Rose had almost forgotten she was supposed to be keeping a low profile, still, as a tutor, he'd probably already looked her up since she'd gone out of her way to get his attention. Not wanting to give too much away, she asked if he needed a ride back.
''You have another class Miss Tyler, I can be back before then and it's not a good idea for me to be seen getting in a student's car.''
''Even for car sharing? If it makes you feel better, you can pay me what you pay the cab company.''
''I can claim it back. You're going to miss your next class.''
''Ok, I'm going. See you next Tuesday then?''
''I expect so since you're in my classes and I've no other choice. Don't expect to get away with disrupting them every time or I may handcuff you for real.''
''Don't make promises you can't keep.''
''You still have to tell me why you don't wear a uniform.''
''Another time since you pointed out I'll be late.''
She got up but he caught her arm. ''Try not to disrupt your other tutors Miss Tyler, you may not get away with it so easily.''
They hadn't realised the superintendent had sent someone to spy on Alec as Rose left and Alec remained in his seat, running his fingers over his chin and wondering if he should give his beard a trim and wondering why he was letting the troublesome Rose Tyler get the better of him. She obviously was, if he admitted it to himself, she was going out of her way and she was flirting with him but he needed to keep this job, he couldn't afford to get asked to leave or there would be no getting his old job back.
Rose went off wondering if he'd even realised she was flirting with him, ever since she held out her wrists on Tuesday morning for him to put the handcuffs on her, then answering his questions. Maybe he wasn't interested in that way or maybe he'd already been warned off, she expected the training college had rules about students and senior officers.
Alec was about to call for a taxi when he was called over to the office and informed the superintendent wanted to see him. He thought if he was going to be asked to take on the extra class on a regular basis, it may be worth it to catch Miss Tyler out.
''How are you getting on Alec?'' the superintendent asked, gesturing for him to sit.
''Fine, it's not that difficult and it will pass the three months I've been allocated here.''
''Yes and thanks for taking that extra class at short notice, the tutor had a family emergency and we don't know when he'll be back. Would you be able to fill the post until we get another replacement?''
''I expect so, since I'm already here. About my expenses, can I not just have the cab company bill you directly instead of me claiming it back?''
''I expect so, I'll have someone arrange it for you, just make sure your address is up to date, I noted you're in temporary accommodation?''
''For another week or so until my new place is vacant. I'll let the office know so from Tuesday I'll assume I won't need to pay the cab driver?''
''If it's any different, you'll just have to still pay and hand in the receipt. One more thing, don't let the recruits give you the run-around Alec, it's not good form to let them get the better of you.''
''What exactly are you getting at?''
''I think you already know, letting one of the students get to you, disrupting your class, you need to keep them in line and that includes the female ones, one in particular.''
''With respect, I know how to keep the recruits in line as you put it, I've spoken to her, she says she's on a 'special assignment' whatever that implies.''
''Yes, I'm well aware that Miss Tyler is here under special circumstances, exactly what they are I've not been informed but she still has to abide by certain rules and not disrupt classes. I'll see how she gets on with the other tutor and make sure she's not just trying it with you and if that's the case, I'll have to have a few words with her, she's a bad example to the other new recruits.''
''That's hardly fair, the term has just started, I told you, I've already spoken to her and warned her she's had her fun and I expect her to behave appropriately next week.''
''Yes, well, I needn't remind you about getting personally involved with any of the recruits, even if they are on special assignments, it could lead to one of both of you being asked to leave.''
That left Alec wondering just exactly who this Miss Tyler actually was, he was still sure he knew the name but couldn't yet place her. Maybe she was related to Peter Tyler of Vitex fame but hardly anything was known about his personal life except he'd remarried after losing his first wife to the Cybermen several years ago. He didn't expect anyone related to him would be wanting a career in policing. He left the superintendent's office and decided to delay his trip back to Broadchurch and pay a visit to where 'fingerprinting' was being held, silently opening the door and spotting the troublemaker sitting quietly at a desk taking someone's fingerprints.
He just knew it, she had just been out to disrupt his classes and no-one else's. He just hoped she wouldn't get either of them thrown out. By the early evening, Alec was bored and thought he'd take a walk down to the park's entertainment centre, get a non-alcoholic lager and see what was going on, he could maybe brush up on his detective skills and make observations about people.
Rose was also bored of the TV so she picked up her laptop and walked down to the bar, passing her neighbour's caravan and noticing the door was open and headed for the entertainment complex, showing her pass to get in, ordered a coke and sat at one of the tables, spreading her stuff out and connecting to the internet. She looked up suddenly at the sound of a familiar Scottish voice ordering a brand of lager.
Alec hadn't noticed Rose sitting with her back to the entrance and had walked past her, vaguely registering someone with blonde hair was at one of the tables and wondering if it was his neighbour. As he was waiting at the bar, he turned around. Just his luck he could only see the blonde from the side, got his drink and was about to cross to the side of the room when she moved her head.
Alec just stared, how was it possible the troublesome recruit was staying there? Surely it hadn't been her in the next caravan? He debated whether to take another table or cross back to hers though she had taken up most of her table. Rose looked up as she was aware someone was looking at her, thinking a bloke was going to have the nerve of chatting her up and hoping it wasn't the one from the hotel bar last Friday night.
''Oh, it's you, spying on me were you?'' she asked as Alec pulled a chair opposite out, not bothering this time to ask if he could sit there.
''Nothing of the sort, in case you'd not noticed, you need a pass to get in here, it's not a public bar. What do you think I'm doing in here?''
''Playing bingo?'' she grinned, holding up a book of six bingo tickets she'd bought on her way in from the shop in the corner that sold kids light-up toys and suchlike, not that she exactly needed to win a cash prize but it was a habit from her old world, she'd enjoyed a game of bingo with her mother before she had started going off to other planets with the Doctor.
Alec shook his head as she offered him the book. ''I'll pass. You don't happen to drive a blue car do you?'' he asked, taking a sip of his drink.
''Lucky guess. You my next door neighbour who keeps getting in and out of taxis then I suppose?''
''Another lucky guess. I noticed you'd learned your lesson about parking after it took you two attempts to get out the other day.''
''You were watching?'' she blushed, closing her email and shutting down her laptop, considering she was being rude and it was almost time for bingo.
''It was quite entertaining really. I was rather disappointed you'd changed parking spots. So, who are you Rose Tyler? What's this special assignment at the training college, are you an inspector or something trying to catch out unsuspecting male tutors?''
''What? Why did you ask that?''
''Because I saw you in fingerprinting and you were as quiet as a mouse so I can only assume you were either trying to catch me out or you were flirting with me.''
''Huh? Why would I be doing either?''
''You're a bad liar Rose, you were doing one or the other, I'm a trained detective.''
''You think you're so impressive, DI Hardy.''
''I am and you can call me Hardy.''
''Not Alec?''
''No, I don't like the name, never have and I don't go for first names anyway.''
''You just called me Rose.''
''I was trying to prove a point. You might want to pay attention, bingo is about to start and I'm out of here. I'll be next door when you've won.''
He got up as the bingo caller announced the prizes and rules and Rose wondered why she was bothering and if she actually won, she would donate it to the kids club or something. She won the second game so after collecting her prize money and asking one of the staff if there was a worthy cause she could give the prize money to, she went in search of Alec Hardy, why, she couldn't decide since he seemed out to get his revenge on her for disrupting his classes.
Alec was surprised when thirty minutes later, he saw Rose Tyler come out of the room opposite and through the other door instead of walking out, which he half expected. The warning he'd been given at college had been forgotten as he got up and asked her what she was drinking.
Setting her drink down, he asked if she'd won anything, she just replied with a grin and a ''what do you think?'' as she took a sip from the white wine and lemonade he'd put in front of her.
Alec knew he was wasting his time with her, she would have read the college rules about recruits and tutors but maybe she took as much notice of them as he was finding himself doing which was none at all. An hour later, Alec decided to call time as he was no nearer finding out what she was really doing in the police training college apart from annoying him and asked if he could walk her back to her caravan, since she was next door.
Hoping to get more out of her than he had in the bar, which he thought was the reason she was reluctant to say anything, he accepted her invitation of her making some hot chocolate, knowing he shouldn't really but who was going to find out? It was after eleven when he said he should be leaving.
''So Alec,'' Rose made a point of calling him by his first name as he had screwed up his face when she had called him it earlier, ''What do you do when you're not giving lectures at the training college?''
He was about to say look up troublesome recruits but decided not to bother. ''I spend a few hours at the station revising the lectures I'm supposed to conduct but it doesn't help when someone keeps disrupting them.''
''Is that directed at me?''
''Should it be? Just why are you so disruptive and why won't you tell me what you're doing there when you're not taking it seriously?''
''I can't tell you but like I said, I'm on a special assignment and it's all been hushed up but I'm not there to spy on you, I had no idea you were teaching there, I thought you would have left after you solved your last case.''
''I had nowhere else to go and I have to pass another medical before I can get my old job back so it's three months putting up with you or three months being bored out of my mind. I decided it was more interesting to pass on the benefits of my experience than sit in a caravan all day.''
''I expect it is. Do you intend staying here on the campsite?''
''No. I'm waiting to move somewhere else.''
''Me too, I've got a flat just across the river, up one of the side streets. Maybe we'll be neighbours then?''
''I doubt it, I'm not moving into a flat. Goodnight Rose, I'll see you at the college on Tuesday if you manage not to get us both thrown out. I've already had a talking to from the superintendent.''
''What for?''
''Letting you take over my class for one.''
''Sorry, it was just too tempting, I'll try and behave from now on.''
''Well don't drag me down with you, I need to prove I can still be of use to the police department and you are not helping my cause.''
Rose said goodnight and locked the door behind him, wondering why he'd not yet tried it on with her despite his warning. So what if the college did have rules, she was there under special dispensation from the chief constable but would he stick up for her if she broke the college golden rules of no relationships between recruits and tutors? Still, it hadn't yet come to that but the two of them were clearly on the very edge of thinking about it, well she was and Alec Hardy was a hot-blooded male, divorced and hopefully available.
She couldn't be blamed if she kept winding him up and he decided to do something about it but she wouldn't see him get dismissed for it when she had started it, she would own up and make sure she took the blame for it. Pete wouldn't like it but since her mother kept going on at her to take up with a man she expected to get away with it.
Alec let himself back in his caravan, wishing he'd put the heating on and hastily put the room heater on before going into the utility cupboard and switching it on. He hadn't intended stopping out so long and he wouldn't have, had he not bumped into his least favourite student. What had been the chances of her being his neighbour? This was going to be awkward, he had been watching for any signs of her all week, narrowly missing catching a glimpse of her apart from her medium length blonde hair, he'd seen her from behind as she had driven out on a few occasions but would she think he was a creep now he'd admitted watching her driving skills?
Rose saw nothing of Alec the next day, she even went to the club again, hoping he'd buy her a drink but he had stayed away. Alec had given in and called Ellie Miller and she had agreed to come over to Broadchurch on Saturday and meet him since her son Tom had gone to stay with her sister and she was going to try to persuade him to see her or at least his baby brother.
Rose went to the supermarket on Saturday morning, wondering to ask her neighbour if he needed to go as well and was just setting off when a green estate car pulled up outside his caravan and a woman in an orange jacket got out and went towards his door. Rose ignored his visitor and got in her car and drove off, not bothering who it was, it was probably someone he used to work with come to visit him.
Ellie knocked on his door, not wanting to have to get her youngest son out since they had agreed to go visit Tom then get some lunch, Alec saying he'd have a word with the teenager and try to take some of the blame from her. Ellie had noticed a woman drive up the narrow roadway from the caravan next to Alec's.
''Miller, you're early,'' Alec remarked, grabbing his overcoat.
''Excuse me, nice to see you too Hardy. Your neighbour just drove off in a hurry.''
''She was probably trying to avoid me, I think I upset her.''
Ellie grinned. ''Do tell, you upsetting a young blonde?''
''She's a new recruit at the training college and I may have implied we may both get thrown out after I inferred she was flirting with me.''
Ellie burst out laughing. ''It's not funny Miller, come on, let's go see your son, what's his name.''
Ellie shook her head. Who would have imagined Alec Hardy getting fussed over a young blonde? She was going to get the tale out of him one way or another. The meeting with Tom was less than successful for Alec, even though he'd tried to steer some of the blame away from the boy's mother and Tom only responded with an 'I'll think about it' when asked to go back to live with her, Alec saying the only one to blame was the boy's father, for choosing Danny over his family.
Over lunch at the harbour café, Ellie tried again to get Alec to admit he was smitten with his neighbour and alleged new recruit.
''She's a recruit Miller, though not an ordinary one, says she's on a special assignment, whatever that means but the moment she stepped into my class, I knew she was going to cause trouble.''
''The great Alec Hardy fazed by a young blonde, never thought I'd see the day. Maybe she's there to spy on you?''
''She claimed she had no idea I would be there and I only found out a few days before I took up the post.''
''Then maybe she works for a secret organisation that needs to know how the police operate?''
''You may be onto something there Miller but what organisation?''