Charlie stared up at the blank ceiling, her hands tucked under her head. The spongy bedroll beneath her did little to soften what counted for a bed in Marton's detention cells. She'd definitely been in shabbier places, but that didn't mean she was happy to be there. In fact, she was furious.

The clicks and clunks sounded as the door to her cell opened. Charlie peered curiously at the DS who entered. At least he had the decency to look contrite.

'I'm sorry about this, Charlie, but it's protocol. Hands up where we can see them,' Gwilt ordered.

Charlie stood slowly and held up her hands, hating the metal cuffs on her wrist.

'So she's finally ready to interview me then?' Charlie arched an eyebrow in question. 'And here I was thinking that she forgot me.' She smirked up at Gwilt who only rolled his eyes.

It had already been close to six hours since her arrest and Rosy hadn't been to see her once. Though she was being flippant, it was all pretend. Rosy's absence had unnerved her. It was too out of character.

Gwilt guided her forward to the questioning room, keeping a firm but relaxed grip on the top of her arm in case she fell.

Charlie's skin crawled as she saw the curious stares directed at her from a few officers. She kept her head high as she stared them down, refusing to be the first one to look away. She had nothing to hide and the quicker everyone learnt that, the better.

If they thought she would just roll over and take her treatment, they were wrong.

Marton had gotten the better of her once, but she was no longer sixteen and naïve. She was a woman who had made a successful career in finding things that wished to remain hidden. If Rosy was expecting anything else, then she was a fool.

Gwilt pushed the door open and Charlie spotted a familiar face sitting at the table waiting for her.

Trap stood up as she was brought into the room, and the handcuffs were removed.

'What trouble have you got yourself into now, kid?' He winked at her before enveloping her in a hug.

Charlie hugged him back fiercely, surprised to feel tears gathering in her eyes.

'It'll be okay. I got you,' Trap whispered. He pulled back and took in her expression. 'But now you've got to be the girl I trained you to be.' He looked at her as if asking if she could do it, if she could put her emotions aside and be the agent again.

Charlie swallowed and nodded. It would be hard. It felt like her whole life she'd been smoothing her emotions, but coming back to Marton had released everything she'd buried deep inside her.

Her colleagues at MI6 had always said she was emotionless, but the truth was, she just never let herself feel. Not until Neo.

'I understand you know, Tiberius? He says that he's your lawyer?' Gwilt asked, looking between them.

'He is,' Charlie confirmed.

'Very well. Superintendent Palmer will join us shortly, but for now I shall lead the questioning with my colleague PC Saddiq.'

Gwilt continued to run through the formalities as PC Saddiq smiled and offered Charlie and Trap some water.

If there was a good cop anywhere in the world, then it would be PC Saddiq, Charlie decided. The woman was all chubby cheeks and delicate movements. It was impossible not to relax around her.

'Miss Hoggins, can you, for the recording, state your whereabouts on the night of the 21st May 2001?' Gwilt began.

Trap nodded to her, allowing her to speak.

'I had my final exam sometime in the afternoon, which finished around 3ish. After that, I went back to Lucy's, and we left to go to Felton Pond together around 5pm. On the way there we met George and five minutes after we laid out blankets, Jack joined us.'

'Jane Phillips didn't join you and her sister?' Gwilt asked, flipping through the paper file in front of him.

Charlie shook her head. 'Jane wasn't feeling well, so we left without her.'

'What did you do in the time between arriving at Felton Pond and when Jane Phillips joined you?' PC Siddiq queried.

Charlie bit her lip. 'We drank. There was an old drunk who used to buy underage kids some drink as long as you let him have a can or two.'

Gwilt's mouth meshed into a thin line, but he said nothing to the underage drinking as he continued his line of questioning.

'And what time did Jane Phillips join you?'

At this question, Charlie had to pause. 'I'm not sure,' she admitted. 'It was dark by the time she showed up, but I was pretty wasted at that point.'

'And was alcohol the only thing you consumed that night?'

'What are you implying, DS?' Trap demanded before Charlie could speak.

Gwilt finished out a report and placed it in front of Charlie and Trap.

'This is a toxicology report from Lucy Phillips' autopsy. The night she died, she had traced amounts of opioids in her system. Same as George. I merely wish to know if Miss Hoggins saw them take anything?' Gwilt explained, noting the confusion on Charlie's face as she read through the report.

Trap shared a look with Charlie, and she briefly placed a hand on his arm. He nodded to her once, and she turned back to the officers.

'Drugs weren't Lucy and George's deal.'

'And you and Jack Teece?' PC Siddiq leaned forward, noticing Charlie's evasive answer.

'Jack and I occasionally smoked weed, but I don't remember either of us bringing anything. But like I said, I was quite drunk for most of the night.' Charlie wanted to curse. It sounded like an excuse, even when it was the truth.

'Could you tell us whether Lucy was wearing a scarf that night?' Gwilt said, going down a fresh line of enquiry.

Charlie's forehead puckered as she thought. 'I can't be sure, but I would have said yes.'

'And why would you say that?' PC Saddiq asked.

'Because Lucy loved scarfs, and she had her lucky one she wore for all the exams. It was just a scrap of material her mom sewed together and tie-dyed, but she loved it.'

'Could you confirm if you can see it anywhere in these photos?' Gwilt laid the crime scene photos on the table, spreading them out so Charlie could see every angle even when she didn't want to.

Looking at those photos brought it all back to her and for a few seconds, she had to look away to stop herself from breaking down.

Sometimes it was easy to forget her past. Easy to forget the friends she'd lost. But the photos brought it all back. The horror she'd felt when she'd been forced to look at them for the first time. The loss of their light in her life when it finally sunk in that they weren't just missing, but actually dead.

'Do you need a few minutes?' Trap asked.

Charlie paused before turning back to look at the photos. 'No, I'll be okay.'

She hesitantly started going through the pictures before finally pushing them back towards Gwilt.

'I don't see it here.'

Gwilt glanced at PC Saddiq, who made a quick note on her paper.

'Can you explain what happened after Jane Phillips joined you at Felton Pond?' Gwilt requested, taking the photos and tucking them somewhere Charlie no longer had to look at them.

'Jane stole a decanter from her parents and we carried on drinking until I started feeling sick. I left the group but didn't get very far before Jane found me vomiting. She took me home, and I spent the rest of the night attached to the toilet. My parents even slept on the floor in case I needed to go to hospital.'

'And Lucy, George and Jack?' Gwilt grilled her.

Charlie sighed. 'The last time I saw them, they were still passing Jane's decanter back and forth. They were drunk, singing and happy. I didn't know they were missing until Jack's mother showed up at my house with the police the next day.'

The interrogation room door creaked open interrupting Gwilt's next question. They all turned as Rosy strolled in with a smile to rival the Cheshire cat.

'Superintendent Palmer has just entered the questioning room,' Gwilt noted for the tape.

'That story is all very clever but wasn't it also true that you and Jack Teece were in a relationship?' quizzed Rosy as she took PC Saddiq's seat.

Charlie wanted to scream her annoyance, instead she leaned back in her chair and didn't give Rosy the satisfaction.

'As I explained to the officers at the time, there was nothing between me and Jack.'

'But you were sleeping with him?' Rosy pushed.

'I had.'

'And yet you still maintain there was no relationship between you?'

'My client has already made that quite clear. State where you're going with this Superintendent,' Trap demanded.

'I propose an alternative ending to that night. You knew about Lucy Phillips' pregnancy, and the father of her child, and that ate at you. She had the boy that you wanted. You couldn't stand for Jack to be with anyone but you so you snuck out of your house and went back to the pond and you killed all three of them.'

Trap blinked and looked at Charlie in shock. She only shrugged in response. Rosy never had been the world's greatest detective.

'As usual Rosy, you've taken a stab in the dark and fallen very wide of the mark. How could I have snuck out of my house with my parents sleeping in my room? Why would I have killed George if I wanted Jack all to myself? And why would I even kill over someone like Jack Teece? Yes, I loved Jack, but I never wanted to be with him. He was just a friend.'

'I have to agree with my client. All this theorising seems very slim on evidence and your window of 24 hours of detention without charge is ticking down,' Trap pointed out.

'You might think it sounds far-fetched, but it doesn't appear out of character for your client,' Rosy responded with a twinkle in her eyes that made Charlie feel hesitant.

Rosy placed a green file on the desk and slid it across to Gwilt.

'Your MI6 file was finally released, and it makes for some interesting reading.' Rosy smirked.

Trap placed a hand on Charlie's knee as his eyes stared into the side of her face; a warning to keep her head.

'That file is supposed to be confidential,' muttered Trap, not happy with the new line of questioning.

'That is usually the case, but given the seriousness of the charges, they have allowed access to Charlotte's personnel file. And there is one particular incident that I want to speak to you about.'

Rosy's attention focused on a silent Charlie, as if waiting for a reaction. But Charlie refused to rise to the bait.

'You didn't just move on from MI6, you left before you were fired.'

Charlie scrunched her toes together, unable to completely smoother her emotions, but not willing to give Rosy the satisfaction of knowing she was getting to her.

'No comment,' Charlie replied smoothly.

Rosy glared at her before snatching the file from Gwilt and reading the report aloud.

'Charlotte Hoggins, is unreasonable, difficult to work with, and takes pleasure in disregarding the rules. As written by your manager, Navin Ishmal. Are you aware of this report?'

'No comment,' Charlie gritted out.

'No? Well, I'll continue reading and we'll see if I can jog your memory.' Rosy's hand trailed down the page where she tapped at a specific paragraph. 'Miss Hoggins made her infatuation known to me, but I did not reciprocate, which I explained to her. It led to her disregarding my orders and endangering a highly sensitive mission that could have cost our agent's their lives.'

Gwilt stared at Charlie, his eyes wide as she kept her mouth clamped shut. Rosy snapped the folder shut and tapped her fingers against the table.

'Anything to say now?'

There was much that Charlie wanted to say, but she could practically feel Trap's eyes boring into the side of her head.

'No comment,' she muttered.

'Unlike you, to be so quiet, Charlotte,' remarked Rosy.

'Actually,' Trap interrupted, 'my client cannot speak about that particular report as it has a direct bearing on an ongoing MI6 case. The person who gave that file to you should have noted that.'

Rosy shifted in her seat, sweeping her brown hair off her shoulder.

'Regardless, it's still a relevant character assessment of our suspect,' she argued.

'So are all the other character references you no doubt have in that file. Yet I don't see you reading any of those.'

Rosy spluttered. 'Because they are irrelevant to this case.'

Trap's lips thinned, and his eyes flashed in anger. 'Unless you provide any real evidence. I'm going to recommend that my client be released before her 24 hours are finished.'

Rosy's cheeks reddened. 'That is not how this works.'

Trap leaned back in his chair. 'You handled my client disgracefully once. I will not have this police force bungle her treatment again. My client has answered all relevant questions put towards her, but I will henceforth recommend that she answer all other questions with 'No comment',' he threatened, making Charlie's lips twitch in amusement.

Rosy stood and left the room, the file tucked under her arm, and her face splotchy with her anger.

'Superintendent Palmer has left the room. Interrogation suspended at 17:09.' Gwilt finished, switching off the recording device.

'I think that went very well.' Trap chuckled, drawing his papers together.

'You two are going to drive her crazy and guess who's left to get it in the neck,' Gwilt groaned. PC Saddiq patted his back in consolidation.

'Sorry Gwilt but things could be worse.' Charlie held up her hands for the handcuffs and Gwilt winced as he realised what he said.

'Don't worry, she won't be here much longer,' Trap reassured him, saving Gwilt from apologising.

'How likely is it that Palmer will be able to use that report as evidence to defame Charlie's character?' Gwilt asked as he led them back towards the holding cells.

'Not at all.' Trap shrugged.

Gwilt frowned but asked no more, possibly sensing that even if he did, they wouldn't be able to answer him.

Trap gave Charlie a brief hug and promised he'd see her soon before he left, already pulling his mobile out to make his promise a reality.

Charlie followed Gwilt back to her cell, cringing as the smell of antiseptic invaded her senses. Once inside, she knew she would desensitise to the smell, but right then it felt like a slap to the face.

She turned for Gwilt to take the handcuffs off.

'I'll make sure you get some food until Tiberius can spring you,' Gwilt promised.

'Gwilt, if you see Neo-'

'I'll tell him you're doing fine and you'll see him soon.' He smiled. 'I'm not delivering any other gooey messages,' he teased her.

'It wasn't going to be gooey,' she grumbled. 'Just tell him I miss his stupid face.'

Gwilt's expression softened as he nodded his head before locking her back in the cell.

Charlie turned in circles a few times before plopping back down on her bedroll. It was going to be a boring couple of hours until Trap came through.