Disclaimer not mine
Final Chapter.
Identity.
Sandra rushed across the car park to where her little car had been left less than an hour earlier. Steve was hot on her heels as she unlocked the door.
"Steve."
"Guv." He raised an eyebrow. "You think you know who did this? You have a lead." He opened the passenger door and got in. Sandra raised an eyebrow. "You do. Don't you?"
"Jack and Gerry are always telling me the virtues of old-fashioned policing."
"Meaning?"
"I'm doing what they spent years doing. Following a hunch."
"A hunch?" The Scotsman was incredulous as he watched her swing the car out of the car park.
"And?"
"Nothing." Steve smiled. "I am saying nothing."
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Gerry walked towards the Coronary Care Unit hoping that the nurses would let him in to speak to Jack before he had to go home. He knew Paula was exhausted but he also knew when his daughter was hiding something from him. Sighing heavily he looked up to see Mary walking towards him.
"Just finishing?" Gerry smiled at the younger woman.
"No, I'm on nights." She smiled back. "You're Jack's friend?"
"Yeah. Is it ok to pop in? My daughter is in HDU so I thought."
"Oh course. Just don't stay long and don't tell Sister." Mary smiled. "Jack'll be glad to see you. I hope your daughter is better soon."
"Thanks." He smiled at her, relieved that he was finally going to be able to get to talk to Jack about what was bothering him. He knew the older man would be able to make sense of it, even if he couldn't.
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"What gets me." Brian stated, well aware that Scampi was probably the only one listening to him.
"What's that?" Strickland sighed.
"Oh, Sir. I thought you'd gone." Strickland waved a hand as Brian spoke.
"What gets you, Brian?"
"This medical student. He was questioned by police at the time. Same as the porters and every other man that worked at the hospital but he was the only one that didn't give his DNA."
"He was home with his parents on leave."
"And that was verified? Because I can't find anything to suggest that it was."
"Ah."
"Exactly." Brian took his glasses off. "I know the team at the time were walking on eggshells. It was a politically very volatile case but things were either missed or not documented. Sir, we have to pull this medical student in. We have to make sure that he was where he said he was."
"How do we know where he is now? Medical students train in a variety of hospitals. He may be anywhere in the world now. And in those days it was a private hospital." Strickland reminded him. Brian nodded, deep in thought.
"Yea, well. That's why I had a little look at the list of names from the original investigation and compared it to the list of names on the hospital's payroll. He's still working there. Only he's a registrar now. Works in Palliative Care."
"With Paula Standing." Strickland shook his head angrily.
"Dr Daniel Morgan or should I say former doctor."
"What?"
"According to this, he resigned yesterday. Effective immediately."
"Get hold of Sandra. I want uniform at his address." Strickland began shouting orders as he grabbed his mobile and almost ran from the room. Scampi looked up and barked.
"Oh don't you start." Brian snapped before ordering uniform back up and following his boss out of the room.
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The corridors of the hospital were almost eerie as Sandra and Steve walked down them. Steve hated hospitals and couldn't help but feel nervous the minute he was in one. Sandra's heels clipped on the floor as she walked along, determined to get to Paula's room and praying that Gerry hadn't left her alone.
"Steve?" She frowned slightly as she realised a man was walking out of the small room at the end of HDU.
"Probably a doctor or nurse?"
"No, there were nurses on the way in. At the nurses station." Her footsteps quickened as the man ahead began marching away. He broke into a run at the same time as Sandra. Steve grabbed the nearest nurse and begged her to go and check on Paula before chasing after his boss. Sandra hurtled down the stairs after him just as the fire escape at the bottom of the stair case snapped open.
"Alright Sunshine." Gerry rugby tackled the younger man to the ground. "My Guv wants a word with you."
"Daniel Morgan you are under arrest for the murder of Debbie Lloyd." Sandra smirked as Gerry manhandled the former doctor to his feet.
"Yeah an' I reckon CID are gonna want to talk to you about my girl an all." Gerry barely kept his temper as Steve appeared at the top of the stairs with Jack and Mary.
"She's ok." Mary smiled. "He hadn't had a chance to do anything to her this time. She's ok."
"And you." Jack pointed at him. "In that case, you are a very lucky boy." Jack rubbed his chest before disappearing from the top of the stairs.
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Three weeks later
"How's Paula?" Steve asked as Gerry threw his coat over the aging coat rack in the corner.
"Coming home today." Gerry smiled. "The bigwigs decided what they are doing with you? Now we know Jack is definitely coming back?"
"Aye." The Scotsman smiled before turning to see Sandra and Strickland walk into the main UCOS office with Jack.
"Gerry, Brian." Sandra smiled. "Say hello to the new permanent member of UCOS."
"Who's that then?" Brian looked around as Gerry rolled his eyes.
"Steve, you dipstick."
"Oh." Brian pushed his glasses up his nose. "But no offence, Steve. You've been here for weeks." Jack shook his head.
"Ever get the feeling you've never been away?" Sandra smiled. Jack laughed before loosening his tie and walking towards his desk.
"All the time, Sandra. All the time."
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A/N Please review.
