"You've got no wire. How will we know if there's trouble?"
"Ed, for the nth time: I'm a grown-up. I'll be okay." They're walking into the yard getting ready to go back to Brim Street. "You're turning into my Dad again."
"We should have some kind of signal."
"What? Alright, I'll send up smoke or run up a flag; or you could teach me some semaphore. How about that?"
"It's been really good working with you, Rosebud," he smiles.
"You're a world class revisionist, Ed. You know that?" He obviously doesn't understand that so she lets it go. "Anyway, it's not over yet."
The rest of the relief comes pouring out of custody. "Oh look. The happy couple," comments Dave.
"Yeah, when Eddie met Rosie," laughs George.
"I don't know what he sees in her." Vicky's really earning that Troll nickname.
"She's different, isn't she," George says.
"Vicky, I'll tell you what it is, love. It's the attraction of the opposites. You see, cosmically speaking it's a pattern that's repeated worldwide!" Reg's earning himself some very funny looks off the others.
"You've been reading too many of those women's magazines again, Reg," Dave tells him. "You're back early. What's up?" he calls over to Rosie and Eddie.
"Op's gone belly-up," Eddie answers.
"Someone screw up?" Vicky smiles at Rosie, who ignores that comment.
"Nothing to do with us." The others walk off. "Snide cow!" Ed mutters.
|
|
Bruce's bringing Tom another drink, while Rod's helping Maria cook dinner. Bruce asks him about the Met recruiting civilians as snouts. "Well, I'm no use on the barricades anymore, with my leg. I started off in Intelligence before I moved on to Combat Duties." He looks out the window. "I think that's your target arriving now."
|
Bellman gets out of his car just as Kim and Rosie arrive outside of the pub.
"Hi Kim. Hello gorgeous."
"Hi," Rosie smiles at him.
"I'll see you inside," Kim tells her.
"Looking good." He offers to take her bag and puts it in his car for now. "Fancy a coffee and a brandy before you move in?"
"Why not."
"I was talking about you to an associate of mine this morning." He probably means Ruzhkov. "Reference: some work I might be able to put your way."
"Oh right. What kind of work?"
"Highly paid. Interesting. Includes foreign travel."
"Is it legal?"
"Would it bother you if it wasn't?"
"No," she laughs. "From now on I just want to keep my eyes open about what I'm getting into."
"Very sensible." They both go inside and find a corner to sit in.
|
"Anyway," Bellman continues, "As I said. I talked to my associate this morning." Rosie's listening intently. First he takes a sip of his drink. "We've got a problem with one of our operatives. We've got a tough delivery schedule and we're anxious to fill the position as soon as possible."
"What position?"
"I spoke to my associate about you and he wants to meet you."
"Okay," she says slowly.
"Have you ever been abroad, Rosie?"
"Europe, on holiday. That sort of thing."
"Born in the UK?"
"Yes."
Bellman waits until Kim's cleared their empty glasses away.
"Ever been arrested?"
"No."
"Stopped at Customs?"
"No, why?"
"It's just basic stuff we need to know."
"Well you haven't told me what the position is yet."
"No, I'd like you to meet my associate first. He's invited us round to his restaurant tonight."
|
"Tonight?" Rosie's not too comfortable.
"Problem with that?"
"There's Eddie." Bellman's not thrilled at the sound of this. "I know. He called me at Kim's last night, but I told him I accepted the room at the hostel." She hesitates for a moment. "What makes you think I've got what you and your associate need?"
"Well essentially, it's about image," he begins. "Confidence. Carrying off a role. Right clothes, right accessories, I think you'd do rather well. Satisfy you?"
"For now," she smiles and finishes off her drink.
|
Eddie must have been really bored or agitated; or both! He's painting the ceiling in the living room, though how can anyone do that and have no white paint at all show up on his black shirt? Rod's still sitting down doing very little.
"Target and Rosie out of the pub," reports Tom. Rod writes it down in the log and Eddie puts down his roller.
Bellman's hand falls onto Rosie's derriere as he takes her into the hostel. "Oh look where he's got his hand!" murmurs Rod. Ed grabs the binoculars to have a look.
"I thought she was supposed to backing off," says Tom.
|
Rosie quietly follows Bellman up to the room, just saying hello to one of the girls on the stairs. He leads her into the room. It doesn't have any carpets and there's a poster half-hanging from the wall. "It's great," she tells him. "Who was she? The girl who was here before."
"Someone called Tracy."
"Did she move out?"
"She committed suicide."
Rosie acts shocked. "Why?"
Bellman smiles. "You're full of questions today."
"I...I'm sorry. I'm feeling much better. Even one night away from Eddie really recharges my batteries."
"Sounds good." Bellman's obviously getting his own ideas.
"I'd better unpack."
"Can't you do that later?"
"We're going out later. I need hours to get ready." Bellman doesn't believe her and starts to touch her up. "What are doing?"
"Developing our relationship," he suggests.
"Is that part of my terms and conditions?"
"Oh don't panic, Rosie."
"I'm not panicking."
"Look. I'm not Eddie. I respect you. I'm also...very attracted to you. You know that anyway. And it's not against the rules.
"I'm still writing new ones."
"Well, while you're thinking about it..." His hands start wandering again. Rosie quickly makes her excuses. She tells him she needs a shower. He tells her where it is and not to be long. In the meantime, he lies on the bed. Rosie picks up her towel and dressing gown and leaves the room.
In the bathroom, she finds that the lock on the door is broken, so she jams a chair under the handle to stop anyone, particularly Bellman, from walking in.
|
Eddie and Tom are watching the flat trying to work out what's going on.
"I can see someone moving around inside," says Tom.
"Doesn't look like Rosie." Tom suggests that it's Bellman, who soon comes to the window. "Yeah, it's him. I can't see her though."
|
Rosie's wetting her hair, but Bellman comes to the door. "Just a minute!" she calls. He forces the door open though.
"Trying to keep me out?"
"No, not you necessarily."
"Had your shower?" he asks suspiciously.
"I washed my hair instead." He leads her back into the bedroom. "You know Clive, I'm feeling rather tired after that brandy."
He takes this the wrong way and suggests a little "siesta" before closing the curtains.
"No don't do that!" Rosie quickly tells him.
"Why not?"
"I'm scared of the dark." She quickly opens them.
|
|
"What's she up to?" Ed ponders from across the street. He watches Bellman start to kiss her and try to pull her clothes off. "He's trying it on with her!" Quickly he pulls off the overalls and grabs his jacket.
"What're you doing?" asks Tom.
"I'm going in!"
"Deakin will kill you!" Rod tells him.
"I'm not going to let that scumbag do what he likes to her just so SERCs can get an easy ride!"
"Eddie!" Tom yells after him.
|
|
Rosie's still fighting off Bellman when she sees her knight in shiny armour. "It's Eddie. He's seen me!"
"Well don't let him in then," Bellman tells her. Meanwhile they can both hear Ed trying to break more than one door down downstairs. "Decide what you want, Rosie." Bellman tells her ad goes over to the door. "If want to get onboard, wear something nice and be at 58 Goddard Road at eight thirty. And if you do decide to come, make sure he's not part of the deal. Understand me?"
"Yeah, I understand. I'm sorry, Clive." As Clive opens the door and leaves Eddie comes in and shuts the door behind him.
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened."
"It didn't look like nothing!"
"He had a go!"
"Yeah, and you let him!"
"Eddie, back off. I wasn't seducing him. I didn't think...It got out of control. That's why I went to the window like that. I was trying to let you know I needed help - "
"You just won't listen!" he yells at her. "You think I'm some thick plod!" Wouldn't that completely blow their covers?
"No, Ed!" she shouts. Then she calms down a bit. "Listen, Bellman wants me to Ruzhkov tonight."
"Oh, well, you got what you wanted then."
"I can't! I don't know why you're so bloody furious! I never been so pleased to see anyone in my whole life!"
Eddie calms down. "Come here." He gives her hug.
Her damp hair's curling in several directions now. "You were right, okay. I didn't think he'd come on like that. I dropped my guard. It was the brandy."
"Well, I'm here now." He smiles at her. "Let me take you away from all this."
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | | | |
