Hi sorry this took so long but I have had loads of mocks to revise for. Thank you to the people who have reviewed and stuck with the story. It means so much to me. Please keep the reviews coming. Enjoy.

Chapter 8

Alex left the next day for CID hoping for another quiet day. She had a plan of how to help Gene. She arrived to find CID playing football around the office with Shaz at her desk typing away blissfully ignoring the rest of CID. Alex walked to her desk dodging the football and its many players to find a white envelope laid upon it. She picked it upand inspected it furthur. Her name was written clearly on the front.

"Shaz who left this here?"

"Dont know Ma'am, was here before we got in." Shaz said looking up from her desk.

"Ok thanks." Alex carefully opened the evelope and took the folded piece of paper from insideand unfolded it. It was hand writen and she recognised it but couldnt place where she had seen it.

Alex,

He tells you he didnt do it but it looks like he did, an aqusation and now a witness. He is trying to fool you Alex he did it once and he will do it again. He is been taken down and he will drag you down with him. He has poisened them but your one of the best of them Alex. Dont trust him.

"Your one of the best of them." She repeated the line over and over again. She remebered someone saying that to her but she didnt know when.

"Ma'am? Ma'am?" Alex turned to the voice. It was Shaz. "You ok? You seemed to be off in a world of your own."

"Yeh im fine thanks." With that she folded the paper, slipped it in her pocket and headed to Shaz. "Have any cases come in yet?"

"Err no not yet."

"Ok Shaz I'm off out, radio me if you need anything."

"Ok Ma'am"

Alex turned and left CID once again. Ray spotted her leaving and called a time out on the game.

"Where's she off?" He shouted across to Shaz.

"Dunno she never said, just she was off out and to radio if we need her." Shaz never once looked up from her typing to talk to him. She didn't quite have the same respect for Ray as she did for Alex and it wasn't just due to Alex's promotion as Acting DCI.

"She is up to something, I can feel it." Ray commenced the game of CID football once again, clearly not too concerned of his senior officers activities.

Alex reached the car, pulled a piece of paper from her back pocket and checked the address. She planned to pay a little visit to Dean Shepherdson. She pulled away at a rapid speed dealing with the twists and turns of London's streets in a way Gene would be impressed with. Finally she pulled up by a run down block of flats, windows were boarded up, junk was scattered everywhere and the gardens were over run. She checked it was the right address.

Flat 65, Bolam House, Heavenly Street. Yeh right place.

Alex checked her hair, reapplied her makeup and opened her top button showing just enough cleavage. She knew it was wrong but it was the only way to get the information she needed and she was willing to drop her feminist principles if it meant saving Gene. She got out of the car and straightened out her outfit. She had spent ages picking out her outfit to her the perfect balance of professionalism and sexiness. Finally she had decided on a tight black pencil skirt which rested just above her knee matched with a simple white sating blouse, red belt and stilettos. Alex locked the car and headed to the flat.

Eventually she found Deans flat and knocked sharply at the door. After a few moments the door opened slightly, just enough for Alex to see Dean looking out at her.

"Dean Shepherdson, my name is DI Alex Drake but you can call me Alex. I am here to ask you a few questions about your attack the other day." Alex said sweetly with a smile showing her warrant card.

"I have already answered all the questions." Dean said clearly scared of something.

"I know I just want to go over a few details with you. Can I come in?"

Dean reluctantly opened the door a little wider to let her pass. She followed him into a small cramped living room. It was shabbily decorated which seemed to match the rest of the flat. Alex watched as he sat down on the far end of the sofa. Usually she would have opted for the armchair opposite but this time she chooses the sofa near Dean not too close to look suspicious.

"Dean can you go over the events of the moment leading up to your attack?

"I told the other police officer. I was waiting in the alley and your DCI attacked me."

"Can you describe your attacker for me?"

"He was your DCI you know what he looks like." Dean was clearly agitated, shifting and fidgeting never once looking at Alex. He looked like a child, up close she could see he looked much younger than 21.

"Dean." Alex said resting a hand on his leg. His eyes shot up to meet Alex. "Dean is that really what happened?"

"Yes…err...Yes it is." Dean stammered, not used to the physical contact. He looked down at Alex's hand still ion his leg.

"You can tell me Dean, anything you need to tell me you can. You can trust me. I will protect you." He looked so scared, like a fightened lost boy. She wanted to help him but most of all prove Gene was innocent

"Dean is what you told me the truth? Dean tell me the truth"

"I am"

"No your not I know your not. I study psychology for a living Dean. I study liars and I know your lying. And believe me you life wont be worth living if you don't tell me the truth." Alex had totally snapped. She needed the truth. Once she had shouted she saw tears build in the Deans eyes. Suddenly the guilt she used to feel when she used to shout at Molly came flooding back.

"DCI Hunt did not attack me, I don't know who did. They got me from behind." A guilty look washed over his face, tears roled down his cheeks.

"Why did you tell the police it was Gene, I mean DCI Hunt?" She had calmed down and regained her composure even though inside she was ecstatic, Gene truly was innocent. He hadn't lied to her.

"I had to. They told me too."

"Who Dean who was it?" Growing anxious, she was so close to the truth.

"I don't know, I don't know who it was they just told me I better unless I wanted my attack to happen again and if I wanted my mum to be safe." Alex looked at Dean to see tears falling freely from his eyes. Alex moved closer putting her arm around him. He cuddled into her. It brought back memories of her sat like this with Molly after the many times Pete had cancelled his visit for one reason or another.

"Shhh it's alright." Alex whispered as she heard Deans crying subside. "Its ok Dean I will help you."

"Am I not in trouble? I accused a police officer."

"No you not in trouble, not now, don't worry I will fix it." Dean looked up and broke free of Alex's embrace to return to his place on the sofa.

"Thank you for helping me. Alex"

"Its fine, now we all know the truth it can all be sorted. Now I must go I will let myself out."

Alex got back in the car and headed home planning to write up everything she had been told. Alex entered her flat, hung her coat over a chair, slipped out of her shoes and dropped her bag. She padded bare foot through the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water when she noticed a white envelope pinned to the fridge. She knew it wasn't there when she had left, she hated the clutter. Molly was never allowed to pin pictures to the fridge as a child. The envelope was plain white with her name clearly upon it. She unpinned it from the fridge.

"Hello?" she called. No Response. She was alone. She carefully opened the envelope and removed its content; like before it was a folded piece of paper which she unfolded. It was the same writing as before.

Alex,

So he has got one person to lie for him. Well he always did have a way with his fists. But you believe him don't you? Because he is the 'Almighty Guv'. But I promise you this. I will bring him down whether you are with me or not. I want to help you Alex. I don't want you to end up like him. You must do what you were sent here to do. You must get me Gene Hunt. We can do this together. You can take his place, you were made for his job, we both know it. We know you are better than him, you said it yourself he is a dinosaur, time is moving on. Now are you with me or against me?

"Against you. I would never be with you!" Alex threw the paper to the floor. She went to the cupboard and grabbed the bottle of vodka she had hidden. She unscrewed the top and downed a mouthful. This situation was too desperate for the use of a glass. Alex looked towards the kitchen table and saw a photo she had only just recently put there; it was the team at the last Christmas party. There was Ray, Chris and Shaz with her and Gene in the middle with his arm around her. It was only of the only times she had seen him with a genuine smile on his face.

He couldn't have done this.

It broke her heart to think he could have. She began to sob and once she started she couldn't stop. She sank to the floor, pulled her legs to her chest, curled up and sobbed.

Ok I have most of the next chapter written and typed then that will be the last on until after my exams are done in June. Then I will be fully dedicated to this.

Steph xx