Partners in crime

Angie marched back to the MIU office clearly furious. She had been a copper a long time and along with Natalie had been one of only two women on the team for longer than she cared to remember. Normally it didn't bother her but since charging Partridge she felt acutely exposed and angry.

"Ang!" Joe called after her.

"Leave it." She snapped back, heading straight to her desk. Opening and slamming draws she sat at the desk as Joe approached her.

"Tea?"

"Only if it's laced with vodka." She answered, her head now almost buried by the oversized handbag she was searching through.

"That ways lies madness." She raised her eyes to see Ronnie walk back into the office with Natalie and Sam. "And it ruins perfectly good tea."

"What happened?" Natalie folded her arms as both officers fell silent. "This is worse than telling me kids off! What happened? Words of one syllable. Angela, Joseph."

"Guv." Angie sighed. "We formally charged Partridge with possession of an illegal firearm, attempted murder, murder and perverting the course of justice."

"Should have had him on wasting police time an all." Ronnie shook his head.

"Good. So?" Natalie felt like she was pulling teeth.

"So." Joe looked at his feet. "He tried to punch Ang. So I stepped in."

"And?"

"And he had no need to." Angie snapped. "I'm a copper. I can handle myself."

"Matt thought that, until he took a bullet for me." Ronnie paused. "We look out for each other." He stared at both junior officers.

"You think you were the intended target when Matt was shot?" Angie felt sick as she asked. Ronnie nodded.

"If it were Matthew he'd be dead and we'd be running a double murder investigation." He paused. "Ang, did you find anything on Valentine?"

Natalie raised an eyebrow.

"No, but did you know his second wife, Linda moved to Australia just after he went to prison? They'd been divorced ten years so it didn't seem to correlate. Not until I put her maiden name, Linda Anne Francis through the computer."

"And?"

"Guv, there is no way Partridge could have known where she was. Her and David Valentine. Her son."

"And Jimmy's." Ronnie put his glasses back on. Angie nodded.

"Lived just outside of Perth. Until."

"Go on." Sam urged. Angie handed the young DI the file she had printed out.

"She was found dead. Gun shot wound to the head and heart. David has been missing since. I spoke to my counterpart over there and there's no evidence to suggest he's dead." Ronnie ran a hand over his face as listened to the others.

"When?"

"Two years ago. Initially Linda's new partner Martin Ashley was arrested and charged but was found innocent. He was convicted of being a paedophile last year and was serving a ten year sentence in Queensland. That was until he was found dead in his cell last month." Angie explained. "That's why I think Luke and David are in this together. Or at lease David paid Luke to finish what he started."

"We need to find this David." Natalie frowned. "Good work Ang. Keep digging."

Xxxxxxxx

Alesha stood in the kitchen, aware that Cameron was telling Matt all about his day at nursery. She smiled as she heard the little boy chatter away. The kettle seemed to take an age to boil as the realisation she could be explaining to her son that daddy wasn't going to come home again. She wiped a tear away as the baby in her abdomen kicked.

"Lesh."

He wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing her neck. "Don't cry."

"Cam."

"Is watching his cartoons."

"Ok." She sighed. "They've charged Partridge with your shooting."

"I know. Jake told me. Hey" He turned her in his arms. "It's over. I'm home. On gardening leave until the court case but that's ok. You, me, Cam and the baby are fine." He held her chin gently so that she couldn't have looked away.

"You could have died. You could." He kissed her as she fell silent.

"I'm here. It's going to be ok. It is." He whispered as she closed her eyes. "Not even a bullet is going to keep us apart."

"You don't know that." She looked him in the eyes.

"After all we've been through. I know." He kissed her again as Cameron could be heard laughing at the cartoons in the next room.

Xxxxxxx

Natalie stared at the wall opposite her as she thought about the case. She had put in a message to Interpol requesting information about David Valentine and was waiting for the return call. She jumped as her office door opened.

"Nat."

"Thought everyone had gone home." She glanced up as Ronnie crossed the Room to her.

"They have. Just us two here." He smiled as she nodded once. "Just spoke to Matt. He's home. Safe and sound."

"Good." Natalie was genuinely relieved the detective was home. "Ron, I thought you'd been killed. Twice in the space of a couple weeks."

"I'm ok."

"Yes I know. I can see that." Natalie sighed. "I can't help but take it personally when idiots take pot shots at my officers." She ran a hand through her hair. "Ron."

"We have Partridge in custody. We know who paid him to shoot Jimmy."

"Do we? Why come after you?"

"Me and Valentine were partners. I'm the one who put him in prison. David and his mum would never have moved abroad if Jimmy wasn't in prison. Maybe he blames us for that? I dunno. His step father was a pervert. Who knows?" Ronnie frowned. "But what I do know is there is nothing else we can do tonight. Cmon. Let's go home." He reached out his hand to her as he stood. Natalie nodded before taking his hand and following him.

Xxxxxxx

A/n please review