Broadchurch: Across the Pond

Chapter 11

TW: none

Keith Larson was home, and answered the door with a frown that put Alec to shame. "CanI help you?"

"Detective Alec Hardy." Alec flashed his badge; Ellie did the same. "This is Detective Ellie Miller, my partner. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Leslie--"

And then all hell broke loose.

Larson turned and ran back inside. Ellie shouted at Alec to go round back and cut him off, but he was already gone, haring through the side yard. Ellie barreled into the house after Larson. He kept throwing things behind him to slow her down. It worked, and he reached the back exit before her. He flung himself out the door--

--and ran smack into Alec's skinny arm. Larson was clotheslined so hard that his feet flew out from under him and he crashed onto his back like a cartoon character. Then Alec was on top of him, planting a knee in his back and securing zip ties around his wrists.

"Keith Larson, you are—fuck's sake, stop squirming, I'm not going to hurt you--you are not being arrested, you are being detained to--"

"Why can't you leave me alone?" Larson whined.

"Don'tinterrupt me," Alec snapped. "I'm already pissed you made me run,don't make it worse on yourself."

Ellie's phone rang, and she checked the caller ID. "It's Sanchez."

"Make it short."

The call lasted less than a minute. Ellie hung up and yelled, "Bollocks!"

"Wot?" Alec demanded.

"Let him up," Ellie ordered.

"Wot!?"

"He's under police protection."

"Wot?!"

"We can't detain him or bring him in," Ellie explained. "He's got immunity. Get off him."

"For God's sake," Alec muttered. He leaned down. "Keith, when I let you go, you are to stand up very slowly, walk to the back steps, and sit down. If you make any sudden moves, I will make you eat dirt. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Larson said quickly

Alec cut the zip ties, and stood in one fluid motion. "Move. Now."

Larson got up and walked to the steps with exaggerated slowness. He sat down carefully.

"You have immunity." Alec loomed over the young man, radiating anger and frustration. "I don't know how, or why, or even if it's legal, but--"

"I tried to tell you!"

Ellie broke in."No, you ran. You can see how that looks suspicious."

"Not one of my best decisions," Larson admitted. "Look, I already came in for an interview."

"Aye, you did. And now we've some more questions." Alec crouched down so he was eye level with Larson. "We can't threaten you, we can't make you l do anything. So I am asking you to answer our questions.This isn't an interrogation. We're just trying to solve Leslie's murder."

"What happens if I don't answer your questions?" Larson asked.

"Nothing," Alec replied. "But we might never get justice for Leslie, and that'll be on you. Right now we have nothing to go on. There's nothing in the files about her, on who she was as a person. It's like she...wasn't important to them."