"No." Jim sobbed, looking at Jack and Gina. "I didn't do anything."
"...anything you do say may be given in evidence." Jack continued.
"Don't... tell June."
"I can't lie to her, Jim." Gina told him.
"Please... and don't tell her I was drinking last night." Jim pleaded.
"It'll kill her."
"I can't promise anything." Gina looked up, her eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry, Jim, but as you've now been arrested for a more serious offence we are going to have to take you into custody."
"No... no... no..." Jim dropped to his knees.
"Smiffy..." Jack gestured to Sergeant Dale Smith. "Get him into a cell."
"Please... don't do this to me." Jim begged.
"I'm sorry, Jim..." Smiffy helped a quivering Jim to his feet. Gina shook her head. "I can't watch this..." She ran out through the double doors and into her office, slamming the door behind her. Her breath caught in huge sobs and angry tears rolled down her cheeks.
Smiffy led Jim to the cells. "I'm so sorry Jim." He unlocked one and opened the door. "This is as hard for me as it is for you."
Jim looked at him, his _expression utterly empty. "No, it isn't. It's not even close." He walked into the cell, sitting on the bench, staring bleakly ahead. Smiffy locked the door, then closed the hatch. Polly ran up to him, her face lined with tear tracks. "Tell me this isn't true..." She begged.
"I'm sorry Pol." Smiffy placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's a nightmare."
"You've got to keep an eye on him, he's terrified of being locked up, I think...I think he said earlier that if he was locked up again he'd..."
"What Polly? What exactly did he say? Sir, you should hear this?" He glanced over to Jack.
Jack joined them as Polly continued. "I think he was threatening to kill himself." She said desperately.
Jack shook his head. "That and the drinking, it's a cry for help. We need to keep an eye on him."
"I'll put him on suicide watch." Smiffy nodded. "Checks every five minutes."
"And don't forget... we can't afford to lose him."
"I won't forget sir...I won't forget."
***
Two hours later, Gina approached the reception at the Met Clinic. "I need to see Dr Andrews." She said quietly, her voice still hoarse from crying.
"Is everything OK ma'am?" The receptionist asked. "I think he's free, I'll just call him."
"Thank you." She slumped into a nearby chair and put her head in her hands, looking up only when a kindly voice called her name. "Inspector Gold... you're here to see June, I presume."
"Yes... but I need to speak to you first."
"Of course... come this way." Dr Andrews led Gina down a corridor into a small, untidy office. "Excuse the mess." He gestured for her to sit. "Are you alright?"
"Forget about me." She wiped at her eyes. "How's June?"
"She didn't sleep for as long as usual, she was up about four, demanding to be discharged."
"But she's in no state to be I take it?"
"I don't know... she won't settle, nothing any of us do or say will change her mind. She wants to be with Jim."
"That's not possible, there's been a further development." Gina sighed.
"What kind of development?"
"The charge has changed to attempted murder. A neighbour heard Jim threaten to kill Marie. He says it was because she threatened to hurt June. I need to get a statement from her, but she can read me like a book, she'll know something's wrong."
"She's very observant. Inspector Gold� Gina, tell me something. Is Jim drinking again?"
Gina nodded. "Yes... a colleague found him at June's place this morning... curled up on her bed with an empty whisky bottle."
"Oh my god... look, I'm supposed to be off today, just came in to do some paperwork, let me come back to Sun Hill with you. I helped Jim through the DT's and the first steps of his recovery... he needs someone."
"He will... and thanks." Gina mustered a smile. "How do I break this to June... it's going to put her right back where she started but I can't lie to her."
"I think honesty is the best policy. She's in her room, I've got a nurse watching her... let's go up. I'll have to stay with you, in case..."
"A nurse watching her, she's not..."
"No... she's just very... manic. Come on." They walked in silence to June's room. From inside, Gina could hear June talking, rapidly about everything and nothing. Dr Andrews rapped on the door, pushing it open. "June... Gina Gold is here."
"Jim? How's Jim?" June practically pounced on Gina.
"June... June, can you sit down, please?"
"What? There's something wrong. Tell me." She allowed Dr Andrews to take her arm and lead her to the bed.
"June... I'm going to tell you this straight out. I don't want you... I need you to keep calm, for Jim's sake and your own."
"What, what is it?" June nervously ran her hand through her hair.
"Jim was... he was re-arrested this morning."
"No, he couldn't have been, you bailed him yesterday."
"There's been... more evidence has come in, and... he's been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder."
"No... no..." June jumped to her feet. "You're lying... it's a set up."
"I'm sorry, June...it's true. And there's... more..." She ducked her eyes then looked to Dr Andrews for support.
"No..." June backed away. "I can't listen to this."
"He's in custody." Gina continued.
"You've locked him up?" Tears streamed down her face. "It'll kill him."
"He's on... suicide watch."
June's legs began to buckle. "You've got to help him."
"We're trying but he doesn't seem to want to help himself."
"He... he didn't do this. She's lying." June grabbed onto a shelving unit for support. "Arrest her..."
"We're doing the best we can... June...." She swallowed. "June, we found Jim at your place this morning."
"My place?" June frowned. "He must still have a key."
"June, he was drunk." Gina said in a rush, turning away, awaiting her reaction.
"No..." The colour drained from June's face and she slumped onto the bed sobbing. "I... I have to see him."
"I'm sorry, June, you can't." Dr Andrews told her. "I can't let you leave here."
"Please..." June begged, her body shaking with sobs. "I can't stay here." She ran her hands through her hair.
"June, June... come on." Gina sat on the bed beside her and gathered her into her arms. "Look, Jim didn't want me to tell you any of this. And do you know why? Because he didn't want to hurt you, because he didn't want to jeopardise your recovery."
"You can't blame yourself."
"I can and I will..." June pushed Gina away. "I *have* to see him."
"He won't want you there."
"He doesn't know what he wants... he's been drinking Gina..."
"June, I'm sorry, but if you saw the state of him, June... it made *me* shed tears and you are already in a fragile emotional state."
"I promised I'd be there for him, to stop this happening again. I failed." She looked at Gina, an expression of total defeat on her face.
"You didn't fail at all. He knows you're with him... maybe not in person but in your heart."
"That's not good enough."
"June, I think... if he had to deal with your pain on top of his own it would tip him over the edge. He needs you to stay here and get better."
"I can look after myself... he needs someone, he'll be terrified in that cell... alone with his thoughts. You didn't see him last time this happened."
"No, but I saw him this time. June, you have to trust we will look after him." Gina ran her hand down June's arm. "The best you can do for him now is to make that statement, tell us everything you know, about Jim's injuries... anything."
"I'll do anything for him you know that."
"I know..." She pulled the forms from her bag. "Do you want to write it yourself, or..."
"What do you think..."
"OK." She dropped the forms on the bed, along with a pen. "I'll give you an hour, then I need to head back to Sun Hill. Thank you, June."
"You're not going to let me come with you are you?" June sighed, wiping frantically at her tears.
"I owe it to Jim... thanks for coming Ma'am..."
"No problem. Look, June...if there's anything else you want me to do..."
"Tell Marie what I think of her?" June smiled wryly. "Just... just tell Jim I'm thinking of him... 24/7."
"He knows...but I'll tell him."
***
As they reached Sun Hill, Dr Andrews finished reading June's statement. "She's quite a character witness."
"She'll do anything for Jim... and we know it's all the truth." Gina glanced over at him. "She is going to get over this isn't she? I've never seen the menopause affect anyone quite so badly. Surely there must be something else."
"I haven't spoken to her that much yet, but I think heartbreak factors in quite a lot."
"She fell for him in a big way... it destroyed her faith when he married that woman."
"If there is one thing I learnt about Jim, it's that he is very impulsive, follows his gut instinct, doesn't think about the consequences till later. If he wants a drink, he has one... the reality doesn't kick in until it's too late." Gina pulled up in the yard and they got out of the car. "He must have fallen in love with this woman, and... just went with the moment."
"He certainly did that." Gina sighed getting out of the car. "I wasn't around when this happened to him the first time, but I know he lost friends over it - I'll be damned if I'm letting it happen again. Jim and June are the best officers I have. It's takes a special person to make me cry."
"I can imagine." He smiled as they ascended the ramp and stepped into the custody suite.
"Smiffy..." Gina called. "How is he?"
"Distraught... I want to help but... I don't know what I can do." Smiffy shook his head.
"You're doing your best. This is Dr Andrews from the Met Clinic, he knows Jim, has treated him before - he's agreed to sit in with Jim for a while, keep an eye on him, talk to him."
"That's probably for the best... both Tony and I have tried talking to him, but it isn't doing any good."
"Give me the keys..." Smiffy dropped the keys into her outstretched palm, and she walked down to the last cell and unlocked the door. The cell was completely dark, and they couldn't see Jim. "Jim... Jim..." Gina flipped on the light.
Jim was huddled in a corner like a scared animal. He looked up at Gina wide-eyed.
"Jim..." She swallowed, averting her eyes. "You remember Dr Andrews?"
Jim looked up at him as he stepped into the cell. "I'm sorry..." Tears streamed down his face.
"Sorry for what?" The doctor hunkered down to him. "You haven't done anything wrong."
"I've been drinking again."
"Jim, alcoholics relapse, it takes superman never to fall."
"Three years I was sober... I've done this twice this year. Why am I so weak?"
"You're not weak, Jim it's not the relapse that's the issue, it's what you do afterwards... whether you give up the fight or resolve to make the effort to get well again."
"There's no alcohol in jail anyway." He shrugged defeated.
"Jim... come on." The doctor shook his head. "Everyone knows you're innocent. YOU know you're innocent."
"Innocent people go to jail everyday."
"Jim, I thought you'd stopped being so defeatist."
"What's the point? Marie's going to make sure I go down for this."
Dr Andrews sighed and looked up to Gina. "I'm going to stay with him, as long as it takes, if that's alright."
"If you don't mind. We'll have to lock the door of course, just bang if you need anything."
"I will." Gina left the cell, locking it behind her, going to close the hatch but then changing her mind and leaving it open. She walked back into the custody suite, handing a sheaf of papers over to Smiffy. "Can you make sure Mr Meadows gets these?"
"June's witness statement." Smiffy glanced at the papers. "Does it get him off the hook?"
"No... no, it's just more evidence of the abuse... doesn't relate to the alleged incident at all." She sighed. "If anyone's looking for me, just tell them... tell them I'm out."
"Of course ma'am. I presume if there are any developments, you want informing straight away. And I'll make sure Mr Meadows gets these."
"Yeah, if *anything* changes, let me know." Gina nodded, then walked quickly and purposefully to the door.
***
At St Hugh's, Gina cracked open a door into a small, private room. In the bed in front of her lay Marie Carver, her arm bandaged, her face bruised. "Marie Carver?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Yeah..." Marie looked up at her. "I've already given a statement."
"There's just a few more questions we need to ask." Gina stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
"I've told your colleagues everything." Marie sighed.
"I think there were a *few* things you missed out."
"Such as?"
"Like...." Gina moved close to the bed. "Like what the hell you think you're doing."
................. on to Part Eight
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