Line of Duty Page #4

LINDSAY:

Glad to have been of help, sir.

STEVE:

I’ll give you a lift home.

Steve exits with Lindsay.

Kate looks daggers as they go.

CUT TO:

618E INT. LINDSAY’S HOUSE. THAT NIGHT.

Lindsay plays the piano. She’s only a tiny bit clumsy with

her hands. As she goes on, she gets more confident.

Steve watches her. All kinds of conflicting thoughts go

through his head.

She finishes and stretches her hands carefully.

LINDSAY:

Better not overdo it.

She closes the keyboard lid.

Pensive, Lindsay moves to the kitchen and puts the kettle on.

He gives it a couple of beats, then follows.

STEVE:

You said you got rid of a cat

because of Dryden.

LINDSAY:

Why would you bring that up again?

STEVE:

Because AC-12 has blanket authority

to access an officer’s medical

records.

That hits her hard. She’s very upset.

LINDSAY:

It wasn’t a cat.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 23.

618E CONTINUED:

STEVE:

Lindsay -

LINDSAY:

You’re going to sit in judgement?

STEVE:

No.

LINDSAY:

First AC-12 make a case against me

because I spent all my money caring

for my mother. Now I’m -- what? --

STEVE:

Sorry. It must’ve been very

upsetting for you.

LINDSAY:

No? You think? Bringing something

alive and lovely into this place --

why would that’ve meant anything to

a person?

STEVE:

(Beat. Gives her space.)

What happened?

LINDSAY:

They never had kids, Mike and his

wife. It wasn’t part of the plan.

STEVE:

Did you talk to him about it ... ?

LINDSAY:

I tried. He didn’t believe it was

his.

STEVE:

It must’ve been very difficult,

coping on your own.

His sympathetic manner reaches through to her.

LINDSAY:

That’s the worst thing I’ve ever

done. Will be as long as I live.

Long pregnant beats between them.

STEVE:

Better go now.

He goes to the door.

(CONTINUED)

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618E CONTINUED:
(2)

She follows him but instead of seeing him out she heads

upstairs.

STEVE:

You should get some rest.

LINDSAY:

I don’t sleep.

From the door he looks up and sees her turn at the top of the

stairs, towards the bedroom, but pauses.

She looks down at him.

LINDSAY:

Do you?

ON STEVE:
temptation getting the better of him.

CUT TO:

618F INT. KATE’S CAR. THAT NIGHT.

Kate beds down on the back seat. She looks very low, barely

holding it all together.

CUT TO:

619 INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. CUSTODY SUITE. NEXT DAY.

Steve enters. He shows ID.

STEVE:

DS Arnott, AC-12.

The Custody Officer gets Steve to sign in and then Steve

continues towards an interview room.

Steve looks in through the one-way glass. He sees Dryden

sitting alongside his Solicitor. Hastings and Kate sit

opposite, with a tape being recorded.

CUT TO:

620 INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. INTERVIEW ROOM. CONTINUOUS.

Hastings addresses Dryden and the Solicitor.

HASTINGS:

Michael Dryden, you have been

arrested and interviewed as part of

our investigation into a Conspiracy

to Murder a Protected Witness.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

621

622

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CONTINUED:

HASTINGS (CONT'D)

I have had the opportunity to

discuss your case file with a Crown

Prosecutor and I have been

authorised by her to proceed as

follows.

Dryden takes a breath, steels himself.

CUT TO:

INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. OUTSIDE INTERVIEW ROOM.

CONTINUOUS.

Cottan joins Steve looking through the window.

CUT TO:

INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. INTERVIEW ROOM. CONTINUOUS.

Dryden tenses as Hastings refers to his notes.

HASTINGS:

In respect of Conspiracy to Murder

a Protected Witness -- on the

grounds of insufficient evidence,

there will be no charge at this

time.

Dryden breathes a sigh of relief.

HASTINGS:

In respect of Sexual Activity with

a Child -- on the grounds of

insufficient evidence, there will

be no charge at this time.

Dryden looks relieved. His Solicitor pats him on the back.

HASTINGS:

In respect of the foregoing, you

may, of course, be charged at a

later date. In respect of

Perverting the Course of Justice,

you will be charged now.

Dryden looks devastated.

HASTINGS:

The Custody Officer has been

authorised to release you on

conditional bail. Meanwhile, the

case file will be submitted to the

Crown Prosecution Service.

(CONTINUED)

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622 CONTINUED:

The Solicitor moves to get up (having heard “bail”) but

Dryden pulls him down.

DRYDEN:

I’ll fight this.

HASTINGS:

The Crown Prosecutor and I are of a

mind to believe you were knowingly

establishing an alibi for your

activity with Carly Kirk. The Crown

Prosecutor may have felt there

wasn’t enough evidence. Me, I’d’ve

thrown the book at you. That wee

girl was fifteen!

(To Kate.)

We’re done here.

Hastings moves to take the tape from the machine.

DRYDEN:

Ted. Wait. Please.

(To Kate.)

If you don’t mind.

Hastings pauses. He nods to Kate. She exits.

Dryden changes tack.

DRYDEN:

I’ve made a catastrophic error of

judgement. I have to make amends.

Hastings nods for Dryden to continue.

DRYDEN:

You and Les Hargreaves still

haven’t found out who orchestrated

the ambush.

HASTINGS:

It wasn’t my idea our departments

would be working separately.

DRYDEN:

On reflection, that was a mistake

on my part. All the more reason to

make up for it. You’ve got to get

to the bottom of this, Ted. I don’t

want my last, most important case

to end in failure. There are things

I can do to help.

HASTINGS:

(Sceptical.)

If you say so.

(CONTINUED)

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622 CONTINUED:
(2)

DRYDEN:

This is now a voluntary

intelligence interview.

(To Solicitor.)

Go and make sure they don’t cock up

the bail.

CUT TO:

623

OMITTED:

624

OMITTED:

625

INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. OUTSIDE INTERVIEW ROOM.

CONTINUOUS.

As the Solicitor exits, Kate (now outside), Steve and Cottan

whisper.

KATE:

What’s he up to?

COTTAN:

Oldest trick in the book.

CUT TO:

626

INT. EAST MIDLANDS POLICE. INTERVIEW ROOM. CONTINUOUS.

Dryden continues to Hastings.

DRYDEN:

You’ve got the gunmen but you need

the people who ordered the ambush.

I can still be of help.

HASTINGS:

And if your information leads to a

breakthrough ...

DRYDEN:

Then it wouldn’t be too much to ask

for the CPS to look at dropping the

charge against me.

HASTINGS:

After a nudge from me?

DRYDEN:

Only if it’s something you’re

comfortable with, Ted.

Hastings remains attentive but doesn’t give anything away.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 28.

626

CONTINUED:

DRYDEN:

Lindsay Denton was following me the

night the photos were taken,

irrespective of what she says or

the mobile phone evidence says -

HASTINGS:

Frankly, I’m sick to my back teeth

of this mud-slinging between you

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