Under cover

Chapter 2

Rose took the seat that the chief indicated and Alec reluctantly sat beside her as the chief explained what was going on.

"As you may be aware Alec, there is a new housing development just outside town, most of the houses are now occupied, a few have been bought by investors as holiday homes. Recently, we have had complaints about a couple who have moved into one of the houses, that they have visitors coming and going at all hours, cars parked at odd times and never seen again and people standing around then meeting up with someone and going inside."

"Has that become a crime suddenly?" Alec wanted to know.

"Not in itself but in the times we live in, we can never be sure of what is going on. It came to the chief constable's attention when Ellie Miller's nephew picked up on it and posted it on the newspaper's social media account."

"Bloody Twitter," Alec mumbled, making Rose smile.

"Yes, well we know what happened the last time," Elaine commented.

Rose didn't know though, since she'd not been around then. "What happened the last time then?"

"I'm sure DI Hardy can fill you in. I want the two of you to move into one of the two bedroom properties that are being used for holiday homes. I've pulled a few strings to get one opposite where the shall I say suspicious activity has been taking place. You will pose as a newly engaged couple using the house until you find somewhere more permanent, everyone knows DI Hardy from the newspapers and TV so the cover story will be that you Rose have just come down from London to join him."

"How the hell am I going to explain having a girlfriend, let alone a fiancée?" Alec demanded to know, looking across at Rose who herself wasn't keen on the idea.

"That's up to you two but it should only be in front of the other residents, some of them will only be newly moved in themselves. You can both carry on working, Rose, you'll have to work the hours he does and you can keep a car for a week, pick one up in the morning. I'll let the two of you make the rest of the arrangements and Rose, go see Neil in surveillance, he'll have a laptop for you and a separate webcam, which you need to place in the window somehow and he'll show you how to review it, you'll need to keep it going 24 hrs a day so you don't have to constantly watch out of the window."

"So, we just act normally, like going in and out?" Rose asked.

Alec just raised his eyebrows, wanting it to be over before it even started.

"What do you think Tyler?"

Elaine smiled and wished she was going with them, it could be quite entertaining.

"Rose, your room at the B&B will be kept for you while you're away as will yours Alec, it will make no difference as to you both finding somewhere more long term, just extend the time you have by another week."

"We both have to stay there?" Alec asked, hoping he could sneak off back to the hotel after dark.

"Yes, you have to make it look good, you're supposed to be engaged, how would it seem if you went off at all hours?" Elaine asked him.

"I could say I am on night duty," Alec quipped back.

"You're supposed to be on sick leave, remember? That's why your cover is Rose has been staying in London because of the Latimer case and now it's over has come to join you. As I said, you'll have to make the rest of it up as you go along."

"Do we have to be engaged?" Rose wanted to know.

"Well it would look better but no, you could say you're his long-term girlfriend and you're thinking of getting married, that should cover it."