Line of Duty Page #7

She buzzes again.

This time he decides to let her in.

CUT TO:

428A INT. STEVE’S FLAT. CONTINUOUS.

Steve opens the front door; Rogerson stands in a shared

lobby.

ROGERSON:

It was Hargreaves’ decision to

arrest Richard Akers. I argued the

toss, for what it’s worth.

He processes that but doesn’t let her in. She accepts it with

resignation.

ROGERSON:

Okay.

She turns to go.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.4 Blue Revisions 19/07/13 40.

428A CONTINUED:

STEVE:

Wait.

He holds the door open. She comes in. He shuts the door and

they walk into the lounge area.

STEVE:

Want a beer?

ROGERSON:

Yeah.

He goes to the fridge.

ROGERSON:

You’ve got every right to be pissed

off.

STEVE:

No sh*t?

He levers off the bottle cap and passes her a beer, anger

building.

ROGERSON:

When you said you thought Richard

Akers was hiding something -

STEVE:

That’s all I said. I didn’t say run

financial forensics on him!

ROGERSON:

It’s my job.

STEVE:

To drop me in it with my boss?

ROGERSON:

I got you access to the hospital

car park CCTV, to the crime scene

on the industrial estate. I took it

as a bit of you-scratch-my-back.

STEVE:

That came later.

ROGERSON:

At least I didn’t have to point

that out.

Steve drinks, trying to figure out how he feels and what he’s

going to do.

ROGERSON:

That’s all I came to say.

(CONTINUED)

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428A CONTINUED:
(2)

She puts her drink down and moves towards the door.

STEVE:

You don’t have to go.

He moves towards her. She doesn’t evade him. They kiss. After

a short time, she breaks off.

ROGERSON:

You and me, we just want to get the

job done. It’s pretty hard to set

that aside.

STEVE:

(Beats. Sees she’s right.)

Yeah.

ROGERSON:

I’m not saying this is over.

STEVE:

“On hold.”

ROGERSON:

Yeah.

It’s a bittersweet moment.

She pulls out her notebook, scribbles and rips out the page.

ROGERSON:

My non-work number. For when this

case is closed.

STEVE:

Thanks.

ROGERSON:

Good luck getting the job done.

STEVE:

You too.

She lays the page on the worktop/table as she exits.

When she’s gone, Steve chucks the beer bottle in the sink in

disappointment.

It’s only in passing he glances at the page of Rogerson’s

notebook. It reads:

AKERS’ VEHICLE

CUT TO:

LINE OF DUTY #2.4 Blue Revisions 19/07/13 42.

429 EXT. POLICE STORAGE FACILITY. NEXT DAY.

This is a collection of large storage warehouses run by a

fictional private company, with their logo on a sign plus a

list of clients that includes the police.

There’s a high-security feel about the place -- guards on the

perimeter, guards inside the fence.

Kate drives up to the main gate. Scanning the facility, she

looks a little lost.

She spots Steve, standing beside his car, at a gate house.

The guards keep him under close watch.

She draws up alongside.

STEVE:

I’ve got the paperwork. All we need

to do is sign in.

She gets out of her car and walks with him to the gate house,

manned by a security guard.

KATE:

How’d you find out about this

place?

STEVE:

Been working flat out.

CUT TO:

430 INT. POLICE STORAGE FACILITY. MOMENTS LATER.

A manager in the uniform of the private firm leads Steve and

Kate into a warehouse. Locked wire mesh cages contain shelves

stacked with evidence bags. On some spare floor space is the

burnt-out wreck of Akers’ car next to the ambush vehicle. A

high mesh fence stands round the vehicles.

The Storage Manager refers to a clipboard.

STORAGE MANAGER:

These are the vehicles from the

crime scene. They were analysed in

situ till 6th September then sent

to us for storage.

Steve and Kate circle the mesh, looking at Akers’ car. Steve

studies it intently but Kate finds the sight uncomfortable --

she does her best not to look at it.

STEVE:

This is the vehicle registered to

DS Akers?

(CONTINUED)

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430 CONTINUED:

STORAGE MANAGER:

The very one.

STEVE:

Everything’s as was?

STORAGE MANAGER:

With the exception of items

recovered from on or inside the

vehicle.

STEVE:

Where are they?

The Storage Manager turns through the pages of his clipboard.

He walks to one of the storage cages.

STORAGE MANAGER:

Here. I’ve got an inventory of the

items held in evidence.

STEVE:

We need to see it.

STORAGE MANAGER:

I’ll print you out a copy.

STEVE:

And we’ll need to inspect the

evidence ourselves.

STORAGE MANAGER:

The keys are held in our safe.

You’ll have to come with me. You

can’t stay in here without

supervision.

KATE:

No problem.

They follow the Storage Manager.

CUT TO:

431 INT. POLICE STORAGE FACILITY. MOMENTS LATER.

A security guard unlocks the wire mesh cage.

STEVE:

Thanks.

Steve and Kate refer to the inventory as they inspect various

items held on the storage shelves.

They check down the shelves.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.4 Blue Revisions 19/07/13 44.

431 CONTINUED:

Steve gets on his haunches to look at something on the bottom

shelf -- a smallish metal object showing fire damage.

STEVE:

Ever seen one of these before?

KATE:

What is it?

STEVE:

We used ‘em when I worked in

Counter-Terror.

Enter Hargreaves in a fluster, followed by a couple of junior

officers (not Rogerson) and the Storage Manager.

HARGREAVES:

What the hell you up to?

STEVE:

How long you been sitting on this?

HARGREAVES:

Get out.

STEVE:

This is a private facility. You’ve

got no jurisdiction here, sir.

HARGREAVES:

(To Storage Manager, of

Steve.)

Him --out.

STEVE:

(To Storage Manager.)

I’ve already presented you with a

warrant to search these premises.

Any obstruction of me or my

colleague in doing this may lead to

you being arrested for obstructing

a police officer in the lawful

execution of their duty.

The Storage Manager looks cowed.

Hargreaves turns on his heels angrily and marches out. Steve

pursues him.

STEVE:

There was a lump on Akers’ car -

HARGREAVES:

All of a sudden, you’ve become a

detective.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.4 Blue Revisions 19/07/13 45.

431 CONTINUED:
(2)

STEVE:

When d’you find it? Day one?

Hargreaves turns on his heels and confronts Steve angrily.

HARGREAVES:

You want to wind your neck in, son.

STEVE:

We were investigating Denton and

the whole time it didn’t matter

what route she took that night --

the ambushers were tracking Akers!

HARGREAVES:

No one made you pin it on Denton.

You arseholes managed that all by

yourselves.

That shuts Steve up. Kate joins Steve.

KATE:

We’ve got what we came for, Steve.

Let’s leave it at that.

(To Hargreaves.)

Sir.

Hargreaves nods, mollified a bit by Kate. He exits.

Steve and Kate are silent and conflicted for all their own

personal reasons.

Kate’s gaze settles on the burnt-out wreck of Akers’ vehicle.

Her eyes run over the damage, the evidence of the violence

done to the occupants. It gets to her.

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