He thought if he wasn't really careful, Rose would get the wrong idea and she really would ask for someone else to train her.
"Sorry," he told her as she realised.
Rose just smiled as they went back to the office.
"Good job Tess didn't get out of the lift," she giggled.
"Yes, then there really would have been trouble," Alec agreed. "Although what her friends will say to her is anyone's guess."
"Geez, how did it get to this?" Rose wanted to know. "She could ruin everything for me."
"No, I will not let her, do not worry," Alec assured her as he opened the office door.
Rose was surprised her friends were already at their desks and Kate called her over.
"Where have you been Rose?" Kate asked her. "We looked in the canteen and you weren't there, nor in the ladies room."
"How did ya get here before me?" Rose tried to evade the question.
"We came up the other staircase," Trish replied. "Well?"
"Yeah Rose, you just came back in with Hardy again," Jo tried not to laugh.
"I decided to take my time, then I went in the ladies on this floor," Rose tried to bluff.
Why was she trying to cover things up, she wondered. Couldn't she talk to her boss now?
"We'll believe you," Kate grinned, going back to the pile of folders on her desk.
Rose was about to sit down when Alec waved her to his office.
"This just came in," he handed a piece of paper to her. "Want to follow it up?"
"On my own?" Rose was surprised as she read it.
Alec raised his eyebrows.
"I am going to see the chief, about what we discussed earlier," he then told her. "Get one of your friends to help you, if you wish?"
"What will Tess say?" Rose was worried.
Alec looked up to see Tess just sitting down at her desk. What had been taking her so long, he wondered. Tess didn't even go outside with her friends to have a cigarette so had she been with Dave Harris? The best thing was, he wasn't even worried.
While Rose and Alec had been talking, Dave had whispered to Tess, saying for her to give him a minute then follow him to the back of the building. He waited for her then trying not to get noticed, they slipped into an unused part of the parking garage.
"I only said I couldn't meet you after work Tess," Dave teased her, going for her shirt buttons.
"You have a nerve Dave," Tess replied.
"Come on Tess, you know you can't get what I can give you from Alec any more?" he reminded her, going for her cleavage as he undid another button.
He went for her trousers zip then his own and told her to keep her noise down as he lifted her up when he'd pulled her towards the corner of the wall. Tess clung hold of him and tried not to make a sound. It was all over too quick for Tess's liking, wondering how things had gone so wrong with Alec yet Dave wanted her.
She could hardly complain to Alec that Dave treated her better than he did although he must suspect something by now.
"You need to be less tense Tess," Dave told her as he watched her fasten her trouser zip.
Tess called him a name, making him grin. He'd been called worse than a selfish son of a before now, mainly by his wife. He left without her, laughing to himself and going to the glass fire doors of the canteen that had been left open, acting like nothing had happened. Tess went the long way round, walking through the garage and hoping she wouldn't be spotted.
She got back to the office, seeing Rose in Alec's office. It was no use, she had to admit she had the jealousy bug despite cheating on her husband, which she could no longer deny she wasn't actually cheating with Dave. She was less than happy seeing Rose smiling as she came out of Alec's office with a piece of paper in her hand.
So, Alec was even passing notes to his DC now, was he, Tess thought. What were they planning now? Then she knew why Dave had so easily convinced her Alec didn't care for her and to think of herself instead. The only question now was, did she admit it to Alec or not? No, let him find out for himself, she then thought, watching Rose go towards the desks where her friends were.
Tyler had obviously been telling the three women about meeting Alec at the pub restaurant the day before and they were all laughing at her expense. Alec had taken the blonde's side and was defending her, now the chief wouldn't listen to her complaints any more. Alec had got Chief Wilson on his side, she was already convinced of that so going to him about Alec getting friendly with his DC was out of the question.
Rose went over to her friends again, making them all look up as she waved the paper at them.
"So, who wants to help me with this?" Rose grinned at them.
"What are you talking about Rose?" Jo asked her.
"I just got this to do from the boss," Rose replied. "He said I could get someone to help me."
She handed the printed paper to Kate, who read it quickly.
"He gave you this?" Kate was surprised. "You should be so lucky."
"Aw come on," Trish spoke up. "What is it?"
"Hold on," Kate insisted, reading it with more attention. "Is he being serious?"
"Hey, don't knock it," Rose replied, trying to get the paper from her as Kate passed it to Jo over the desks.
Tess was watching them with interest. What was the blonde and her friends up to now? Plotting against herself probably or had Alec put Tyler up to it? She wouldn't be surprised if he had done. Right from the start Dave had warned her and told her she shouldn't feel guilty of what had happened and she had felt tense earlier, hoping no-one would catch them.
Maybe it was time to think about herself and what she needed, Alec would notice no difference and would probably start fooling around with the young blonde. Sometimes she cursed the chief for taking Tyler on. How exactly had a young DC from London been transferred here in the first place?
What was so special about Tyler, coming in and getting trained by a senior detective when such as Tyler's friends hadn't bothered seeking promotion? She was supposed to be in charge of everyone below the rank of detective sergeant and even some DS's still answered to her, Alec being overall in charge but she had a free reign most of the time.
If only she was in charge of Tyler but Alec had told her in no uncertain terms the blonde was off-limits. Rose's friends were now deciding who was going to take up her offer.
"Look, I know it's not fair askin' ya to decide who comes with me," Rose was telling them. "Things will get better, trust me."
"How can you be certain, with Tess in charge?" Trish wanted to know, finally handing the paper back to Rose. "She has us where she wants us."
"Yeah Rose, you have no idea what it's been like," Jo agreed, Kate nodding her agreement.
"Then go to the chief about it," Rose suggested, wishing Alec hadn't told her to get someone to help her now. "What's stoppin' ya?"
"Easy for you to say," Jo complained, sitting back on her chair.
"Look, I'm sorry things are like they are but you could all go see the chief, tell him the reason ya were held back. He can't ignore three of ya," Rose replied, feeling sorry for what they'd had to put up with. "Don't let Tess treat ya like that any more."
"Be careful Rose," Kate warned her. "Even you're not immune to her, she's in charge of everyone below her rank."
"Not me," Rose said with confidence. "You can all get from under her if ya try."
"Sorry Rose, it's not that easy," Trish told her. "You've got Hardy on your side, we haven't. You came from outside, you've not worked your way up here. Hell, we've not even seen any new DCs come in here since we arrived, they all got put in other divisions. No-one even wanted to come to this one."
Tess had seen they had been talking for too long and got up to put a stop to it.
"What's going on here?" Tess wanted to know. "Tyler, I suggest you get back to your own desk instead of keeping your friends talking. Leave it until break time."
She knew she couldn't order Tyler around or the blonde would go crying to Alec but she could tell the others.
"You three get back to work," Tess then ordered them.
"Excuse me Ma'am," Rose spoke up. "DI Hardy told me to get someone to help with some enquiries he wants making, regarding a case that just came up."
"Did he now?" Tess seemed annoyed. "Well he should have told you to come to me first then instead of you offering to let your friends help you. There are other DCs in this office."
By now, everyone had stopped working to see what was going on.
"I doubt he told you to ask around the whole office," Tess continued.
Rose wished her boss would hurry up and come back from seeing the chief. She had seen him come out of his office, stop by Tess's desk then go off.
Tess had looked up as Alec had stood in front of her desk.
"Going off on your own?" Tess had asked sarcastically.
"I am going to see the chief, there are going to be some changes around here," he had told her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess had asked him.
"You will see," Alec had replied and had walked off.
Now, Alec was discussing things with the chief.
"So that's the reason?" Chief Wilson was asking Alec as he leaned forward in his chair. "So basically, everyone is scared Tess will object if they want to take the sergeant's exam?"
"Putting it that way, then yes," Alec agreed. "I just found out from DC Tyler, who herself is afraid the same will happen to her."
"What makes her think that Alec?" the chief wanted to know. "Tyler is your responsibility isn't she? Tess does know that?"
"Yes, she does but she has tried more than once, trust me," Alec replied. "Tess tries to get to her in other ways. Remember how she was when she thought everyone would come between her and me working as partners?"
"Only too well Alec," the chief recalled. "Don't let me go though that again."
"I am trying my best," Alec assured him. "I came here to ask you to consider giving anyone who wants to be put in for a promotion the assurance there are plenty of senior officers to train them. It should now be easier anyway, since I am already training someone. By the way, I am sure Tess thinks you gave me Rose Tyler to train just to spite her."
The chief had to smile at the thought. He wanted to know more so Alec briefly told him that Tess had cornered Rose more than once but left out the cat fight the day before.
"Tess does seem to go overboard at times," the chief agreed. "Are you saying Tess is going out of her way to get to your trainee?"
"Yes, she is," Alec replied. "Hell, it's even spilling over at home when Tyler collects me in the mornings. Tess is always having a go at me."
"I can't do anything about that Alec," the chief told him.
"I know but it is already getting out of hand. All I can do is warn Tess off, which I have already told her that DC Tyler is off limits to her. It still makes Rose nervous around Tess though."
The chief ignored Alec calling Rose by her first name. As far as he knew, Alec Hardy didn't do the first name thing so it was either a slip of the tongue or the DI was getting soft.
"I will consider your suggestion about training Alec, leave it with me," the chief told him instead of asking which one it was. "Deal with Tess causing problems as you see fit."
Alec felt like replying with maybe getting Tess transferred to another station would be preferable.
"Oh, before you leave Alec, do you know of any particular thing that has set Tess against your new DC? I know she has done it with others when I ordered the two of you to sort out your problems with working together but DC Tyler is new to the area."
"It was nothing I can think of," Alec replied. "It seems to me Tess had made her mind up to dislike Rose before she even arrived."
"Yes, probably with her being an outsider," the chief agreed.
There, Alec had called her Rose again, he was going soft.
"By the way, I gave her a job to do on her own, see how she gets on," Alec added as he got up.
"Yes, good thinking Alec," the chief agreed. "I think it's a good idea, her training officer back in London speaks very highly of her. Apparently she put herself through college rather late so she could join the police."
Alec nodded and left, thinking good for her. Was he going to stand by and let Tess ruin the young officer's chances?
Rose had gone back to her desk as Tess scowled at her. Now, she'd either have to get her boss involved or risk her friends turning against her for getting them into bother for talking. Plenty of others chatted as they worked so what was Tess's problem then? It wasn't like they'd not been talking about work. Now, she may have to prove she could deal with what Alec had given her to do on her own.
She turned her computer screen on and got to work, if she could do this on her own then it would prove she was capable. Alec came back into the office and saw Tess looking pleased with herself so she must have upset someone. He only hoped it wasn't Rose or her friends but Rose was working away on her own so he guessed Tess had put a stop to Rose seeking some help.
Tess got up and followed Alec into his office, slamming the glass door behind her after getting a text message.
"What are you thinking of Alec? Getting Tyler to enlist the help of her friends for something you gave her to do?" Tess asked angrily.
"Hold on Tess," Alec told her as he put his jacket on the back of his chair. "You had better not have confronted her over it?"
He saw the look on her face as Tess stood her ground. He sat down and began messing with the papers on his desk.
"She was stopping her friends from working so I put a stop to it," Tess replied. "What did you tell her Alec? To disrupt everything?"
"Tess, I said she could get someone to help her," Alec tried to tell her. "In future, no interfering Tess, understand?"
"Well if Tyler's that good, she can manage to do whatever it was on her own," Tess replied sarcastically.
"Oh, so when you were seeking a promotion, you never asked for my help?" Alec wanted to know.
"Well you didn't have to tell her to get one of her friends to help," Tess complained.
"While we are on the subject of promotions, if I find out you have been holding someone back, there will be consequences," he then warned her.
"You have no proof of that Alec," Tess replied confidently, knowing those including Rose's friends wouldn't dare say anything.
"Don't I?" Alec challenged her. "Be careful Tess."
"Well you would get your little blonde friend to spy on me for you," Tess hissed. "I just had an interesting text from a friend in the next office."
Alec knew it wouldn't take long for her to find out.
"About what exactly?" he tried to bluff.
"You know very well what Alec, you and Tyler talking by the door, don't play innocent," Tess almost laughed.
Just as Alec predicted, she was onto the fact he and Rose had been seen by someone.
"Well you were late back yourself," Alec reminded her. "What were you doing eh? Rose and I were just talking."
Tess laughed and got up, knowing he was hiding something and she meant to find out what it was. If she went on the offensive, turn it back at him, the less likely he was to suspect about herself and Dave.
That was all about to turn sour for her though, the sergeant in the parking garage had seen her walking past all the cars after he'd been to check out a car that had just been returned from being loaned out. The sergeant had thought it was strange since he knew where she parked her car and she was nowhere near it.
He was also sure he'd seen someone going around the corner of the building and if he were to take a guess, DS Hardy had possibly been meeting someone secretly. He was tired of being warned by her husband for getting too friendly with the female officers and it had been the last straw when the DI had come to the rescue of the latest young officer to arrive.
Maybe it was time to get his revenge?