Sandra entered the interview room to find all three of the people sat in silence.
"For the benefit of the tape Detective Superintendant Pullman has entered the room" Brian said keeping up with procedure, for the first time in his life.
"Now sir, now that your daughter is here are we going to speak up?" Sandra tried but the old man simply shook his head.
"Oh, come on dad, she just wants to know what you were doing there, I know it looks bad but believe me it will be a whole lot worse if you don't tell 'em." Rose held her father's hand tight and looked deep into his innocent, big brown eyes, hoping to reassure him. Rose had never known her dad to be 'sane', her mother had died when she was still a young already troubled teenager and that had been his downward spiral. Rose had been jealous of Hyacinth, what with her being the eldest of the sisters, she was the only that really remembered him being semi-sane.
"She's right" Sandra said smiling at the pair of them, knowing that if she was cold towards Rose there would be no chance of her prime suspect talking.
"Well tell me, if you won't tell them, come on dad, do it for Rose." She forced out a little smile, she desperately wanted to tell him it would all be okay and he could go home soon, but Rose knew better than to dish out promises she couldn't keep.
"Okay" the elderly man finally said, Rose smiled and Sandra and Brian leaned further forward in their seats.
"Do you remember going to London at all at that time?" Rose tried and her dad nodded.
"Yes" he replied.
"Did you go there with Violet, your daughter on the 5th of March?" Sandra asked.
"Yes, she was angry at Bruce and wanted me to come with her, I had gone to her house a few days before, I don't know why."
"That's all right daddy, just tell me what do you remember" Rose said flashing that dazzling reassuring smile of hers.
"Well it was London, there were invaders, German's" he began to explain.
"Mmm" Rose mumbled, fusing her lips together and widening her eyes as she nodded attentively, she was more than used to hearing his tales of fictional occupied England and how he saved the day.
"What did you do then?" She asked after a little lull in conversation.
"The bank manager was a traitor; he was bringing the German's here."
"What did you do to him father?"
"I tied him up and told everyone else to get down as we were under attack."
"Are you sure he was a traitor?"
"Rosie, I would have staked my reputation and my life on it" he said grabbing her hand, Rose put her free hand on top of his and rubbed it affectionately.
"Then what happened?" She asked carefully.
"Onslow. He appeared in the window, I was meant to be keeping a low profile and it was my job and no one else's, he was going to give me away" he old man said, panic struck his throat as he recalled the version of events through his eyes.
"Oh I am sure he wouldn't have given you away" Rose replied "Onslow may be a swine but he won't have given you away to the enemy" she said playing along, relieved when her father laughed at the jibe she made at her brother-in-law's expense.
"After that I told them I had to go and they could untie the manager and keep an eye on him for me. And that's all I remember."
Rose smiled at the only parent she had really known. "Well done, see that wasn't that hard was it?"
"No."
"Thank you Rose you have been a great help, I will see you out" Sandra said this time her smile was genuine.
"Not at all, but I didn't do it for you mind." Rose said as she rose from the plastic chair.
"For the benefit of the tape Detective Superintendant Pullman is escorting her out of the room" Brian said.
"Look, I know you and I haven't exactly seen eye to eye but what will happen to father?" Rose asked her eyes were like saucers, full of woe and desperation.
"Well, get your sister to send through his medical records and I will make a note of his past encounters and stress that there was no actual robbery or persons injured, when I come to writing this up. So when it comes to court, I will see there is a more than fair chance he will get off on mental health grounds, it will still mean a criminal record though."
"Oh I think that is the least of his worries, thank you so much for all this" Rose smiled.
"Not at all but I didn't do it for you mind" she joked as Rose tottered back to the main office.
"Oh and Rose?" She called.
"What?" Rose asked spinning around on the tip of her heels.
"If you break Gerry's heart you have me to answer to, understood" she laughed.
"Oh don't worry, that's motivation in itself to keep Gerry happy, I wouldn't like to cross you again, Detective Superintendant Pullman" Rose joked, feeling so much better things between her and Sandra were better as they parted ways, for Gerry's sake more than anyone else's.
"Good because, I am not sure I would like to bump into you in a dark alley, I guess you would know it's me by the state of my roots" she joked, feeling a lot more at ease with Rose.
"Too right, on your income it should be the other way around, you're the one that can afford a decent hairdresser, not me." Rose replied.
"Till the next time" Sandra said watching her disappear into the office before tying up the loose ends in the interview room.