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Summary: Alex finds Luigi's - and a few surprises

Chapter 4

A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant.

(Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Billy Joel)

Alex tapped impatiently on the steering wheel wondering if she would ever get used to driving in London in 2008 again – it seemed like they had always got around town a whole lot quicker in the 80's. But then again, that could have been Gene's driving rather than the state of the traffic. She briefly considered putting the siren on to try and speed things up a bit but ultimately decided on anonymity for the moment. 'After all', she thought, I'm not exactly on police business here.' Ever since she had received the letter from Gene her mind had been in a whirl of confusion and mixed emotions. On the one hand her logical mind queried how on earth her experiences could have been real and not just a construct of her damaged brain. On the other hand she was secretly quite pleased that Gene's world had been real, the people within it alive and living hopefully long and fulfilled lives. Their world hadn't ended just because she had woken up.

The radio was playing quietly in the background as Alex pondered her next move, wondering if this was really such a good idea. Wouldn't it just stir up emotions and feelings better left untouched? What if she discovered something so painful that it set her recovery back months? She briefly touched her forehead where a headache was looming. "Oh no you don't" she said "Not today, I am going to Luigi's and that's final". The traffic finally eased and she put the car into gear and eased her way towards her destination. She decided to park just around the corner and then walk the rest of the way. The DJ on the radio was wittering away as she brought the car to a halt;

"And now for those nostalgia fans, a little bit of the 70's and David Bowie". The first few chords sounded, followed by the melancholy voice of Bowie himself:

It's a god-awful small affair
To the girl with the mousy hair
But her mummy is yelling "No"
And her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream………

Alex leaned over and abruptly turned the radio off, "Never did like Bowie" she muttered darkly and left the safe haven of the Lexus. It was a typical November day, cold and grey with little sunshine to speak of. She pulled her jacket closer and slung her bag over her shoulder as she tried to get her bearings. If she remembered correctly the restaurant should be just around the corner. It would be totally different of course, she reasoned with herself. How could it not be? It had been nearly 30 years and London just doesn't stand still – it was probably some uber-hip trendy eatery with minimalist décor and inflated prices to match. She turned the corner and then came to a sudden halt as her heart caught in her mouth and she seemed to stop breathing for a moment. Here it was then, 'Luigi's Italian Restaurant'.

Alex smiled as she noticed that while the there had certainly been an update since the last time she was here; it was still firmly in the traditional Italian restaurant style – at least from the outside. It was still early, too early for any lunchtime clientele she hoped, as she made her way down the steps to the entrance and knocked tentatively on the door. She pushed at the door, not really expecting it to open, but when it did she peeked her head around the door.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Hesitantly, she made her way further into the restaurant and looked around. It still had that cosy feel to it and although the bar area had obviously been expanded and upgraded, it didn't detract from the actual restaurant. There were still lots of intimate corners and her eyes immediately focused on a table in the far corner, next to the wall. "Stupid" she muttered "of course he's not there".

"Posso aiutarlo Signorina? Can I help you Miss?" Alex turned around to find a tall, lanky, dark haired young man staring at her inquisitively. "I'm afraid we don't open until noon".

"Oh that's okay, I don't want to eat here" Alex noticed the questioning look on his face. "Erm, that is, I'm sure it's very good but I need…." she stammered. She took a deep breath and started again. "Is Joe here?"

"Yes, who shall I say is asking for him?"

"DI…just tell him its Alex Drake". The young man wandered off giving Alex time to have another look around. But she didn't see the empty tables with neatly arranged napkins and menus. She saw a smoked filled room filled with noise and people, she saw Chris and Shaz whispering in a corner, she saw Ray laughing and putting his arm around some blonde and finally she saw Gene, sitting alone in a corner saying nothing but observing everything.

"Miss Drake? Or should that be Detective Inspector?"

Alex jumped at the sound of the man's voice; she had been so completely lost in the past. She turned and found a middle-aged man with still dark curly hair, short but quite muscular with soulful dark brown eyes.

"Sorry, I was in a world of my own" She held out her hand in greeting, "Alex, Alex Drake, and you must be Joe?"

He took her hand but instead of a handshake he raised it to his lips and gently kissed it. "Giuseppe, actually" he smiled but everyone calls me Joe. "I'm glad you decided to come at last. My father would have been pleased to see you."

"Your father?"

"Luigi. He always said you would come back eventually". Alex felt herself sway slightly as Joe's voice seemed to recede. She felt a strong arm take hold of hers. "You okay Alex? You look a bit pale. Come, sit down over here."

"I'm sorry, I'm fine now, I just didn't have any breakfast".

"I don't know, you busy career women, you don't look after yourself. Let me get you something." Before she could say anything he shouted "Hey Tonio". The young man she had met earlier re-appeared and made his way over to the table where they now sat. "A latte for Miss Drake and espresso for me. Oh and bring some pastries". He smiled kindly at Alex "Is that okay for you, you look like you could use something?"

"Thank you that would be lovely"

"My father thought very highly of you Alex" he continued "he talked about you until the day he died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry" Alex couldn't hide her disappointment even though she knew that realistically he wouldn't still be here. "When did he die?"

"About 18 months ago" Joe said, "It was very peaceful. It was just time for him to go I guess. Ah, coffee" he said, as Tonio came back bearing a tray filled with coffee and pastries. Joe fussed around making sure that Alex chose the biggest pastry and that the latte was perfect while contenting himself with a dark espresso. She sipped on the creamy latte and felt the caffeine reviving her senses while the warmth of the milk chased away the last of the chill. She reached into her bag and found the item she was looking for and put it carefully on the table before them, unable to resist stroking the paper gently as she did so.

"Joe, I need…"

"You need to know where the letter came from" he interrupted. He smiled, "it must have been a bit of a shock." Joe paused and sipped the aromatic black liquid. "I didn't really know the best way, I didn't even know if you were the same Alex Drake. I just saw the report in the newspaper and ………"

"Newspaper?"

"Yes, you know when you were shot by that terrible man, Layton. Well, of course they didn't find out it was him until later, but the report in the paper said that you had been shot and they printed your picture" he stopped and sipped his coffee. "We all prayed for you, such a terrible thing, but I had a feeling…. no, I knew you would pull through."

Alex laughed nervously, "Joe, you must know I can't possibly be the same woman as your father knew, I mean" she faltered, "I mean, I'm younger than you are, how could this possibly…"

"Miss Drake, my father was quite a simple many in many ways. He was from a poor family with six older brothers. When he came to this country he worked very hard and created a new life for himself here." He gestured around the restaurant. "He loved this country and he loved the people in it. He was a special man…" Joe faltered. Alex placed her hand on Joe's hand to comfort him and he placed his other hand over hers in gratitude.

"Grazie, grazie, thank you. I still get a little emotional about him you know. I still miss him." He paused and took another reviving sip of coffee. "What I mean to say is that I never understood completely all of the things he told me, but I believe them because he was my father, and because he was very special. So when he told me that you would come back then I believed him…. and here you are."

'Yes, here I am' thought Alex but she still needed to know what was happening. "The letter?" she prodded gently.

"Ah yes. My father kept a lot of papers and memorabilia; he hated to throw things away. He told me this was special though, told me that should I ever find DI Alex Drake I was to make sure she got this. He made me promise on his own life" he sighed "and now I have done that, I believe that he can rest."

"Thank you Joe, thank you so much for telling me this and for delivering the letter" she reached out and touched the letter again, "it means a great deal to me."

"Would you like to have a look around?" said Joe "I imagine you must be curious."

"Actually, I was wondering – do you still have the flat upstairs?"

Joe leapt up, "Of course, of course. I even lived in it myself at one stage. Come I'll show you".

They made their way up the familiar staircase to the place she had called home for such a short time. She couldn't help touching the banister and the walls as she passed, taking in the very reality of them. Joe paused while he fumbled with the key but then the door opened. Alex wasn't really sure what to expect, obviously she didn't expect it to be exactly the same but she was a little disappointed that the décor had been toned down. She wandered around and noticed that it seemed bigger than before.

"Oh yes" Joe said, "We've extended it a little bit. The kitchen is bigger and when the family moved out we knocked through and created another bedroom," he said proudly.

Alex investigated further, but apart from the small extension the layout of the flat was very familiar to her. She wandered into the bedroom and caught her breath.

"Oh my God"

"What is it Alex?"

In the bedroom, hanging on the wall was a photograph of the mural from the restaurant. All of famous faces she had become accustomed to; Sinatra, Travolta, Rocky Marciano, Sophia Loren.

Joe smiled "Ah, yes. I remember it from when I was a little boy. We had to paint over it in the end – too old fashioned really. But we took lots of photographs and this one came out really well" he took the photograph down to show Alex.

She looked at the photo playing her usual game of trying to name them all. In the 80's she had used that as a gauge to tell how drunk she was, although Gene usually did that too. She scanned the faces on the bottom row but her eyes were immediately drawn to the far left of the picture, below the image of Sinatra. It couldn't be, could it?" Her finger gently touched the face.

"Gene Hunt" said Joe. Alex turned around and stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"I don't understand"

"Well, he was a bit of a local legend himself, so I gather. Anyway, he and my father got on so well in the end; they used to play poker apparently. One night my father lost everything and had no money left to bet, so Gene said that if he won the next hand, Luigi had to paint him into the mural. And you see the result of the game there."

And there he was indeed, wearing a dark suit, with his floppy dark blonde hair and a sardonic expression, Alex would have recognised him anywhere. She peered closer.

"Eyes are the wrong colour" she said, "They were blue, well blue/green sometimes." She smiled as she remembered the occasions when she had looked deeply into those eyes. "Does anyone live here now" she said.

"Not at the moment. The last tenant we had moved out about a month ago. To be honest I wasn't really sure about letting it out again and I've been too busy."

Alex wandered out from the bedroom with Joe following and still clutching the picture to her. She went into the revamped kitchen and was impressed; all mod cons in gleaming steel, everything Gordon Ramsey would want in a kitchen and then some. But still something missing.. ahh, there, a notice board at the end, every home should have one. Nothing much on this one at the moment, she noted. Just takeaway leaflets and taxi numbers. Certainly no calendar with the days crossed off and an ominous question mark. She nodded to herself as she had a sudden moment of clarity.

"Alex?"

"Joe, I think you need a new tenant and I think I might know just the person", she turned to face him.

"You do?"

"Yes, me. Well, myself and my daughter actually". She smiled properly for the first time in weeks.

Joe looked at the determined expression on her face and surrendered to the inevitable. Besides, it's what his father would have wanted.

"Va bene, va bene, very well, I can see you have made your mind up. When will you move in?"

"Oh, the sooner the better I think, don't you. I can't wait to tell Molly all about it."

Joe smiled, "Come for a meal here tonight and bring young Molly with you. We can talk details then." He wandered to the door of the flat, "just lock up and come down when you've finished, we'll have another coffee."

Alex smiled and turned back to the notice board. Carefully putting the photograph down, she retrieved Gene's letter from her bag again and pinned it to the notice board carefully. 'This belongs here I think' and pinned it to the board. She retrieved another letter from her bag, one she had written herself, thinking she would never hear from him again. She thought for a moment and then pinned that to the board beside its companion. Just until she figured it out all out, she thought.

She picked up the photograph of the mural and gazed at the familiar image. "I don't quite know what's going on here Gene. It may be nothing or it may be something but I think this is the best place to find out."

………………..to be continued