Line of Duty Page #2

HARGREAVES:

There were two of you. One of him.

Anger flickers in Steve’s eyes.

Rogerson looks away, embarrassed by Hargreaves’

insensitivity.

Hargreaves and Steve exchange glares.

HARGREAVES:

Have it your own way, son.

Steve rises.

HARGREAVES:

Oh, no. We’re not finished till

I’ve got corroboration you were

there on lawful business.

Exit Hargreaves. In a look back, Rogerson shows a beat of

sympathy for Steve (he’s a fellow officer and just lost his

partner).

Steve is left to stew, alone with his conflicting emotions

about Georgia’s death.

CUT TO:

203

INT. 4TH ST STATION. SQUAD ROOM/LINDSAY’S OFFICE. MOMENTS

LATER.

Kate glances towards Lindsay’s office.

Suddenly the slats of the blind snap open, revealing Lindsay

peering out. Lindsay’s manner is twitchy, very anxious.

She watches Mallick whisper in O’Neill’s ear. While Mallick

goes back into his office, O’Neill crosses to Lindsay’s

office, raps on the glass, indicates Mallick’s office with a

hitch-hiker’s thumb and exits.

Kate watches Lindsay cross to Mallick’s office. When Lindsay

glances towards her, Kate drops her gaze back to her

computer. On the Misper database, she’s updating Carly Kirk’s

entry:
foster parents re-interviewed by DI Denton, etc.

CUT TO:

Line of Duty #2.2 02/06/2013 CHERRY revisions 9.

204 INT. 4TH ST STATION. MALLICK’S OFFICE. CONTINUOUS.

Lindsay enters. Mallick refers to a clean, thin file.

MALLICK:

Know a Lorna Barrett?

LINDSAY:

Of her. My next-door neighbour.

MALLICK:

Professional Standards are serving

you a Reg 15.

Mallick passes her the document.

MALLICK:

Ms. Barrett’s c/o’d assault

occasioning ABH. You struck her

with a bottle and beat her head

against the floor.

LINDSAY:

May I, sir?

Lindsay leans out and beckons Kate.

LINDSAY:

DC Foster.

MALLICK:

What you playing at?

LINDSAY:

I’d feel more comfortable with a

witness.

Enter Kate.

KATE:

Sir.

Ma’am.

LINDSAY:

Would you mind repeating what you

just said, sir?

MALLICK:

(Beats.)

Lorna Barrett alleges you struck

her with a bottle and alleges you

beat her head against the floor.

LINDSAY:

Ms. Barrett’s an alcoholic, sir.

She’s got a long history of mental

health problems. It’s very sad.

(CONTINUED)

Line of Duty #2.2 02/06/2013 CHERRY revisions 10.

204 CONTINUED:

MALLICK:

You deny the charges?

LINDSAY:

An officer gets accused, falsely,

and the vultures start circling.

I’m just not going to put up with

this, sir. I’m going to clear my

name, even if I’ve got to drag the

lot of you through the courts.

Mallick considers the situation, uncomfortable in the face of

Lindsay’s calm assurance.

MALLICK:

You’re already under investigation

by AC-12. If Standards have got any

sense, they’ll make it their

problem.

Mallick chucks the file into his OUT tray.

Exit Lindsay. Kate waits for Mallick to give her a flick of

the head, then she exits too.

CUT TO:

205 INT. 4TH ST STATION. SQUAD ROOM. CONTINUOUS.

Back out in the squad room, Kate expects a word of

explanation from Lindsay; Lindsay goes into her office and

shuts the door behind her, freezing Kate out. Kate reacts.

CUT TO:

206 INT. AC-12. OPEN-PLAN OFFICE. LATER THAT DAY.

Dryden appears on TV rolling news, a repeat airing of his

“attack on the police” speech.

CUT TO:

207 INT. AC-12. HASTINGS’ OFFICE. CONTINUOUS.

Watching out of the window, Hastings makes a phone call,

frustrated.

HASTINGS:

(Into phone.)

When would it be possible to

schedule a meeting with Deputy

Chief Constable Dryden?

(Listens.)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

208

209

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CONTINUED:

HASTINGS (CONT'D)

I appreciate there’s a hectic round

of media app(

Sighs. Listens.)

No, Hastings. Like the battle.

(Listens.)

Thank you kindly.

Hastings hangs up, looks stressed out.

CUT TO:

INT. 4TH ST STATION. INTERVIEW ROOM. LATER THAT DAY.

Steve continues to stew. He hears the door unlock. Enter

Hastings.

HASTINGS:

It’s all fine. C’mon.

Hastings leads Steve out.

CUT TO:

INT. 4TH ST STATION. CUSTODY SUITE. CONTINUOUS.

Hastings comes out with Steve. Hargreaves enters with

Rogerson and Hastings confronts him immediately.

HASTINGS:

Sir. A word. Please.

HARGREAVES:

If you want to go down that road.

HASTINGS:

Has AC-12 done something to annoy

you, sir?

HARGREAVES:

You need to ask?

HASTINGS:

I’d be delighted to look at

establishing greater cooperation.

We should meet with Deputy Chief

Constable Dryden.

HARGREAVES:

I do, regularly.

The rebuff annoys Hastings.

HASTINGS:

Your treatment of my officer was

unsympathetic and provocative.

(CONTINUED)

Line of Duty #2.2 02/06/2013 CHERRY revisions 12.

209 CONTINUED:

HARGREAVES:

If we’re missing out on a lead

because you’re withholding the

source of a tip-off ...

HASTINGS:

As a matter of policy,

Anticorruption can’t disclose

details of ongoing investigations,

as you well kn-

HARGREAVES:

Have it your own way. Leave real

policing to the experts.

(Moves to exit.)

HASTINGS:

Experts? Would that be your guard

unit you’re referring to, sir?

Hargreaves semi-pauses but keeps on going, red-faced.

Hastings and Steve move on.

HASTINGS:

How’s your face? D’you need to see

the doc?

STEVE:

I’m fine. What happened to the

guards?

HASTINGS:

They got locked on a disused fire

escape chasing an intruder. Thought

they could find a way back to their

posts before anyone noticed. Pair

of bloody idiots got Georgia

killed.

Steve reacts. Mention of Georgia brings them both to a pause,

and a mutual acknowledgement of her loss that propels them

into the next scene.

CUT TO:

210 INT. GEORGIA’S PARENTS’ HOUSE. LATER THAT DAY.

Hastings and Steve face Georgia’s mum and dad (50/60s), with

cups and saucers perched awkwardly on their laps.

HASTINGS:

You can be proud of your daughter.

She was a dedicated young officer

who gave her life trying to protect

the public.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

HASTINGS (CONT'D)

Georgia had a bright future ahead

of her, that makes her loss all the

more tragic. We’ll miss her

terribly, but we know we feel only

a fraction of what you must be

going through.

Throughout Hasting’s eulogy, Steve looks ill at ease, his

efforts at appearing sympathetic fighting with other, less

clear emotions such as guilt and anger.

His gaze settles on a photo of Georgia in riding gear,

holding a trophy proudly, with her horse in the background.

It stirs up difficult memories of their night together.

CUT TO:

INT. GEORGIA’S PARENTS’ HOUSE. MOMENTS LATER.

Steve watches Georgia’s mum in the kitchen, loading the

crockery into the dishwasher; beside him Hastings continues

to talk with Georgia’s dad.

HASTINGS:

I wish I could tell you more about

the circumstances. I’m afraid it’s

all very sensitive at the moment. I

imagine not knowing can make these

things more painful, and for that I

apologise sincerely.

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