*** CANLEY COMMON - 2:40 PM ***

PC Stamp:

Hurry up, hurry up! She's getting worse!

Tony looks around impatiently for the ambulance. Andrew and Cathy arrive on the scene, the ambulance trailing behind them.

PC Stamp:

Quick! She's over here!

Cathy and Monroe rush over to Polly's unconscious form. Andrew speaks slowly, and controlled.

Insp. Monroe:

Tony, what happened?

PC Stamp:

We were chasing these suspects. They split up and Poll got separated from me.

WPC Marshall:

Didn't you back for her, you prat!

Andrew and the two officers stand back, as the paramedics move in.

PC Stamp:

I didn't have a chance, Cath!

Insp. Monroe:

Calm down you two! Tony, go on.

PC Stamp:

Well, I came here and I saw them on top of her, so I shouted and they legged it.

Tony points towards the road.

PC Stamp:

They went that way.

Andrew takes a deep breath.

Insp. Monroe:

Right. After you were separated, didn't you stay in radio contact?

PC Stamp:

We were, sir, but the signal kept breaking up.

WPC Marshall:

That happened to me yesterday, but I could hear something! You must have heard her cry for help!

Andrew glares at Cathy.

WPC Marshall:

Sorry, sir. I just want to get the bastards who did this.

PC Stamp:

So do I, Cath. But blaming me won't do any good.

WPC Marshall:

Yeah, I guess.

Insp. Monroe:

And about how long were you separated for?

PC Stamp:

Not long, sir. Ten mintues at the most.

The paramedic heads across to the three officers.

PC Stamp:

What's the situation?

Paramedic:

We'll be taking her to St Hugh's. Will someone be accompanying us?

WPC Marshall:

I'll come with you.

Insp. Monroe:

Right. Keep me informed, Cath.

WPC Marshall:

Will do, sir. I hope she's okay.

Andrew sighs.

Insp. Monroe:

We all do, Cath.

Tony looks forlornly at the ambulance as it drives away.

PC Stamp:

What do we do now, sir?

Insp. Monroe:

I want you to head back to Sun Hill, get straight on your statement. We'll handle things here.

Andrew glances around at officers who have since arrived.

PC Stamp:

But I want to go after them, sir! I know what they look like!

Insp. Monroe:

Tony, you need to calm down, get everything down on paper. We've a description from the break and enter. We'll handle it.

PC Stamp:

Yeah, but can I go out after them when I'm finished?

Insp. Monroe:

We'll talk about it later, Tony.

PC Stamp:

Yeah, all right.

Andrew addresses the surrounding officers.

Insp. Monroe:

SOCO have been notified and will be here ASAP. Meanwhile, secure the scene.

WPC Datta:

Yes, sir!

Norika starts taping the area off. Gary nods slowly and goes to assist her. Frank drives up and gets out of the car.

DI Burnside:

So I hear that one of your WPCs has got her knickers in a knot, Andrew?

Andrew turns at the familiar voice.

Insp. Monroe:

You intending on rephrasing that?

DI Burnside:

Well, you've got me out of bed at three in the mornin' 'cause one of your tender WPC's has tripped over, so don't expect me to be polite!

Andrew bounds towards Burnside, failing to control his temper.

Insp. Monroe:

She was raped, for god's sake!

Frank looks stunned for a moment.

DI Burnside:

Keep your shirt on, Andrew. How do you know?

Insp. Monroe:

Tony Stamp found her, unconscious, and half-naked!

DI Burnside:

Well, that ain't proof. The number of WPCs I've seen half-naked in my time.

Andrew regains control, and crosses his arms boldly.

DI Burnside:

So where was she lying?

Andrew gestures over to the taped off area.

DI Burnside:

Well, I've seen comfier spots to go OTS.

Frank walks over to the spot.

DI Burnside:

She didn't put up much of a struggle. How many �rapists� were there?

Insp. Monroe:

SOCO are on their way. I'm afraid we really don't know very much. They were chasing two burglary suspects, and according to Tony, they were split up when the men took different routes. He was pretty shaken up, understandably. I didn't push it.

DI Burnside:

Why not? In my experience, that's the best thing to do.

Andrew sighs.

Insp. Monroe:

It's three in the morning! Tony feels bad enough as it is and I don't want him to feed me details in a rush, just because he's overcome by guilt. Now, I've sent him back to the station with Dave Quinnan, and he'll have his statement completed in an hour or so.

DI Burnside:

His guilt? Understandable, he did abandon her. You should have applied a bit more pressure!

Insp. Monroe:

They were unavoidably separated, Frank. It happens!

DI Burnside:

So he left a WPC alone in the dark with two blaggers? No wonder uniform's going downhill.

Insp. Monroe:

I think you're grossly overstating the facts here!

DI Burnside:

Nah, I speak as I see. Looks like CID will have to clean up uniform's mess. Yet again.

Andrew turns away in disgust, heading towards Gary and Norika.

WPC Datta:

What's the situation, sir?

Insp. Monroe:

We're not entirely sure at the moment, Norika. The DI will be handling things from here, though. When you're done, head back to the station for a three-thirty briefing.

WPC Datta:

The DI? Can't we get someone a bit more... sensitive?

Frank walks over.

DI Burnside:

Sensitive? Don't be naive, what a rape investigation needs is a bit of muscle! None of that �touchy-feely� crap.

Frank stares at Norika, daring her to reply.

WPC Datta:

What we need, sir, with all due respect, is an investigating officer who gives a damn about the victim.

DI Burnside:

Phew, touchy, aren't we? Stick to what you're good at, WPC Datta: Taping the crime scene.

Frank walks off.

WPC Datta:

What a bastard.

Insp. Monroe:

Norika, take a deep breath and head back to the station.

Norika sighs.

WPC Datta:

Yes, sir.

Frank shouts.

DI Burnside:

I'm off to get a statement from her. You'll have to talk to SOCO, Andrew. Can I trust you to do that without stuffing it up?

Andrew sighs, glancing over at him.

Insp. Monroe:

I think I'm quite capable of that.

DI Burnside:

Are you sure? I can get some of my lads down here, if you don't feel up to it!

Insp. Monroe:

Don't patronise me, Frank!

DI Burnside:

Yeah, well, you can never be too careful.

Frank gets in his car and drives away. Andrew turns back to the taped off clearing, gazing at the lights from his panda reflecting off the scene tape.

*** ST HUGH'S - 3:10 AM ***

Frank strides into the hospital, brushing nurses and doctors to one side. He makes his way to the ward where Polly has been admitted. He creeps into the room quietly.

DI Burnside:

Is she okay, Cathy?

Cathy is slightly startled by the heavy voice, standing up. The pair head out into the corridor.

DI Burnside:

Did you get a statement?

WPC Marshall:

No, not exactly.

Cathy pauses.

WPC Marshall:

She wasn't awake for very long and well, she didn't make a lot of sense when she was. They've sedated her for the time being.

DI Burnside:

Sedated? Was she hysterical?

WPC Marshall:

No, not exactly. She, well, she doesn't remember anything.

DI Burnside:

Nothing at all?

WPC Marshall:

Well, all she remembers was that she and Tony split up, and that she followed one of the guys into the bushier area. She said that he got to a fence, and that she managed to catch up with him. That was it.

DI Burnside:

A convenient memory lapse then?

Cathy is confused.

WPC Marshall:

I'm not sure I'm following you, sir?

DI Burnside:

Well, it's a bit convenient, isn't it? A sudden loss of memory for ten whole minutes? Just enough time to...

WPC Marshall:

She's got lots of bite marks down her chest and she's been badly beaten around the head. However, there's no indication that she's been raped. Tony must have got there in time.

DI Burnside:

Yeah, I'll bet. I reckon he got there a bit too early!

Cathy scowls, her face taking on a look of disbelief.

WPC Marshall:

Sir?

DI Burnside:

It wouldn't surprise me if PC Stamp turned out to be a lot more than a witness in this case.

Cathy widens her eyes.

WPC Marshall:

Sir, it�s late and I'm not hearing you probably. What are you saying?

DI Burnside:

I think that PC Stamp might have some explaining to do in the morning. He obviously has a nasty temper.

WPC Marshall:

Tony? A temper? Sir, I don't believe I'm hearing this. No, I'm not hearing this.

Cathy turns back towards Polly's doorway. Frank grabs her arm.

DI Burnside:

Yeah, well, you might not like what you hear, but you'd better listen up. It's a bit too convenient, don't ya think? PC Page gets assaulted and PC Stamp is nowhere to be seen?

Cathy turns back to him.

WPC Marshall:

He was in pursuit of the other guy!

DI Burnside:

And the suspect vanishes into thin air? A likely story.

Cathy ignores Frank's insinuations and makes her way back into Polly's room.

*** SUN HILL POLICE STATION - 3:35 AM ***

June and Reg head from CAD towards the briefing room.

PC Hollis:

At least she's okay. Cath said her injuries weren't too bad.

June mutters miserably.

WPC Ackland:

I guess. And they were chasing 'em so they'll have a pretty good description. Just lucky Tony found her when he did.

PC Hollis:

Do the others know about it yet?

WPC Ackland:

Yeah, it had done the rounds within five minutes. The cleaners were discussing it as I was grabbing a coffee.

PC Hollis:

I hate gossips.

June scoffs.

WPC Ackland:

Leave it out, Reg, they were concerned.

PC Quinnan:

Rubbish. They don't care what happens to Polly, so long as they have something to gossip about.

WPC Ackland:

Oh, shut up, Reg!

June glares angrily at him, before turning into the briefing room.

PC Hollis:

I'm only voicing my opinion! I think it's a crying shame that people can chatter away about such a serious issue.

PC Quinnan:

Shut up, Reg!

Insp. Monroe:

Okay, everyone stop talking. I'll be as brief as possible and I won't hold you up, but you need to listen.

PC Quinnan:

You're a real prat, Reg.

Andrew looks daggers at Dave.

Insp. Monroe:

By now, you'll all know that Polly has been seriously assaulted.

June glances across at Norika, before returning her gaze to the floor.

Insp. Monroe:

At first we thought it was rape, but there are no signs of sexual assault.

Norika looks over at June, relieved.

Insp. Monroe:

However, the people who assaulted her are still out there and that's why I've called you all to this emergency briefing.

WPC Ackland:

Sir, can we get out there? Are the suspects related to the break and enter on Siskin Road?

Insp. Monroe:

Don't worry, June. You'll all be out of here in a minute. I just want you to be sure of who you're looking for. Two men were reported breaking into a house on Siskin Road earlier tonight.

WPC Datta:

What about Polly though, sir? Is she all right? What's going on?

Insp. Monroe:

Norika, Polly will be fine. Now, we don't know who these people are, so those of you with informants, use 'em. We have to find out as much as we can about the people behind this, for Polly's sake.

WPC Ackland:

Sir, just give us some vague descriptions, and we'll pull in every possible character in Sun Hill!

June lowers her head, mumbling.

WPC Ackland:

Right, sir.

Insp. Monroe:

The descriptions that we've been given are vague, but here they are. Suspect one: IC1 male, tallish, dark hair. Suspect two: IC3 male, shorter, dark curly hair. Anyone fitting these descriptions is to be questioned, right?

WPC Datta:

Yes, sir.

Insp. Monroe:

Right. Now go and look for them. And catch the toe-rags.

Norika makes her way towards June, looking very glum.

PC Hollis:

I still think it's a disgrace.

Dave walks away in disgust, following Tony out of the room.

PC Quinnan:

How's it going?

PC Stamp:

Pretty bad, Dave. I should have been there sooner.

PC Quinnan:

Look, you can't turn back the clock. You got there when you got there. And look at it this way, it could've been worse.

Dave trails off.

PC Stamp:

Worse? How could it be worse? Polly's battered and it's down to me.

PC Quinnan:

Tone, you got there before, before, well... you got there, yeah?

PC Stamp:

Before what?

PC Quinnan:

Well, before, they, well, did any more damage.

Dave and Tony make their way into the DIU, not noticing Reg following slowly behind them.

PC Stamp:

Damage? You're speaking about a person. A copper! One of us.

Dave cringes as he closes the door, perching himself on a table top.

PC Quinnan:

I know. I'm sorry, Tone. That's the whole point. She's a copper, she's one of us, but this, this was something more. I mean, we accept that going into the job they're gonna be people who resent you for the rest of their lives. We accept that some days we're gonna have to face a knife, or get the crap kicked out of us. That's the job. But this, this isn't.

Tony stares at Dave but doesn't reply. Andrew opens the door.

PC Stamp:

Right, let's get this out of the way as quickly as possible.

PC Quinnan:

I'll, ah, leave you to it, if you want?

Insp. Monroe:

All right then, Dave. You can go.

Dave nods apologetically at Tony, as he makes his way from the room. Andrew gestures for Tony to take a seat, as he too sits behind the desk and opens a folder, placing a crisp, white Witness Statement in front of Tony.

PC Stamp:

Before we begin, sir.

Insp. Monroe:

Tony?

PC Stamp:

Can I ask how Polly is, sir? I've been blaming myself for what happened and I just hope she's really okay.

Insp. Monroe:

Tony, in the first place, I can appreciate you feeling responsible, we've all been there, but all I can do is reassure you that you're both officers, and you were dealing with an otherwise routine situation. We are split up chasing suspects all the time, it's nothing unusual. Secondly, what has happened, could have happened in any case, to anyone. We don't really know the full situation yet, until we talk with Polly. Thirdly, and most importantly, you got there when you did. It could have been a lot worse.

PC Stamp:

How much worse?

Tony looks concerned. Andrew clears his throat:

Insp. Monroe:

Look, don't worry about it now. The best thing you can do is to get this statement done, so that we can track down the men responsible. If you tell it to me like it happened, I'll write it down. If that'll help?

PC Stamp:

All right, sir. Well, we were called out to the scene of a robbery...

Andrew takes out his pen and commences noting Tony's words.

PC Stamp:

Things went pear-shaped. I was separated from Poll, we were lost, oh, it's all a big muddle, sir.

Andrew sighs, soothingly.

Insp. Monroe:

You're doing fine, Tony. Okay, now what caused you to become separated?

PC Stamp:

Well, the guys we were chasing split up and headed in opposite directions. I yelled at Poll to stay with me but she didn't...

Insp. Monroe:

Go on.

PC Stamp:

Well, I lost the suspect and I was searching for him in some lockups when I tried to radio Polly. I got no answer, so I rushed down to the Common and there she was. Lying there with those nonces all over her.

Insp. Monroe:

And you're sure it was the same guys as those you were pursuing?

PC Stamp:

Yeah, I'm positive. The descriptions, their voices. It all tallies, sir.

Andrew writes for a few moments, as Tony gazes into space.

Insp. Monroe:

Right. What next?

PC Stamp:

Well, they ran off when they heard me coming, so I didn't get a good look at 'em. I checked on Polly, radioed for backup and an ambulance, the usual.

Insp. Monroe:

And she was unconscious when you got to her?

PC Stamp:

Yeah, she mumbled a few words like �Where am I�, then she was out again.

Andrew continues writing along the evenly spaced out dotted lines.

PC Stamp:

So I stood around and waited for the ambulance to arrive. I didn't see them come back.

Insp. Monroe:

Okay, and when you first saw them, I know you told me earlier, but I need descriptions. As detailed as you can.

PC Stamp:

The first guy was tall and thin and he was dressed in black clothes. I caught a brief glimpse of his face while I was chasing him and I'm pretty sure that he was IC1

Insp. Monroe:

What about the IC3?

PC Stamp:

He was short, stocky and well-built with short black hair. I saw his hands and they were sort of scarred around the knuckles, like a boxer's. Does this help?

Insp. Monroe:

Everything, and anything helps, Tony.

Andrew considers Tony's words.

Insp. Monroe:

His hands? You must have been quite close to notice the state of his hands.

PC Stamp:

I just wanted to get to Polly, sir. I noticed his hands 'cause they were in the way.

Andrew updates the statement, and looks across at Tony.

Insp. Monroe:

There's nothing else you can think of?

PC Stamp:

Well, I think I heard one of them yell out �Ad�, but I don't know if that was a name or just part of a word.

Insp. Monroe:

That's good, Tony. What about times? How long would you say it was between the pair of you splitting up, and you finding Polly?

PC Stamp:

Not more than ten minutes, sir.

Andrew finishes writing, handing the statement to Tony to sign.

Insp. Monroe:

Ten minutes can be a long time.

PC Stamp:

Too long, sir.

Tony steps up and opens the door. Andrew follows behind him. Reg is standing there with his ear to the door. Andrew is rather surprised to see the officer outside the door.

PC Hollis:

I just wanted to check out the overtime rosters, Mr Monroe.

Insp. Monroe:

Now, Reg?

PC Hollis:

Yes, sir! But I'll come back later if you like?

Reg begins to slink off.

Insp. Monroe:

Hollis! I haven't got the energy to deal with you at the moment, but just try and get out from under everyone's feet! Particularly Mine!

Andrew and Tony stride back towards Monroe's office.

PC Hollis:

Yes, sir. Right away, sir!

Reg scarpers, sharpish. Andrew and Tony turn in the doorway to Andrew's office.

DI Burnside:

Ahh, the Prince of PACE and Jack the Lad. Just the two gentlemen I've been waiting to see.

Andrew raises an eyebrow, somewhat nervously.

DI Burnside:

Well, come on, then, take a seat! Don't be shy of your Uncle Frank.

Andrew and Tony enter the office, Tony sitting opposite Frank, Andrew choosing to stand with his arms crossed next to his desk.

DI Burnside:

Shall we begin?

Andrew nods, placing the paper carefully on the desk.

Insp. Monroe:

Right. Tony's statement. You've been at St Hugh's?

DI Burnside:

Yeah, but she was still sleeping it off, so I didn't get anything useful out of her.

Insp. Monroe:

Did you talk with a doctor though?

DI Burnside:

No, I talked to WPC Marshall. She's not badly injured, though, so I don't know what all the fuss was about.

PC Stamp:

She was almost raped, guv! What do you mean, �You don't know what all the fuss was about... ?�

DI Burnside:

Surely assault is a Uniform matter? There's no need to drag CID into an investigation into a bungled arrest!

Andrew draws a quick breath.

Insp. Monroe:

Well, I'm sorry if you feel we've wasted your highly valuable time, Frank!

DI Burnside:

Look, I don't mind wasting my time on a poxy little assault, but I have a large drugs bust going down tomorrow and I need my sleep!

PC Stamp:

She was nearly raped, for Christ's sake!

DI Burnside:

Anthony, there are hundreds of reported rapes every year across England, not to mention twice that amount that go unreported. CID just doesn't have the time to investigate a failed attempt at rape.

PC Stamp:

Even when it's a policewoman?

DI Burnside:

Even when it's a plonk. There is far too much serious crime for us to tackle!

Andrew looks between the two officers.

Insp. Monroe:

Right, well, if that's everything?

PC Stamp:

I can't believe that he's not taking this seriously!

Tony suddenly launches himself towards Frank. Frank steps back.

Insp. Monroe:

Tony!

Andrew grabs Tony by the collar, throwing him back in the chair.

Insp. Monroe:

Siit down!

Tony stands still, looking sullen.

Insp. Monroe:

Frank, the corrodor! Now!

Frank looks surprised but walks out the door, hissing:

DI Burnside:

What is it, Andrew?

Insp. Monroe:

Don't you think you might have been a little more sensitive back there!

DI Burnside:

Sensitive? I'm treating this case with kid gloves! Stamp has got something to hide and I'm getting it out of him by winding him up!

Insp. Monroe:

He what? You what?

DI Burnside:

Even a rookie DC knows how to do that, so I don't know what you're getting worked up about! He's the man you're looking for, Andrew. Trust me.

Andrew pulls Frank by the arm into a nearby interview room.

Insp. Monroe:

You're way out of line here, Frank!

DI Burnside:

I speak my mind, Andrew. What's wrong with that?

Insp. Monroe:

Do you ever bother to filter the ideas first, Frank?

Frank is temporarily speechless.

DI Burnside:

I always think things through. I think you're letting your loyalty to Stamp get in the way of your judgement here!

Insp. Monroe:

I don't particularly care what you think. I know that these, these accusations are erroneous!

DI Burnside:

How can you know that? Can you tell me that you are one hundred percent behind Stamp?

Insp. Monroe:

I'm one hundred and fifty percent behind him!

DI Burnside:

Why?

Insp. Monroe:

What do you mean, why? He's one of my officers!

DI Burnside:

Exactly. You're letting your loyalty to Stamp get in the way of your professional judgement. Bad mistake, Andrew.

Insp. Monroe:

Give it a rest, Frank, you're wasting my time!

DI Burnside:

Nah, you're wasting mine. I'm going back to get the truth out of Stamp!

Frank heads towards the door.

Insp. Monroe:

Frank! I know he had nothing to do with this because he met up with a young woman while he was searching!

DI Burnside:

You what?

Andrew sighs.

Insp. Monroe:

While Tony was searching for Polly and the suspects, he ran into a young woman. He asked her if she�d seen anything, and she stayed until I arrived on the scene.

DI Burnside:

That's very convenient. Why didn't you tell me about this before?

Insp. Monroe:

I didn't think you'd be accusing him of sexual assault, for heaven's sake!

DI Burnside:

What was this woman's name? Her details?

Insp. Monroe:

That's beside the point, Frank! Now get out there and find the animals responsible for this!

DI Burnside:

Hang on! For all I know, you're just making this up to cover for Stamp!

Insp. Monroe:

Look, I assure you I'm not. I'm just trying to get this sorted!

Andrew exits the room, slamming the door sharply on his way out.

DI Burnside:

Arrogant bastard.

*** ST HUGH'S - 9:10 AM ***

Viv and Burnside exit their car and make their way towards the front entrance.

DI Burnside:

She's on the fourth floor.

The pair head towards the lifts.

DI Burnside:

She's not a pretty sight right now.

WDC Martella:

You saw her last night?

DI Burnside:

Yeah, Marshall was babysitting her and we had words.

WDC Martella:

With Marshall or Page?

DI Burnside:

With Marshall. Page wasn't exactly up to polite conversation!

WDC Martella:

What did Marshall have to say? Had Page given her a description?

DI Burnside:

Page was out of it, Martella! You don't notice much when you've been knocked about the head with a lump of wood!

Viv frowns.

WDC Martella:

What'd they find on the scene?

DI Burnside:

A large tree branch covered with blood and a bleeding plonk. Doesn't take a genius to work it out!

WDC Martella:

And Stamp was first on the scene? Did he get a chance to clock the suspects?

DI Burnside:

Apparently not.

WDC Martella:

How long were they separated for?

DI Burnside:

A couple of minutes. Look, you've read the crime sheet, so stop bothering me with questions!

Viv rolls her eyes as they arrive at the ward, turning into Polly's room.

DI Burnside:

Hello, Polly.

Polly turns her head towards the doorway, hearing the familiar voice.

WPC Page:

Sir.

DI Burnside:

I would have brought you a bunch of grapes, but I wasn't sure if you liked 'em! Do you feel up to answering a few questions?

Polly sighs awkwardly.

WPC Page:

There's really not much to tell, sir. I don't really remember anything.

DI Burnside:

Come on, Page. Details! What clothes was he wearing? What did he look like? What colour was his hair? Anything!

Viv steps closer to Burnside.

WDC Martella:

Sir.

Frank looks pointedly at Viv. Viv turns to Polly.

DI Burnside:

Fine, fine. You have a try then.

WDC Martella:

So, you were chasing the burglary suspects, and they split up. The suspect you followed, how tall would he have been?

Polly considers Viv's question.

WPC Page:

He was shorter than the other one. Five eight or so. IC3, and I think he had a cap on. Yeah, a baseball cap, he held it on with his hand as he was running.

Frank looks surprised.

DI Burnside:

Why..

WDC Martella:

Wait a minute, sir.

Viv looks back at Polly.

WDC Martella:

So he was running through the bushes. How long were you following him for before he got to the fence?

WPC Page:

Not long, I don't think. It all seemed to happen so fast. He got to the fence, and turned back, I caught up with him, went over to cuff him....

Polly trails off.

DI Burnside:

And then? Well, spit it out!

WPC Page:

I don't remember after that. I'm sorry, sir.

DI Burnside:

Look, try to remember. It's important!

Polly becomes rather upset.

WPC Page:

Sir, I can't. I'm sorry, I can't remember!

Frank turns away in disgust. Viv reaches for the distraught WPC's hand.

WDC Martella:

It's okay, Polly, you've done really well. Are you okay? Can we get you anything?

Polly slowly calms down.

WPC Page:

No, I just wish, I wish I could be more helpful.

WDC Martella:

That's fine, Polly. We may need to ask you more questions later on, though.

Polly nods as Viv's heads over to Burnside.

DI Burnside:

Well?

WDC Martella:

I think it's time to leave, sir.

DI Burnside:

And why is that?

WDC Martella:

We've got want we wanted, sir.

Viv heads towards the door. Frank follows her.

DI Burnside:

But we've got bugger all!

Viv lowers her voice.

WDC Martella:

Sir, we've received confirmation of the IC3's description. We can start working on it.

DI Burnside:

I'm not leaving this, Viv. We're going to question her again tomorrow.

WDC Martella:

I think you've done enough damage.

DI Burnside:

Damage? Look, if you're that sensitive, then you're in the wrong job! Go and work in a flower shop, Martella!

Viv stares at Burnside for a few silent moments, before walking past him back towards the lifts. Frank follows her with a regretful look back towards Polly.

*** CANLEY COMMON - 9:35 AM ***

Frank and Viv drive to the scene of the incident and get out of their car, walking over to the taped-off area.

DI Burnside:

This is the scene of last night's little incident. Mind where you walk, Martella.

Viv carefully slips under the tape, observing the nearby bushes, the branches and leaves scattering the ground.

WDC Martella:

What did SOCO turn up?

DI Burnside:

The usual. Nothing special apart from that stick.

WDC Martella:

But there's definitely signs of a struggle. So what've we got? She ran down this way, towards the fence?

Viv retraces Polly's movements towards the high barbed wire fence.

DI Burnside:

Then she caught her man and presumably they had a bit of a struggle. The other one joins the party, then they make off when they hear Stamp coming.

Viv whispers under her breath sarcastically.

WDC Martella:

Your tactlessness is almost nauseating.

DI Burnside:

Pardon? Did you say something?

Viv shrugs him off, scanning the bushes as she makes her way back to the taped area. Frank follows her, spotting something.

DI Burnside:

Well, what do you know?

Frank bends over and picks up Polly's baton.

WDC Martella:

Sir?

DI Burnside:

Trust SOCO to leave the Met's property lying around.

WDC Martella:

Polly didn't mention anything about a scuffle though. She never even called in for assistance!

DI Burnside:

Well, it's pretty damn obvious from her injuries that there was a scuffle. Either that, or she was knocked out and couldn't fight back.

WDC Martella:

So why didn't she call for assistance then?

DI Burnside:

I have no idea. I would have asked her but someone stopped me!

WDC Martella:

So how did her baton get all the way over here?

DI Burnside:

One of 'em wanted a little memento and he dropped it as he ran. Okay?

Viv pauses, as Frank's words sets in.

WDC Martella:

Sir? What about prints?

DI Burnside:

Bloody hell!

Frank drops the baton.

DI Burnside:

Get that in a bag ASAP!

Viv heads back to the car, quickly bagging the baton, as the pair head back to Sun Hill.