out Alec," Rose tried to joke. "Geez, what else has she told them? Did she tell them I went along with what Joe said that night, about him waiting for me? I dread to think what they'll make of it."
"The prosecution will object if they go too far love."
"Then why didn't they try and stop Danny's grave being dug up?"
"I don't know love but maybe the defence just went ahead and didn't inform them? The prosecution could have easily done the same but they have more respect for his family, the defence does not care who they upset. Well we know who the defence barrister will be, it all depends on the prosecution, it may not be the man that was there today. I wonder why that barrister wasn't in court today?"
"Maybe because they'd already told Joe to plead not guilty? They both looked a little smug yesterday. I thought the trial would go ahead today, with us getting those letters?"
"That would have been going on Joe's initial plea of guilty. We don't have to wait though, it was probably the judge giving everyone time to prepare. Don't worry love, you just tell them what you told me eh and we can prove we were not involved then."
"Yeah? Well I can think of a few things that may prove otherwise," she teased him.
"Such as?" he replied, trying to catch her out.
"You were flirting on the beach that morning plus you left her to talk to me outside the newsagent's shop. Need I go on?"
"You forgot the sneaking around at the police station love," he teased back as they drove into their street.
"We both lied to her Alec. Didn't you tell her it was me who wanted to clear the air after we'd talked outside the newsagent's?"
"I may have done? Still, you told her the same did you not? We can still maintain that but as for your concerns about Joe? You could say that was what you went for originally, that you were worried about Joe's temper then brought up the subject of things being tense between us I suppose?"
"Let's wait and see what happens?" Rose suggested.
"Rose, we won't have time to discuss it, if it comes up you know? It did clear the air between us though, if not for that, we could still be annoying each other."
"Don't remind me," Rose laughed as he helped her out of the car. "Geez Alec, I hope Ellie doesn't keep having a go at me every time I go to the court? If she does, I'll have to make an official complaint, I can't have her compromising my testimony, if we're seen having arguments."
"Try not to worry too much love."
"It's okay you saying that Alec but what do I do, if she has a go at me and tells me I shouldn't have told you about her husband's temper, especially as it seems she didn't know he had one? Geez Alec, he's like Jekyll and Hyde, she only saw the mild side of him."
"Don't forget her nephew was on the receiving end some of the time," he reminded her.
"Yeah but Olly's taken Ellie's side, what if he denies it or says he maybe deserved it? It's only my word then that Joe lost his temper."
"No love, we have the car driver he argued with and I'll put out another appeal for witnesses."
"Alec, that driver maybe won't want to get mixed up in a murder trial."
He went to make them a drink then sat beside her. Maybe she was right, was it fair to ask the driver to get mixed up with a trial? There was only one way to find out and that was to get Daniels to ask the driver.
"Rose, there is one thing in our favour though. My chief, I told her and she was the one who said to get you in to make a statement, it was her call so no, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I told her we were getting involved, that was why Daniels had to be there. Don't you see love?"
"Daniels was there all the time? Yeah but only in the station Alec, what if the defence imply we plotted to blame Joe?"
"What reason would we have? We had no motive to do so love," he reminded her. "Anyway, I think you rather forgot about someone love, someone who encouraged you to tell me."
"You mean Steven? Yeah, he may back me even though we don't work together and he knew it was bothering me. Paul asked me why I'd not been to see him, about getting over finding Danny, Steven also suggested I went to see Paul but then you and I got involved. Alec, Paul made a point of saying he never went to see Joe, why would he do that?"
"Why indeed?" Alec was wondering. "Do you think he did go see him?"
"Maybe before Ellie started to? Geez Alec, do ya think it was when Paul stopped going and Ellie did that it was all Ellie's doing, him changing his mind?"
"That's fairly obvious love but Paul would never be able to admit he was going to visit Joe, he is supposed to be impartial but Joe was one of his parishioners and maybe at first, he went to assure Joe that he was doing the right thing in confessing?"
"Yeah then Ellie started going on at Joe that he shouldn t take the blame. Geez Alec, it's all her. What can we do about it when we can't prove it?"
"Find out who is going to be the prosecution barrister and tell them? It will be up to them what to do with it but maybe nothing will come of it or Ellie will be accused of coercing her husband into changing his plea. I don't know enough to be able to say if she can be charged with anything, it will be down to the judge to decide and that's if it's even brought up in court?"
"Alec, if the prosecution asks her in court, she can't deny it when she's under oath, can she?"
"I don't expect so. Well tomorrow when we find out who is prosecuting, we have to talk to them and I expect they will be pleased at what we have to tell them, if we are right. Maybe though we should see how things go first?"
"Won't it be best to get in first?" Rose wondered.
"Rose, they won't put the trial off so we can point out his wife told him not to plead guilty. I wish it was that simple love."
"Yeah, so do I," Rose smiled, going to lean on his shoulder. "We'll have to wait a while before we're called though, we might not even be needed tomorrow."
"I think I will, as the arresting officer in charge. Let's just hope everything was in order and they find nothing to pick at?"
Little did either of them know that Ellie had been allowed to see her husband in the police station or what her sister had told her about the night she saw a man putting something into a bin and that the defence were going to use those facts in court.
Everyone was waiting anxiously outside the court, the press hounding poor Beth, who was being shielded by Mark despite the arguments they'd had on the way there, especially him taking the company van when the car was in for repair and the fact she'd torn into him that his one-night affair with Becca Fisher would be dragged up in court.
"Leave it Beth," Mark had told her on the way there. "What do you want me to say? I can't take it back, I wish I could."
"Dad's right," Chloe agreed.
"You're no better Chloe, you knew about it," Beth complained.
"I only suspected, what could I say to you?" Chloe asked her. "I only knew it was true when dad wouldn't clear himself by saying where he was that night. I didn't want to be right."
"Leave her out of it Beth, it was all my own fault and I've had to suffer for it ever since," Mark told her as they drove into the court car park.
It was just their luck that Ellie was trying to get the ticket machine to part with her parking ticket as she hit it on the side several times until Olly went to help her.
"Don't take it out of the machine," her sister called over to her. "Save it for the court and who you thought was your friend."
"She's only switched sides because she's with Hardy," Olly agreed.
"I already know that Olly," Ellie replied, taking the ticket. "Oh great, here comes Mark."
"I'm surprised you have the nerve to be here again," Beth called to her.
"Why are you all convinced he did it?" Ellie shouted back, seeing the press by the entrance and hoping they'd catch on, since no-one had taken notice of what Olly had written, him being related to the guilty party.
Alec had just found a parking spot, using his 'Police' sign on the dashboard and Rose smiling.
"Are you allowed to do that, since we're in Devon?"
"It's still part of Wessex love, why not?" Alec smiled back at her, thankful he'd not had to pay since there was something going on by the ticket machine.
"Looks like trouble," Rose pointed out.
"Yes so be careful, once the press find out who you are, they will go for you. No holding hands again love, sorry, not until all this is over."
"Yeah, I know and if I'm asked, you just escorted me, if they find out who I am."
"You know it's for the best love. Let's get this over with, stay close but don't grab hold of me eh?"
"They're gonna see my ring Alec, won't it look suspicious?"
"You'll think of something love," he replied as he saw Mark, Beth and Chloe head towards all the reporters who were shouting Beth's name.
"Funny how Beth didn't want the press to forget Danny, now she'll be wishing they'd leave her alone," Rose remarked as they tried to sneak past.
"I would worry more about Ellie Miller saying something," Alec replied as they reached the security check.
"Ya mean because no-one's taking any notice of Olly? Do ya think she'll want to have her say?"
"Oh yes, I think she will, maybe not today since they don't seem to know who she is," Alec replied as he turned around to see Ellie, Lucy and Olly had joined the queue to get inside. "Keep away from them Rose."
Rose intended to but when they got upstairs and were waiting to be admitted, Ellie had other ideas.
"I know what you're up to Rose," Ellie whispered to her.
"What are you talking about?" Rose wanted to know.
"Back off," Alec warned Ellie.
"You know what I'm talking about, both of you. Think you can hide?" Ellie wanted to know.
"No-one is hiding," Alec replied, though he knew Rose would disagree.
Lucy tried to get her sister away.
"Leave it Ell, it'll all come out in court."
That was what Alec was half afraid of. What exactly would come out in court? It wouldn't take long for the defence to point out the star witness for the prosecution was engaged to the officer who arrested the defendant. Now, they had to convince everyone involved they didn't get together until after Rose had told him about Joe Miller and his temper. He'd given Daniels instructions to contact Steven and ask if he'd be prepared to back Rose up on her concerns about Joe, since he'd known her for a lot longer and also the man Joe had argued with and he was hoping they would both agree.
He had an idea Steven would and hoped that would be enough if the other man backed down.
"What did she mean?" Rose asked as they were allowed inside.
Alec didn't want to tell her.
