Disclaimer I do not own New Tricks.

Breakthrough?

Sandra was beginning to get slightly worried. She had no idea how long she had been missing and no idea how long she had been on her own in the tiny room. It was beginning to get annoying. Someone must know I am missing by now surely? Come on boys work it out. Oh God, those three on their own. They'll be fine. She screwed her eyes shut as she thought of Jack, Brian and Gerry. What am I thinking? Jack will be trying to work out where all the pieces fit, Gerry will be walking round like a neathanderal and Brian will be on his fifth panic attack by now. Right, Sandra you got yourself in this mess you get yourself out of it. Question is how?

She looked around the run down living room. It really did seem she was on her own. The curtains that covered the only window blocked out any light, making it difficult to tell whether it was night or day. She cursed under her breath as she realised getting out of the room was just part of the problem.

"Bloody Hell" She whispered as she felt the wire that bound her hands dig into her skin. "I don't care what happens to me now you pair of scum bags but I am not having you worry those three into early graves, for one thing Esther and Gerry's ex-wives would never forgive me" She stood gingerly and walked to the door, realising the only reason her feet hadn't been bound was that there was absolutely no way of getting the door open from the inside.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Brian pulled his woolly hat off and threw it on his desk as Pushkar turned to face him.

"Anything?"

"Peter Mad Dog McCarthy was a model prisoner" Brian was less than happy.

"He shot an unconscious man in the face. Lincoln hit him, he killed him" Gerry answered "How does that make him a model bloody prisoner?"

"I dunno Gerry" Brian sighed. "I just dunno"

"Ok, so we know those two" Pushkar pointed at the photographs on the board. "We know that however well they behaved in prison they are both nasty little sods that killed a man in cold blood and have a grudge against Sandra"

"But they aint the only ones" Gerry sighed. "I mean she's put hundreds of no marks behind bars"

"Yeah but these two are the first ones that went to prison solely on her evidence. It was the 1980s. Forensics weren't the be all and end all they are now" Jack sighed. "Look, she was new in CID. She was the only woman and she worked twice as hard as any of the men on my team including myself. I told you I was her DI?" Jack looked at the floor for a moment remembering the young blonde woman that had walked into his Squad Room and shook the department by the balls. Gerry shook his head.

"Bet that went down well"

"Like a tonne of lead." Jack smiled as he remembered "The murder of the publican though, she took that to heart. The man had a 13 year old daughter. I think it hit home, you know? Everyone put in the hours on the case but Sandra had to be told when to stop, when to go home"

"Is there anyway she was just too determined to get a conviction?" Pushkar knew he was on the verge of getting slapped by at least one of the men in the room. Sandra wasn't just the Guv, she was their friend.

"No" Jack almost spat the words out. "Eight years later the case went to the Court of Appeal. I had to go; it was one of my last appearances in Court before Mary was injured."

"And?" Gerry prompted

"And there was sufficient forensic advancements to show the DI Pullman as she was then had been spot on. So had I. The convictions were safe" Jack glared. He hated them even suggesting anyone on his team being questioned, past or present.

"But Lincoln and Mad Dog still hold a grudge" Brian stated as Gerry and Jack nodded. Neither of them heard Emily enter the room until she was level with her father.

"Good job I know where they live then isn't it?" Emily smiled slightly.

"You do?" Gerry smiled, every inch the proud father.

"Wouldn't say so if I didn't would I?" Emily rolled her eyes. "Clarky is on his way there now, are you coming?" She was already walking back out the Squad Room as Gerry, Jack and Brian followed. Pushkar shook his head as he picked up his jacket. He just hoped this was the breakthrough they were looking for and that if Sandra Pullman was still alive she realised how much her team thought of her.

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Clarky sat in the unmarked police car next to Strickland. He was slightly nervous of the higher ranking officer but knew he had to work with him. He glared at the terraced house opposite the car.

"You sure this is the address?" Strickland asked as Clarky nodded.

"Yes Sir. Emily went to the Probation Service, pulled a few strings. This is the registered address for Eleanor Lincoln"

"The team are aware I take it?"

"Yes Sir, Emily was heading off to tell them when we left" He sat forward in his seat as a skinny blonde with close cropped hair let herself out of the house "And that is Eleanor Lincoln" He made to leave the car as Strickland put a hand on his forearm.

"I'll radio Emily, we are going to see where she goes"

"Sir?"

"No one else has entered or left that property for the last hour. I want to see if they are keeping Sandra somewhere else" Strickland explained. Clarky nodded as he started the engine and followed the older woman along the road. She seemed oblivious as she drove the small aging Nissan Micra in front of him. For a moment he wondered if he should pull her over for drink driving but kept on her tail as they wove through the North London streets. He didn't want to think what would happen if Strickland was wrong.

A/N More soon? If anyone is reading x