Disclaimer: Neither Rizzoli & Isles nor Scott & Bailey belong to me. I am merely borrowing the characters.
Manchester UK
Julie Dodson was in the communications room at force HQ.
Rachel and Janet had been let in on the information that Maura was now in the country and being tracked.
"Ma'am we have activity, the trackers are working." said a technician, Julie wasn't sure where he'd come from.
"OK where is she going?"
"Appears to be towards central Glasgow ma'am."
"Hmm."
Some time went by.
"Ma'am she appears to have stopped outside Glasgow Central Station."
"OK I want the CCTV patched through, if she gets on a train I want to see which one it is!"
"Yes Ma'am"
The TV screens flickered.
"It's no use, get Rizzoli in here."
Rachel called Jane.
"Rizzoli!"
"Where are you?"
"in the caf..., sorry, canteen"
"OK I'll come and get you."
Rachel went and found Jane who was with Frost so Rachel took the decision to take both of them. When they returned to the Comms room. Julie wasted no time.
"We have reason to believe that your friend is in this crowd. Can you see her?"
"Where is this, a railway station?" asked Jane.
Jane looked at the screens and then shouted: "Yes there she is!"
"You're positive it's her?"
"Yes."
"Right I want BTP plain clothes on her and on the train when we know which one she is getting on."
They saw Maura get out a mobile phone and send a text.
"I want the number of that phone!" yelled Julie at no one in particular.
Several techs got very busy. They then saw her walk towards a ticket barrier. She looked confused.
"Clever as hell but can't do what the Romans do." This to everyone's surprise came from Jane and confirmed that she was a cop first and Maura's friend a very distant second.
Maura finally worked out how the ticket barrier worked and went through.
"She's boarding the London train. Stops at Carlisle, Penrith, Preston, Wigan and Warrington. Ticket is for Preston." said one of the techs. "Shall I patch train CCTV?"
"Yes!" said Julie.
Several screens went blank and then showed CCTV from inside the train.
They followed Maura as she found a seat and sat. Her luggage on the seat beside her.
"BTP have replaced the drinks waiter with an officer ma'am"
"Good" said Julie.
Two and a quarter hours later the train was about to arrive at Preston.
There was obviously some kind of announcement because Maura looked up. Then she got up, took her luggage and went towards the door. The train stopped in the platform and the door opened automatically. Maura got off.
"Patch Preston station CCTV!" Julie ordered.
The screens went blank again then one by one live feeds from the CCTV at Preston station appeared on the screens. Maura could be seen looking round confused. Then she seemed to see what she was looking for and went up some stairs that lead to the ticket barrier.
But Jane wasn't looking there, she was looking at the image coming from the ticket hall.
"There's Constance." she said
"Good now patch the outside of the station on this screen only." ordered Julie.
Techs got busy replacing the images of Preston platforms with the images for the outside of Preston station.
"Wait go back to the platforms. Their going back towards the gates." said Julie.
"Their getting another train!" said Jane.
"Tickets are for Manchester Piccadilly" said one of the techs.
"Can we get BTP plain clothes on the platform?" asked Julie.
"Yes they were doing a routine patrol of that train anyway" said the BTP liaison.
"This is how inter-agency stuff should work, eh Frost" said Jane.
"Very impressive." said Frost.
"Routine patrol cancelled, two plain clothes on board." said the BTP liaison.
The team watched as Maura and Constance boarded the train.
"OK calls at Chorley, Bolton, and Manchester Oxford Road."
"Ma'am, do you think it might be an idea to deploy a backup at Oxford Road? If I thought I might be being watched I'd get off early." said Rachel.
"Good work Sherlock. Yes do it." said Julie.
Several phone calls were made and plain clothes and firearms units were dispatched to Oxford Road station.
"There's no train CCTV this time." said one of the techs.
"OK put Piccadilly up here." Julie pointed to a screen "and Oxford Road here." she pointed to another screen.
The images appeared. "They're sitting in coach one, seem to be having a bit of an argument." said the BTP liaison.
As the train was pulling into Oxford Road Maura and Constance got up and went to the doors. This was duly relayed to Julie.
"OK exterior of Oxford Road and booking hall on here." Julie pointed to the screen that had Piccadilly's images.
"Car waiting outside station, can we get an image of driver?" Julie asked. The CCTV image zoomed in.
"That's Doyle" said Jane.
"Move up firearms and prepare stinger. Firearms, you have command." said Julie.
"What does that mean?" Jane asked Rachel.
"I am afraid it means that anyone who doesn't surrender is going to be shot dead." said Rachel.
In the meantime the train had stopped. Maura and Constance got off and headed for the exit. As they left the station two men weapons drawn fell in behind them, two Police cars blocked Doyle's car and armed officers were already moving towards it.
Then Constance and Maura were face down on the pavement, guns pointed at their heads.
Doyle tried to go for his gun. Skull fragments and brain matter exploded onto the inside of the windscreen of his car much to the horror of passers by. The bullet had exploded inside his head.
"Well done everyone, drinks tonight. I am buying the first round." said Julie.
Rachel and Jane left the comms room.
"What'll happen to Maura?" asked Jane.
"She'll come here to await transport to Paddington Green in London, it's a terrorism charge so they'll hold her and interview her there. If she's charged she'll probably be remanded to Holloway." replied Rachel.
"Who's the best lawyer for this kind of thing?" asked Jane.
"I haven't mentioned the names Imran Khan and Gareth Pearce to you OK?" replied Rachel.
"Understood."
"You on for tonight?"
"Yeah"
"When do you fly back?"
"Frost goes the day after tomorrow. But I am owed some vacation so I am here for a while yet. Hopefully I'll be able to see Maura. She has been very stupid but she's still my friend."
They went out for a drink or five. Gill came in late.
"I went to see Ian Fielding, he was on about overtime again. Whose buying, I am getting hammered!"
Jane looked at Frost, he was looking a little sheepish on account of a discussion where he'd praised Gill's poise and dignity.
Then Jane smiled at Rachel.
Rachel smiled back. "While your on vacation, you fancy staying in my spare room? Save you hotel bills." said Rachel.
"Yeah that'd be great!" said Jane before she yelled at Frost "Remind me when was the last time Cavanaugh came to an event like this?"
"Never to my knowledge." said Frost.