A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and commenting. It's the morning after the day that changed Alec Hardy's life forever. The calm after the storm… also, we'll get Baxter's POV for the first time. Exciting (at least to me). Hope you'll like it.

CHAPTER 5

Hardy woke up before sunrise. The room was dark. Tess had monopolized the blanket, leaving him shivering in the cold April morning. He was briefly tempted to snuggle up against her warm body, but a glance at the clock woke him up completely. By the time he would fall back asleep, it would already be time to get up. He ran his hands down his face and rolled out of the bed. They had a long day ahead of them, might as well get a decent breakfast.

He padded down to the kitchen, briefly peeking into Daisy's room. She was tangled in her blanket, only hair visible. The guilt was almost overwhelming him. He had scared her last night, not being able to control his emotions. The river threatened to come back and he fought off the image of Pippa's face. He hurried down the stairs and turned on the lights. It helped to keep the ghost away.

The water had just boiled and he was cooking some porridge, when Daisy sleepily walked into the kitchen. She squinted at the light, slumping on the chair. He put a cup of tea in front of her, avoiding looking at her. He busied himself at the stove, awkward silence turning uncomfortable.

"Dad, are we going to talk about it or are you just going to keep staring at the porridge? It really doesn't need all that attention, you know." Impatience was dripping off of her.

He didn't turn around, still stirring in the pot. "I'm so sorry, darlin'. That I frightened you. I…"

"It's okay, Dad," she interrupted. "You were so upset though. Were you crying?" He didn't answer, not trusting his voice.

Her light touch on his back startled him. "Dad, what's going on? You're scaring me."

He turned around and looked at her. He tried to smile but failed. Daisy threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body.

"Oh, Dad. Please don't be so sad. I don't like seeing you like this." Her voice was muffled against his chest. He hugged her back, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Shhhh, don't cry, darlin'," he whispered in her hair.

"Did you find her?" A simple question.

"What?" His voice was sharp. Tess wouldn't have told her. They never talked about the details of their homicide cases with her, even if it was all over the papers or news. But Daisy had been asking about the missing girls.

"Did you find Pippa?" Her hazel eyes were wide and fearful.

He had to sit down. How could he answer that question? He tightly held on to his mug, hiding his trembling hands. He beckoned her to sit next to him.

"Your mother said you didn't know Pippa." She shook her head, looking at him intently. He swallowed a few times before he could continue. He couldn't lie, not with seeing Pippa's face every time he closed his eyes.

"Daisy, I… we found her yesterday. She…," he trailed off, lacking the words to tell his daughter that the other girl had died.

"Is she dead?" Daisy quietly asked. He nodded. There were silent tears running down her cheeks. His heart was filled with sorrow. It hurt to see his daughter so distraught. He took her hand, feeling not equipped to deal with comforting her over the death of this girl she didn't even know.

"Are you and Mum going to find who did this to her?" It wasn't just a question, it was a plea, fueled by fear and anger alike.

Their eyes locked. "Yes, darlin'. I promise you, we will." His voice that he wasn't trusting before, was strong now and full of conviction.

"Good," was all that she said. They sat in silence, holding each other's hands until the burning porridge set off the smoke detector.

Hardy jumped up. "Ach, for God's sake." He burned himself when he pulled the pot of the stove. He quickly climbed on the chair to reset the alarm, while Daisy opened the window. He was shaking his aching fingers, when Daisy dragged him over to the sink. She stuck his hand under the ice cold water. He flinched, trying to pull away.

"Oi, Dad. Leave it there, it needs to stay under the water for at least 10 minutes." Daisy's face was stern. He squirmed and her eyes bore into his.

"Please, Dad, let me take care of you. You're rubbish at that." She was pleading and Hardy gave in.

She didn't look at him when she quietly said, "Dad, you promised me to talk to someone if things are bothering you, remember?"

He did remember. It was when they were driving to the wedding and he had lied to her about his heart condition. She had made him promise to not keep things to himself.

"Aye, I do, darlin'," he softly replied. "Please, don't worry so much about me. 'M fine." He smiled, but he couldn't make it reach his eyes.

"No, Dad. You're not fine. You were not last night and you're not now. I'm your kid but I'm not an idiot. I can see it in your eyes, when you talk about Pippa. You've never been this upset."

She let go of his hand and turned around to face him, her eyes full of love and concern. It warmed his heart to know how much she cared and at the same time it was also aching for the sorrow he had caused her.

"Please don't shut us out, Dad. You always tell me, I can come to you with anything. I know I'm not a grown up, but I love you and I'm there for you if you need me. You don't have to be alone in this, but if you don't share, we can't be with you."

Hardy only nodded, his throat chocked up, not able to say anything. He pulled Daisy into a gentle embrace. Eventually, he breathed a "Thank you" in her hair, possibly the most sincere 'Thank you' he had ever uttered in his life.

He dropped Daisy off at school. He had urged her to not talk about anything with her classmates as the police hadn't released a statement yet. He was proud to see that she understood and knew he could trust her. To his surprise Daisy asked him to drop her off at the gate instead of a block further down. She handed him his lunch box.

"Don't forget to eat, Dad. You look too skinny." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in front of everyone, something she hadn't done in quite a while now. He watched her run inside, smiling and hugging her friends, desperately trying to capture the happy image in his mind.

Tess had been angry at him for telling her, but what could he have done? There were already too many lies in his life. And she would have found out soon enough anyways. He dreaded the thought of having to make the official statement to the press, almost seeing the smug face of that White woman in front of him. He had no doubt that she would be there to show off her brilliant insight into police work.

It took him longer than most days to get from the school to the station. He felt groggy and didn't trust himself to be quick enough for his usual driving style. After last night, maybe there was something to what the doctors had told him about not getting behind the wheel. He quickly shoved the thought aside, he had been upset. As long as he was calm, there was no reason to get alarmed.

Right. He almost convinced himself.

The wait at the elevator turned into an eternity and the temptation to take the stairs was growing. He was running late for the morning briefing. When it eventually came, he dashed through the doors, earning himself a few muttered curses. He barged into the CID office, ready to give his team hell. Maybe that wasn't the best approach, but he sure was going to set fire under them, knowing how much work lay ahead of them. Not only was there a dead child, but they still had another missing.

He never made it to the meeting because as soon as he opened the door to the incident room, he heard his name being called. All eyes turned to him and his face heated up instantaneously.

Baxter's booming voice echoed through the room. "Do I have to say it twice? Hardy, in my office, now!"

He trudged over to his boss' door and slammed it shut behind him. He hated being summoned like a school boy. And he knew that Baxter was very much aware of this as well. He threw him a piercing stare and then began pacing up and down in front of the desk.

"You look like a tiger in a cage." Baxter's heavy hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him from moving about. He shrugged it off and resumed the holding pattern, short quick steps back and forth.

"I'm late for the briefing. What do you want?" Hardy's gruffness was nothing but a mask to hide the tension inside. He dreaded the inevitable conversation with his boss about what happened the day before.

"I'm not talking to you while you're running a marathon. Makes me dizzy just looking at you."

Hardy threw a sideways glance at his boss, who had sat down behind his desk. Judging from the frown on his face, he was in no mood to indulge his DI's temper this morning. He stopped and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is this when you're going to ask if I'm physically fit to do my work?"

Baxter's eyebrow rose. "I'm not so sure if your ability to do your job is only hampered by physical ailments at this point. What the hell where you thinking jumping into that river?" His voice was calm, but the contained anger behind it was unmistakable.

Hardy was silent.

"Answer me!" Baxter's barked at him. "Because if you can't give me a satisfying explanation I'm taking you of this case right now. This kind of reckless behavior is what gets you and your team into trouble and I have no - and I repeat - absolutely no tolerance for shit like this." His face had turned red and his grey-blue eyes were stormy with anger.

Hardy shrank under the onslaught. He ducked his head and shoved his hands into his pockets, not looking at his boss.

"Sit down! I'm tired of staring up at your tight-lipped sorry face." Baxter had calmed down some.

Hardy plopped into a chair, leaning forward, clasped hands dangling between his legs. He still didn't look up. Remembering Daisy's words, he decided to be open with his friend. Barely audible, he put forth the thought his mind returned to over and over again.

"Who would leave a child like that? Rotting in the river." He shook his head, covering his face with his palms. "I couldn't leave her there. I… I thought maybe I could still do something to save her." His voice broke up. He took in a deep breath to regain composure. And although he was talking to his friend, he was able to give his boss what he needed to hear.

"I know I shouldn't have done that, jumped in the water." His eyes were still covered by his hands and Pippa's face danced in front of him. There was a tremble in his voice, he couldn't hide.

"Believe me, there is no need for disciplinary actions, got a stark reminder not to do such a thing again." The memory of Pippa's body bumping him and the fright of the moment when he turned around was so strong, he cringed involuntarily.

He hadn't noted Baxter come around his desk, until he felt his hand on his shoulder. "Do you need to talk to someone about it?" he asked quietly.

Hardy's head jerked up. He found his friend's eyes. There was nothing but true concern in them.

He took in another deep breath and let it out slowly, pretending to think about his answer. "No. I don't think so. I'll be alright."

Baxter frowned at him, clearly not buying it. "Bullshit. I know you. I've never seen you shaken up like this. I need to be sure, you can handle it. I can't let you lead this investigation if you're not up for it, mentally and physically. I'm your friend, Alec, and as such I'm worried for your well-being. And I know it would devastate you, if I took you of the case. But I'm also your boss and responsible for what's going on in CID and I can't have a loose cannon running around. You either get yourself together – and if you need help with that, there's no shame in it – or you're out. Have I made myself clear?"

Hardy nodded. He didn't expect less from his boss and from himself for the matter. There was no room for error in a murder investigation and certainly not in this one. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself, if anything he did was to jeopardize apprehending the responsible party and getting them convicted.

"Did they clear you to work after you almost drowned your sorry arse?" Baxter tried to make it sound lightly, but Hardy knew him better than that.

There was no use in denying the obvious as Baxter could easily have his medical record pulled and then his game would be over. He hoped to be able to get away with a half-truth and put him off his scent.

"Erm. I… I kinda signed myself out. They wanted to observe me, but I just wanted to go home. Really don't like hospitals." He gave him a sheepish look, hoping to look miserable enough to stir him away from what really happened.

"Jesus, Hardy. You're unbelievable," Baxter huffed. He studied Hardy for a bit and then rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go and get fire under your team. Don't make me regret this, do you hear me?"

Hardy nodded again. "Aye, sir" He got up. His hand already on the door handle, he hesitated. "Thank you for having my back, Ed. I promise you won't regret it." This time he closed the door gently.

Baxter waited a moment before he followed his DI to attend the morning briefing. Alec Hardy worried him. He had worried him for a while now and although the conversation he just had was reassuring that the man would pull himself together, there was a nagging sensation he was missing something.

Hardy had been his friend for many years now, going all the way back to when he first made him DI. His instincts had been right and he had witnessed Hardy growing in his new role. As an astute observer with sharp wit and intuition, he was a rather brilliant detective. His temper though had been hard to reign in and many times Baxter couldn't find enough curse words to describe his feelings about his DI.

The man was passionate and with that came a certain unruliness. He had no tolerance for mediocrity and it was hard for most of his colleagues to live up to his high moral standards and work ethics. He would always be the first to come, the last to go home when working a case, driving his team and more so himself to the limits. There was an air of recklessness and impulsiveness about him.

Like when he jumped into a river that had turned into a gushing stream by a spring downpour, and almost drowned. To save a dead girl. He understood why Hardy did it though. The man had a daughter the same age. Baxter had seen the horror in Hardy's eyes. He reminded himself to go back to Hardy's file and find out if this was his DI's first child murder case. If so, it might become a problem, especially as lately Hardy seemed to have a tougher time to not let the cases get to him. Female victims always were hard on the younger man and they had had serious conversations about it, leaving Baxter every time assured that Hardy had control over his emotions and his judgement would not be clouded. This time though, he wasn't so sure. He would have to watch him carefully, ready to support him if needed. After all, he was the best man for the job.

Baxter made his way over to hover at the back of the crowd settling in for the morning briefing. Hardy jumped right into it, not wasting any time with 'good morning' and 'how are you'. Baxter sighed. He often wondered, if Hardy would make a good successor, but then he did have the social skills of a hermit crab raised in solitary confinement. He was abrupt and seemingly never even heard of the term diplomacy. When Baxter first met Hardy, it didn't take him long to figure out that under all the gruffness there was a kind and compassionate man hiding. You only had to see him with his child once, and it was more than obvious.

One thing that Hardy had going for him though when it came to leading was his loyalty to the people he worked with. He always took responsibility for the mishaps that happened under his watch, even if it was clearly not his fault. Failure and mistakes were never blamed on one individual and successes were celebrated as a team. That didn't mean he didn't give out rather vicious bollockings and lose his temper with his subordinates, however he would never rat anyone out to his superiors.

He irritated people, but still they respected him for what he was and his restless energy when working a case was infectious. Baxter was watching the crowd, which was hanging on Hardy's lips, following his every word.

"Pippa Gillespie's body was found in the river Sandbrook at approximately 1300 yesterday." His Scottish accent was rough. Hardy didn't let on at all about the circumstances. Baxter had to give him credit for that. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who not even ten minutes ago seemed to barely be able to keep it together.

"Do we have the preliminary autopsy report yet?" He scanned the silent crowd. His hands went to his hips, a sure sign of rising impatience. Finally PC Jensen dared to answer.

"They're on your desk, sir." Hardy just stared at him blankly. His ears were pink.

Baxter's lips curled up to a smirk. Touché, Hardy.

"Oi, that's rather brilliant that they're on my desk. Excellent use of my work space. Congratulations to whoever put them there. So, did anyone actually read them then and care to fill me in?" He spat out his words.

Baxter's smirk grew wider. He had to admit he enjoyed watching the back and forth way too much. It was like a cat and mouse game. Hardy usually won.

Dave Thompson took the plunge. "Yes, sir. The pathologists believes the body must have been in the water for two to three days. No large wounds were found, however smaller wounds might not be able to be ascertained due to the time spent in the water. There were no ligature marks. She thought from the gross anatomy of the lungs that the girl did not die in the water or drown. She was pretty certain that she was already deceased when the perpetrator put her in the river."

Hardy's eyes had glazed over and he was staring blankly ahead. Baxter frowned, wondering what horrid images might be floating through his DI's mind. Finding a victim in the water was always challenging as it disfigured the body so much, but dragging the corpse out all by yourself, was a different ball game. Hardy couldn't quite hide the impact it had had on him, but he sure tried.

A brief moment passed, and Hardy blinked, sucked in a deep breath. He was pale. It was eerily quiet in the room. Everyone present had either been there or heard of their boss' deed. Some had seen the body. After another few breaths, the color returned to Hardy's face and he moved on as if nothing had happened.

"Right, what about toxicology then?" Hardy turned to the whiteboard, starting to scribble things down.

"Not yet, but they are not very hopeful to get useful information due to the degree of decomposition," Thompson concluded his report.

It might have been only Baxter who noted Hardy flinch ever so slightly when the DS mentioned decomposition. Baxter's eyes flicked over to where Tess was standing. No, he corrected himself, it had not escaped Hardy's wife either. He had no idea, if the couple had made up over their disputes but he sure hoped for Hardy's sake that they had and Tess was going to be able to support her husband in this.

"What about forensics?" Hardy didn't wait for someone to answer. "Thompson, you worked the scene, what'd they find?"

"Unfortunately not much due to the heavy rain. They are still at the site." Thompson looked defeated.

Hardy pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. When he looked up, there was a fierce determination in his eyes, his body tense with energy. Baxter was almost expecting him to resume his relentless pacing. He saw several people straighten themselves up in their chairs, getting ready for what sure was to come.

"So, how did she get there then? How far from her home is the site? How long might she have been dead before being placed in the river? And if she didn't die there, where is the murder scene? Have we been back at the Gillespie's house? Have we identified all the fingerprints? Where's SOCO at? Have we found any clues as to where Lisa Newbery might be? What about her cell phone trace? And most importantly, is she dead or still alive?"

Hardy finally finished his list of questions. He glared at his team, catching sight of his wife shaking her head. His ears turned red. Baxter hid a grin. At least, he wasn't the only one telling Hardy off about this annoying habit of his to use his team as bouncing board for his own thoughts.

Hardy rubbed the back of his head and cleared his throat. He was tapping the marker on his leg. He smoothly and efficiently went through his plan.

"I want SOCO to split up for now. The team that had been working the Gillespie house previously needs to go back and sweep the house again, no stones unturned. DS Henchard is responsible for organizing the enhancement crews which hopefully will come in by the end of the day." Hardy briefly glanced at his boss, and although they hadn't discussed it, Baxter nodded his approval.

"We'll ask for additional staff for CID as well. DS Thompson will oversee the site at the river. For those of you who don't need to be at the crime scenes, you will review all CCTV footage again as well as the house to house statements. After we've made a statement to the press I'll expect the phone lines to be manned. No word leaks out of this room, is that understood?"

Baxter frowned. They hadn't talked about the press yet. He knew how anxious Hardy was in dealing with journalists. He would have to have a word with him.

"Did anyone tell the parents of either girl yet?" Hardy's voice had softened.

Again it was Thompson who provided the information. "No. We have not." He hesitated, uncomfortable with his next words. "We assumed that you probably wanted to be there, when we break the news, sir. And after they took you to the hospital…" He trailed off under Hardy's death stare. Baxter had to give the man credit that he didn't flinch although he paled a bit.

Baxter intently looked at Hardy, curious to see how he was going to talk himself out of the fact that he jumped into a river, ignoring all police standards and nearly drowned in the process.

Hardy's face was impassive, not betraying any emotion. He shoved his hands into his pockets, the only sign of his unease. His voice carried through the room, Scottish lilt underlying his measured words.

"A drowned child in a river is an awful thing and heart breaking for the families on any day. What happened to Pippa Gillespie though is different. Someone murdered that child and then left her in the water to rot. Alone, to not be found, no solace for the parents. It's certainly one of the most horrid things I could think of. We all will need to deal with that."

He took in a deep breath and made a point of looking his team in the eyes.

"It's our task to find whoever did this. It's not only our task, it's our duty. To the family, to this town and to ourselves as the people who chose to stand between such heinous criminals and those who need protection. It's not only our task, it's also a privilege that was given to us, to be the ones to make sure that the victims and families will get justice."

He had underlined every point with a beat of his long fingers on the white board. At last his hand rested next to Pippa's picture.

"I've worked with most of you for several years. I know what this team can do and I have trust and confidence in every one of you. We will find the responsible party, without a doubt. We will bring justice and closure for the families and everyone else."

Nobody said a word or moved. Even Baxter was rather astounded. He couldn't think of any other occasion that Hardy had given a speech that was more than a handful of sentences long. After a few moments when nobody seemed to know how to react, reality kicked in when Hardy barked his usual closing line at his team.

"Go on then, back to what you were doing."

He vaguely waved his hand at them. People scrambled and the normal buzz of the incident room resumed. Hardy and Baxter locked eyes across the room. Baxter nodded and mouthed 'good man'. Hardy blushed and Baxter smiled. He wouldn't have a reason to regret, not with Alec Hardy at the top of his game. He sure hoped though his earlier worries were unfounded.