For Kit, I hope it's what you've been after!
(BTW, for the benefit of non-UK readers Alan Johnson is a politician. Can't say that even I know what Ed Miliband is ...)
-ooOoo-
"People ... people! This is a crime scene, if you haven't noticed! Respect the evidence, please!" But Eddie's plea did little other than gain grumbles and moans at his superior attitude. He tutted at the lack of deference paid to his profession. "Size nines, all over the place," he mumbled more to himself than anyone else, mainly because no one else seemed very interested, not even the DI.
"Oi! Some of us are size sixes if you don't mind," Jo nudged him gently, peeling off her gloves. "Anyway, we had a search to conduct. What do you expect us to do, float two inches above the ground?"
"Just be careful, that's all," he muttered in response. "Right, my lot, you know what to do," he called out to his blue overall clad team, "which is more than can be said for the rest of you," he continued under his breath, earning himself another glare from Jo.
Millie blankly watched the exchange between the two friends from behind Max's shoulder as he continued to hold her. It was as if they were standing in the middle of a film, the actors playing their roles around them. She blinked hard in an effort to bring herself into the reality of what she saw and pulled away from Max enough to put a few inches between their bodies, even though his hands remained protectively on her shoulder blades, keeping her close. "You'd better do whatever you need to do," she told him quietly.
Max had been staring at Carly's body, partially covered by the dirty tarpaulin but her soft words drew his attention away from the horrifically enthralling sight. "You're still in shock. I'm not leaving you," he stated firmly.
"Please. I'm okay. It was a shock, but ... but I'm okay." Max looked unconvinced, prompting Millie to up the pressure. "Really," she added with a crooked smile and took a step back, his hands falling away from her reluctantly. "They," she nodded at the now rather directionless uniformed team, "need you to take charge of this. I'm going to wait outside, out of the way."
-oo-
"Feeling any better?" Tommy asked as he pulled off the road and parked next to Max's car.
"I'm fine," Suzie snapped back, taking off her sunglasses and failing to hide her wince at the bright morning sunlight.
"Liar. You'd better keep those on," Tommy remarked with a smile.
"Smug bastard."
"I didn't encourage you to crack open that bottle of Baileys, in fact I think I recall suggesting that it wasn't a good idea, but oh no, you knew better."
"Shut up. And if you say anything-"
"There's nothing to tell, Suzie. Nothing to tell."
Suzie took a deep breath, half in relief half in regret. After all, the prospect of having something to regret had been part of her reason for inviting him back to her place to continue working on the case. And they had worked. Aided by a bottle of red, they had ploughed through document after document, made note after note for nearly three hours before Tommy had declared enough. But by this time, they were on the second bottle and Suzie had insisted that he couldn't possibly get behind the wheel of his car.
She was right, of course. Tommy knew that and jeopardising his career by being caught for drunk-driving wasn't an option. But he hadn't been sure where she was headed next and was still none the wiser by the end of the second bottle. Her determination to sink the Baileys had surprised him. He hated the stuff but even so had managed to join her in one small glass and watch her demolish the rest with abandon while she animatedly talked ten to the dozen. He had listened and smiled, she was funny. Really funny. Who knew that? And cute. Self-deprecating too. Every now and then he tucked her hair behind one ear as she regaled him with stories and her own ranting opinions on everything from chewing gum to Ed Miliband and whether Alan Johnson had indeed resigned that day because his wife had had an affair with a police officer. She was sceptical, naturally.
Tommy remembered laughing at her surprised disappointment when she realised the Baileys bottle was empty when she tipped it to her glass and stared at it as if she couldn't have possibly finished it, flashing him an accusatory glance. From his reclining position on the sofa, Tommy had raised his hands in innocence and with furrowed brows she had mumbled that she was sure there was another somewhere. Shakily, Suzie rose to her feet from the sofa only to immediately collapse back down, losing her balance and falling against him.
With eyes that refused to focus properly, Suzie had gazed up at him, her hands resting against his chest, hazily wondering if he might ... She suddenly clamped a hand to her mouth and jerked away, her head spinning with the sudden movement. Somehow her body found the momentum to stumble from the sofa and with the aid of his body supporting her from behind, she staggered to the bathroom, his hand reached round to lift the loo seat just in time before she ... At the top of the ramp leading down into the basement car park, Suzie squeezed her eyes shut at the revolting memory, the last memory she had had of the evening before she woke up in her bed a few hours later wearing only her underwear.
Teetering on her heels, her balance was definitely off, she should have worn flats, Suzie struggled to keep up with Tommy who strode down the ramp unaware of her handicap until he reached the bottom and looked back to find her only half way down. "Do you need a hand?" he asked with a smile, delighting in her awkwardness and taking even more pleasure at the scowl she gave him in return. Finally she drew level and on less precarious ground took the lead, marching past him with as much grace as her hungover body could muster. It took a few moments before she noticed the couple in the far corner, surrounded by bustling uniformed officers and blue scene of crime personnel. She stopped to allow someone past, giving Tommy the opportunity to catch up with her. Staring ahead, she finally realised who the couple were, drawn to the sight of them, at odds with the surrounding activity. Was that what it looked like to be in love, she wondered. To be so close, so oblivious to the furtive whispers and glances shot in their direction. Could she ever look like that? Could he ...? She locked eyes with Tommy just for a moment then turning away before he could see her embarrassment, certain that he knew what she was thinking.
-oo-
Tommy stood next to Max, watching at the scene of crime team eased Carly into a body bag and slowly pulled the zip closed. "How's Millie doing? I heard she found the body."
Max sighed. "I don't know. She says she's fine but ..." he shrugged and glanced across at Tommy who was massaging the back of his neck, clearly in some discomfort. "What's up with you?"
"Ah, you know how it is, Guv. Men of our age aren't designed to sleep on sofas. My penance for being a gentleman," he chuckled, smiling at the events of the previous evening. "Count yourself lucky you're well past all that now, with your girl."
Confused, Max was just about to ask him to explain further when Jo appeared in his line of sight.
"Guv?"
"Er, yes, Jo?" he answered, his attention divided between the two sergeants.
"We've had a report of a RTA on Canley High Street."
"And?" demanded Max in exasperation.
"It's a white van with blacked out windows." Now Jo had his full attention. "It matches the description of the van used to abduct Sondra Brown. And," she paused, her eyes flicking between Max and Tommy, "the attending officers found a Russian language newspaper in the front seat. Two men inside, the driver is dead, but the passenger is on his way to St. Hugh's with severe injuries."
"Anyone else in the van?" asked Max in desperate hope.
"Sorry," Jo shook her head compassionately, touched by the flash of vulnerability in his usually emotionless voice.
Max closed his eyes and nodded, reigning back in his momentary lapse of self-control. He took a deep breath and exhaled, considering his next steps. His gut reaction was to go to St Hugh's himself and regardless of the state of the injured man, find out if he was connected to the abductions, and now murder. Max deliberated the matter in his head before coming to a reluctant conclusion. "Tommy, get over to the scene. Check out the van, see what you find inside, then go to St Hugh's. Talk to the passenger, find out who he is and whether there is a link to this case. Take Suzie with you." He peered at her over Tommy's shoulder, slumped against one the metal pillars. "Is she alright?"
Tommy looked back over his shoulder. "She'll survive," he answered with a grin. "Leave it with me, Guv. I'll call you as soon as we get anything."
-oo-
Having left Max, Tommy and Suzie down in the car park, Grace trudged back up the ramp, her head bowed. With Eddie's team gathering everything and anything that looked like it could be evidence, she was surplus to requirement. As she neared the top and Neil came into view, still by his car and once again with the phone once again pressed to his ear, so did the rather crumpled forlorn figure of Millie Brown. She was sitting on the end of a broken down wall, little more than a roughly held together pile of bricks. Grace cringed inwardly. She couldn't keep on going if Neil was taking an important call, but she didn't much feel like standing around here either. She dithered, only for a moment but it was just long enough for Millie to become aware of someone standing close by and look up. With no escape route, Grace had little option but to offer a weak smile in greeting. Millie stared at her for a couple of seconds before returning the gesture. Stalemate. Grace took a fortifying breath.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
Millie shrugged and looked away into the middle distance. If she could have chosen anyone to sit next to right now, it certainly wouldn't have been Grace Dasari, but it felt childish to tell her to get lost, even if that was what her instinct pressed her to do. Grace would be an easy target but after her fight with Max she knew better than to lash out. It wouldn't really make her feel any better for more than a few moments and then would only make her feel even more wretched.
Grace took the shrug as permission, albeit reluctantly given. "Look," she began quietly, sitting down precariously next to Millie. "I'm sorry about the other day." Millie remained silent, her lips pressed together. "But ... but I've been having a difficult time lately and well, I suppose I lost it and let everything come out."
"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" retorted Millie acidly.
Grace felt her cheeks burn. It had been hard enough to confront Max with her apology, but Millie couldn't be blamed for his crimes, she had never uttered a word against Grace and her tone felt all the more pointed for it.
"Did he touch her?" she went on abruptly, catching Grace off guard.
"What?"
"Did he touch her?" Millie repeated the words slowly as if talking to a small child.
"I ... er..." Grace found herself trapped by the younger woman's normally mild eyes, now sharpened and intense.
"No," Grace admitted finally.
"But she was all over him?"
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Did he try to stop her?"
"No, at least, I don't think so."
"Did he look like he was enjoying it? Did he lead her on?"
"I thought so."
"Thought?"
"I - I'm not so sure."
"Why?"
Grace shrugged uncomfortably, this was too much like interrogation. "Perhaps I only saw what I wanted to see. He could have jumped away, put some distance between them but apart from that he didn't do anything else to encourage her attention." She paused. "I didn't believe him at the time."
"Believe what?"
"That he was only playing along to see what she would tell him. I certainly didn't think it was professional."
"And now?"
"Well ... it's just the way he was yesterday, before Neil and I interviewed Austin. He looked so ... so ..."
"What?"
"Sad, I suppose. Defeated, even." Grace sighed. "Millie, I'm not going to tell you that he's a great boss or a nice guy. He's not, not to me anyway, and I'm not going pretend otherwise. He's been a bastard to me ever since Neil left, but yesterday I saw something different that made me think that maybe he's not as bad as I thought, even if I don't always agree with his tactics. Maybe I've been guilty of blaming him for everything that has gone wrong recently rather than taking responsibility for my own decisions. I don't think we will ever be such a good team as ..." she broke off for a moment, "but if I want anything to change, then I have to do something about it," she finished firmly.
Millie looked down at the ground, hugging her arms to her chest, taking in Grace's explanation. "We weren't talking. Well, I wasn't talking. He tried," offered Millie with a frankness that surprised Grace considering her previously demanding tone. "I couldn't cope, didn't know what to think anymore. Maybe you and I have that in common. I'm not a fool, Grace," Millie looked at her piercingly, repeating her description of Millie a couple of days before. "I know what he is. I know how he can be. Of course, I wish he wouldn't be so cold towards other people, so unfeeling. And trust me, I tell him when I think he's out of line. But at home, with me, he's different. Generous, loving. You probably wouldn't recognise him. Mum hit the nail on the head when she said that he was just like my father, history repeating itself. I think that's the only reason why Dad puts up with him. Mum reminded him that her parents had only driven them together by refusing to have anything to do with Dad. That's what she's like. Always knows what to do, what to say. I miss her so much. Can't bear to think that ..." she paused, her brow furrowing as she fought to keep control and then continued with a forced brightness. "You know, Max might admit to being a bit scared of Dad, but he's probably more scared of losing Mum's approval. Saying that, I'd have liked to be a fly on the wall when Max went to ask Dad for-" Millie stopped suddenly, chewing her lower lip.
Grace wondered whether to prompt her to continue her monologue. It sounded so deeply personal, but she got the impression that Millie really needed someone to talk to and she just happened to be the only one listening. "For what?"
Millie turned to face Grace. "You won't tell anyone?" she asked, worried. "Promise?"
Grace shook her head. "No, not if you don't want me to."
"Nobody knows, except for my family and my best friend. Max asked me to marry him, last weekend. We were so happy, we were all so happy. We didn't see any of this coming," she finished on a whisper.
"Oh, Millie," sighed Grace, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder but unable to offer anything more. Of course she wanted to tell her that everything would be okay, that Sondra would be returned safe and well to her family, that a wedding would eventually take place without the spectre of a missing mother. But the words wouldn't come because having seen the remains of Carly Fleischmann, it seemed such an unlikely outcome.
Millie sniffed and blinked hard, pushing back the sadness into a place deep inside that she could pretend to manage. "I think you might be safe now," she nodded to the distant figure of Neil Manson ambling towards them, no longer on the phone.
"I can stay with you, if you'd like?" Grace offered quietly. Talking to Millie had felt like another step towards her own rehabilitation, she didn't want to leave just yet.
"No, I'm waiting for Max to finish in there. We're going to see Georgie, to tell him about Carly. But thank you ... and thank you for telling me what you did. It helps to make sense of things."
"Okay, well if you're sure," Grace's voice filled with concern.
"I am," nodded Millie. "He won't be long. Oh, and Grace?" she asked as Grace rose to her feet.
"Yes?"
"Don't make any plans just yet, about your future that is."
Grace looked at her in confusion and was just about to ask her to explain when bickering voices floated up from the ramp behind them.
"Well, you shouldn't have worn those shoes!"
"I can walk perfectly well in them," responded a voice huffily. "You could slow down though."
Tommy came to a standstill, and theatrically turned round to wait for Suzie trotting behind him. "Happy now?"
"Yes," she confirmed equally emphatically and swept past.
Tommy followed her, unable to suppress his smile until he saw the morose expression of Millie. "Ah, Millie. Grace. We have a lead, a RTA on Canley High Street. Might be the van that the kidnappers used, we're off to check it out."