"Yes, sorry" the Doctor smiled a huge cheesy grin as he extended his hand towards the woman but she backed away.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" the woman questioned, her curly hair pulled back tight in a bright blue scrunchie, with a matching tattered blue sweater and tracksuit bottoms with extremely bright white trainers. She carried a plastic carrier bag from the local corner shop. A mad, scared look in her eye and what would you expect, seeing two complete strangers standing in the middle of your living room. "I'm calling the police," she said as she walked down the hallway back towards the front door.
"That won't be necessary," the Doctor said pulling a battered black leather wallet out of the inside pocket of his pinstriped jacket flipped it open and flashed the white physic paper to the woman. "I'm Sergeant Smith and this is DI Timmons, were here to talk to you about the disappearing," he said in a calm caring tone.
"That still doesn't explain why you are standing in my living room," she said unwelcoming,
"Well we knocked the door it opened by its self we assumed you had been burgled or somthin'," Rose told her.
"Oh. That's the second time this week, I must be more careful" the woman said, as her cold attitude started to melt, "I haven't been the same since…"
"Your daughter went missing?" the Doctor butted in
"Exactly. Since my little Alice disappeared I haven't been able to do anything," she said as she slumped into the living room passed Rose and the Doctor into the kitchen. She bustled about not even consider the two strangers.
The Doctor watched her through the serving hatch as she placed boxes of tea and biscuits into the cupboard above her head.
"Would you like me to make some drinks?" Rose asked as she took out another box of tea from the carrier bag.
"Thank you, tea please no milk, no sugar" the woman smiled
"And what about you Sarg?" she asked the Doctor who looked around the room absentmindedly "Sarg?!" Rose asked a little louder
"Oh that's me… no thanks Timmons" he grinned "although. I'll have one of them custard creams if there going" he said eyeing up the unopened packet that the woman held in her hand.
Rose filled up the kettle as she glared warningly at the Doctor who didn't seem to notice as his attention was directed towards his feet. As the huge ginger cat was purring around his ankles,
"That Sammie, he was Alice's Christmas present two years ago"
The Doctor looked displeased at the cat. "I'm not a big cat person"
"We had a bad experience with cats a little while back at a hospital" Rose called from the kitchen
"Oh, I don't know, wasn't all bad" the Doctor beamed smugly as he remembered the time when Rose mind and body were controlled by Cassandra and they shared a very passionate kiss. Rose rolled her eyes and placed two coffee mugs on the table along with a plate of assorted biscuits, which the Doctor dove straight in and snatched three custard creams, before Rose and the two women had a chance to move.
"How long ago it was since your daughter diapered Mrs Fletcher?"
She sat back in her chair pondering the question
"Take your time, I know it's hard" Rose said placing a hand on her knee,
"It's been nearly five months now, it seems like it was only last week" she said her voice quivering.
"Can you remember the day, the time, what were you doing, what she was doing?" the Doctor questioned.
"It was about 5 o'clock, I know this because I was making Alice her tea and I always made it a 5. Susie her best friend came to the door so she went out down to the courtyard to play with there friends. It was starting to get dark, and I was about to call Alice in for her tea when the phone rang. It was Susie's mum Ann. She asked if Susie was over here because she hadn't come home for tea. She sounded so worried, I told her they were down in the yard playing. She said the yard was empty. Alice is a good girl, she knows never to go off with strangers and if she was going out of the yard she would always tell me," a tear tricked down Mrs. Fletcher's cheek
"What about her dad, Mr. Fletcher?" The Doctor asked and Mrs. Fletcher snorted
"He's sunning it up down in Brazil with some skirt he met in a bar, walked out on us when Alice was only 3"
"So what you're saying." Rose said changing the conversation, "this behavior isn't like Alice's"
"All the kids around here are good kids, if there's anything that's ever needed doing there always there to help out, and for all of them to disappear…"
"What about their familys?" Rose queried
"Gone. I'm the last"
The Doctor and Rose glanced at each other worryingly "Mrs. Fletcher, you have my word," the Doctor said in a reassuring but serious voice leaning forward in his chair "we will find your daughter, and we will bring her home." Mrs. Fletcher smiled "We'll see our self's out, come on Rose" he stepped out of his chair
"Don't worry love, he's the best, he'll find Alice" Rose smiled and followed the Doctor.
She shut the door behind her and ran after the Doctor who was half way towards the stairs. She noticed something shining in the mid afternoon light, a coin maybe. However, it was a dark metallic blue and to big to be a coin. "Did you drop this?" Rose called after the Doctor who was now leaning against the wall waiting for her to catch up, he stared at the object in Rose's palm, there were no distinct markings but plenty of scratches, and it looked battered. The Doctor shook his head "not mine, come on we got some investigating to do" he strode off up the hall way but Rose was still transfixed on the coin. "Come on!" The Doctor called impatiently, held out his hand, and wiggled his fingers, Rose pushed the coin into her back pocket of he jeans and jogged to catch up with the Doctor.