"I'm assuming this is another of your famous wind-ups, is it, love?" "Dad, I can't help it I fell asleep in the bath." "Oh, you what?" "I don't know, I'm just a bit knackered at the moment." "Look, I'm two minutes from the house, OK?" "And I wanna find the table laid when I get back, right?" "Sorry, Dad, my hair's, like, sopping wet." "Can't you do it?" "All right." "At least tell me you put the plates in the oven?" "I tried." "It just kept switching to grill." "Oh, we went through it!" "I wrote it all down." "Remember?" "Sorry, Dad, you're just too easy!" "Aye, all right." "About time, too." "I'm starving." "Did you get that pickle?" "Sorry, love." "About time for what?" "I just saw the car." "I'll get those plates out, piping hot." "I'm not back yet." "Stella?" "Stella, pick up." "Stella!" "Stella! Bad news?" "No." "Well, I wouldn't go that far." "Nah, no chance." "My dad used to smoke those." "Snap." "I got used to the smell." "Lucky you!" "Is that your lad, is it?" "No." "It's my uncle." "I'm sorry I was a bit late." "Fran had us up all night." "Ah, I was late myself." "Where was your car, anyway?" "Oh, I had a little bit of a... nightcap." "Oh, right." "Not that I have to go round explaining myself to you." "No, not at all." "So, what did the GP say?" "Oh..." "News of my death has been greatly exaggerated." "You're OK?" "What, clean bill of health?" "Complete waste of time." "Really?" "Ah, that's fantastic news." "The things that go through your head, you know." "Well, we should go out." "Celebrate." "Aye." "Why not?" "Kenny." "What?" "Hey, Joe, just give us five minutes, will you, love?" "Thanks." "Stuart?" "I've only just heard." "I came as quick as I could." "I haven't changed that much, have I?" "Vera?" "Hey." "Christ." "Well, thanks very much." "You don't look too clever yourself." "Shouldn't you be in bed, or summat?" "Nurse?" "Oh, speak to yourself." "What do we call you these days?" "Chief Inspector?" "Superintendent?" "Nah." "Just plain old Sergeant." "Here." "Come here." "So... how is she... your daughter?" "Stella, is it?" "She won't wake up." "Can't breathe without a tube." "Her heart keeps conking out." ""Is she a fighter?" they said." "Well, if she's anything like her dad..." "Finally got the consultant on his own." "You know what he said?" ""Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."" "Trouble is, love, I can't seem to do either." "So, last night..." "You saw a vehicle, on your way home?" "Make and model of the car, no idea." "It had fog lights on, you know?" "And the house itself?" "The lights were on when you left?" "Aye." "But the car was with me." "So, whoever did this might have thought there was nobody home?" "Hm?" "Arson attack?" "Nothing more?" "Aye, looks like." "Anyone you suspect?" "Any recent cases?" "Old grudges?" "What does it matter now, anyway?" "Sir, Stella's mother's down in Reception." "My wife?" "Oh, no." "No, no, no, no, no." "I can't see her." "You go see her." "What?" "Just talk to her." "Keep her busy." "I just..." "I just need a minute to get my head in gear." "Right?" "Good lad!" "Will you do something for me?" "Go get her a coffee." "She can't last five minutes without a coffee." "White." "Two sugars." "Here, I'll give you some change." "Don't be daft." "I just wanted to be there for her, you know?" "To protect her." "Well, of course you did, love, course you did." "Now, will you sit down?" "White, two sugars." "Yes?" "Tea." "With Sugar?" "Stuart?" "Stuart!" "An hour ago I was... trying to pack the tent into the back of the car." "We'd been away, you see." "It was just a normal day." "Oh, well, you'll be wanting to see your daughter?" "The doctor will be here in a minute to take you up." "Marianne?" "We're here." "OK." "Who's that?" "That's my husband." "Who...?" "You and Stuart were separated?" "Oh, yeah." "Eight..." "Eight, nine years back." "Why?" "Marianne?" "Sorry." "Who was he?" "My first sergeant." "Vera Stanhope?" "Rachel Waite." "We met last summer at the National Intelligence Conference." "What a day out that was." "I remember." "We had a mutual friend." "Er..." "DS Joe Ashworth." "Chief Superintendent Waite." "Two coffees, one flapjack, a receipt and the change." "You'll find us in the car park." "Why?" "Couldn't bear to outlive his daughter, I suppose." "How long is it since you last saw him?" "We ran into each other over the years, but we hadn't sat down properly since... his stag do, I think." "End of an era." "He got promoted." "Transferred to Fenwick or somewhere." "I thought I'd end up working for him." "So, "What happened?"" "Marianne happened." "Ten years of marriage." "Not many of them happy." "His fault, goes without saying." "She moves out, taking the daughter with her." "Somewhat laboured divorce." "Marianne remarries, in haste perhaps." "I don't know the ins and outs." "Stuart's having none of it." "He wouldn't let go." "The wife, the daughter." "I'll spare you the details." "Stuart..." "let himself go." "Various restraining orders on wife and family." "Psych assessments." "He was stripped of rank, demoted to sergeant." "It was all I could do to keep him in the force." "I had him tidying paperclips in my office for a spell." "He kept breaking the photocopier." "Last heard of working emergency calls in a comms centre in Wallsend." "Oh." "He'd have loved that." "Not half." "He called it The Gulag." "I'd heard he'd er... had some trouble." "Don't blame yourself." "Unless it drives you on, of course." "Oh, dear." "Not a happy bunny." "Well, he's not cut out for surveillance, is he?" "There'll be an inquiry into his death." "The coroner will need your statement." "Yeah, of course." "And I'll get on with the arson attack." "It's what he'd have wanted." "Is it?" "You OK, ma'am?" "Hey!" "What's that?" "Stuart Macken's effects, from his pockets, you know." "Lottery ticket." "It's two years old." "Ever the optimist." "Oh, look." "He was owed a free coffee." "Go on." "He won't miss it." "The stubborn sod." "Don't." "OK." "Is that him?" "The second husband?" "What's his name again?" "Gower." "Brian Gower." "She said they were camping last night." "Was he in the tent with the wife and bairns?" "No, he says he was at home, working." "Didn't hear the phone ring." "Why do you ask?" "Oh, when in doubt..." "Start with the family." "Suspect was stood in the driveway." "He lobbed three petrol bombs in the kitchen window." "Forensics found methanol and traces of sugar and washing-up liquid." "Makes it sticky." "Three?" "Nothing left to chance, I suppose." "Right." "Any luck with the tyres?" "Nothing yet, I'm afraid." "So, what do we know about the daughter?" "Stella. 18 years old." "She was home for the weekend from college." "Year one of a science degree, was it?" "How did she get on with the old man?" "We've got phone records here for the father and daughter." "They were speaking twice a week for the past couple of months." "And before then?" "I'll have a word with the family." "No, I can do that." "I'll have a copy of this." "Right." "Sure." "Petrol bomb through the policeman's window." "He was targeted." "Why?" "Come on." "Route one... any old collars?" "Anyone recently released from prison?" "Joe?" "Ma'am, take a look at this." "Kenny?" "Right, er..." "The Ten Thousand March." "Five weeks back, on Tyneside." "Peaceful protest for the unemployed and we ended up with this lot." "Now, the hard nuts were all blocked in up near Monument for seven hours straight." "Heavy-handed police tactics, blah, blah, blah." "Yeah, thank you, Kenny." "Hang on." "Is that Stuart Macken?" "I thought they had him answering phones all day." "He volunteered for overtime." "He made ten arrests in one afternoon." "GBH, Section Five, you name it." "And that's not the best bit." "Take a look at this." "Someone in that crowd..." "Petrol bomb." "There was no serious damage, but a bit of a coincidence, don't you think?" "So, who lobbed it?" "They don't know." "Or nobody's saying." "Ma'am?" "Macken's ten arrests..." "nine of them are no longer in custody." "Right, well, get them in." "I'm drawing up a timetable as we speak." "Oh, someone give that girl a sticker." "I want alibis and whereabouts for last night." "Call me when you've done." "So, tell us about the march." "Well, I was there to support my son." "My wife made a picnic." "Well, the next thing I knew, there were coppers everywhere." "They've kettled off half of Grey Street." "Well, we all went mad." "I said to the officer, "Do I look like an anarchist to you?"" "Where were you Sunday night?" "Teaching art to the active retired." "Seven witnesses, if it's any help." "Sunday?" "Oh, easy." "Quiz night." "You all right?" "Through here, there's a box of digi-tapes." "They've all been melted in the fire." "What's on them?" "Nothing." "There's no labels on them." "Dated." "Memories." "See what you can salvage." "Let's go meet our victim." "This bruise, what do you reckon?" "Billy?" "I thought he was strictly postmortem." "I take the occasional stroll among the living." "Unsettling for all concerned, I can assure you." "I asked him, God forgive me." "Still." "By the look of her, I'll be seeing her again downstairs shortly, will I?" "Pity." "Anyone we know?" "Francine." "Trainee." "Russet hair, rather low forehead." "She's nine weeks late, you know." "Calling up, making these wild allegations." "I don't know where these lasses get off. 30 minutes in a Travelodge, I barely grazed her." "I feel I could pick up some grubby little bug just listening to you." "Try it, it might even do you some good." "Bruise on her forehead." "Right." "Well, first thought was, she got smoke in her lungs." "She fell... bang." "But see this ridge here?" "She was struck hard in the face." "By what?" "Your petrol bomb." "So, warm night, she stood at the open window." "He saw her." "I mean, whoever did this must have known there was someone in." "Well, so much for arson." "Attempted murder." "Oh, the relish in her voice." "Plus she's got her fingers burned." "See these marks here, this is all heat damage, but... this is an old injury." "How old?" "Hard to say." "Partially healed." "Minimum a month." "Well, she has been in the wars..." "haven't you, pet?" "The thing about Stuart, he had this unshakable fantasy that nothing had changed, his wife and daughter were due back any minute." "No, well, it can't have been easy." "It was just something we all learned to live with." "And Stella stopping over at her dad's, that was a regular thing, was it?" "She's 18 now." "She can do what she likes." "Funny, isn't it?" "For years she was scared to death of him." "Number of times I had to sit there, holding her hand, singing her to sleep." "With my voice." "But you knew she was stopping over this weekend, right?" "Yes." "No." "Well, I did." "These past couple of months, she's had a bit more time for her father." "I was glad, I encouraged it." "Up to a point." "Well, we knew if we tried keeping them apart she'd only put him on a pedestal." "Stella's a great one for revising history, when the spirit moves her." "She's got a temper on her, hasn't she, nowadays?" "I wonder where that came from." "Oh, erm, daft question..." "The burns on Stella's hands, now, that was an old accident, was it?" "Oh." "I know." "Chemistry practical gone wrong, wasn't it?" "At college." "H2SO4 plus who knows what?" "Can you get me a coffee?" "I'd like to go back in there if that's OK." "I gather you're an engineer, Mr Gower." "That's right." "I'm in hydraulics." "Oh, I've heard of that." "Is that sewage?" "Not always." "Well, good for you, at your age." "Now, I couldn't help but notice from Stella's phone records that she's not been calling home." "Her first year at college?" "Weren't you worried?" "Oh, hit a bit of a rough patch." "Nothing terminal, so to speak." "So when did you last speak to your stepdaughter?" "We haven't seen much of each other since Christmas." "Ah, well, it can't have been easy, after all you've done for her, to see her mooning over her real dad." "When you love someone, the point is to focus on their happiness." "Oh, aye." "And is that what he did?" "Her real dad?" "Plainly you've never met the man." "Ma'am, I've been working through Macken's charge sheet." "How's the timetable coming?" "Pretty much to schedule, thanks." "Well, that's the main thing." "Kenny!" "Ma'am." "I want a search warrant in front of the magistrate right away, please." "Who for?" "Brian and Marianne Gower." "House." "Car." "Garage." "Garden shed." "Looking for what?" "Anything to link Brian Gower to the manufacture of petrol bombs." "Anything to put him at the scene." "Ma'am." "Why is Gower a suspect?" "Why?" "Well, one... there's no love lost between him and Macken." "Two... they're rivals for their daughter's affection." "Three... she hasn't spoken to him since Christmas." "And... oh, no alibi." "All right?" "Well, it's a bit circumstantial." "I mean, if we go in now, isn't it going to look like we're taking sides?" "I'm sorry, pet." "I'm not with you." "Well, Macken's your old sergeant." "I was saying earlier, isn't it going to look like we're siding against the man who took his wife?" "Honestly, love, I rue the day you ever come out of your shell." "So, come on, who's with her?" "Show of hands." "I'm just saying maybe we need a little bit of evidence." "Hence the warrant." "But, seeing as you're such a people person, and all, perhaps you'd like to be the one to tell them." "Thanks, Joe." "Thanks for the support." "I can always rely on you guys." "Hang on." "I'll come with you." "Oi!" "What's he doing with my laptop?" "I need that!" "We'll get it back to you as soon as we can." "You just grab what you like, and there's nothing I can do?" "Have a look at this." "How old do you think Stella is in these photos?" "Erm... 13?" "14?" "And how old was she when her parents divorced?" "Ten, right?" "Three years before these pictures were taken." "Exactly." "Wait, so one minute Marianne's in court trying to get Macken off her back, and the next minute..." "They're at the beach together." "Hi." "How is she?" "Well, they said they won't know how much her mind has been affected until she wakes up." "If she wakes up." "If." "So..." "You know, I get accused of all sorts, but I'm not here to judge anybody." "Hm?" "That's not something I enjoy, the intrusion." "If that's meant to make me feel better..." "This is somebody you were trying to get away from, is it?" "It's not what..." "No." "It's all right." "Stuart, he'd er..." "He'd lost all his visiting rights." "Obviously." "But Stella..." "I used to dread her birthday coming round, you know." "She'd wait till Brian, my husband, was out of the house and she'd get this look on her face." "And I knew it was coming." "Every year." "Her "special present" she called it." "A day out." "Just her, and me, and her dad." "One day by the sea." "It was our little secret." "Poor kid." "I felt so wretched, you know." "With all that was going on." "You just wanna give them a nice childhood." "Besides, she's got enough of her dad in her." "No pushover?" "You're joking, aren't you?" "I've never seen these before." "Stuart had them, did he?" "No, no, he didn't." "So, where were these?" "Aye." "He sent them to me." "Once in a while, out of the blue." "Stuart." "Her real dad." "Had them couriered to me at work, can you believe?" "On his wages!" "And what did you think of that, Mr Gower?" "Same as I always thought whenever he tipped his litter on our steps, had us up half the night, honking his horn, spying on us from his bloody car." "That man." "Every outrage, every provocation..." "he was the price I had to pay." "You never tell your wife about these?" "Why do I want to bother her with all that?" "Anyway, she always came back, didn't she?" "She always came back." "Mr Gower..." "I did not burn down that man's house!" "OK?" "Boxes all ticked?" "Can I please get on with my life now?" "Kids!" "Hello?" "Ma'am, Forensics sent this through." "They've trawled through Brian Gower's laptop." "Yeah, go on." "Recent web history." "You can see he browsed that website back in January." "Brian Gower was looking up how to build a petrol bomb." "Looks like." "Now who's taking sides?" "Hm?" "So... next move?" "We arrest Brian Gower?" "OK." "Fine." "I'll do it." "And while I'm gone..." "Uh-oh." "Here we go." "What's this?" "More timetables?" "Something like that." "This is for you." "Very formal." "Transfer request." "Hol." "Holly!" "Right, come on, anything from Macken's house, car?" "Digi-tapes." "There must be a camera to go with them?" "The car is still with Forensics." "Well, come on, let's go give 'em a nudge." "OK. 5th April." "It's five weeks ago?" "What's that noise?" "Wind chimes." "Jessie has some in her bedroom." "I always walk into it them." "What was Stuart up to, filming them?" "Surveillance?" "Give me the remote." "Now, let's get a good look at you." "I need a name." "Get onto it, Joe." "I'm telling you, I never went near this website." "Someone's made a mistake." "Who else had access to your laptop?" "Colleagues at work." "Family, the kids." "Oh, Christ." "You can do this, you can do this." "Hello, Mr Gower!" "Look, nobody's having a go at you." "Hm?" "Now, come on, you're a clever man." "You can see why we've got you sat here, can't you?" "Hm?" "The address... is vaguely familiar." "Hang on." "We did some work for the MOD a little while back." "We were looking at blast-resistant casings." "I'm an engineer." "Not much about sewage here, Mr Gower." "Eh?" "Now... have you ever seen this man before?" "No?" "Something you said this morning." "You said Sergeant Macken had been honking his horn and the bins thing." "He'd been watching you, had he?" "All the time, everything we did." "It was after we got the restraining order, you see." "Macken wasn't allowed within 100 metres, so he found other ways to intimidate us." "He'd just sit there with his video camera." "He filmed you?" "Oh, he was a cracker of an ex, that man." "Great loss." "Very sad." "He's a bully, your friend." "I'm sorry, but it needs saying." "Ah, well, not when I knew him." "So, what are we gonna do with Gower?" "Are we gonna charge him?" "Oh, this..." "That's not enough." "So this bloke on the digi-tape." "He was charged at the Ten Thousand March on evidence gathered by Stuart Macken." "I called him yesterday, left a message with him to come in." "He never showed up." "As you can see from my hilarious timetable." "Douglas Peter Cranham, age 31." "Of course, I could have told you this earlier, if you didn't keep pushing me out." "Well, don't look so stunned." "Just cos she's shown a bit of initiative." "Dougie Cranham?" "I wondered about him." "Did you work with him?" "Yeah, he was one of the gang." "Course, he was never the kind to stop for a pint." "We all thought he was taking holy orders." "Does he have a girlfriend?" "You're joking, aren't you?" "Course, he took it very hard when he got laid off." "Well, we all did." "When was that?" "Last year." "Dougie turned it into World War Three." "He starts picketing head office, out there, in his old uniform." "He should have kept his head down." "Six months later, I got my old job back." "But not Dougie?" "Nah, no chance." "He lost his house." "He didn't like that." "He was last heard of living in a tent." "Ma'am." "Building society confirms they repossessed Cranham's house in February, after he defaulted on his mortgage." "Is he signing on?" "No." "He's got about £7 in his current account." "Seven?" "He withdrew £200 last Tuesday." "Where from?" "Cash point in Warkworth." "Right, Hol, get onto Forensics." "Please." "Anything at all to connect Cranham to the attack on Macken's house." "I'm going to meet Joe." "Ma'am?" "Oh, plus we'll need an application to extend Brian Gower's custody." "Either that or let him go." "OK." "Ma'am, the letter I gave you?" "Haven't read it, pet." "Busy, busy, busy." "Right, look." "Look, watch this." "If it's still there tomorrow night, I'll take a little peek." "But if it's gone..." "Ma'am, I'm not going to change my mind." "Hol... there are some things we don't do in anger." "Douglas Cranham." "There." "Number 9." "Mortgaged up to his neck." "Daft sod." "Why not rent?" "It's a foot on the ladder." "Yeah, well, why do people have to do that?" "It's the dream." "Mm." "I had a dream like that once." "I woke up screaming." "So, this Cranham..." "loses his job, loses his house." "You think maybe it was him who threw the petrol bomb at the demo?" "It crossed my mind." "Macken suspects Cranham?" "Even saw him do it." "Then what?" "He launches his own investigation." "Surveillance." "Video tapes." "Tells no-one at work." "Why should he?" "These are the same pillocks who've got him picking up phones for a living." "Cranham realises there's a copper after him." "So what does he do?" "Follows Macken home?" "Chucks another petrol bomb, this time straight through the kitchen window." "Hm." "It's possible." "Single man in his thirties, you just don't buy into a street like this." "Hey, is that a neighbour?" "Excuse me." "Miss!" "Can we ask you a few questions about Douglas Cranham?" "There you go." "How's the stracciatella?" "Oh, try if you like." "No, you're all right, we've just had lunch." "Postprandial snack." "He eats like a bird." "Well, he is a bit thin." "Steady on." "Lena Holgate?" "That's right." "DCI Vera Stanhope." "DS Joe Ashworth." "We were hoping to have a word with your young man." "My...?" "Douglas Cranham?" "Dougie?" "You lived together at number 9 Rawlinson Close?" "Your neighbours remembered you." "Nothing for you to worry about." "Oh." "I've not seen Dougie for a few weeks now." "He's working ever so hard up the coast." "He can't come down as often as he'd like." "We're saving up, you know." "For the baby?" "That's right." "What sort of work?" "Oh." "Same old crew." "At the power plant." "We checked out Dougie's phone records." "You spoke ten days ago?" "Was it?" "Right." "I was just letting him know I was OK." "And how did he seem?" "Same as ever." "You know." "He's no good on the phone, to be honest." "So, where are you staying now?" "I'm just with a friend right now on the Wall, but we'll be moving back soon, so..." "Back?" "Aye." "To our old house." "As soon as the tenants move out." "There's no point me living there all on my own, when we could be saving good money on the rent." "Well, that's what Dougie says, anyway." "Hey!" "What do you think?" "Congratulations." "What's going on?" "Is he all right?" "Well, there was a man..." "whose daughter was hurt and er..we think Dougie might know them." "Oh, I don't think so." "Do you meet all of Dougie's friends?" "No, no." "He er..." "He likes to keep things separate, you see." "I don't mind." "It's just how he is." "You've no idea where he stays when he's working at the power plant?" "Love?" "No, er... well, somewhere round about Warkworth, I think." "Warkworth?" "This cottage on the digi-tape." "Are we feeling lucky?" "Put it in the scanner." "Get it over to the local police and estate agents." "See if they can come up with a match." "And, Kenny, a phone tap and surveillance on Cranham's girlfriend, Lena Holgate, in case he tries to call." "Oh, what are we to do about Brian Gower?" "Who?" "Oh." "Ah..." "Send him home." " Who drank my coffee?" " You did." "That's our cottage." "I know that woman." "Macken arrested her at the Ten Thousand March." "I interviewed her." "And how are they all doing, erm...?" "Janice." "Janice." "Yes, good." "You know, keeps them happy, stops me from going berserk." "Right, where was I?" "Dougie Cranham." "Right." "Erm, so I went along to teach life drawing in some church hall... for the recently unemployed, God help me... and Dougie was one of my students." "He's such a life force." "You can imagine." "DC." "Is this one of his?" "The ghost position." "What?" "It's what they call it when you're dancing with an imaginary partner." "So you took him in?" "Yes, you know, once in a while, he'd show up with that tent on his back." "I'd give him a hot shower, a meal, a bed for a change." "I expect you were glad of the company?" "Yes." "As a matter of fact, I was." "Why?" "What's he got up to now?" "Your arresting officer, Sergeant Macken." "Do you remember we talked about him?" "Yes, I was sorry to hear about him and his daughter." "Stella." "I heard it on the telly." "Is she all right?" "Well, Sergeant Macken appears to have had Dougie under surveillance." "So..." "We'd like to talk to him." "Oh, God, you've just missed him." "End of last week, he went to Europe." "Barcelona." "Really?" "Yeah, he's hitching." "He's such a free spirit, you know." "At the march, I gather some sort of home-made petrol bomb was thrown." "Don't know." "Don't ask me." "You went with Dougie?" "Yes, well, that was the plan, but we got separated." "It must have been a bit of an adventure for you." "Yes, well, it all turned a bit sour in the end, didn't it?" "So, check the ports in the morning." "See if Cranham got on a ferry." "I can't see him running out on his fiancee." "Oh." "You and your happy endings." "Will you come inside?" "Oh, another time." "I'm dead on my feet." "Hello, love." "As a favour." "Celine's made a bit of an effort, I'm afraid." "Well, why didn't you say so earlier?" "Yeah, right, and give you time to drum up some excuse." "Come on." "Paella." "Very nice." "We had it on our last holiday, didn't we, Joe?" "Mm-hm." "Oh, when was that?" "Three years ago, was it?" "Two." "Two years last summer." "Now, that's the sound of Joe kicking me under the table." "Off he goes, little..." "Fran." "Little Fran." "Bless her little heart." "I'll do it." "Go on, then." "I'm not stopping you." "You two got together at school." "Is that right?" "Aye." "Childhood sweethearts." "He was still growing out of his clothes when I met him." "I expect you hear all about us, do you?" "Bits and pieces." "I tend to switch it off, if I'm honest." "I know, I know." "It's not you." "It's his voice." "I expect er... he tells you about me, and all, does he?" "Oh, no." "He's much too loyal for that." "But thank you." "Seriously." "I'm so glad you could come." "Joe told us your news from the doctor." "And it's no fun celebrating on your own, is it?" "No." "No, it isn't." "Still, I expect you're used to doing stuff on your own, are you?" "Love?" "Well, it's just," "I know what it's like, something hanging over you." "Nobody likes being brave." "Sometimes you've got no choice, though, have you?" "It's angina." "What is?" "Chest pains." "Dizzy spells." "It's angina." "I thought it was..." "I know." "I know." "I just didn't want anyone making any fuss." "I mean, they've gone through it all." "It's all perfectly manageable nowadays." "Cut out this, cut down on that." "I had an aunt once who had it." "I expect we all did." "Erm..." "I'm sorry, love." "I've just had a bloody awful week." "Thanks for the meal." "Oh, that was lovely." "Don't get up." "Night." "Come here, you." "Help!" "Help!" "Please!" "Please, hurry up!" "Stella." "No pulse." "Rotate her." "Charge 360." "All clear." "Shocking." "Oxygen away." "We're losing her." "What is so important?" "You all right?" "Now, did you erm...?" "Did you see him?" "Did you see anything at all?" "I was..." "I was asleep." "Don't speak to us, please." "Would you mind?" "Security's checking the CCTV." "There's nothing yet." "Outside hospital?" "Well, there's officers on every exit." "Neighbourhood lot are working doorsteps." "Oh, and so much for Barcelona." "Cranham doesn't even own a passport." "So he must have lied to Janice." "What's this?" "I said coffee." "Yeah, well, those are super foods." "Go on, treat yourself." "Well, thanks very much." "I'll save them for later." "What you doing?" "Taking your witness statement for the coroner's report?" "Piss off, you, back to your lovely missus." "No wonder you keep pelting out kids, the pair of you." "Anything to keep her away from the cooking." "Ooh!" "I'll be sure to pass that on." "Come on, then." "You and Macken." "Right, OK." "We were up in the cafe on the fourth floor." "Marianne was waiting downstairs." "So Stuart sent the PC to fetch her." "Uh-huh." "What were you doing?" "I was queuing for coffee." "White, two sugars." "I had my back turned, you see." "So, I mean... you knew each other pretty well, you and Macken." "Not that it's any of my business." "We had our moments." "Did you ever...?" "What?" "What?" "Me and Stuart Macken?" "Oh, come on." "Use your eyes." "I was way out of his league, wasn't I?" "Aye, that's what I said." "What?" "This was a discussion, was it?" "Dare I ask who with?" "Yeah, well, you know, Kenny, made a few calls." "Kenny!" "A reliable source." "That's all he said." "So how come you lost touch?" "I mean, you were such great mates." "I dunno." "There were three of us." "Me, Stuart, and this other lad." "And then one day it was just myself." "Why didn't I see it coming?" "Nah, don't beat yourself up." "You had your back turned." "Aye, I did. 20 years." "Too busy, too proud to pick up the phone." "Something he said, before he died." ""All I ever did was try to protect her."" "Meaning Stella?" "I thought it was just something, you know, that people say." "I think he knew." "I think he suspected... it was Cranham who torched his house and if that's the case..." "Why didn't he tell me?" "Fire exit by Stella's ward. 1:30am." "It's the best they could get." "Cranham." "It has to be Douglas Cranham, ma'am." "Stuart cautioned him at the big march." "So, no job, no house, pregnant girlfriend." "And all this whets his radical edge." "Is that the line?" "He was looking for a fight." "And we're thinking he's behind the petrol bomb at the demo?" "There are no witnesses yet, but it adds up." "Yeah, OK." "And last night at the hospital?" "Well, Stella was a witness to the fire." "Cranham doesn't want her waking up." "Well, thank you for the update." "Very considerate." "Stuart never mentioned Cranham to you?" "No." "God, if only." "Why do you ask?" "Silly, just erm... his phone records." "Stuart's?" "Mm." "I called him?" "Half a dozen times in the last quarter, to and from your private line." "OK." "So no wriggle room there, then?" "Stuart and I, we never talked." "Three parts old-fashioned desire, seven parts minibar." "Oh, Christ." "I'm sorry." "No, it's OK." "Now he's gone, I'd hate it somehow if nobody ever knew." "You'll keep this out of sight, as a favour?" "Ma'am?" "Please." "Rachel." "Was he happy?" "You tell me." "It was you." "Was it?" "Kenny's reliable source?" "Oh, that." ""Oh, that." Thanks, Billy." "One word from you, my whole crew thinks me and him were at it like rabbits." "I don't expect you to thank me." "Anyway, who cares?" "No harm sending them haring off in the wrong direction." "Oh, Billy, I wanted to ask, those burns on Stella's hand?" "Is there any chance they could have been caused by spilling acid in an experiment or...?" "No." "No." "The damage was too general." "She was exposed to heat." "Heat?" "Or fire." "No, no." "I'm in the way, aren't I?" "Douglas Cranham is wanted by the police in connection with an incident at Newcastle City Hospital late last night." "Cranham... also wanted by police in connection with an unrelated arson attack... is thought to have attacked a teenage girl who was recovering in hospital." "The victim's condition is described as critical." "Oh, hi!" "Lucky you caught me, as a matter of fact." "I just nipped back for a shower." "I just wanted to reassure you." "We will find him, the man at the hospital, just in case you happen to see the news or..." "How is she?" "Well... we lost her for a bit." "The doctor says she's one hell of a fighter..." "Well, her own dad may have given up on her, but..." "I heard someone say on the radio the other day, what was it?" "Better to live humbly for a cause than to die nobly for one." "Stuart... couldn't seem to manage either in the end." "Democracy is not a spectator sport" "I meant to say, that website you made such a fuss about." "I got a colleague to chase up the details." "That's good." "I'd appreciate it, however, if you'd let me field any further questions that you may have." "How long has she had this?" "Do you know, I couldn't say?" "Is it all right if I borrow it?" "Brian!" "That was the hospital." "Hello, darling." "Where's my dad?" "Welcome back, pet." "Where's my dad?" "What?" "Ma'am?" "Joe?" "How soon can you raise an army?" "Stella Macken." "I was her form teacher a few years ago." "Aye, her mam said how good you've been to her over the years." "Pity you didn't see fit to mention this the last time we spoke." "You never asked." "And she's even been up here to stay, I gather." "Erm, yes, just once in a while when her home life went up in smoke." "Her father and that fella..." "what was his name?" "Gower?" "They were cracking heads every two minutes." "This is where they met, isn't it, right here in this cottage?" "Correct?" "Er... who?" "Stella and Dougie Cranham." "What difference does it make?" "Tell her, Joe." "We've been working on the assumption that Dougie Cranham had some sort of grudge against Sergeant Macken." "Whereas now we have to ask ourselves whether Cranham was targeting Stella all along." "Why would he do that?" "But the good news is the second attack, the attack at the hospital last night, backfired." "You see, instead of killing Stella, he shocked her back to life." "So, she's all right." "Oh, aye." "She's fine." "Not quite up to visitors yet, so don't go rushing over." "That is good news." "As you can imagine," "I'm wanting to speak to her myself." "Just tell us where he is." "Hm?" "One word, this whole circus will go away." "I told you, he's on his way to Europe." "Oh, Barcelona, right, I forgot." "Such broad horizons for a man without a passport." "I didn't know that." "She just drove off." "Aye, middle of her shift." "Where is she going?" "Er... if I knew that..." "Look, she seemed pretty frantic." "I'm guessing either she's going for a drive or..." "Or she's meeting Cranham." "Dougie drew Stella's portrait, and all." "Did you know that?" "Did he?" "Mm, very romantic." "No, it wasn't." "Well, it might have been in Stella's head, but I didn't see any harm in it." "She's 18." "She's your ex-pupil." "All grown up, that one, trust me." "Besides, you know, Dougie's not so easy to pin down." "Oh, did you not know, pet?" "He's engaged to be married to a woman in the city." "No." "I don't think so." "He's not the marrying type, is he?" "OK, honey." "Not long now." "Does she know that you're behind her?" "Eight years in surveillance." "I'm the invisible man here." "Listen, just don't let her out of your sight cos with any luck she'll lead us right to him." "Oh, hang on." "Where are you going to now?" "The march last month." "Stella was there with you and Cranham." "Yes, that's right." "And you lot had us penned in like cattle." "You and Cranham were cautioned, and not Stella." "Why?" "Because her father, Sergeant Macken, was there on duty, and he saw his daughter, saw her in the heat of battle." "So what did he do?" "He went in and he fished her out." "Right." "Nice for some." "So he saw Cranham?" "He saw Dougie Cranham with his daughter." "Yes." "And that's why Stuart was watching him." "Filming him to frighten him off his daughter?" "Ma'am?" "Yeah." "Just keep us in the loop." "Is this yours, is it?" "No." "Is it Dougie's?" "Aye." "He must have dumped it." "Typical." "What's that smell?" "Petrol?" "This is where he brewed up his little bombs, is it?" "Hm?" "Like the one thrown at the march." "Like the one lobbed through Sergeant Macken's window?" "Hm?" "Who knows, maybe you helped him?" "No." "That reminds me." "Joe, have you got that statement?" "Yeah, it's all here." "£13.45." "Five litres of methanol five weeks ago." "So?" "Methanol." "Delivered to your door." "How come?" "Look, I never hurt anybody." "I'm a teacher." "Well, you'll know all about conspiracy, won't you?" "Where's Dougie Cranham?" "Ma'am, it's Lena." "I really hope he's worth it, pet." "She was heading north up the coast road towards here, but then she doubled back on herself and now she's going into town." "Tsh!" "She must have rumbled Kenny on her tail." "Well, he says not." "Well, tell him to keep following her." "Are you sure about that?" "No." "No, I'm not." "You better go and give him support." "I don't want him turning into Mr T." "Got a hanky?" "Look at that." "Soot." "Here, bung it in the wash." "No." "You hang onto it." "Well, what happened here?" "Joe?" "Kenny." "Guess what." "Lena's come back to her old house." "I've only been here five minutes myself." "How long's she been in there?" "Ah hour at least, ma'am." "Now, when did Lena last speak to Dougie?" "Spoke on the phone last Tuesday." "For two minutes?" "Mm-hm." "Why?" "Do you think she's all right in there?" "Oh, for Christ's sake!" "Ma'am?" "Ma'am!" "It's him." "It's Dougie." "He's in there with her." "Ma'am." "Police officer!" "Show yourself!" "Police!" "Show yourself!" "Dougie?" "Dougie, I want you to stay where you are." "Stay where you are, Dougie, all right?" "I'll take it from here." "Lena?" "Nobody's going to hurt you, pet." "Now, come on, up you get." "That's it." "I've got you." "Come on." "Up you get, pet." "Stand up." "Where's our bed?" "Where's our stuff?" "What have they done with all our stuff?" "Hey, you've got Dougie's jacket, though, haven't you?" "Eh?" "Now, who gave it you?" "Ma'am." "There's bottles and pills all over the bathroom." "Lena, wake up, love." "We need a paramedic now!" "Wake up." "Look at me." "Look at me, love." "Lena?" "Come on, pet." "I hadn't heard from him in such a long time." "I kept ringing and ringing." "And then somebody picked up." "But... it wasn't my Dougie." "These burns." "I got 'em at college." "What?" "Acid burns?" "Right." "See, now, a very clever friend of mine told me that burns like these aren't caused by acid, but... by heat." "Fire." "So you were helping your boyfriend, Dougie, were you?" "Helping him to make petrol bombs?" "Me and Dougie weren't like that, you know." "We were just friends." "Hm." "Kindred spirits?" "Right." "Like you and my dad." "Aye, we were a team." "He told me." "Did he?" "You and him... and what's his name?" "One who died." "That's Peter." "His name was Peter." "And your dad, he was very kind to me after." "Dad was good like that." "So what have you done with him?" "Where's Dougie?" "So you and Dougie were making petrol bombs?" "It wasn't..." "We weren't going out to hurt anybody." "It was just something that we did." "So how did he die..." "Dougie?" "Can you tell me that?" "He wanted to try one out." "It was a stupid game we had in our heads." "He had fuel on his arm." "He just went up." "He just went up like a flame." "And your hand?" "He kept grabbing at it." "I didn't know what he was doing." "But he was getting me out, you see... in case the whole place went up." "So you called your dad." "He drove up." "And he did what any dad would." "He fixed it." "He took Dougie's body and..." "He buried it." "Now, your old teacher..." "Janice, is it?" "Oh, she can't have liked that." "Dad said to her she'd be in trouble." "Aye, for buying the methanol." "Right." "So we all agreed, if anybody asked, we'd just say Dougie had gone away." "And er... did anybody ask?" "This weird little voice on the end of the phone." "Lena." "What did you tell her?" "Just the idea, that there was someone out there waiting for him and not knowing." "You met her." "You told her Dougie was dead." "She said I was a liar, how Dougie was away working up the coast and what a good man he was, and how they were moving back into their old house any day now." "Well, in the end, I just gave her his old things... phone, credit card, his old jacket." "She believed you then?" "What she couldn't stand was that I was making him out to be some bloke she didn't even know." "Ah, well, you see, pet... you killed him twice." "You killed the man she loved." "And the man she thought she knew." "Would you like to go in?" "Is it going to be OK?" "What's that?" "Their baby?" "Well, it's er..." "It's too early to tell." "Hello." "You, rest." "Come on." "She's not ready." "I'm sorry." "I'm gonna have to do this." "Stella, have you ever seen these before?" "Your stepdad said he looked these up for his work." "That's right." "What?" "And you looked it up when?" "8th January was it, Mr Gower?" "If you say so." "Bri..." "Shut up for once in your life." "Now, 8th January... you hadn't even met Dougie Cranham, had you?" "No." "So, the manufacture of petrol bombs... whose idea was it?" "His or yours?" "Stop this." "She's not well." "It was me." "It was me." "And the march?" "That was me, and all." "Why?" "I just get so sick of always being so small... and stuck in a corner somewhere." "Did you never just once in your life want to get out there and... fight?" "And there he was." "My dad." "The great guardian angel." "Wakey, wakey, rise and shine." "Oh, good morning, ma'am." "How are you, ma'am?" "We er..." "We found this in Lena's locker at work." "Manchester CID?" "Yeah." "Well... it's closer to home." "Oh, that's nice." "I see this is dated two weeks ago." "We were busy, so..." "I'm so sorry." "I had so much I wanted to say to you... and now I'm here..." "I feel like I'm letting you down." "Oh, love..." "I don't know what I'm gonna do without you." "You're smart." "You never stop." "You've an eagle eye for detail." "You don't have to say all of that." "You never did before." "No." "Erm... well, I hope you're gonna pop in, if you're ever up this way?" "Course I will." "On the plus side, there won't be such a... queue in the ladies'!" "I'm going to be all on my tod." "Hardly." "Well, erm..." "You know, I don't think she meant to hurt anyone." "Just... something in her head." "Who are we on about now?" "Stella." "Oh." "What was it Stuart said?" ""All I wanted was to protect her."" "And I thought to myself, "From what?" "From whom?"" "Not Cranham, not her stepdad." "I think what he meant was protect her from herself." "With good behaviour, she'll be out inside a year." "Lena won't, poor kid." "Anyway, I thought I'd look in on Stella when she's inside." "Police visit, she'll get lynched." "Ah, I won't make a fuss." "Just see how she's doing." "For her dad's sake." "Aye, course you will." "'Ey." "Have a go at that, will you?" "Go on."