Back to the Future

 

Chapter 8 – A bit of time down South!

 

For the first time in a long time, Detective Superintendent Gene Hunt could honestly say he felt alone.  In fact, he’d not felt that alone since the death of his wife; the night he took Becky and his son home from the hospital should have been the happiest night of his life but it had turned into a sickening horror, where he had ultimately been left with nothing.

 

And for the last few weeks he’d stormed through CID like a bear with a sore head or even a Manc lion with toothache, grumbling at officers and shouting the odds or arguing with anyone who cared.  Even Sam had kept his distance, knowing that in a few months things would hopefully settle down and Gene would go back to being the fiercely loyal and dependable Guv’, Sam ever had the pleasure of working with.

 

Alex had demanded a transfer as soon as she was able, taking time off in lieu, time she’d been given but not taken due to the fact that she had been needed to look into Gene’s case upon her arrival.  She’d spun a line about Gene not needing her opinions anymore and the need to go back to London due to homesickness.  By the time Gene had swallowed the remaining pride he had left and gone to see her he was greeted with a vacant property and a ‘To Let’ sign.  He’d asked neighbours if they’d known where she’d gone but no one knew anything.  He even went to Molly’s school finding out that she’d been removed due to the family returning to ‘where they had come from’.

 

And to top things off, Gene had received a letter from Alex’s solicitor.  As she had promised, the letter asked for Gene to detail as and when he wished to see his daughter, but she asked for nothing else.

 

Gene strolled down the corridor toward Sam’s office, letter in hand.  He knocked and politely waited until he heard Sam call him in.

 

“Gene?”

 

“’Ave you got a moment?”

 

“Sure,” he signalled for Gene to take a seat, “what’s up?  Do you want a drink?”

 

“Aye, tea would be good.”  Gene waited for Sam to order the drinks before proceeding, “This arrived today!”  He waved the letter around before handing it to Sam.

 

Sam looked over it, carefully folding it back up again once he had read it several times and gave it back to Gene.  “Seems straightforward enough.”

 

“Straight bloody forward!”  The drinks were brought in, Gene stilled until the officer had gone again. “Straight bloody forward,” he said more calmly, “she wants me t’ decide when I want t’ see Molly, ‘ow many days a month or someat, upheaval for everyone because she can’t be near me.  Won’t be near me.”

 

“I don’t quite know what you want me to say.”

 

“Nothin’,” Gene shook his head, “there’s nothin’ anyone can say t’ make this all better, is there?  I were stupid an’ rash an’ should’ve read ‘em damn letters 10 year ago.  If I ‘ad I wouldn’t be in this bloody mess now, would I?”

 

“To be honest, Gene, no, but that would have been because you would probably have never met DI Alex Drake for the second time in your life had you not come off life support and needed her assistance.”

 

“Mmm, suppose you got a point.  But that still don’t stop this being a mess, does it?  I love ‘er, Sam.  I don’t know if I could ever ‘ave with ‘er what I ‘ad with Becky but I love ‘er an’ I need ‘er.”

 

“I know you do.”  Sam nodded.

 

“I want ‘er ‘ere with me,” Gene said solemnly, “I just don’t know ‘ow t’.”

 

“Perhaps spending time with Molly will help, show Alex that you love your daughter and you would do anything for her to make her happy.  Appeal to Alex’s maternal side, if she can see you’re a good parent then maybe …?”

 

“But I’m ‘ere an’ she’s in London.”

 

“You could take some time off for a bit; you’re owed some aren’t you?”

 

“I couldn’t, you need me ‘ere.”

 

“We’ve managed these past three weeks; you may have been here in body but not in spirit.  In fact you’ve been no help at all.”

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

 

“Gene.  Look I’ll make some enquiries maybe we could get you down there on secondment like you did before.  I’m sure DCI Turner would like to do me a favour after I helped him out with the Thomas case.”

 

“Ok, see what you can do, but keep it quiet, eh?  Don’t want ‘er knowin’ I’m turnin’ up before I even get chance t’ speak t’ ‘er.”  Gene got up from his seat and turned back to Sam, “thank you.”

 

“Don’t thank me just yet.”

 

Gene half-smiled before his face returned to its normal pout.  He nodded before walking out of the office and closing the door behind him.  He just hoped that Sam would come up with something.

 

 

.oOo.

 

 

“So how long are you going undercover this time, Alex?”  Evan White asked as he poured himself another glass of wine.

 

Alex looked up from the pasta she was busy cooking for tea, “I don’t know, two, maybe three weeks at the most.  We’ve got to nail this bastard and this is the only way we can think of doing it.”

 

“I just can’t believe that you’d put yourself in that much danger for the love of your job, what about Molly?”

 

“Evan, please stop worrying, I’m not going to be the only officer in there.  Sometimes you are so bloody neurotic.”

 

“Don’t you think I have the right?  I watched your parents go up in smoke leaving me to look after you.”

 

“Thanks, sorry I was such a burden.”

 

“Alex, you know you never were but I’m not getting any younger, I don’t think I could go through all that again.  The teenage tantrums, the loud music and, not to mention, the boyfriends.”

 

“You won’t have to; her father will look after her.”

 

“That neanderthal flat-foot from Manchester, is that what you want for her?”

 

Alex was starting to see red, Gene Hunt may not have been her favourite person at the moment but he was Molly’s father and the letter that Alex had received from her solicitor today had confirmed that Gene would only be too willing to become Molly’s full time guardian should anything happen to Alex.  “He is no neanderthal, Evan.  How can you make that kind of judgement about someone you’ve never met?”

 

“Considering when we have talked about him you have always described him as being the biggest let down in your life.”

 

“He wants the opportunity to see his daughter, so he can’t be that bad can he?”

 

“No, Alex, not bad at all.  Seems a bit strange though, your quick escape back to London if he’s so … wonderful.”

 

“Can we not talk about this anymore, please?”

 

“Why?  Hit a nerve have I?”

 

“Evan, for God’s sake I’ve made a couple of mistakes, like most people do and what?  You’re going to keep constantly persecuting me for them?”

 

“Not me, Alex.  But your subconscious probably will.  I know you better than anyone.  I know when you’re in distress, or hurting, or in love.  I’ve only ever seen you like this once before, 10 years ago when you found out you were pregnant and firmly believed that that northern copper of yours was going to save you from your horrible life.  But he didn’t, did he?  And then you made a fool out of Toby as well.”  He got up from his seat and walked from the kitchen.

 

“Where are you going?”  Alex asked, running after him into the hallway.

 

“Suddenly I’m not very hungry.  I’ll see you on Thursday, to start my babysitting duties.”  He slammed the front door behind him as he left her house.

 

“Good bloody riddance,” she screamed at the now closed door before sinking to her knees, “good bloody riddance.”  She wept; her life was such a bloody mess.  The only good thing in it was Molly and she wasn’t best impressed with Alex either at that very moment.  She looked up in anguish as if she were trying to get some kind of divine inspiration.  “What am I supposed to do?  I can’t help what I feel.  I can’t help the way I reacted.”  She brought her head down again and put it into her hands.  “I’m sorry, alright, I’m sorry for what I’ve done.  I should never have reacted in the way that I did but it’s too late now, isn’t it?  It’s too late to salvage this.  He’ll never love me now.”

 

At the top of the stairs, Molly quietly got up from her seat and moved back into her bedroom.  “Did you hear that Shaz?”

 

“Yeah, how long has she been like that?”

 

“Ever since she told me that Gene was my dad, she cries herself to sleep most nights, I hear her.  She’s always calling his name out.”

 

“Thanks, Molly.  Keep me informed will you, I’m going to see if anything can be done from this end.”

 

 

.oOo.

 

 

As they sat in the hotel lobby waiting for DCI Turner, Annie and Sam chatted about their drive down whilst Gene went to the bar and ordered a round of drinks.  He walked back to the couple, it was good to see Sam so happy; Annie was good for him, Gene could tell.  “I think you two are for keeps, just give me fair warnin’ will you, if you decide t’ tie the knot.  Need t’ get me suit out of ‘ock.”

 

“Out of moth balls, more like.”  Sam taunted.  “I’d have thought you’d treat yourself to a new one though, considering I would ask you to be my best man.”  Annie squeezed Sam’s arm and smiled over to him.  It wasn’t like they hadn’t talked about it but she still didn’t know Gene particularly well.

 

“Best man, eh?  You alright with that, love?”  He turned his attention to Annie.

 

“Yeah, of course.  If it’s what Sam wants then I’m ‘appy with it.  But I’d insist on one thin’ though.”

 

“An’ what would that be?”

 

“That you ‘ave his stag do at least a week before the weddin’.”

 

“No probs, right where’s this DCI then?”  Gene looked at his watch.

 

A middle aged man crossed the distance to them as soon as he saw Sam.  He extended his hand out to him, “How are you, Sam?”

 

“I’m fine, Richard, how are you?”  Sam stood up taking the man’s hand and pulling him into a bear hug, patting him on his back, “it’s been a while?”

 

“Yes, too long.”  Richard Turner, although stout was swift on his feet, his greying hair only adding to his charms.  His lazy green eyes fell on the other two people.  “And are these your friends?”

 

“Yes, this is Detective Superintendent Gene Hunt,” Sam motioned to Gene who was standing by this time.

 

Gene and Richard shook hands, “it’s a pleasure Detective Super, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

 

“All good I trust, an’ it’s Gene.  Nice to meet you, DCI.”

 

“Richard please,” he turned to Annie, “and this lovely young lady is?”

 

“My girlfriend, DC Annie Cartwright.”

 

“Pleased to meet you Annie,” he took her hand and laid a kiss on her knuckles.

 

“Just watch him, Annie.”  Sam teased, “Richard is something of a charmer with the ladies.”

 

“Oh, I think I’m safe, Sam.”  Annie returned, her eyes sparkling, “there’s definitely only one man for me.”

 

“Think you’ve definitely been collared, Sammy boy,” Gene joked, “right, shall we get a table then?”

 

 

.oOo.

 

 

“An’ DI Drake?”

 

“She’s already undercover, has been for about a week.”  Richard answered Gene’s question.  “Why are you so interested, Gene, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“It’s nothin’ really.”

 

Richard ordered two more whiskeys for himself and Gene, Sam and Annie having retired about an hour before leaving them on their own.  “Sam told me that you two go way back.  It’s just I don’t want this operation jeopardised because, lets say, you two have history that I don’t know about.”

 

“We ‘ave history, we ‘ave a daughter together.”

 

“Molly’s yours?”

 

“Yeah, only found out ‘bout a month or so ago.”

 

“I wondered why she came back to me as quickly as she did.  Things not turn out quite the way they should?”

 

“Richard, I’m going t’ be frank with you.  Alex came up t’ Manchester for reasons unbeknown t’ me, but she ‘elped me remember me past.  When I woke up out of that coma I didn‘t know if I were comin’ or goin’.   But she ‘elped me see thin’s clearly.  Then I started rememberin’ bein’ with ‘er.  Little thin’s.  I managed to find out that I’d been seein’ ‘er when we’d both been trainin’ at Bramshill in early May 1994.  I got a letter, in ’94, from ‘er tellin’ me that although she’d ‘ad such a good time with me she were meant to be with ‘er fiancé.  She wrote t’ me again soon after but I never opened them letters ‘cause I didn’t want t’ be ‘urt by ‘er no more.

 

“So, when I put two an’ two together I realised that Molly were mine.  I confronted ‘er ‘bout it.  Problem was, neither of us ‘andled the situation well an’ now that’s ‘ow you find me ‘ere, cap in ‘and, so t’ speak.  I need t’ get the chance t’ talk t’ ‘er, she only wants t’ talk t’ me via ‘er solicitor an’ then it’s only ‘bout Molly.”

 

“Do you really think that this is a good idea?”

 

“I just need t’ talk t’ ‘er, if nothin’ comes of it then so be it but at least I can say I tried, tell Molly I tried, even.”

 

Richard understood; the job was hard enough without trials like this; he would do what he could to help out.  “Welcome aboard, Mr Hunt.  We’ll get you sorted out with a female officer as a companion and then get the four of you infiltrated.  The first Alex will know you’re there will be when she sees you at the party.”

 

“An’ this party?”

 

“Well, this guy owns brothels all over the place, but he also likes to entertain more affluent couples with his ‘Swing Fever’ parties.  Alex has told me that not only is there the traditional ‘wife swapping’ scenario, other desires are also catered for, and drugs are readily available to those that want them.”

 

“So, we’re going t’ be invited t’ join these parties then, only ‘ope it’s nothin’ like the one I went t’ in me ‘ead.”  Richard looked at him quizzically.  “When I were in me coma, Sam, Annie and I ended up at one of them parties in 1973, only I were there with a prostitute named Suki, ‘oo owed me a favour.”

 

“Well, I’m sure whatever happens you’ll get the opportunity to speak to Alex.”

 

“’Ope so, wouldn’t be worth goin’ else!”