Chapter 2: Return Home

Jack checked his watch again. it had been nearly three hours and nothing had been done, and then an officer and a plain clothed woman were at his door, "You're supposed to be DS Adams?" the woman asked.

"I am where I come from, yes," Jack said sarcastically. He was beginning to get fed up with the waiting.

"There have been some complications with your case. I'm now looking into this ... I am Detective Sergeant Jacquie Adams." The woman said, and now Jack could see his face in her expression.

"I see, so now what's going to happen?"

Jacquie shook her head. "We have an appointment in an interview room, if you'll follow me." She stood back from the door to allow Jack to leave the cell.

"Can I ask which room we're using? Just out of interest, you know." Jack asked Jacquie as they walked towards the custody suite.

Jacquie frowned, "Room 5a if you must know," she said, not understanding why he wanted this information.

Jack laughed, "Oh yes, the American-style room. Who's going to be in the booth? Anyone you know ... or is it someone from outside?"

"How did you know about that? It's something that—"

"DS Adams, you're going to hear a lot that you don't understand. Just remember I'm in the same position as you are, just a DS thrown in with the big boys, or is it big girls here? I think you're going to find out that life isn't a simple yes/no solution to everything." Jack said — he'd had plenty of time to think about things while in his cell

Jacquie didn't reply; there wasn't anything to say.

When they entered the room, there was a table and four chairs and a tape recorder with three compartments. Jacquie opened a new pack of cassettes and put three tapes into the compartments, Jack noticed that there were video cameras active in the room and a long mirror on one wall. He sat down on one of the chairs with Jacquie taking a chair opposite him.

She pressed a button on the recorder. "Interview commences, the date is March fifteen, two thousand and nine, the time is fourteen-twenty hours, present in the room are DS Jacquie Adams and..." She looked at Jack for an input.

"Jack Adams."

"There are no solicitors present. At this time, Mr. Adams, I must ask you if you require a solicitor to be called. If so, we can suspend this interview until one arrives." Jacquie looked at Jack.

"I waive my rights to a solicitor at this time." Jack said, returning her look

"Very well, Mr Adams, you were arrested at a local café after passing forged five-pound notes in exchange for an order of food. What can you tell me of this?

Jack was expecting this and had an answer ready, "In the eyes of the law, a note is forged if the holder makes a near copy of the legal tender. However, the note I had was nowhere near the legal tender. The people behind the counter should have refused the note, they accepted it although the monarch shown was the wrong person and that the back detail was completely different," he said. "But from the world I come from that is perfectly legal, so I did not attempt to pass forged currency, just foreign currency."

"Foreign currency? But from what country? The writing is in English and it states that it is printed by the Bank of England ... Where did you get the paper? What processes did you use to print the note? We had an expert go through all your currency in your wallet and except for the incidentals of monarch and back designs; he said they were on treasury paper, up to and including the watermarks." Jacquie looked puzzled.

"DS Adams, you did not listen to what I said. I told you that from the world I came from it was perfectly legal. Let's get onto another subject, shall we? I overheard an interesting conversation regarding fingerprints. Who did the database say mine were?" Jack studied his hands carefully.

"There is nothing to discuss about that here, the next subject is this warrant card you had on your possession. It's almost perfect apart from the signatures. Just what did you think you'd do with it?" Jacquie stared at Jack. He recognised the look.

Jack turned to the mirror, "I'm sure that you've already spoken to Professor Blythe, I'm sure she had some interesting words to say. Are you ready to speak to me, or shall we carry on with this farce?"

"Mr Adams, you will direct all your answers to me. I'm the one questioning you." Jacquie felt a twitch at the side of her face, it always happened when she got excited.

"DS Adams, relax and I'll tell you a story. It's very interesting. You've read of parallel worlds where things are almost but not quite the same... ?" Jack looked at Jacquie and then carried on, "Well, picture one where a DS Jack Adams is taken by a stranger called Pulse to a house owned by a man called Professor Blythe. While there, both Adams and Pulse are transferred to another world, from which they finally escape to arrive in a world just like theirs, only it's not. And that's the short version. Believe me, you don't want me to go through the long version or we'll be here till the cows come home." Jack sat back in his chair.

Jacquie gave a laugh, "You expect to tell me that and I suppose I'm going to say, 'well then that sorts that out'? Then you've got another thought coming."

Jack shook his head. "It wasn't you I was telling, it was the listener in the booth my story was for, he (or she) isn't with this force, but has an interest in the case, what's their name?"

Jacquie blushed this wasn't how it was supposed to go, "Please answer my questions Mr. Adams, if that is your name."

Jack decided to check a few things. "Eight, nine, seven, four."

"What? I don't understand." Jacquie frowned. Somehow the number was familiar to her.

"That's the pin number to my bank card, eight, nine, seven, four. Maybe I should take it to a hole-in-the-wall and see what happens. All right then DBS three-five-seven C, that's the number plate of my car. I take it you're parked in the normal place in the car park?"

"How do you know my car number? Have you been following me?" Jacquie asked standing up.

"Not me. I've only been here a few hours, now what's going to happen?" Jack said looking directly at the mirrored side of the room, but it was the door opening that drew his attention.

"DS Adams?" The stranger said. Both Jack and Jacquie answered and the man sighed, "My DS Adams," he clarified, looking at Jacquie. "I think I need to see you outside."

Jacquie nodded and then spoke into the microphone of the recorder. "Interview suspended at fourteen-fifty hours." She quickly got up and went to the door which she closed behind her.

Jack knew that the room was soundproofed but he still heard the argument from outside. "BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT. IT'S AGAINST ALL PROCEEDURES!" that was Jacquie's voice. He didn't hear the reply but then he heard, "I CAN'T LET YOU. I'LL APPEAL TO MY D.I." After that, the words were muted by the soundproofing.

By now, Jack had a good idea what was happening and was sitting back in the chair as Jacquie re-entered the room, "Mr Adams, you are being placed into special custody, if you'll come with me to the custody suite for the official handover."

Jack nodded, "Let me guess, someone's pulled rank and has told you to hand me over to them. You're safer not involved in this. It's been nice to meet you, DS Adams," he said holding out his hand, but Jacquie didn't touch it.

"You don't get rid of me that easily ... I've been reassigned for the time being, I'm going to be the police liaison while this is ongoing." She said.

Jack's face, and his hand, dropped, "Don't accept it! You don't know what they're doing."

Jacquie shook her head, "And you do? Somehow I think we're both in the same boat," she said as she opened the door and indicated Jack to follow her

In the custody suite, Susan was waiting for Jack and Jacquie. With her was the stranger who had interrupted his interrogation. Jack waited for the Sergeant to read the terms of his release and for the return of his property. He noted that his money and warrant card were also returned. During this time, Jacquie went away and returned in time for Jack's release.

Jacquie looked at the stranger. "Look Pulse, I don't know what pull you have with my DI, but I don't appreciate allowing this criminal to roam on his own."

"I've told you, Adams, that this was more involved than just passing dud notes. When we get out of here I'll fill you in. You got the hardware I hope." Sam Pulse said coldly.

"Yeah, I don't know why you demanded a gun for godsakes, I don't like using them." Jacquie said.

"But you also got a Taser just in case, didn't you?" Jack spoke up

Jacquie's head turned around to look at him, "How the hell did you know that? It's concealed."

"Because that was what I was told to get when she pulled me into this mess, I've lost both of them and I've no idea what I'm going to say to Roberts when I get back home," Jack said with a smile. "Look, can we get to an ATM? I need some proper money to pay to the Café where we got arrested."

Sam Pulse shook his head, "Better not. Jacquie will pay that for you."

"I won't!" Jacquie's voice was shrill as she said that.

"You will. Look it's just as if you incurred the debt, how would you feel if you ordered something and didn't actually pay for it?" Sam said calmly.

"I wouldn't let it happen in the first place. I'm more careful than..." her voice faltered under Sam's stare

"I'm sure Jack is the same, in fact I know he is the same. This man here is you! Just like that woman there is me. Don't ask me to explain, we're going to see the person who laid it out for me ... where's your car?" Sam said Jacquie pointed out an Austin Allegro.

Jack waited and sure enough Sam said, "Good grief what the hell is that?"

Susan giggled, "I asked the same question ... you wait till you get in it."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with the Allegro, it's a perfectly good vehicle" Jack was defending his property.

"Exactly, it's one of a kind." Jacquie said and Jack realised that it wasn't his property they were talking about.

"Don't keep on about it. Adams is very protective of it, I know." Susan said to Sam.

They got into the Allegro and Jacquie started the engine which misfired and stopped. "It's always doing that." Both Jack and Jacquie defended the car then Jacquie looked at Jack with a puzzled look on her face. "How did you know I was going to say that?"

Jack laughed, "That's what I always say when I've got passengers in my car. She'll fire now," and sure enough the engine caught and the car started to purr.

"Where first?" Jacquie asked not sure what was going on.

"We'll go to the café where these two were picked up; the department has a debt to pay," Sam said, looking at Susan. "In a way, from what I gathered you still work for us," he clarified.

Susan nodded. "I hope I can extend the same should the reverse happen."

"I hope not. I'm going to recommend that the machine is taken apart and never used; can you picture the confusion if one of me appeared in this world? Nobody would know who's who. The safest thing to do would be to close the door and keep it closed," Sam said