Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright for Waking the dead or its characters – all rights belong to the BBC

Content: Heartache, angst.

Rating T

Hey everyone. Huge thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far. I really appreciate the time that you have taken. I hope that it is still holding your interest and you are still continuing to enjoy. xx

Beyond Grace

Chapter Six

The drive to Harbinson's house was undertaken in relative silence, neither man feeling like they wanted to break it, both lost in their own thoughts. Boyd's mind was drifting to the last time he had seen Grace, constantly replaying the conversation they had. She had appeared in his office leaning against the door post, smiling. He liked it when she smiled, in the midst of the darkness they faced daily doing this job, it somehow made the world a little brighter and at peace.

"Hi" Grace broke the silence

"Hi" He lifted his gaze from the report he was attempting to complete and smiled in her direction.

"Do you fancy grabbing a drink?" Graced asked him casually. Boyd sighing loudly sat back in his chair running his fingers through his hair.

"Aww Grace, I'd love to, but I've another few hours on this before it's finished and if I don't do it now I never will. Paperwork eh?"

"Boyd its Friday night, everyone else has already left to enjoy their weekend."

"It's well for some, I must speak to them about that" he retorted jestfully.

"You work too hard Boyd, you need some time to relax, take a breath you know?" Grace's tone was tinged with concern. "You are going to make yourself ill." Everyone knew the hours that Boyd put in the office, especially when there was a case on. He expected the whole team to give 100%, and often called them in during unsociable hours, but no-one worked longer or harder than he did.

"Yea, yea I know ... thank you for your concern." He tilted his head to the side and smiled "It's endearing."

Grace felt a little disarmed at the sudden rush of emotion she felt as he smiled in her direction. "I'm not trying to be endearing - just trying to go for a drink. Now are you coming?" Grace didn't want to admit she liked being endeared to him.

"Erm ... No, sorry I can't. The thought of coming in to do this on Monday is too bleak. I'd rather get it outta the way tonight and start fresh on Monday."

"Okay then... It's your funeral. I'm off, there is a huge glass of red waiting with my name written all over it."

"Just one ... you're slipping." He laughed.

"I didn't say only one ... it's the weekend and it's allowed!" Grace smiled turning to leave. "Don't stay here too late eh?"

"I won't ... I promise." He continued, knowing full well he was going to be there most of the night. "Have a great weekend Grace."

"I will ... You too Boyd..." There was that smile again "...see you Monday."

"Yep you will" and with that she was gone.

If only he had gone with her that night. He couldn't stop his imagination running riot. Did she go to the bar on her own? Did she meet her killer there? Did she go home with him? Boyd closed his eyes. Surely Grace was more discerning - she'd been doing this job for long enough and was damn good at it. But maybe the alcohol had dulled her senses, maybe she just wanted company, she had asked for his company and he had refused. He was supposed to be her friend and he had refused. He tried to put those thoughts back into the recesses of his mind, telling himself that it was Harbinson, that he had been watching her, just waiting for his opportunity. He handed it to him by letting Grace go out alone. Why the hell didn't he just forget about work for one night and go with her? At the very least she would not have spent her last night alone. He swallowed hard trying to suppress the dark guilt that was consuming him. It was his fault Grace was dead.

Spence pulled the car up on the corner of Westbury Heights and both he and Boyd got out still without saying a word. Spence caught the steely glare in Boyd's eye as he slammed the door shut and began walking in the direction of number 43. They stopped outside a neglected town house with greying net curtains in the windows. Opening the gate Boyd couldn't help notice the beer cans and carryout packaging strewn in the garden.

"Classy place." Spence remarked looking at Boyd. Boyd only replied with a glance, using all the energy within him to contain the rising anger that was burning its way through his veins. He motioned to Spence with a nod of his head in the direction of the door. Spence knew what Boyd wanted him to do.

"Are you sure, you know the Commissioner won't be happy we didn't get a warrant."

"Sod the Commissioner get it down." Spence removed his gun from its holster, stepped back and kicked the door clean open. Boyd pushed past him into the hallway where he was met by Harbinson running from the front room to determine the cause of the noise.

"Who the hell are you and what do ya…"

"Stephen Harbinson?" Boyd interrupted.

"Who wants to know?" The dishevelled man replied. Boyd took a minute to look at him. He knew Harbinson was 47 years of age but he looked much older. The years of abuse he had put his body through evident. Suddenly Boyd lunged at him pining him to the wall with his forearm against his throat constricting his airways.

"I WANT TO KNOW." He shouted spraying his face in spit. "ARE YOU STEPHEN HARBINSON?"

"Yes, Yes I'm Stephen Harbinson." Harbinson was panicking franticly trying to loosen the grip Boyd had of him.

"WHERE IS SHE?"

"Where is who, I don't know what you are talking about, I've done nothing wrong."

Boyd pushed his weight harder on Harbinson's throat. "DON'T MESS ME ABOUT HARBINSON WHERE IS SHE?"

"I swear I don't know, I don't know anything." Boyd turned to Spence who had his gun trained on Harbinson and nodded in the direction of the rest of the house.

"Check it out Spence."

Spence moved through the house checking each room in turn for any sign that Grace had been there. When he returned he shook his head at Boyd. "All clear sir."

Boyd looked at Harbinson again and moved his face closer to his so they were just inches apart. "Listen to me and listen to me good, I'm gonna give you one last chance to tell me where she is, before I take you down to the station and beat you until an inch of your poor pathetic excuse of a life. Understand?" Harbinson didn't move. " I SAID UNDERSTAND? NOW WHERE IS SHE?"

"I swear …."

Boyd felt the full impact on his fist as he made contact with Harbinson's, who immediately doubled clutching his stomach. Bent over he suddenly felt the burn as Boyd's boot met with its target.

"DAMN IT… Spence get him in the car, we'll finish this back at the station. "

Spence grabbed Harbinson and roughly pulled his hands behind his back before placing the handcuffs on him.

"Move." He pushed Harbinson towards the door and into the back of the car.

"Spence get him out of my sight and into interview room one" Boyd continued walking to his office and sat behind his desk. Placing his head in his hands he inhaled deeply and tried to clear the mist that had descended. Everything seemed so cloudy and he needed to think clearly in order to deal with Harbinson, but every thought he had was shrouded in the image of Grace, every question masked with their last conversation, every rational argument ousted by the wave of hatred rising within him.

Boyd was aware of the knock at the door and heard it open but didn't lift his head.

"Are you alright?" Eve was standing in the doorway.

"Yea, yeah I'm fine ….. what have you got for me?" Boyd looked up at her.

"This was delivered for you, by courier." She handed Boyd a padded envelope that he reached out and took from her.

"Do we know who it's from?" He asked as he pulled open the seal.

"UnUn." She shook her head.

Boyd turned the envelope upside down and shook its contents onto his desk immediately looking up to Eve as the bullet dropped from the packaging and came to rest on his desk. Eve's eyes widened as she moved closer to get a better view.

"Is there a note or anything with it?"

Boyd looking into the envelope shook his head. Eve leaned over his desk, inspecting the casing carefully. "This bullet has been fired, and look there, I can't be certain but I'm sure that is dried blood, which would be highly unusual unless….."

"Unless the bullet was in-situ then removed from a wound without it being wiped. " Boyd continued.

Boyd was staring at the bullet in front of him, lost deep in his own thoughts.

"Yea … Boyd?... Boyd are you alright?"

Boyd sat in silence for a few moments, his gaze unmoving, then swallowed hard. "This is the bullet that killed her isn't it." He finally voiced what his mind was taunting him with.

"We don't know that, we don't even know that it is connected. "

"Aww of course it's connected. A photograph is posted to me, then an email and now a frigging bullet, and you're telling me they're not connected." Boyd's impatience was evident.

"No, I'm not saying that at all, we just can't say for sure, not until we get some conclusive results from the tests."

"Speaking of which, did you get any information on the email?"

"Well actually … I have traced the IP address to Surf Coffee an internet café on Bolton Road."

"Oh great, so there's no way of tracing who sent it then?" Boyd ran his hands through his hair.

"No wait ….. " Eve place her palm up to stop him for going off on one "…I contacted the café and spoke to the manager there. Apparently they had been having some trouble with some local kids…pick pocketing, bag stealing, that kinda thing. … anyway they installed some CCTV cameras and he is sending me copies of the tapes. So we will be able match the time you received the email to roughly the time it was sent and voilà."

"Thank God for the local delinquents eh?"

"Yea who knew? …What about Harbinson? You get him?"

"Yea he's in interview room one"

"Still alive?" Eve sounded surprised.

"For the moment, I need him alive to tell me where Grace is, after that ….."

"Boyd remember the Commissioner is going to be all over this, don't do anything stupid that could lose you your job.

"Right now Eve I really couldn't care less about either the Commissioner or my job, there's only one thing that interests me and that's finding Grace." Eve could see Boyd's jaw tense and a steely look flash through his eyes and knew he meant every word.

"Seriously Boyd, don't throw everything away on Harbinson, you need to look beyond the fact that this is Grace and consider your own future. She wouldn't want you to get yourself banged up over this."

"But she would want me to get justice, she deserves that."

"Yes she does, but at any price?" Eve knew that she wasn't getting through to him; the only person that would have been able to talk Boyd round from this was Grace. She was brilliant at calming him and helping him to see things straight.

"Yea …at any price, if that means my job then so be it." Boyd had made a promise that he would find her and he fully intended on keeping it. "Now I have an interview to conduct and you have a bullet to test."

Eve wanted to continue trying to talk Boyd down, but knew it was pointless. His mind was made up, his judgement clouded; nothing she would say at this point would make him change his mind and would only lead to making him angrier. Instead she gave him a small smile as she turned to leave.

Boyd gently rubbed his temples with his fingers as he tried to focus his mind. Gathering all his strength he inhaled deeply and got up to make his way to interview room one.

TBC