"Tyler, inform DS Henchard, I need a second senior officer with me to conduct a search on the car properly, I don't want any screw-ups."
"Yes Sir, I'll go inform her. I've got a unit on the way and someone to eliminate the fingerprints of the staff member who moved the car."
"Did they not know it was wanted?"
"The owner said he took the car in late last night and he'd been busy with other cars during the day but he said no-one else touched it."
"Good, are forensics ready to take the car away?"
"Yes Sir but I thought it best to search the car before it was moved."
"Good thinking. Go alert DS Henchard."
Tess was already taking notice of what was going on, fuming and whatever it was, he was getting ready to go out again and where had they been that morning in such a hurry? Surely they wouldn't have raided the Ashworth's home at that time in the morning but they had brought the man in just after ten and as far as she knew, he was still locked up downstairs. What were they up to? She'd asked Alec and he'd just told her they were holding him pending enquiries and she knew as well as anyone that could mean anything.
"Ma'am," Rose called as she knocked on Tess's door.
"What now, more 'information' for me?"
"No Ma'am, DI Hardy wants you to come with us, we found a car the Ashworth's sold and we're going to search it. He wants you to conduct the search with him, we believe there could be some vital evidence in it. We can't find the pendant the girl we found was wearing when she disappeared, we've searched both houses and he thinks it may have come off in the car, it's the only place we've not looked."
"Well he let them go and sell it," Tess muttered, getting up. "I'll go in my own car Tyler, give me the address."
Rose gave her a piece of paper she'd written the address down on, knowing the DS wouldn't want to go with them and joined Alec at the door.
"So, what did she say?" he asked as they went to the garage, since he no longer insisted she picked him up outside the main entrance.
"She'll meet us there. Sir, let's hope the pendant was in the car and they never noticed it in their hurry to sell it."
"You can safely assume they will have cleaned it but anyone who is panicking will have forgotten something and, they did not know at the time if the pendant had been recovered."
"Neither did we Sir," Rose smiled as she unlocked the car.
"True but we know where we've looked and at the time they sold the car, they will have been satisfied it was not in the house and only checked the car quickly."
"You think they were both involved?" Rose asked as another unit followed them.
"Let us see if Claire will give the name of the friend she was supposed to have been with but now, we are getting closer to the truth Rose. I will have to put off my visit to see my daughter tonight now, that gives Tess more time to turn her against me."
"She wouldn't think you've forgotten her, would she?"
"I hope not. You know where you're going?"
Ten minutes later, they joined another police car at the car lot, forensics were already eliminating staff from any fingerprints remaining on the car but they had not yet searched it on Alec's orders.
"Tyler, you take the front, DS Henchard will take the back seat and I will take the boot," he ordered, putting on the blue plastic gloves he kept in his jacket pocket as Tess stood behind them.
Rose had no luck with the glove box, the obvious choice, under the rubber mats on both sides and under the steering column, using a torch while Tess did the back seats but Alec told her to let the back seat down, Tess going for the catch. Alec leaned forward as the chain glittered in the light from the back as the seat was let down.
"Right, bag that now and have the car taken to the station. I will take the evidence back with me and Tyler."
"I have to go back, I'll take it," Tess insisted, wanting some of the glory since he'd put her onto the missing girl and he wanted all the credit. Taking the evidence bag she placed the pendant inside.
"Make sure you go straight back, no delays."
"Where do you think I'll go?"
"To see your daughter? I mean it, no stopping off anywhere. You can sign for it. Tyler, you heard her, you are witness I am holding her responsible for taking it back to the station."
"Yes Sir. They're ready to take the car back to the evidence lock-up."
"Let them take it then forensics can go over it tomorrow and have them keep Ashworth at the station, we'll charge him formally tomorrow."
Tess was just leaving when she got a call from Dave Harris.
"Tess, I heard you were going to search a car, any luck?"
"Yes, we found the pendant, well I did but Alec will want to take all the credit."
"Never mind Tess, we'll steal it from him when we find Lisa alive and well. Fancy a drink to celebrate?"
"Well I'm on my way back to the station with the evidence but I can meet you at The Vine in ten minutes, he won't know but I can't stay long."
"What's your hurry Tess?" Dave laughed. "The evidence is going nowhere and what have you got to go home to?"
So ten minutes later, Tess had parked under the canopy of the hotel and leaving the evidence in her work bag, went off to join Dave, not noticing a shadowy figure wearing a hoodie get out of a truck. Claire had been to the station and got her husband to tell her where he had sold the car and that he'd been stupid to not check it properly.
"Lee, tell me where you sold it, they must have an alert out on it by now," Claire told him, hitting his arm as he leaned through the hatch of the cell.
"Ow Claire, stop hitting me."
"You should have gone out of town, you idiot. Why do I always have to clean up your mess? If you'd not be shagging Lisa, this would never have happened. How could you?"
"Well you were grooming her for me, what did you expect?"
"We agreed Lee, that you'd wait but you couldn't keep it in your pants, could you?"
"It's too late now, go break into her car and get it back. You're sure you have Ricky under control?"
"Yes, he knows I have something on him, he won't talk to the cops."
"Well it had better be good, go on, I heard them all as they were leaving."
Rose and Alec had finished at the car lot and everyone was leaving. The car had been taken away and Rose asked him if he was going home.
"You promised to cook for me."
"Yeah but it'll have to be something quick."
"I'm sure you will find something. If Tess is back at the station, she will find an excuse to eat out or bring something back for herself. She had the nerve this morning to say she thought I was only trying to prove a point last night, she never expected me to move my things out."
"So why do you have a spare room, if you only have Daisy?" Rose wanted to know.
"Tess wanted it, in case we decided to have more kids but she soon went off that idea. Change the subject."
"Sorry, I just wondered. So, we charge Lee Ashworth with Pippa's murder? When do we tell the Gillespies?"
"After he has been formerly charged and held until we can get him to court. We should have more results back from forensics examining Pippa for any physical evidence but she had not been abused, thankfully."
"Yeah, be thankful for small mercies. Why did you want Tess to be there?"
"To get her off my back, why else? She can't claim I gave her none of the credit. I don't want any when she finds Lisa."
They arrived back at Rose's apartment and getting some spaghetti from the cupboard, she put it in a pan to boil then got out the pasta sauce.
"We can make this more interesting," Alec told her, going through her cupboards and bringing out some mixed spices in a jar, something that had been there when she'd moved in.
Putting the sauce into a pan, he added the spices and stirred them with a wooden spoon, Rose watching him.
"What?" he asked as he also checked the spaghetti.
"You, being all domestic."
"I never said I was not domestic. I have to cook for Daisy when Tess is in one of her moods and stays at the station late though now, I am beginning to wonder if she was actually working. Rose, I swear I will not repeat anything you can tell me about who that male officer is. Do you trust me? Is it someone who works in our division?"
"Alec, I'd rather not say."
"Then when we get to the station tomorrow, I am going to order you to tell me and I want an answer."
"Then sorry, you'll have to order my friends as well, they were the ones who told me."
"If that is what I have to do but after we formally charge Ashworth. We may be able to charge his wife as an accessory, if she refuses to co-operate."
They had just finished eating, Alec telling her to leave the dishes as he wanted to talk to her so sitting next to her on the sofa, he asked what last night had been about, her thinking he was trying to kiss her.
"Yeah, I get it now, you were just kissing my cheek."
"Yes, it started out as that but you know, or you would not have reacted that way. You were half expecting me to kiss you."
"No I wasn't," Rose tried to insist but she knew deep down she should have seen it coming, Tess had already seen it the day she'd been made his DC.
"Don't deny it Rose, we both knew and it did not start out that way, not at first but Tess going on about you all the time should have made me realise something was happening between us."
"Nothing's happened between us Alec."
"No, not yet, you resisted me twice but the first time, I was aiming for your cheek, the second time, it was intended because I saw something in your eyes. Rose, I know this is not the ideal time but I am having feelings for you, not just as a work colleague."
"No, nothing can happen between us, she'll know."
"Rose, she already thinks she knows and now, you have made me think she is already involved with whoever you are talking about."
"Don't go blaming me Alec, you made me say something. I just can't do this." She tried to get away from him but he held her arm.
"Do what? Let me try to kiss you?"
"No, I already told you. I didn't say never, I just meant, well you know what I meant."
"Do I? Rose, I have moved into the spare room but if you want me leave altogether, give me a reason."
"What do you want me to say? I'm not gonna demand you leave your wife Alec, I'm not like that."
"Rose, I was leaving anyway, how long do you think I will last there, if I stay in the spare room hmm? Daisy will start to ask questions and it's best I tell her now."
"Don't leave for me Alec."
"I'm not, I'm leaving for me. Just give me some indication that you would be interested in me, if I did."
Rose tried to turn away again but looked at him. He had changed in the last few days from being her boss into her friend. She had pushed him to safety from the river, given him a place to stay when he couldn't face his wife when he'd been unconscious and she had fallen asleep at his side and refused to leave him when he'd told her to go home. He'd also changed his appearance from slicked forward hair that made him look older to no hair products and was styling it different but that had happened because he was spending more time with her, out of work and it shouldn't be happening, should it?
"Alec, what can I say?"
He moved closer and touched her hand.
"Anything or we can forget the whole thing and I only see you at work and I will still leave Tess and we will go back to you calling me sir all the time and I will call you Tyler and…"
Rose put her finger on his lips. "Stop already, I get the message, Alec. It's just I don't want everyone pointing their fingers at me and saying I broke up your marriage and Tess making my life even more difficult when she finds out it's true."
"Then tell me who that male officer is," he insisted, taking her finger and kissing the tip.
"Dave Harris but don't you dare repeat that or even being my boss won't stop me kicking your ass if it gets around."
Alec sat back, a look of surprise on his face. He got up and paced the rug on the floor, his hands on his hips, then one hand rubbing his now growing beard, which Rose knew now he was keeping because of what she'd said to him.
"What? You're not surprised, are you?"
"No and I told Tess she could pick whoever she wanted to help her find Lisa and guess who was not present when we found the pendant earlier?"
"You think it's true then? Ok, I'll tell you what I know but I didn't hear it directly, it came from one of my friends, who got it from someone she knows who overheard him bragging a few weeks ago he was chasing a married senior officer but it can't have been her then?"
"Why not? Rose, if he had his eye on her, maybe that is what he does? You came along, Tess found someone who sympathised with her and he took his time?"
"So, she was already convinced I was after you and if she had someone to listen to her complaining about me to start off with, then you saying you were moving into the spare room."
Rose got up and faced him. On her advice he'd left his top button undone, so his tie didn't quite fasten properly and she had noticed he was turning into how she wanted him to look, not how his wife wanted him to appear. She stepped up to him, grabbing his tie and going to straighten it, Alec grabbing her hand.
"I did change, for you. You made me see I was all stuffy, as you called it," he smiled, going to see if she'd let him kiss her cheek this time, which she smiled back and let him.
Rose freed her hand and this time, began pulling the tie, Alec with one hand unfastening another button as he'd suddenly figured out he was getting hot and Rose wrapped the end of his tie around her finger, until she reached the gap in his shirt, then with her little finger, touched his bare skin, Alec glancing down and then kissed her little finger.
"You were all stuffy but only because Tess wanted you to look like that. When did she start warning women off?"
"Long before you arrived and why I let her do it, Rose, I have no idea but if it is her, I gave her my permission by saying she could use anyone she wanted to help find Lisa."
"She almost bit my head off earlier, when I told her my theory as to Lisa's disappearance. She's jealous of you Alec, not me because you're more senior than she is and you're her boss."
Alec knew deep down that was true and it always had been, since he'd arrived at the station all those years ago from Scotland when they'd both been detective sergeants but he'd been promoted after taking his exams and she had failed but that was a few years ago. She could have tried again, if she'd wanted but that was her game, making him her boss and getting someone to feel sorry for her but not allowing him to make any friends. Well it was over.
He leaned down again, putting his hands gently on her shoulders.
"I should never have sent you in to tell her and I am sorry for that."
She let go of his tie and looked at him. His hair looked much lighter than she thought, almost auburn.
"It's not your fault Alec, stop thinking it is but everyone thinks it is Tess who Dave Harris was talking about, we worked out it could only be her or another officer, you could say we were practising our detective skills."
"Yes, that is what you women do, you work things out and now, Tess thinks the male officer is me and Dave Harris is probably making her think she is right. So are you going to slap me if I try and kiss you again?"
Rose grabbed his tie again as he went to try to kiss her, very lightly, Rose not responding at first but not slapping him either, then he tried again, a little longer this time and she almost kissed him back so he thought he'd be third time lucky. He brushed her lips, not knowing every time he was, he was making her stomach do somersaults and this time, she couldn't resist almost kissing him back and he was about to move back, thinking this was all a mistake but she went after him, going for his and letting go of his tie, reached up to put her arms around his neck and initiated the kiss, though only briefly at first until he put his arms around her back.
They repeated the kiss, just short ones at first, Rose's heart beating faster, feeling all hot and bothered and her fingers feeling the back of his neck as he held her closer, short nips at his bottom lip while he nipped her top lip. They broke off and he was just about to let her take his tie off when his work phone rang and she heard him swear under his breath.
"This had better be good or someone is going to be sorry in the morning."
Rose let go, feeling all flushed and red-faced.
"Hardy. What? Are you winding me up?" he asked as Rose tried to guess the other side of the conversation. "Well of course get someone out there to assist and call forensics, not that they have not got enough to do. Who reported it? He did, did he and I suppose he's already on his way? What? Yes I am on my way, I will call Tyler to come and collect me. No, I don't need a unit to collect me and tell them not to touch anything until I get there. What the hell was she doing there? Never mind answering that. Tell me she logged the evidence bag with you? What do you mean what evidence bag? The one from the search of Ashworth's car. You never saw her bring it back? I do not believe this. You did what? What idiot decided he could have a visit from his wife? Harris?"
Rose got the general idea that Tess had not arrived at the station with the pendant, amongst other things.
"Rose, we have to go out, if anyone says anything, I called you and you came to collect me and I am really, really sorry but for now, we will have to be very, very careful."
"What happened?" she asked as he fastened one of his shirt buttons and pulled his tie as far as he could then got his jacket.
"Tess had her car broken into and guess what was stolen? Can you believe Harris let Ashworth's wife visit him?"