Line of Duty Page #6

Kate gazes at Akers’ burned out car, then turns to look at

the tracker on the evidence shelf. She peers at it intently,

her mind working.

Steve watches her, aware of her interest. He looks

thoughtful.

CUT TO:

631 OMITTED

632 EXT. LONG LANE. THAT EVENING.

The ambush site is quiet and deserted. A car pulls up. Out

gets Cottan, then, with stick, Morton.

COTTAN:

This is where the ambush happened.

Three of our own killed in cold

blood.

MORTON:

Poor buggers.

COTTAN:

I wondered if you might recognise

the place.

MORTON:

Me? Why?

COTTAN:

The thing we were talking about

last time -- the Caddy. Jeremy

Cole.

MORTON:

Right.

COTTAN:

So. Cole. He knew this was the

right place to set it up. Fast

roads in and out, far enough out

for there to be no witnesses, not

so far you’d think you were en

route to Timbuktu.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 35.

632 CONTINUED:

MORTON:

Makes sense.

COTTAN:

Here’s the thing. If you could go

the extra mile for me and say you

came here once with Cole, everyone

could walk off happy.

MORTON:

How’d that work?

COTTAN:

Cole brought you here and told you

he’d got gangland connections. Ever

since he was a lad. He thought you

might be susceptible to earning a

few quid.

Morton looks very uneasy. The tension racks up. Morton gets

twitchy.

COTTAN:

Problem?

MORTON:

It’s beginning to sound like this

is something I’d be smart to stay

well out of it.

COTTAN:

Me, too, mate. If only I could.

That’s Anti-Corruption for you.

Hastings never lets anything drop.

MORTON:

Sorry.

COTTAN:

Now I’m getting worried.

MORTON:

No need.

COTTAN:

But, see, I am, though.

MORTON:

Mate.

COTTAN:

Am I, though?

MORTON:

A mate? Sure.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 36.

632 CONTINUED:
(2)

COTTAN:

Yeah?

A real sense of dread has taken over the scene. Each man

senses something bad is going to happen. It’s written all

over their faces.

COTTAN:

Okay, then.

MORTON:

Okay, then, what?

COTTAN:

I can rely on you.

MORTON:

To ... ?

COTTAN:

Provide a statement that Cole

boasted of underworld connections

and attempted to recruit you into a

clandestine network of corrupt

police officers.

Morton shifts very uneasily.

Cottan gazes glassily at Morton.

Incredibly tense beats.

Something is about to explode.

It happens very fast.

Cottan lunges for Morton. Morton strikes him with his stick

and then runs off -- yes, runs.

Morton runs off into the trees with no sign of any kind of

limp.

COTTAN:

F***ing hell.

Cottan charges off after Morton.

Cottan runs between the trees.

Cottan can’t see Morton anywhere.

Cottan finds himself on a golf course, standing next to a

flag on a green.

He hears a car start up. He sees his own car speed away.

(CONTINUED)

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632 CONTINUED:
(3)

COTTAN:

Sh*t.

Cottan looks scared and outwitted, trying to figure out what

to do now.

CUT TO:

633 INT. KATE’S CAR. NEXT DAY.

Kate wakes. She’s on the backseat of her car, in a sleeping

bag, having slept in her clothes. She changes her top. She

folds up the sleeping bag and gets out.

CUT TO:

634 EXT. KATE’S CAR. CONTINUOUS.

The car is parked in a retail park. Kate stuffs the sleeping

bag and the dirty top into the boot. The boot’s crammed with

clothes. She finds a toiletry bag. She puts paste on a

toothbrush and starts brushing hurriedly.

She looks determined to take control of the case.

CUT TO:

635 OMITTED

636 OMITTED

637 INT. AC-12. LOBBY. MOMENTS LATER.

Apprehensively Cottan approaches the front desk.

DESK OFFICER:

Morning, sir.

COTTAN:

Morning.

Cottan signs in. He tries to act a bit more casually as he

engages the Desk Officer in conversation.

COTTAN:

I’ve had a bit of bother with my

job motor. See, my mate, his broke

down, so I did him a favour. Last

thing I want to do is drop a bloke

in it, but I’ve been trying to get

hold of him ...

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 38.

637 CONTINUED:

DESK OFFICER:

DC Morton?

COTTAN:

(Very uneasy.)

Yeah.

DESK OFFICER:

DC Morton’s just returning your

service vehicle now, sir.

Cottan is surprised -- he shoots straight out again.

COTTAN:

Sign me back out.

CUT TO:

638 INT. AC-12. CAR PARK. MOMENTS LATER.

Cottan finds the car. Morton gets out, limping on a new

walking stick. He offers Cottan the keys.

MORTON:

Find your way home alright?

COTTAN:

Eventually.

MORTON:

All got a bit unnecessary, don’t

you think?

COTTAN:

Don’t know what to think, if I’m

honest, mate.

MORTON:

(Indicates his leg.)

Disability, all the cushy

assignments, and none of the brass

dare touch me.

COTTAN:

Right.

MORTON:

You know my secrets. Now I know

yours.

Morton produces a battered looking mobile phone.

MORTON:

This was hidden under the back

seat. Unregistered pay-as-you-go.

Lots of interesting numbers.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.6 Tan revisions 19/07/13 39.

638 CONTINUED:

MORTON (CONT'D)

I made a note -- won’t say where --

in case anyone fancies digging out

your call history -- plus all the

details about last night. Just in

case summat happens to me.

Morton offers him the phone. Cottan snatches it.

COTTAN:

That’s in the past. I’m clean now.

MORTON:

Me too.

Morton offers him the car keys.

MORTON:

But seems daft to blow the whistle

on each other.

Cottan thinks about it for a couple of beats. Then he takes

the keys.

Morton limps away.

CUT TO:

638A OMITTED

639 OMITTED

640 OMITTED

CUT TO:

641 INT. AC-12. INTERVIEW ROOM. LATER THAT DAY.

Steve brings Lindsay in. They sit on the same side of the

table, facing Kate, Cottan and Hastings.

HASTINGS:

Thank you once again, DI Denton.

Kate refers to a clutch of documents, topmost being photo of

the tracking device in the wheel arch of Akers’ vehicle.

KATE:

We’ve received the forensics

reports on the tracking device

found under the front left wheel

arch of Akers’ vehicle. There are

some irregularities that need to be

explained.

(CONTINUED)

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641 CONTINUED:

LINDSAY:

Irregularities?

Kate slides photocopies across the table to Lindsay.

KATE:

The tracker would be expected to

retain paint and metal residues

transferred during its prolonged

contact with the undersurface of

Akers’ vehicle.

COTTAN:

It doesn’t.

KATE:

Instead there’s a mix of residues,

a proportion of which are

consistent with the underside of

service vehicle registration number

[registration number], this being

the vehicle you were driving on the

night of the ambush.

LINDSAY:

I’m, uh ...

HASTINGS:

Obviously this is a peculiar

finding.

LINDSAY:

I don’t know much about it, but I

wonder if exposure to the very high

temperatures caused by the fire

have caused an error. Open flames

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