The dockyard was swarming with forensic investigators when Steve and Ted pulled up at the crime scene.
A body had been found by a dockyard worker who had called the police. The young uniformed PC that attended had found Kate's ID inside her bag that was still on her body.
T0-20 had been informed a member of their team had been found dead and word soon filtered down to AC-12.
Steve's world fell apart at the news. Why on earth had Kate been murdered? Was she part of what they were investigating? Had he slept with a corrupt officer? Steve couldn't believe that.
It was a mystery to Ted as well and he had decided to join Steve in his visit to the scene.
Tony Gates was issuing orders to the rest of T0-20 when Ted and Steve arrived. They looked pretty shocked at the news but the shock turned to hostility when they saw AC-12 arrive.
Steve returned their hostile stare before heading inside the shipping container. Ted went to speak to DCI Buckells who was in charge of the case. At the moment Kate's death was being linked with Jackie Laverty's disappearance.
Steve closed his eyes briefly, summoning courage before he entered the container. This was something he wasn't looking forward to at all. Bracing himself, he stepped inside.
Kate was tied to a chair, her body slumped to one side and her head lolled to one side. Her body was covered in bruises and so swollen from the beating she had received that it was difficult to tell it was her.
An FI was crouched in front of Kate's body, carefully taking pictures of her.
"How did she die?" Steve asked eventually when he felt able to speak.
"Tortured and beaten to death by the looks of it," the FI said. Steve closed his eyes trying not to picture what Kate had gone through in her last moments but the FI decided to inform him anyways. "Looks like all her fingers were dislocated. She's sustained numerous head injuries," he listed.
"What was she beaten with?" Steve asked as he looked around. There was no sign of any weapon.
"These bruises that look like tramlines suggest some sort of narrow cylinder," replied the scientist.
"Like a pipe?" Steve asked.
"Similar," the FI said. "But maybe not as heavy. I would expect more damage if a heavy pipe had been used,".
"Right," said Steve.
"I'm just going to get some more evidence bags," the FI said before leaving Steve alone with Kate.
Crouching down beside her, Steve tenderly put his hand to Kate's cheek. Her body had been warm and full of life the last time his fingertips had touched her on his kitchen table. The complete opposite of now. "I'm so sorry," he told her. "I promise I'm going to find the bastard that did this," he vowed as he stroked her face.
Steve stopped. He could have sworn he felt Kate move at his touch. He was just being stupid he told himself. He wanted her to be alive so badly.
"I love you," he whispered as he stroked her cheek again, bitterly regretting not having told her that when she was alive. He couldn't bring himself to use the past tense.
He stopped again. He definitely felt her move. "Kate?" he said urgently. He saw a small flicker of eyelid movement in response. She was alive he was sure of it! "It's OK, Kate!" he told her. "I got this," he told her. "I need some paramedics here immediately!" Steve shouted as he left the container. Tony and T0-20 had left but Ted and Buckells looked at him strangely. "She's still alive!" he told them.
Steve was at the hospital waiting to see Kate after she'd been settled in to the ITU when Tony Gates and his team arrived. They were all in shock that Kate wasn't dead after all. He had stayed by her side since realising she was clinging on to life by a thread.
"What the hell's going on Gates?" Steve asked the DCI. "First Jackie and now Kate,".
"I honestly don't know," Tony replied truthfully. He had a vague idea why Jackie might have been targeted, but not his DC. "Is Kate going to be ok?".
"Don't know," Steve replied, repeating what the doctors had told him. "She was beaten up very badly," he continued. "Didn't any of you think to check for a pulse?" he challenged the whole team, although he knew it wasn't really their fault. Ted had already berated the uniformed PC who had radioed Kate's murder in.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I know we are trying to improve our efficiency numbers son," Ted had told him, "but this is the first time I've been called to a murder before the victim is actually dead!" he'd continued, his voice getting more loud on he went on. "You've made us all look like incompetent idiots!" he finished. It was the last thing Ted Hastings wanted to look like.
"DCI Buckells is going to want to talk to all of you," Steve informed T0-20. "We need to establish Kate's movements yesterday,".
"I presume that'll include you then," Nigel Morton retorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve spat, although he was worried it meant that Morton knew about him and Kate. He hadn't told anyone about his affair, not even the gaffer.
"Nothing," Dot chimed in. "Nige's just upset," he told Steve, giving a warning glance at Deepak to not contradict him.
"We'll help in any way needed," Tony said before leading his team away.
Steve returned to his seat to wait to see Kate. It shouldn't be much longer. They had put her in an induced coma whilst she recovered from her attack. She'd sustained multiple head injuries and many broken bones during her prolonged beating.
A noise startled him and he looked up to see someone observing him from round the corner of a hospital corridor. It looked like Deepak Kapoor from T0-20. Steve had had the least to do with him and wondered why he was back.
Getting up he went over to the DC who was anxiously looking around making sure no one he knew was watching him.
"You didn't hear this from me," Deepak said, "but yesterday there was an altercation between DC Morton and Kate,".
"What sort of altercation?" Steve asked.
"DC Morton accused Kate of sleeping with you," Deepak revealed.
Steve was shocked to discover that despite being careful, his relationship with Kate had indeed been uncovered. "Was Morton with Kate yesterday?".
"I don't know," Deepak replied. "I went for lunch by myself and was the first to return. Nigel and Dot appeared separately, sometime afterwards,".
"Thanks," said Steve.
"You won't say it was me,". Deepak asked worriedly.
"No," promised Steve before Deepak left rather quickly, leaving Steve to return once again to his seat and ponder whether Nigel Morton was the one to have hurt Kate.