This fic was submitted for the March fic competition on sierra-oscar dot com dot uk as some Easter fun.
Title: Rain and Chocolates
Rating: All ages
Spoilers/Timeline: A few hints, but nothing significant. Jo's new position (don't think that counts as a spoiler anymore but just in case). Present
Main Characters: Roger and Nate
Summary: A robbery at a chocolate store leads Roger and Nate on a wet shift through Sun Hill
Sub-theme: Rain (obviously)
Words used: rain, chocolate, rabbit, donkey, light, grass
Author's notes: my humble, silly little offering to the challenge; not so much reflective as the fics that have already been submitted are, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Anyway, to the fic!
Roger Valentine hated Spring, and hated Easter.
It wasn't so much the rain itself that was the problem, Roger mused as he strode alongside Nate through the Jasmine Allen. In fact, he rather liked the sensation of the light spring rains as they fell onto his face, coating his eyebrows and eyelashes. He didn't even so much mind the discomfort of constantly feeling like he had to sneeze, as raindrops clung to the inside of his nose; nor the trickling of the water down the back of his shirt (no matter how tightly he tied his waterproof jacket, he always ended up with rain down the back of his neck).
No, what Roger Valentine hated about spring was wet socks.
No matter how he stepped to avoid putting his army surplus boots in puddles of water, he always wound up with wet socks, making his feet uncomfortably damp and resulting in the uncomfortable squelching inside his boots. Not to mention the stench when he got home and peeled the socks off his feet. To top it all off, with the constant rain that London had been experiencing, the next morning his boots were still damp, making his socks damp as soon as he slid his feet into them for that day's work.
In fact, Roger was certain that forcing coppers to work with wet socks contravened some kind of occupational health and safety regulations - people with wet socks were prone to illness and no doubt half the relief would soon be off work with the flu, forcing the few who managed to escape it to work even longer hours resulting in thembeing sick. And when the chocolate of Easter hit Sun Hill, there were always a few (usually the younger officers) who gorged themselves sick on chocolate and then pleaded their way into staying in the station, resulting in older officers like himself being forced to get almost-dry socks wet again. It was a vicious cycle.
"You're awfully quiet, Rog," Nate commented.
"Let's just get to the shout and out of this rain," Roger replied. Three days straight he had spent squelching around in his own boots.
"You're not going to melt, mate," Nate said with a smirk. Roger declined to continue the exchange, instead sliding a glare towards the tall, handsome cop whose feet were apparently dry.
They arrived at the store, a dismal grey building with a sign out the front that proclaimed in peeling yellow letters, Jenson's Fine Chocolates and Confectionery. A handful of children who looked like they ought to have been at school by now but had been enticed by the promise of elaborate looking chocolates and jellies stood with their faces pressed against the glass. Upon seeing Nate and Roger, however, they quickly moved on. The glass pane of the old wooden door had been smashed. Nate and Roger entered, tracking water into the store, the water vanishing into the already-stained grass-green carpet and grinding small shards of glass even deeper.
Despite the faded exterior, the interior of the shop was inviting and obviously well kept. A counter ran along the left hand side of the shop, polished wood gleaming in the warm lighting. The back and right hand walls were lined with large containers filled with sweets, while along the front wall facing the street were more elaborate shelved sweets. Roger smiled broadly, his mood abruptly lightened by the smell of sugar that permeated the air. The shop reminded him of the ones he had visited when he was younger, and a quarter would fetch you a bag of chocolate and other treats big enough to last a good week or even more. The shop was decorated extensively with images of smiling rabbits and large eggs. A heavy-set man with a stern exp ression and wispy hair knelt next to one of the upset shelves at the back of the store, while an attractive woman in her late twenties sat at the counter.
"I'm PC Roberts, and this is my colleague, PC Valentine," Nate said, flashing a charming smile at the blonde woman.
"Mark Jenson," the man replied, turning around. "Thanks for coming so quickly, officers. This is my assistant, Jessie Reynolds."
"Pleased to meet you both," Nate said, gaze lingering on Jessie. "You called to report a robbery?"
"Yes, officer," Mark said, his frown deepening. He looked to Jessie. "Well, tell them!"
"I open up in the mornings," she said in a low voice. "When I arrived, the glass on the door was already smashed in and the door was ajar slightly. I don't have a mobile phone, so I entered the store so I could call Mr Jenson and the police."
"Can you tell me what's been taken?" Roger asked.
"They've taken a whole display!" Mark said furiously. "Easter themed, you know. Eggs, and rabbits and flowers, but they didn't even touch the cash which we keep under the desk here. It's taken us an age to get all of that chocolate made – we make it ourselves, you know, the special chocolate."
"Easter's our busiest time of the year," Jessie said almost apologetically, her quiet manner contrasting sharply with Mark's blustery anger. "We make a lot of chocolate ourselves, you know, to give the personal touch."
"Right, well, we'll need a look at your CCTV tapes," Nate said, nodding to the cameras around the room. Mark nodded.
"Of course," he replied. "Normally we only have to use them for kids who repeatedly try to nick things so it's focused on the sweets and not the door."
"Still, hopefully we'll be able to get a clear view of the thief," Roger said.
"Okay, there," Nate stopped Jessie forwarding the tape, leaning forward as a brick came through the air on the right hand side of the grainy and ill-lit footage. A few moments passed, and then a dark figure came into the frame. They wore a hoodie which had been pulled up over their face, obscuring it from view. The figure moved to the display and hurriedly emptied the sweets into a large cooler bag.
"At least they've had the brains to put it in a cooler bag," Mark huffed, looking pained at seeing his chocolates being treated in such a manner.
"Doesn't give us much to go on," Roger said disappointedly. "I don't suppose either of you recognise this person?"
"No," Jessie replied as Mark shook his head.
"Well, the CSE's on his way," Nate said. "Maybe Eddie can find us some fingerprints, it doesn't look like they're wearing gloves." Roger relayed the request over the radio.
"What kind of robber covers his head but doesn't wear gloves?" Mark asked.
"One who evidently doesn't watch much telly," Jessie said with a smile in Nate's direction. Nate laughed and Roger rolled his eyes.
The bell over the door tinkled, and they exited the small office that was adjacent to the front counter. Eddie stood, staring open-jawed at the
displays.
"Look at all of this," he mumbled to himself.
"Eddie," Nate greeted. "Doesn't look like our man had gloves on."
"Well, I'll certainly have a look..." Eddie's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Jessie. "Well, hello there. I'm Eddie."
"Jessie," she said with a smile. Roger stifled one of his own as he saw Nate glare at Eddie.
"Well, you uniformed lads can clear off back to the station," Eddie said. "Might take a while, dusting the whole shop, and the Inspector wants everyone in."
"For the drugs raid we're doing this afternoon," Nate explained to Jessie. "Major supplier we're hoping to shut down for good."
"Come on, Nate. Radio us when you have something, yeah, Eddie?" Roger asked. Eddie nodded.
"We'll be in touch, Mr Jenson, Miss Reynolds," Nate said. Roger smiled at them both, then placed a hand on Nate's back, shoving him out the door.
"Let's go, Romeo," he said once outside the shop. "Might as well try picking up the CCTV from the street cameras to see if that gets us a better angle."
A glare was his only response and Roger felt a slight surge of satisfaction that Nate was now grumpy too.
"Hah!" Nate crowed triumphantly, pausing the video. "See, there you go."
A clear image of the conveniently street-lamp lit face of a well-known customer of Sun Hill's custody suite shone from the CCTV of the street outside the chocolate shop. Donald Button was an alcohol and drug-addict who was often picked up by uniform for some minor offence, sat in a cell overnight to sober up, then released back on the streets for bail. Roger had to admit to a kind of fondness for the man, who was essentially harmless and who had never really committed a serious crime. While many years of booze and prescription pills had exacerbated an already nervous, anxious personality, he was rarely violent, preferring the flight rather than fight response. He was an easy collar, and everyone on the relief had shared more than a few stories with him as they carted him to Sun Hill in a patrol car.
"Best go and pick him up then," Roger said.
"Again," Nate added.
"Mr Button?" Roger called, banging the doorknocker again on the splintered wooden door. "It's PC Roger Valentine from Sun Hill."
"'S no use, Rog," Nate said. "He's probably lying in a drunken –"
"What?" a grumpy voice demanded and the door opened. Nate and Roger turned as one to face Donald Button.
Thin, greasy brown-and-white hair lay slick against his skull, drawing attention to the bulbous forehead and red nose. He was uncomfortably fat; straining what buttons remained on what would formerly have been a smart white business shirt but was now a creased, gray garment. A well-patched and dirty suit jacket stank of cheap alcohol and cigarettes, and Roger sighed as he met the unshaven man's deep-set, bleary light blue eyes.
"Hi, Don," Nate said.
"PC Nate and PC Roger," Don smiled broadly, if belatedly, after recognising them. "What brings you two fine gents 'ere then?"
"Well," Roger said, shying away from the stench of Don's breath. "We actually need you to come down to the station with us. Answer a few questions."
"What about?" the other man asked suspiciously.
"Robbery at the chocolate store on High Street," Nate replied.
"It weren't me," Don said immediately, looking down at his feet, and Roger felt his heart sink despite himself.
"Well, we'll need to talk to you down the station," Nate said. "Come on, Don."
Don, moving faster than Roger had ever seen him, attempted to shove the door closed. Unfortunately for him, alcohol had long since erased any possible native agility and Roger was able to jam half his torso into the gap, grabbing Don's arms.
"Donald Button, I'm arresting you for robbery," Roger said with a heavy sigh. "You do not have to say anything..."
"Good work, lads," Jo said with a smile as Nate and Roger came out from custody. "Clearing the streets of evil chocolate thieves."
"Saving Sun Hill from the terror of an Easter without specialised chocolates," Stone added from next to her.
"We found the chocolate in the fridge, Sarges," Nate informed them with stiff dignity, ignoring their jibes. "Don confessed to it pretty quickly."
"Did he say why he did it?" Jo asked.
"Was to be a present for his estranged daughter's children," Roger said sadly. "Wanted to convince her to let her see them."
"Well, he won't be seeing them from inside, that's for sure," Stone said harshly.
"Roger, Nate," Mel excitedly interrupted the conversation by stepping out of the door that led to reception's front desk. "There's a Mr Jenson and Miss Reynolds here to see you. And they're carrying the largest tray of chocolate I've ever seen."
Nate straightened immediately, heading to reception quickly. Jo stifled a smile.
"The girl's a looker, let me guess," she said.
"Quite right, Sarge," Roger replied wearily, following after his partner. Jo and Stone exchanged glances, and followed, with a couple of other lurking PCs doing the same.
"We were supervising," Jo reasoned to Stone.
"Exactly. If anyone's gonna get a share of that chocolate..." Stone replied as they entered reception.
"PC Roberts," Mark Jenson smiled broadly. "And PC Valentine. We thought we'd bring down a share of chocolate for you, to say thanks for your hard work."
"We didn't expect you would find him so quickly," Jessie smiled shyly.
"Well, all in a day's work," Nate said, chest puffed out. Behind him, Roger heard Stone snigger.
"It's not much, just a few of the chocolates that we weren't able to put on display," Mark said apologetically. Roger looked down at the tray and saw how a few rabbits were deformed, obviously the rejected ones.
"That's all right, it all tastes the same," Mel said hopefully.
"So the real reason Jo left us for uniform reveals itself," Manson's voice cut over the uniformed officers murmurings about the different chocolates.
"Well, guv, if you'd brought us chocolates a few more times..." Jo teased him.
"Where on earth did they come from?" Neil asked, eyes lingering on a lopsided little chocolate donkey on the side of the tray.
"Well, guv, Roger and I arrested a man for stealing from the chocolate store off High Street today," Nate explained. "Mr Jenson and Miss Reynolds here are the shop's owners."
The DI turned and nodded politely at the two; his eyes flicked between Nate and Jessie understandingly.
"Want one, guv?" Roger offered impulsively.
"Well, if you're offering, I know Jake would never say no to chocolate," Manson said, an oddly bitter and wistful exp ression flitting across his face.
"Yeah, go on, governor," Jo said, looking puzzled at the DI's odd countenance.
"Well, thanks," Neil said awkwardly as he reached out and took the little donkey. "Enjoy your afternoons."
With the absence of any member of the top brass, the uniformed officers redoubled over the tray, excitedly pointing at the ones they wanted.
"Wait, wait, how many are there?" Nate asked, batting away Mel's hand.
"Twenty-four," Jo counted.
"Right, so if we all have one each," Nate started to work out. Roger sighed, glancing at the clock. Shift was over. Boots and sockscould come off.
"Look, I'm just going to take one," he said, reaching under Nate's arm and snagging a large dark rabbit with only one ear. "And head off home."
Smiling gratefully at Mark and Jessie, who were being interrogated about their chocolate-making procedures by Mel, Roger left the bickering behind him and made a beeline for the men's locker rooms.
"Ahh," he said with great relief, wriggling his bare toes on the cold tiles. He looked to his side and picked up the mournful looking rabbit. "Let's even you up a bit, hey?"
The other ear of the rabbit was just as delicious as it looked to be, the slightly bitter taste of the chocolate smooth on his tongue. A satisfied sigh left Roger's mouth involuntarily.
Maybe the Easter season wasn't so bad after all, he mused as he regarded the now-even rabbit speculatively and wondered about the odds of him being able to grab another piece of chocolate.