A DC Taylor at the police station met Leo; the two knew it each other from working on a case a few years back. Taylor had phoned Leo to tell him that Erin was in police custody.

"She was caught breaking and entering," Taylor explained as they walked through the station to the waiting room "She was with a friend but he was a look out,"

"I can't believe Erin would do anything like this, she told me she was studying,"

Taylor chuckled "She's a teenager Leo, they lie."

He left Leo in a dingy waiting room whilst he sorted out the paperwork. The room was filled with hard plastic chairs and in the corner were a young teenage boy and an older woman

"Professor Dalton I assume?" a stern looking woman in a black suit said rising from her seat. Her dark hair was pulled off her face into a tight bun and her lips were pursed tightly together.

"Yes…" Leo said cautiously

"I'm Fiona Austen," she said "Nathaniel's mother,"

"Ah," Leo said and Nate looked up at him guiltily

"I think we need to talk about your daughter," she said curtly

"Of course," Leo said sitting down

Fiona took a deep breath "Your daughter is clearly trouble. I don't want such a girl around Nathaniel; she's a bad influence on him."

"Hold on," Leo began "We don't know exactly what went on yet,"

"I know she had had a troubled upbringing but that does not excuse her criminal behaviour…"

"Erin might be a little wild but she's not a criminal," Leo frowned

Fiona's lips were pursed together again "I don't want your daughter anywhere near my son,"

"Mum!" Nate protested from the corner "You can't do that; she's my best friend,"

"Quiet Nathaniel, you're in enough trouble as it is," Fiona snapped, "Keep your daughter away from my son. You may think such behaviour is acceptable but I do not,"

Fiona took Nate by the arm and led him out of the room; Nate craned his neck to look back at Leo who shot him an apologetic glance.

A few minutes after they left the room, DC Taylor re-entered with Erin following behind him.

"We've decided not to charge her," The office informed Leo "But we've given her a stern talking to and I don't think she's going to try anything like this again, are you Erin?"

She shook her head, staring hard at her feet.

"Thank you," Leo said, "I owe you,"

The DC smiled "She's not a bad kid, just a little overenthusiastic, it appears she doesn't always think before she acts,"

"I am still in the room you know," Erin muttered

"Come on Erin," Leo said leading her out of the station

"Are you angry with me?" she asked as they walked into the car park

"I'm more disappointed," he said as they reached his car

"Oh…" Erin said quietly "That's worse than angry,"

They drove in silence for a while until Erin spoke up once more "Am I grounded?"

"Of course," Leo nodded

"How long for?"

"The rest of your life,"

"That's a long time," Erin sighed

"It won't be if you keep up this behaviour," Leo said firmly "Erin I'm not sure what's gotten into you but it needs to stop. Do you know how embarrassing it was for me to have to walk out of my meeting with the coroner because I've found out that not only have you lied to me about where you were but also that you've been arrested?"

"I'm sorry," Erin mumbled

"Sorry is just a word Erin; it doesn't mean anything unless you show me that you're sorry,"

"Am I really grounded for the rest of my life?"

"Yes," Leo said shortly "And believe me young lady, that's just the start of it. No drawing for the next month and I'm taking away your copy of 'Pride and Prejudice' as well,"

"That is so unfair!" Erin squeaked

"You should of thought of that before you broke into the flat,"

"That is so against my human rights," Erin muttered

"There's something else I need to talk to you about," Leo said bracing himself for what he was about to tell her.

"I doubt it can make me feel much worse,"

"Nate's mother doesn't want you to see him anymore,"

"What!" Erin shouted "Why?"

"She thinks you're a bad influence on him. Now I wouldn't go that far, but we have to respect her wishes as his parent,"

"He's my only friend," Erin said looking dismayed

"It won't necessarily be forever, but I think so time apart might do you some good,"

"My life is over," she said trying to hold back the tears

"Don't be so melodramatic Erin," Leo said sternly "You're nearly an adult so I expect you to take fully responsibility for your actions, to face up to the consequences and to accept any punishment in a mature and civilised manner Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Erin said softly and lapsed into silence for the rest of the journey.

Erin was hurting.

Physically she was sore from climbing in and out of the flat but she was hurting inside. Being separated from Nate indefinitely had really cut her up inside and she couldn't imagine not speaking to him everyday. But most of all, she was hurting because of the letter she had found, Erin had not told the police or Leo she had it and she'd kept it stored away in the pocket of her jeans.

'My darling Erin…'

Even that just made her well up. This was a letter from her father, in his handwriting, to her. It was almost as if he was speaking to her from behind the grave. Spooky as it was, she couldn't deal with that now. Right now, she was so hurt from the fact Nora had kept the letter from her, leaving her without reason or rhyme to why her dad had been absent from her life. Erin had blamed herself for so long, she'd cried herself to sleep for years and cringed at every moment when someone asked her where her 'real' dad was. However, he was here, on the paper, speaking to her in words that touched her heart to the point of breaking it.

She needed to tell someone, to talk to someone. Nate would have been happy to listen but the two had been separated by the cruel decisions of their parents. Erin needed to speak out about this, she wanted to tell the world that she had finally found her dad, but the decision had been taken out of her hands and she was now enclosed by silence.

Silence and the ghostly words of her dead father.