TEAM SPIRIT : Part 1 Continued

Sgt. Ackland's already in there. "See, I don't understand why anyone as intelligent as Rosie would invent a story like this unless it was true."
"Well you don't have to be thick to be an emotional mess, June," reasons Meadows. Liz comes in. "Take a seat, Liz." She shuts the door behind her and sits next to June. "You're friends with Rosie Fox, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know that she's accused Eddie Santini of sexual assault?" he asks.
"She told me this morning."
"So what do you make of it?"
"Well I only found out about the incident yesterday, but…I found it hard to believe that Eddie would be so stupid. He was drunk."
"So was she," the DCI reminds her. "She also says that Eddie's been harassing her since the alleged incident."
"She told me the same thing," Liz tells them.
"Except," begins June, "Eddie told me almost the opposite story the other day when Jason Jefferies went AWOL. His version of events is that she was over-keen, he then tried to break it off, and Rosie's now trying to get back at him for it."
"So, who's winding who up?" summarises Jack.
"I don't know, Guv," says Liz. "I find it hard to believe that Rosie would make up a story about something as serious as sexual assault." June nods at this. "I think something must have occurred, but whether it was criminal or not, I don't know…I wasn't there, Guv, I've got no idea."

Sgt. Ackland's meeting with DCI Meadows is over. She wanders into the Sergeants' Office and sits down at her desk opposite Matt Boyden. "What's up?" he asks.
"Matthew, have you ever made advances towards Rosie Fox?"
"No," he lies.
"So why was she saying that you had earlier?"
"I don't know. Maybe she got the wrong end of the stick." June gives him a look which says that she doesn't really believe, particularly with his reputation. "Look, I offered to show her round the ground on her first day. She took it as a come-on."
June accepts this for now. "She wants Eddie Santini arrested for sexual assault."

George is still going on about Rosie having an axe to grind, in front of a limping prisoner as they bring him into custody. "Maybe there's something in her past that we don't know about."
"Leave it out George," Dave tells him.
"I'm serious. She could have done this before. Somebody should check it out. I mean, we don't really know her, do we? Not like we know Eddie."
"Can't we talk about something else!"
"What's up with you all of a sudden?"
"Nothing."
Matt Boyden passes them on his way out. George stops him. "How's Rosie? Is she back at work yet?"
"No comment!"
"So what's going on then?"
"I said No Comment!" Boyden walks off.
"So what do you reckon then?" George asks Dave.
"World War Three's breaking out in Sunhill and they're deciding when to let us know!"

Eddie's throwing stones into the canal, while Vicky talks to a couple of men. Sgt. Ackland radios him, asking him to come back to the station when he's free. Sgt. Boyden pulls up nearby.
"Hello, Sarge. Having a run out in the sunshine?"
"You're in a bit of trouble, mate!"
"What trouble? Is it Rosie? Sarge?"
"She's gone to CID, alleging sexual assault."
"What?!"
"She's said it happened the night of the op, in the locker-room after the party."
"That's crazy!"
"You stayed at hers that night, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Ed lies. "Everything we did that night was consenting, Sarge. And she loved it!"
From the look on Matt's face he doesn't want the details. "Well, she's in with Meadows. There's not a lot you can do until you know what's been said. She'll have a job proving it anyway."
"But she's the victimised female though, isn't she! And the brass are so scared of being branded sexist that they'll sack you first and ask questions later!"
"There's a lot we can do to even up the odds if it comes down to a credibility contest."
"Such as?"
"I put a couple of calls in. See what we can find out about her."
"Right, thanks Sarge!"
"No need to panic just yet."
"Yeah, I'm an innocent man and this is the British Justice System. Why should I panic?"

Don and Jim pass Rosie in the corridor as she goes up to DCI Meadow's office. They both believe Eddie rather than her. She knocks on the door and goes in.
"I've asked Sgt. Ackland to sit in with us if you don't mind."
"No."
"So, tell me what happened."

Polly, Tony, Gary, Vicky and Eddie are making their way to the station. Naturally they're all on Eddie's side.
"Surely somebody must have seen you leave the nick together," suggests Gary.
"No, we left separately, 'cause she wanted it that way, so I went along with it," Ed tells them. "She didn't want anyone to spot us."
"But why was she so paranoid? I mean that's weird!" says Polly.
"She said it was because she was new here: she didn't want to get labelled."
"I can't understand why she's gone for sexual assault," comments Tony.
"Yeah, I know. Do I look like a rapist?"
"I bet she's a man-hater," says Polly.
They bump into Gary and George coming out of the Custody Area. "Have you heard?" Vicky asks them.
"What?"
"Rosie's gone totally OTT," Poll tells them.
"What do you mean?" Dave asks.
"She's upstairs telling Mr Meadows that I sexually assaulted her, the silly bitch!"
"You're kidding!" says George. Ed goes on to say that he should have guessed from stuff she said to him.
"She can't be serious about taking it all the way though. She must be doing it just to scare you," George tells him.
"Yeah, well, she's managed that."
"It won't make a difference once CIB's involved. It will be on your record," Vicky reminds them. Dave looks uncomfortable about all this.
"Maybe you should check her record then, Eddie," suggests George. "She could have done this before." Ed agrees. "Look, you're the victim here. You've got friends who will back you up, so you'll be alright!" Ed thanks him for that.

Sgt. Boyden's on the phone. It sounds like he's not having much luck on digging up dirt on Rosebud. DI Deakin comes in with Tom Proctor. "Is it true, Matt?" Deakin asks, "She's going to do him for assault?"
"Yeah it's true."
"Can she make it stick?"
"Not if I've got anything to do with it!"

Rosie's still talking to Meadows. "Why didn't you report the incident straight away? You were in the locker-room, you were surrounded by night-duty officers."
"I was new to the nick, Sir. I was in shock. By the time I got home I thought it was best to try and forget it."
"But you weren't that shaken that you couldn't come into work the next day."
"I made a effort to put it aside, Sir. It wasn't easy."
"You said that you made it quite clear to Eddie that you didn't welcome his advances at the party. Yet, I know for a fact that you were all over each other that night."
"No he was all over me, Sir," she argues.
"And it's general knowledge that you started an affair that night."
"No, Eddie's told people that to cover himself. It's not true. I left alone. He followed me to the locker-room."
"Where you voluntarily kissed him for a second time."
"He was drunk and pushing it, Sir. I acquiested."
"Yes but earlier on…"
"I'm not saying I discouraged him completely during the party. We were all well-oiled and happy with the result…"
"You had your tongue down his throat for half a minute. I've seen a photo of it doing it's round of the General Office."
"So I deserve what I get, is that it, Sir?"
"Rosie," June tries to stop her from losing her temper, but it's too late. Rosie gets up.
"We're still basically the bikes and dykes in this job aren't we? If you refuse to go along with their stupid little games you're a frigid cow; if you join in too readily you're a slag!"
"No, hang on. They are not my views," Jack tells her.
"I'm sorry but I can't seem to make you understand me. I've told you I said No to Eddie loud and clear several times! He still pushed me up against the wall, onto the floor. He still tried to pull my clothes off. Now if people hadn't have gone by outside, I don't know if he even would have stop!"
"So, you're saying this is an attempted rape," summarises Meadows.
"No."
"You can't have it both ways. If he was using force…"
"He assaulted me, Sir. He touched me against my will. He used his physical strength to overpower me. That's enough isn't it?"
"Well, I don't know to be honest."
"Sir?" she says quietly.
"I don't think I can help you with this, Rosie." She sits back down. "You understand that I have to be confident there's a case to answer before I can pass anything on to the CIB."
"I realise that."
"Well, in order to do that, I have to accept that what you're saying is the whole truth."
"But it is the truth," she protests.
"Possibly. But you've got no evidence and no cooberation of any sort. And an examination wouldn't produce anything useful either, so it's down to your word against his."
"But that's the whole point. He wouldn't have done it if there had been people about."
"I realise that."
"So how the hell do you expect me to get cooberation?!" June again tries to calm her down.
"Neither the CIB or the CPS would be interested in a war of words, Rosie."
Rosie jumps up. "That's crazy! Alright, I understand, I get the message! Just forget it!"
"Rosie, calm down," June tells her.
"No, look, I'm sorry. I've obviously wasted a lot of your time! Now if you'll excuse me." She heads over to the door.
"Look I'm not implying any judgement here, Rosie. I'm simply doing my duty."
"Yeah, thanks!" She leaves the room.
"I'll go and get her back," says June following her.
Rosie goes straight to the ladies' toilets. June begins to go in after her, but stops at the door when she hears Rosie being sick. June gives her a few moments alone.