Disclaimer not mine.

Crow Bars and Clues

Annie stared across the table at the short dark haired man with glasses. She knew Phyllis was glaring at him as he smirked. He folded his arms as he leant back in his chair.

"Well, DS Tyler" He shook his head as Annie stared at him. "I thought the least Gene would extend me the courtesy of interviewing me himself"

"For the benefit of the tape. The time is 21:45 December 23rd.2010. Those present are James Keats. Sergeant Phyllis Dobbs and DS Annie Tyler." Annie held the man's gaze as she spoke. "Mr Keats has waved his right to legal representation at this time"

"Don't need it"

"Mr Keats. I honestly only have one question for you" Annie smiled sweetly. She knew she had his full attention. Jim Keats was not going to be able to lie to her for much longer. She felt Phyllis lean forwards as he looked at her.

"And what question would that be?" Keats had been expecting a long drawn out interview. The fact Annie was not going to go through some grand performance to get him to talk unnerved him a little. Phyllis smiled slightly. She knew why Ray and the others loved this part in a case. She knew they had him.

"Where is DI Alex Hunt?" Annie watched as a momentary flicker of fear passed through his eyes. She held his gaze. The room was silent as the tape whirred on. Annie didn't think he was going to answer, but the smirk had definitely dropped from his face.

"Ask her ex husband"

"I am asking you" Annie stared at him. She was not going to let him win this was too important.

"And Detective. I am telling you" He watched as she narrowed her eyes. "Ask Peter Drake. Or better still why don't you ask Evan White? I believe he is very fond of his Goddaughter"

Phyllis closed her eyes as she realised what Keats was telling her. Annie nodded; the same realisation dawned on her. She prayed she wasn't too late.

"You do understand you are under caution?" Phyllis watched as Keats smirked. The tension was interrupted as a young man walked in to the room.

"Interview suspended at 2200hrs" Annie got up and crossed the room to the young police man. She thanked him before reading the note she had been handed.

"Phyllis, I think we should finish this later" She was out the room before anyone could argue with her.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Sam watched as Ray walked away from the group. He had a very funny feeling that they were in the right place. Chris looked across at Viv as Sharon walked away from them all.

"Shaz?" He called after her. She didn't turn round. Instead she walked towards the blue transit van that was parked at the end of the lane. An overweight man eating a fried egg sandwich sat behind the wheel. She walked up to the driver's window and tapped on it.

"Yeah?" He wiped egg yolk from his chin. She resisted the urge to gag.

"I'm looking for a garage"

"You in the right place then luv" He rolled his eyes as she nodded.

"Was 'opin you'd say that" She smiled "Very particular me see. Looking for a disused garage, not been used proper like since the late 1980s. Used to belong to Bryan Drake" She watched as he frowned.

"Why you looking for it?"

"Why aren't you telling me where it is?" She produced her warrant card as Gene appeared behind her and glared. The driver looked away.

"I dun want no trouble luv" He kept his eyes fixed on the small brunette in front of him. Ray watched the whole exchange from a few feet back and began to realise that maybe they would have been better off if they had left the whole case to the women of CID. While Sam, Ray, Gene and Chris were running round like headless chickens it was Shaz, Annie, Alex and Phyllis that were getting the information.

"No?" Gene barked "Tell us where Drake's bloody garage is then!"

"Up there" He pointed "The one with the patched up door. I did that job meself five years ago. Git never paid me" He started his engine and drove off as Shaz turned to Gene.

"Bloody 'ell Guv" She smiled. Gene nodded once as he turned and ran towards the garage with the broken door.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Molly had no idea what she was watching on the television. Ruby had been fed and changed before nodding off to sleep. She was confident her baby sister would sleep until the morning. What she wasn't confident of was whether they were safe with Evan. It was a feeling she wasn't used to. But then Gene had always said it was her that knew too much. She had always been able to just sense when things were not right. Nothing had changed on that score. She glanced across at the sofa where Evan was sat.

"I'm going to bed" She got up and walked out the room as she saw him nod. Something was definitely not right. She pulled out her phone as she reached the spare bedroom. It was time to text Annie. Someone had to know something.

"ANY NEWS?EVAN WEIRD SOMETHING RON."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Annie pulled the phone out of her pocket as Phyllis drove through the streets of Fenchurch. She was beginning to get nervous. No one had heard from Gene or the others since they had left the station. Now Molly was texting her for help. She glanced at Phyllis who was doing a fair impression of a formula 1 racing driver.

"Molly. She's scared"

"Of course the kid is scared. Her mam is missing!" Phyllis swerved to avoid a cyclist. It was a move that would have made Gene proud.

"She's scared of Evan"

"Shit, tell her we're on our way" Annie nodded as she tapped the message in to the phone. Somehow she had to work out a way to get the girls away from Evan without him getting suspicious. She sighed as she tapped the message into the phone.

"STAY WHERE U R. AM COMING TO GET U. U&RUBY R COMIN TO ME 2NITE" She pressed the send key and prayed it was Molly that picked the message up rather than Evan.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alex was certain she had broken not only her new boots but her toes as she kicked the door. Someone had to be able to hear her. She rested her forehead against the cold metal as she felt the tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She remembered who the strange man had been. She had known it deep down from the moment she had heard his voice. He had kept his face covered but she had known his voice. She wasn't going to get home again. If she was right, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Evan" She shook her head as the tears began to fall. "No"

Xxxxxxx

Gene stopped a few feet away from the garage as he felt Sam and the others stop behind him.

"The Wedding Shop was booby trapped" Chris unhelpfully pointed out. Ray nodded. If it hadn't been for him, they would all have been blown to smithereens. He glanced at his friend.

"Chris, we aint really got time for the bomb squad"

"I aint calling those bloody nancies down 'ere" Gene barked as he walked across to the garage door. Resting hand at shoulder level he had no idea Alex had just done the same. He had no idea she was less than three foot away from him, crying quietly for him and her girls.

"Bolly" He muttered under his breath as Sam's mobile phone bleeped.

"Shit!" Sam read the text message.

"What?" Ray glared at him. He was already trying to work out how to break into the garage when Sam read the text out loud.

"Annie, interviewed Keats. Reckons Drake and Evan are in this with him. Reckons last thing we should have done is let Evan look after the girls. She's on her way there now, with back up" Sam wanted to run. He wanted to be with Annie but as Gene looked at him he realised he had to stay where he was and trust Annie to do her job.

"I bloody knew it!" Gene barked "Ray, Sam you get over 'ere. Sort it out. Viv, you and Chris go wiv em. Shaz wiv me" Shaz nodded as she pointed to a broken skylight.

"Guv" She sighed as she watched the men run back to the cars. "I reckon I could get in there"

Gene smiled for the first time since he had taken the phone call that started the whole case.

"You sure?"

"Can't hurt can it?" She went to walk away as Gene rested his hand on her arm.

"She's in there Shaz" Gene sighed "An if anything appens to you. She'll bloody kill me"

"I know"

"What if?"

"We will get her out Guv. It's Ma'am. We will get her out" Sharon stared at him as she thumped the metal. Gene walked calmly back to his car. There was a crow bar in the boot. Alex was coming home.

A/N only one more chapter to go. More Galex in the next chapter I promise. Thank you for reviewing and sorry for taking so long to update. Hopefully have last chapter up by next week. Then its on to another story! Thanks again xx