I don't own Ashes to Ashes
---
Luigi's felt strangely unfamiliar as they entered, despite the tangible smell of Italian food and wine mingling warmly in the air as plainly as it ever had. After almost two weeks away from it, the atmosphere felt somehow foreign. The annoying thing, Gene realized as he drew Alex into him, his arm possessively draped over her shoulder, was that they wouldn't be able to leave until Harrison had drunk all of the barrels dry, and Gene didn't doubt that their superior officer would take every available opportunity to drain their wallets.
Much as they did enjoy the company of their colleagues from time to time, it was almost customary now to leave at seven and spend the rest of the evening shagging one another senseless without any hesitation. The fact Gene would probably have to wait until pub closing rankled slightly, but he said nothing, ordering them both their drinks whilst keeping one arm around Alex, his hand resting firmly on her arse, ignoring Ray as he rolled his eyes in disgust, and blocking out Shaz's bizarre grin, focusing instead on the sensation that assaulted him as Alex stroked gently up his spine with soft fingers, her hand hidden underneath the heavy fabric of his overcoat. It soothed him slightly, and his tense muscles relaxed as he walked her over to the other side of the room, as far from the others as possible, pulling two chairs almost indecently close together and sitting with his face towards the door, moving his arm once more to rest around her shoulders, ignoring the amused sigh that left her throat at his overt possessiveness.
"Gene, you can let go of me you know? Harrison isn't going to leap across the room and try to mount me!" Instead of showing any sign of relent, Gene slipped his hand beneath her arm, teasingly caressing the side of her breast, his eyes locking with hers and burning with fire.
"Too bloody right he ain't!" he growled, leaning forwards to capture her lips in a searing kiss. "He so much as touches yer an' I'm rippin' his bollucks off with a pair of tweezers!"
"I'll be sure to inform him of that, Hunt."
Harrison's smirking voice caused Gene to freeze slightly, gulping, his eyes still fixed on Alex's face, catching the slightly shocked, but no less amused expression, before turning to meet his superior's gaze. He was surprised to note that a smirk was tugging at Harrison's lips, and before he could say anything, the Superintendent had taken a seat and shrugged out of his jacket. "Mine's a pint, with a whiskey chaser. Throw in a bag of peanuts and I'll keep my hands off her." He winked at Alex, grinned once again at Gene, and then loosened his tie. Alex felt Gene's body go rigid with tension, and she ran a reassuring hand down his leg before smiling softly at him. Grinding his teeth, Gene nodded, pressing a quick but insistent kiss to Alex's mouth before standing and heading to the bar, glancing quickly and repeatedly over his shoulder as Luigi took his order.
Alex shifted uncomfortably for a moment at being left alone, but the relaxed smile on Harrison's face had a surprisingly calming effect, and she found herself smiling back as he started to speak, his voice amused.
"It's alright Drake," he said, laughing lightly. "You're really not my type, even without Hunt watching me like a hawk." He shifted slightly in his chair, absently and casually tracing his fingers across the polished wooden surface of the table, humming softly under his breath. Alex glanced up as she felt Gene's eyes burning into her skull, and smiled coyly. He nodded, as though in understanding, but when he returned with the drinks a moment later, he didn't waste a second before he had his arm around her waist again, his jaw tight.
Rolling his eyes, Harrison took a deep drink from his beer glass before setting it down, still grinning to himself at Gene's obvious discomfort. Gene himself was struggling to resist an overwhelming urge to punch the other man in the face, and ended up digging his fingers into his own thigh, his teeth threatening to shatter as the pressure on his jaw increased exponentially. For a moment, he convinced himself that he would rather Alex spent the next month working with the bastard than have to sit here every night drinking with him, but when he caught the dancing look in Harrison's eyes, he thought better of it, and his jaw creaked as he attempted to remain calm.
"Rumour has it that you two moved house..." Harrison's voice was full of intrigue and amusement, and Gene kept his mouth tightly closed as Alex answered the question for him, her voice noticeably careful, but still open; Gene squeezed her slightly tighter, though he couldn't be completely sure why.
"Yes – last Friday," she smiled. "We're just outside of town now." Alex slid her hand into Gene's as she spoke, entwining their fingers and squeezing back at him reassuringly.
"Sounds... homey..." Harrison deliberated over the last word for several seconds, glancing at Gene almost disbelievingly as he did so. Gene said nothing, simply holding Harrison's gaze with unblinking confidence. He thought he saw a slight flicker of surprise in the depths of the other mans brown eyes, but it was gone a moment later, replaced by a grin, a nod of congratulations and a mock toast with his drink. "Enjoy it," he murmured softly, breaking eye contact as he drank again. Gene simply nodded, glancing at Alex, who simply smiled reassuringly up at him before speaking again.
"Oh, we are!" she insisted, apparently not noticing the undertones of her admission until it was a moment too late, only realizing what she had said when a smirk of wry amusement crept onto Harrison's face, a chuckle leaving his throat; even Gene felt his lips twitch, looking at her with warmth in his chest as she flushed deep red and covered her mouth in embarrassment. His arm tightened around her, and he met her blushing gaze, disentangling his fingers from hers as he did so to stroke up her outer thigh, knowing full well that his normally blue eyes had darkened considerably.
Alex bit her lip, turning away from him and attempting to steer the conversation in another direction. A smug grin settled itself on Gene's lips, and he felt himself relax, chuckling to himself as she stumbled over her words, fell silent and then leapt up to order the next round. Harrison snorted in amusement, looking at Gene with an eyebrow quirked, and a grin that reminded him implicitly of Ray set firmly in place; Gene glanced down, an uneasy feeling in his stomach at the recognised sense of friendly male solidarity. The Super chuckled, but said nothing, thanking Alex when she set another drink down before him. Gene didn't lift his eyes again until her ankle had hooked around his own and he had downed half of his drink.
"Interesting interview with Merlot yesterday, Hunt," Harrison said, ripping open the bag of peanuts and cracking their shells open. "I take it you believed him?"
Gene gulped, setting his glass carefully down on the table once again, and then shrugging. "Which bit?"
"The bit where he confessed to being madly in love with the girl he then killed." Cracking another shell, Harrison quirked his eyebrow, tossing the nut into his mouth as he did so. "Was he telling the truth?"
Gene shrugged, and then nodded. "Yeah. I believe 'im."
He didn't miss the eye roll that Harrison sent his way, but nor did he contest it; a few months ago he'd have passed the excuse off as bullshit, too. "So you believe that he genuinely loved her, which meant he should cut her to pieces and scare some mentally unstable bloke half to death in the process?"
"Joe Ellison?" Alex asked, frowning. "Did he confess that-?"
"He said he spoke to him," Gene cut in, glowering at Harrison. "I didn't ask him anything else."
"But he admitted that he scared Joe into-?"
"Yeah, Bols, he did, but that don't make him guilty!" Gene's jaw was tight, eyes narrowed, and Harrison rolled his eyes yet again.
"I fail to see how he can be anything but guilty given the circumstances; if he loved her, would it not make more humane sense to dose her up so high she wouldn't wake again? My marriage is far from perfect, Hunt, but romance isn't so far gone from my mind that I'd consider hacked skin and a dumping in the river to be a deep and meaningful declaration of love!"
Gene cracked his knuckles, glancing at Alex for support, only to find that she was remaining silent, apparently deep in thought and oblivious. He sighed, and then turned back to Harrison. "I ain't sayin' 'e deserves a medal an' a certificate for 'Best Boyfriend' or anything, but if that's the way she bloody wanted to go then-"
"What teenage female in their right mind would want to be cut to shreds and-?"
"She wasn't in 'er right mind!" Gene snapped, slamming his fist on the table aggressively. He fell silent when the rest of the team glanced around at them, but a moment later he was talking once more, his voice softer now, but no less angered. "She'd got bloody lumps comin' out of 'er face left, right an' centre, an' you're expectin' 'er to be in her right-"
"Gene's right," Alex said, finally joining in. "She was in no way in a healthy mental state; she'd suffered all her life from anorexia, she'd developed further cause for low self-esteem with the diagnosis of her Fibrodysplasia-"
"English, Bols," Gene growled, though gratitude welled in his stomach at her support.
Alex sighed, "Fine. When she was diagnosed with F.O.P, there was no way she could possibly have heightened her self-esteem. If what Ciaran's saying is true – and if we're looking at it logically, then it must be – she was only with her boyfriend, Benji because she was of a similar physical attractiveness to him, or at least, initially, that's how she felt, and so the one source of support, possibly the one person who should be able to boost her self-belief, wasn't ever going to make her feel deserving of love, because-"
"Basically," Gene interrupted sharply, "She was shaggin' an ugly bastard, who nobody else wanted either, so she felt shit 'cause the best she could get was the crap-bag everyone else looked down on!" He expected Alex to correct him, but instead, she looked at him with surprise in her gaze, blinking slightly before nodding and glancing briefly at Harrison.
"Well... pretty much what he said, really..." she trailed off, still eyeing Gene with blatant bewilderment. Gene settled back in his chair, placing his arm back around her shoulders and nodding smugly.
"Psychiatry!" He grinned, squeezing Alex slightly.
"It's Psychology," she muttered in quiet reply, glancing reprovingly at him in minor annoyance. Gene chewed embarrassedly on the inside of his cheek, and then nodded, tilting his head towards Alex and meeting Harrison's eyes as he did so.
"What she said," he echoed her, smirking when she stifled a giggle. "Point is, she didn't know what she wanted, so who's to say she didn' tell the poor sod she'd like to get hacked to pieces and then 'ave a wash in the Thames?"
"My point," Harrison replied coolly, "is that if he loved her, there would be no part of him that considered anything about this case to be 'romantic'." Gene ground his teeth when Harrison executed the same finger waggle Alex so often used, tightening his hold around her shoulders without conscious thought. "Now, tell me if you think otherwise, Hunt, but he himself would have to be of considerably unsound mind to do that to someone he 'loved', don't you think?" He did it again at the word 'loved', and Gene quickly threw the rest of his drink down his throat in an effort to hide his annoyance.
"Nobody's argued that Ciaran was of sane mind," Alex intervened, stroking Gene's leg lightly beneath the table to calm him down when she felt him tense up. "How could he be? He thought that the girl he loved felt the same way, but had to deal with the knowledge that she wouldn't leave Benji so that the two of them could be together, despite the fact that, as far as Ciaran knew, she despised their relationship and was unhappy in Benji's company. To deny her what she wanted would be to push her back towards the other boy, and if he'd been waiting a year to get another chance to see her, there was no way he could possibly have put himself through that! He was evidently distressed, and deluded himself into thinking that he wasn't actually killing her, just-"
"Just helping her," Harrison finished, nodding. "Yes, I heard that. But I still find it difficult to believe that anyone could believe it was a good thing to do; I'd suggest pulling in Ellison again- make sure he tells you his side. Then I want that, as well as Carling and Skelton's tape from Merlot's interview today, on my desk by Monday morning... I'm not as convinced as you two that they'll both be on the same page." He took another gulp from his drink, glancing over at the rest of the team with apathetic disinterest.
"Of course," Alex murmured, speaking up before Gene could say anything in protest or disagreement. "Would it be worth us pulling in any of Jeremy McKellen's other friends? Barry, or Andy, or-?"
"Not yet," Harrison replied, flicking a peanut shell from the table in mindless distraction. "We don't want any of them to run off scared; talk to Ellison, see what he turns up. Then maybe you can pull in his friends, provided he doesn't give us what we need."
Gene remained resolutely silent, his jaw tight, nodding almost mechanically before averting his gaze and concentrating on the discarded nutshell that now lay beneath a nearby table. Alex hid a smirk behind her hand at the sight of him, evidently displeased at having his rank imposed upon in public. As though in apologetic understanding, she slid her hand further up his leg, almost laughing when he shifted his chair more firmly beneath the table, tugging her hand even higher without so much as a flinch. Harrison remained oblivious as he rummaged through the bag of peanuts and continued speaking. "None of them talk much – I've read the reports on their records, and they're about as talkative as a mute under anaesthetic once you get them in the interview room... Ellison's your best bet; make sure he knows you've got Ciaran – it might sway him a little."
Gene nodded absently, the words entering into his brain but hardly registering as Alex's hand teased against his crotch. He was distantly aware of her replying to Harrison with what might have been interest, but in honesty, all he could truly come to terms with was the fact that Alex Drake was threatening to toss him off under the table, in a public restaurant, with a superior officer sat right opposite them...
And then Harrison was leaving, and for a fleeting moment Gene considered that maybe there was a God after all; Harrison had stood up, downed his drink, donned his jacket, and was saying his farewells before Gene had managed to blink.
"I'll see you tomorrow," the Super said, drawing out his packet of cigarettes and lighting one up as he spoke. "I'd best be going – thanks for the drink." With a smirk at Gene, Harrison left, and though Gene vaguely recognized that it wasn't even half seven yet, the thought was wiped clean from his mind the moment Alex attempted to draw her hand away. Eyes black and glittering, Gene turned to her, his gaze smouldering as he held her hand firmly in place and leant forwards to growl in her ear.
"You owe me a blowjob fer getting you out of that bastard's office," he managed, stroking her thigh with long fingers. "And after that, you can spend the evenin' apologising fer gettin' me riled up in a public place." Alex shivered. He twined his hand around hers, threw the rest of his drink down his throat, and tugged her out of the restaurant without hesitation, wrapping his long overcoat around himself to hide the tell-tale bulge in his trousers.
---
They stumbled through the door, chuckling and whispering to one another, pushing Fitz into the living room with a bowlful of food. Then Gene was pushing her up the stairs, his hands all over Alex's body as he went, his lips on her neck, breath hot on her skin as he guided her into the bedroom, kicking off his shoes in the corner before he turned her around to face him.
She smiled breathlessly up at him, drawing off her shoes and socks and tossing them over his shoulder, moving her hands to his belt and grinning as the leather slid free from the buckle; she pushed it aside and reached for his fly.
Gene groaned, tugging her closer, his mouth falling on hers, even as she pushed down his trousers and boxers, her hand stroking him gently. "Christ, Bols," he murmured, nipping at her lip with his teeth. "Should've let you carry on in the pub..." He hissed slightly as thumb brushed against his tip, tugging her closer. "Jesus... don't stop..." his tongue tangled briefly with hers, but she pulled away, smirking as her hand continued to work him slowly, her lips trailing down his neck as she shook her head.
"No..." she whispered softly, "I owe you something, remember?" Her tongue peeked out in anticipation as she met his eyes, the wet tip swiping across her lips and causing Gene to emit a tortured groan as she moved to kneel down in front of him.
"Wait," he said softly, eyes burning with lust as he looked her over. "Take yer top off," he growled, fingers digging into her waist. He watched as she gulped, as her trembling hands released his length and moved to her blouse, pushing each button free with delicate slowness. Her blouse came undone next, slowly revealing her full breasts and deep red bra to Gene's hungry gaze. He watched her for several moments, wetting his dry mouth and clenching his fingers on her hips to restrain himself, but it was too much; a few seconds later, he'd ripped the blouse open, pushed it from her shoulders and moved his hands to her trousers.
"And these," he told her, popping the button and jerking the zip open, watching as she pushed them from her body. When she stepped out of them, clad in her matching underwear and nothing else, he tugged her into his chest, mouth hard against hers. She clung to the lapels of his shirt, moaning into his mouth and pressing her body as close to him as was physically possible.
"How grateful are you really, Alex?" He asked her, his voice husky and ragged as his hand slid down her back and over her arse. Her lips covered his neck, her tone soft and warm as her own wandering hands moved once again to his trousers.
"Very, very grateful," she murmured, working him slowly as she slipped down onto her knees, smiling up at him seductively. His hands were in her hair, tugging her closer and stoking her scalp lightly with his fingers.
"Show me, Alex," he growled, his eyes dark. "Show me how grateful you are."
She swiped her tongue across his tip, met his eyes, and closed her mouth around him, her eyes shut with rapture as Gene lost himself in the heat of her.
---
It was hours later, curled up in bed with a bowl of pasta held between them, that Alex turned to him, cupping his cheek with a soft hand. He looked at her in confusion, eyebrows raised as he chewed slowly. Her gaze was soft, eyes glistening in the dim light, and he swallowed hard as she watched him, a half smile on her lips.
"I love you," she whispered, laughing as his eyebrows crinkled up into a frown. She rolled her eyes, kissing his mouth lightly and taking another forkful of pasta, feeling his arm pull her closer against him. "Don't look so nervous," she chided, patting his nose with her finger and chewing absently as he held her.
Eventually, he gulped, nodding his head. "Yeah," he murmured, "I know..." he glanced down, and then spoke again. "I won't say it every day Alex, you know that... I can't just- it's not that I don't want to... I just- it isn't easy fer me..."
Alex smiled, shaking her head. "It's not easy for me, either, Gene," she whispered, still smiling warmly up at him. "And I don't expect you to say it all the time... I know that's not you; I don't mind..."
Gene frowned, toying absently with his fork as he spoke again, eyes still cast downwards. "Why'd you say it, then?" He asked her, taking the cutlery from her hand and placing that, as well as the bowl, onto the bedside table, before drawing her gently into his chest, fingers tightening slightly on her skin. "If yer know I ain't gunna-"
"Gene, I don't need you to say it; I've told you that before. It's just words, at the end of the day... but I like saying it; it makes me feel better knowing that you know how I feel about you... that you'll never be able to doubt it if- if anything were to happen to me..." She bit her lip, and then sighed. "I'm being silly," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"You know I do, right?" Gene asked, his voice worried and pained, his eyes locking instantly with hers and reflecting his fear in their cool, blue depths. "It ain't that I don't bloody mean it! Jesus, Bolly, I ain't a complete and utter-"
"Gene," she whispered, smiling. "Of course I know... I know every day, because of the person you are with me; don't think I'm not aware how much you've changed for me- I am. I'm grateful everyday for it. And I-"
"Didn't change for you," he murmured, interrupting her and cupping her cheek in his hand, eyes piercing into hers and burning with honesty. "I changed because of yer... an' I don't regret it, Alex; I don't want yer thanks for it- I just want you... ok?"
Alex smiled, stroking a finger across his lip. "Ok..." she whispered, leaning forwards and catching his mouth with hers. He returned the kiss with warmth, tongue peeking out to caress her bottom lip before he drew away from her, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against hers.
"I like hearin' yer say it, Alex," he told her softly. "And I don't want you to stop, I just-"
Alex laughed softly, her finger caressing his cheek and face as she shook her head at him. "I won't."
He nodded, and then frowned. "An' yer don't mind that I won't say it all the-?"
"No, I don't mind." She whispered. "You'll say it when it matters most; I know that."
Another nod, and Gene pulled her closer, his lips on her forehead. "You're everything to me, Alex," he told her after a while nestled quietly together, his voice so painstakingly honest that a chill spread down her spine. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, feeling his warmth seep through into her own skin; she smiled.
"I know..." She said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "And I love you, too."
Gene chuckled, kissing the corner of her mouth before whispering softly to her. "Bloody know-it-all," he teased, before taking her mouth with his own. He felt her smile into his kiss, felt her heart hammering against his own and her fingers tangle in his hair, and then he lost himself all over again.
---
The last time Gene had seen Joe Ellison, the man had been unconscious on the floor of a public toilet, looking, for all intents and purposes, to be just another drunken brawler in a pub. Now, conscious, shivering, and by all rights as skinny as a rake, he looked ill and drawn, and Gene didn't need a degree in Psychology to know that something had badly affected him. The pale colour of his flesh gave him a distinct air of sickness, and the skin around his eyes was purple and black with tiredness. He was jumpy and fearful, flinching at every unexpected noise or unpredicted movement, even one as simple as the clunk of Gene's mug on the table, or the creak of the door when Alex entered the interview room. His hair was patchy across his scalp, clumps of it coming loose as Joe ran his fingers repeatedly through it in agitation, his expression terrified.
Gene watched him carefully, shifting uncomfortably in his chair as he did so; he'd seen vulnerability in this man before, and he'd enforced violence against him because he thought he'd murdered a teenage girl, but the blood that had stained Joe's clothes and face that day so very long ago, was nothing to the wreck that Gene now saw standing before him.
Alex was quiet at his side, carefully aligning her pens on the desk, repositioning the tape recorder so that it was just right, and then brushing it clean of invisible dust, as though to postpone the inevitable. Gene leant over her, pushing the record button and lightly touching against her fingers as he did so; she stilled, looking at him gratefully, and all he could do was nod his head, nudging her hand from the recorder as he drew back. She took a deep breath, and then settled back into her chair, her fingers twining around Gene's for the briefest of moments beneath the surface of the table, squeezing lightly, before she released him, drawing her hand back and placing her arms on the table. Gene met her eyes for a careful second, and then turned back to Joe, who was looking from one to the other of them in frenzied worry.
"You didn't tell us the whole story with Rosa, did you Ellison?" Gene was surprised by the calm in his own voice, and he had to fight to contain the shock that threatened to show on his face. "'cause I know you drank with the guy who says he killed her, but you never told us..."
Joe fidgeted, his hands wringing in his lap in obvious agitation as he glanced at Alex, who remained quiet and sedate, her eyes on his, giving away nothing. "Didn't... I couldn't..." He gulped, and then shook his head. "Not allowed..."
"See, I've got the bloke who told you not to tell locked up in a cell downstairs... so why don't yer tell me what 'appened to Rosa, 'ey?" Gene reached into his pocket as he spoke, drawing out a cigarette and lighting it up, absently taking a drag as he continued to look at Joe.
The other man watched in horror, shoving his chair away from the table so that he was pressed against the far wall, his eyes fearful as they fixated upon the burning tip. Gene frowned, blinking in surprise when Alex snatched the cigarette from his fingers and stubbed it out on the desk. "That's my bloody fag!" He said, turning to her with an outraged expression. "That's my bloody Marlboro, and you just-!"
"Gene," Alex hissed warningly, nodding towards Joe, who sat quaking in his chair, white knuckles grasping at the wooden seat. "I'll buy you some more later... can we just carry on?"
Gene ground his teeth, crossing his arms over his chest in reluctant agreement. "Fine," he grunted, glowering darkly as he turned back to Joe, "what do yer know about-?"
"Why don't you like fire, Joe?" Alex interrupted, her voice loud and clear, but still calm and distinct. Ellison glanced at her nervously, and then flicked his eyes back to Gene, before biting down on his lip and gulping hard. His jaw tightened, the skin of his face draining of what little colour was left as he looked away, shaking his head. Gene simply ground his teeth, taking a deep breath to stop himself complaining about her interruption.
"Not sayin'." Ellison muttered.
Gene seethed angrily, his voice raised. "You better say something you great big-"
"Gene!" Alex hissed. "Please?" Her eyes flickered towards the door, and Gene could feel himself go rigid with annoyance as he gritted his teeth. "Could you get us a drink?" She asked.
"I ain't a bloody tea-maid, Bolly," Gene growled, his eyes narrowed.
She rolled her eyes, looked pointedly at Joe Ellison, then the door, and then turned her pleading gaze back to Gene himself; he clenched his jaw, and then stood up, shoving his chair over and glowering at Joe as he leant down to mutter in Alex's ear. "I'm outside," he told her gruffly. "Make him talk."
---
It was the second time in this investigation that they'd interviewed Ellison, and it was the second time Gene had been left standing outside in the corridor because he was either too aggressive or too pissed off to settle into the steady, courteous flow of interrogation that Alex was always so fond of; he didn't like it.
It wasn't like with other suspects, who were cocky and arrogant and completely deserving of a kick in the nuts; Ellison was twitchy, nervous, and, if Alex's assumptions were correct – and though Gene resented it, he had no doubt that she was – he was mentally ill. So really, he thought, he should be able to restrain his anger long enough to let Alex work whatever Psychiatrical wonderments she wanted on the damn sod. But he couldn't. He didn't trust the little scrot as far as he could throw him, and the fact that the other man had lied about his involvement more than twice in the course of the case angered him no end.
Gene glanced through the window, seeing Alex lean reassuringly forward, extending an encouraging hand towards the quivering man pressed against the wall... He had no doubt she'd get what they needed, but it didn't make him any happier leaving her in their alone. With gritted teeth, he crossed his arms and leant against the wall, not once taking his eyes off them.
---
Alex smiled reassuringly across at Joe as the door closed in Gene's wake, her hand outstretched on the table and silently imploring that he rejoin her at the table. Voice soft, she began to speak to him, choosing her words carefully and deliberately, keeping her tone measured and calm.
"It's ok, Joe; the fire's not here anymore." She smiled, and then went on. "Now, I need to ask you a few questions about Rosa, is that ok?"
Joe shook his head, gulping hard and shaking as he remained pressed into the wall, still staring at the space on the table where Alex had stubbed out Gene's cigarette.
"Joe, I need you to help me; we think we've found the person responsible for her death – I just need you to confirm a few things for me, then you can leave- ok?"
He continued to shake his head, trembling and biting at his nails. "Can't..." he muttered. "Kill me... 'e'll kill me..."
"If the man in custody is the man who threatened you, Joe, I can assure you he will not hurt you." She tried to meet his eyes, but they remained averted, and she sighed. "Joe, you were Rosa's godfather, weren't you?"
He nodded, but his eyes didn't move, although Alex thought she saw a flicker of grief in the man's eyes.
"And you want to see the man who killed her brought to justice, don't you?" Her voice was tight, clipped, and she wasn't sure at that moment whether she herself wanted to see Ciaran tried and sentenced; the part of her that understood the repercussions that falling in love could have made her heart ache bitterly, despite the knowledge that he had acted illegally, and, yes, savagely...
Ellison was nodding again, slowly, biting so hard on his lower lip that Alex could see the trickle of blood on his chin, unshed tears glistening in his eyes.
"Can you give me his name?" She asked softly, her eyes imploring; Joe shook his head, and she sighed. "Joe, I have-" she hesitated, blinking slightly as tears welled up before she went on. "I had a daughter," she continued, emphasising the word and feeling it catch in her throat, "and I trusted her godfather without question; now, Amanda and Jeremy trusted you with their daughter – trusted you to teach her things, to look after her... Don't let them down, Joe; do this one thing for Rosa now, ok?"
He blinked, nodding, tears spilling down his cheek. Heart pounding in her ears, Alex spoke again, "Will you give me a name, Joe? For Rosa's sake?"
The man before her seemed to grapple with himself inwardly, gulping and trembling, wringing his hands in front of him. "I can't- can't say 'is name... don't want to... he'll find out..."
Alex looked down, thinking slowly, and then looked back up into his fearful face. "Would you be able to identify a photograph; you don't have to say his name – just nod or shake your head... will that help?"
Joe met her eyes, visibly relaxing as he nodded slowly, though his tooth still worried nervously at his lip. Alex sent him a reassuring smile, and then hit the stop button on the recorder. "I'll be back in five minutes, ok? Can I get you anything to drink? A cup of tea, maybe? Or some water?"
Joe shook his head, looking down at his hands. "No. No... I'm fine, off'ser... Ma'am... Miss..." He continued to look down, frowning in confusion, and Alex sighed, leaving the room quickly.
---
Gene blinked when she got up, trying to discern whether she'd actually been able to learn anything in the short few minutes she'd been in there. He caught her by the arm as she stepped out, meeting her eyes questioningly. "Get anything?"
Alex shrugged, glancing at Joe briefly. "Not yet... I'm going to show him a picture of Ciaran; he can't give me a name, but maybe a visual source will help... He's terrified of him though, Gene- he thinks he'll get killed if he says anything."
With a roll of the eyes, Gene glanced back at the man inside the interview room, who still sat trembling in his chair, glancing around nervously. "Bloody twonk," he muttered, shaking his head. "If Merlot was gunna bop 'im off, he'd 'ave done it by now; wouldn't wait about for 'im to say something to us."
Alex laughed bitterly, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Gene, but generally if you threaten somebody's life they'll tend to be quite compliant with your demands from thereon in."
He looked at her blankly, then sighed and nodded towards Joe. "How much d'you reckon he knows?"
Alex pursed her lips thoughtfully, apparently assessing Ellison as she did so. When she finally spoke, her voice was slow and deliberating. "I'm not sure... The fire thing- I think there's something there, but I can't be sure what... When we first brought him in, he said he didn't like it, that Rosa had smoked once- he called her stupid because of it, but I can't think why that would be significant when she died of-"
"Ciaran smokes," Gene interjected, frowning.
"Yes, Gene," she said, snapping slightly. "But so do alot of other people!"
"Just a thought," he muttered, drawing back and sulkily crossing his arms over his chest. Alex sighed, shaking her head and rubbing her eyes before reaching out to stroke his cheek.
"Sorry," she whispered apologetically. "I didn't mean to bite your head off..."
"Mmm..." Gene nodded, his eyebrows knitted together, and for a few moments, Alex thought he was genuinely annoyed, but then he spoke again. "Weren't them things in the warehouse – the necklace, the pictures, the purse... hadn't they been burnt a bit?" He glanced down at her thoughtfully, taken by surprise when her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Of course! And Joe must've seen Ciaran, and threatened to tell, and then-"
"Bolly," Gene interrupted, glancing worriedly through the window at Joe. "Go get the photo before Ellison shits a brick, 'ey? Unless we get 'im sayin' he knows Merlot, all yer theories are about as useful as a bird with bollucks!"
Alex nodded, turning away to move down the corridor, but finding Gene's hand wrapped around hers. She looked at him in confusion. "Gene, I can't very well go and get it if you're going to hold onto me like that..."
He smirked, but pulled her back, his hands on her waist. "I'm coming in this time," he said, glancing sideways at Ellison before meeting her eyes. She frowned.
"Gene, are you sure that's a good idea? He's obviously scared of-"
"I'm coming in, Alex," he told her, eyes stern. "If he's the key to solvin' this case, I ain't sittin' on the sidelines countin' the cracks in the ceiling, alright? It's been almost six months since this thing started; if this is it then- well, then I ain't gunna miss it." He met her eyes, wondering if she realized what he really meant, daring her to argue... she didn't. Instead, she simply nodded at him, stroking his cheek and pressing a soft kiss to his lips before drawing away and hurrying down the corridor. Gene watched her, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably, before pushing back into the interview room.
--
Hope you liked it!
Big thanks to Feline yet again for her wonderful beta-ing!
Let me know what you thought :-)
Mage of the Heart