Chapter Fourteen

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The Sisters of Wyrd

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Gene went to the station early on Sunday morning to sort out the Jack Durrant case. Alex got up shortly after he'd left and sat in the kitchen scribbling in her notepad. The thing that niggled her the most was Doug Mayhew's description of the ghost copper. Maybe Gene had altered his appearance through the years, but was it possible to change hair colour? She was absolutely certain he didn't dye it, he just didn't have that kind of vanity. She supposed anything was possible in this world, anything except for Gene Hunt bleaching his hair.

She had learned by heart the contact number for Black. He had told her to use it only if she was desperate and she wondered if the situation she found herself in was desperate enough. She knew the sensible thing would be to leave well alone, to sit it out in this world and keep quiet until she returned to the other one ; then she would get justice for Gene, she would make sure he was remembered and honoured. But the niggle wouldn't go away. What if he hadn't been killed by intruders? What if there were two coppers? One dark, one fair? As she sipped Nescafe and scribbled on the notepad she realised she needed some idea of how much longer she had left in 1973. She had to contact Black.

He sounded off hand on the phone, and a little annoyed, naming a cafe in Salford and agreeing to meet her there at midday, 'Try not to look too conspicuous.' he said.

In the cafe he had bought her a cup of the most disgusting milky frothy coffee she had ever tasted. 'What's wrong?' he asked.

'You said if I needed you...' she said hesitantly.

'Only if it was really important.' he said, looking round at the other customers in the steamy cafe. There was no-one suspicious, just families and a couple of hungover old men in flat caps studying a Sporting Life newspaper.

'I need to know how much longer I'm going to be here.' she said quietly.

'Homesick?' he asked.

'No.' she replied, realising suddenly she really wasn't, apart from Molly there was not a lot she missed from 2006. 'It's just I think I might have uncovered something about Gene's death... his demise I mean, and I need to know how to play stuff out. Do I tell him? Let him know that I know what he is?'

'Not sure that would be altogether wise.' spluttered Black, 'What is it?'

'I think there may have been another copper involved.' Alex whispered. 'Do you know all this anyway?' she asked carefully.

Black shook his head, 'I knew he got shot. I always thought it was because he disturbed intruders. What are you saying? That another copper was actually involved in his shooting?'

Alex told Black all about her and Sam's trip to Farringfield Green and about meeting Doug Mayhew and his description of the ghostly copper.

'How long have I got here?' she asked again. 'How does the time thing work?'

'I can't say.' Black replied, 'It's not constant- sometimes a few seconds pass in the other world and days pass here, sometimes it's slower, sometimes faster, I can't keep you in a coma when you don't need to be Alex, I'd get struck off.'

'So what do I do? Leave everything as it is? That's what Sam wants me to do.' Alex said, 'It just seems so unfair, that he's up there in that lonely bleak spot...'

'Slow down.' Black looked rattled.

'We know Morgan's out to get him.' Alex said, she stopped in her tracks and looked at Black, 'Morgan! Oh my god! What if the ghost copper was Morgan?'

'Morgan?' Black said, 'bloody hell.' He put down his coffee cup with a clatter, almost missing the saucer, 'I suppose it would make sense.' he said , 'Morgan's life's work is to bring down Gene, and I've never been able to figure out why. In fact I still can't figure out why. I know Gene's in danger from him now, but I don't know what went on before.'

'I might be rushing down a blind alley here, barking up totally the wrong tree.' Alex said, 'The only thing I know for sure is that Gene could be warned about Morgan, he could have all the facts instead of half of them. I have an opportunity to help him and Sam doesn't want me to. But I don't want to fall out with Sam.'

'You have to tell Sam what you're telling me.' Black said, 'Then if you do disappear it'll be up to him to help Gene.I'm glad you've made progress and I was right to get you involved. But your time is almost up here Alex.'

'There's something else I haven't told you.' Alex said.

'Go on.' Black looked grim.

'I seem to have fallen for him.' Alex confessed,'Gene.'

'Oh dear.' Black looked embarrassed and rather bemused.

'I know.' Alex blushed,'I told myself it was just a bit of fun, physical attraction, something that would fizzle out almost as soon as it began, and that Gene wasn't real, he was just a construct in a make believe world. But he is real-to me- now. He's a very...'

'I get the picture.' Black said awkwardly, 'You don't have to tell me all the finer details. You'll find when you get back to 2006 all this will quickly fade and blur. Don't fret about it.'

'I don't want to leave him without giving him some sort of warning about the danger he's in.' Alex said breathlessly, as the truth hit her, 'in fact I don't want to leave him at all. I think at this moment in time he needs me more than anyone else, he needs me more than Molly.'

'Now you're talking nonsense.' Black said, 'The aborigines have a name for where you are. You're in the dreaming- the state between life and death. You cannot stay in the dreaming, it's got to be a temporary fix. I am sure that when you wake in 2006 you'll soon forget all about this. Your whole life is there, with your daughter, your career. Not here. Trust me.'

Alex stared at Black, 'How can you be here in 1973 and there in 2006 and not know what went on in the past?'

'I'm just a humble assistant.' Black said. 'I don't have access to that kind of information.I can't interfere with fate.'

'But that's exactly what you're doing, can't you see?' Alex replied, 'Upsetting the Sisters of Wyrd. Trying to change things.' she was surprised to find she had tears in her eyes.

'Oh I've no doubt the fates have planned for this' Black said, 'You can decide whether to tell Gene what you know, or you can decide to leave it up to Sam to help him, and Sam can help him, he's known Gene a lot longer than you have, you should be able to trust him to do the right thing.'

'The Fates- Sisters of Wyrd- are said to exist where past present and future is one.' Alex said, 'A bit like you in fact.'

'Nothing like me.' Black refuted, 'I can't plot and plan and mould the future, and as I said, you achieved something, uncovered new if unsubstantiated information, it's up to you how you use it but I'd tread carefully.'

'You're sure you've absolutely no idea how long I've got here?' Alex asked desperately.

'Not long.' Black said, 'But no, I can't tell you in days, hours, I can't be that specific, I only know that it's not long.'

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Alex went to the station after leaving Black, only to find it almost deserted.

'It's Sunday.' Phyllis looked sour, 'What is it with you folk, don't you have lives other than this dump? If it were my weekend off you wouldn't see me for dust.'

'Do you know where Gene went?' asked Alex.

'Gene?' Phyllis's eyebrow shot up, 'Very cosy- I don't know why I'm surprised, he never could resist a pair of tits on legs.'

'The Guv I mean.' Alex said hastily, colouring up.

'Give you three guesses.' Phyllis said.

'The pub?' Alex asked.

Phyllis nodded and wrenched up a ringing phone.

In the Railway Arms Gene was playing cards with Ray and a man Alex had never seen before. He nodded at Alex but didn't speak. From the look on his face she knew her company wasn't required. She ordered a vodka and orange from a smiling Nelson and sat on a bar stool.

'You don't belong here.' Nelson said in a Yorkshire accent, 'Just passing through?'

'What do you mean?' Alex asked, alarmed. 'How do you know...?'

What can I get you Mon Brave?' Nelson asked loudly in his other voice, as Gene appeared at the bar to get a round in.

'Three pints of bitter and whatever Miss Bollykeks here is drinking.' Gene said, looking at her glass, 'Orange juice?'

'Vodka and orange juice.' she said.

'You had me worried for a second there, I was wondering if I'd been right to trust you.' Gene grinned, 'Soft drinks on a Sunday dinner time- very suspicious.'

When he'd gone back to his game Alex gave Nelson a hard stare until he gravitated back along the bar.

'How do you know I don't belong here?' she whispered.

'You've got time bomb written all over you.' Nelson replied quietly, 'I don't like bombs in my pub, I like things nice and I'm hoping you're just passing through.'

Alex felt a chill run through her but pretended not to understand Nelson, 'Fine, I know when I'm not welcome.' she said, downing her vodka and standing up, 'I've a lot to do, can't vegetate in here all afternoon' she said more loudly.

As she left the pub she saw Gene watching her and smiled at him, he nodded at her and she felt a giant fist squeezing her heart until it hurt.

Down the road she bumped into Sam and Annie heading towards the Arms.

'Can I talk to you in private for a minute?' she asked Sam, trying not to appear rude towards Annie.

Annie shrugged, 'I'll get the drinks in.'

'I won't be long' Sam said, as Annie went out of earshot he looked exasperatedly at Alex, 'What?'

'The ghost copper.' Alex said,'Could it be Morgan?'

Sam shut his eyes and sighed, 'Alex- he's not a bloody ghost- well he is in a way...but...shit.' he shook his head and turned away from her, 'you're like a dog with a bone, can't you let it go? We don't even know if there was a ghost copper.'

'The Sisters of Wyrd.' Alex babbled, knowing how crazy she sounded, 'the Fates,past present and future as one- all time interwoven; we know Morgan in the present, here, and we know he's in the future in 2006, he could be back in the past as the ghost of Farringfield Green.'

'You're a bloody wyrd sister.' Sam said tiredly. 'Alex, I'm begging you, just let it go. Don't you honestly think if Morgan had killed Gene all those years ago Gene would remember? He would have remembered as soon as he saw him.'

'I can't' let it go.' Alex said, 'Black says I probably won't be here much longer. I need to have it resolved... and as for Morgan, he may look totally different now, he may have changed his name.'

'I'm perfectly capable of looking out for Gene.' Sam said.

'If it were you you'd want to know.' Alex said.

'Morgan can't kill Gene if he's already dead!' Sam argued, 'What's the worst that can happen?'

'Morgan could tell Gene who he is!' Alex raised her voice but checked herself and toned it down rapidly, 'Morgan could parade Gene's heartbreaking past in front of him. He could break him.'

'He could, but why now? Why hasn't he done it before?' Sam reasoned.

'I don't know.' Alex answered, making up her mind, 'I'm going back to Farringfield Green this evening. To try and see this ghost for myself. will you come with me?'

'No' Sam said.

'Ok, fine.' Alex said angrily, striding away. She felt let down and alone, tears she had no control over sprung into her eyes. Why was it so wrong to want to protect and help Gene? Why couldn't Sam see that Gene needed to know, he had to be in possession of all the facts even if that meant raking up the past, and as difficult as it might be for Gene to face it, it was the only way he'd have power over Morgan. Surely it would be better coming from her or Sam?

With an increasing sense of isolation and pressure she headed back to the station to borrow the Capri. She was scared that time was running out and it became difficult to think straight. Suddenly she remembered the silver epaulette number and scrabbled in her jacket pocket for it, she could check the records at the station if she could manage to get down to the records room; the number wasn't in her pockets even though she turned them inside out. She told herself she must have put it somewhere safe in the flat but worried she had absolutely no recollection of doing so. Not that it mattered, she knew it was 6620.

'You again' Phyllis popped a Rennie in her mouth, 'Bloody apple crumble.'

'Um Phyllis, do you have the key to the records room?' Alex asked, trying to inject a little authority into her voice.

Phyllis shook her head, 'Not locked luv.'

'Not locked!' Alex tutted, 'I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.' she clattered off down the corridor.

'There's not a lot in there. Most of it's back here.' Phyllis waved to the filing cabinets behind her, but she spoke to thin air, Alex was really shifting, 'there was a fire a year or- oh bugger off then- hoity toity.' She went out of sight of the front desk, lit a crafty cigarette and stifled a burp.

Alex was back before Phyllis had time to finish her fag,

'There's nothing in there.' she called.

Phyllis , leaking smoke, stuck her head out, 'I tried telling you that, there was a fire, what was salvaged is here.' she pulled open the filing cabinet, 'Fill yer boots. Can you keep an eye while I nip to the canteen?'

'Ok, but don't be long.' Alex said.

There were no records of epaulette numbers. The few pieces of information that had survived the fire were no help to her. She grabbed the keys to the Capri from the key board behind the desk and waited impatiently for Phyllis. PC Dickson wandered up.

'Can you keep an eye on the desk 'til Sergeant Dobbs gets back from the canteen?' Alex asked. Not waiting for an answer, she left the station, she needed to grab a few things from her flat before heading out to Farringfield Green.

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'Gene' she gasped as entered the flat, she hadn't bargained on him being there.

He shrugged, 'I thought we hadn't seen much of each other this weekend.'

She began to nod before realising there was something different about his tone of voice, he stood behind her sofa, looking strange. She couldn't put her finger on it.

He brought his hand up, 'Where did you get this?'

She drew in breath as though it was in short supply suddenly,her heart banging as she realised he was holding the silver epaulette number. 'Er..' it came out as a whimper.

'Where?'

She recognised pure rage in his voice and shuddered. 'I don't know really, I think I found it at the station.' she knew he knew she was lying through her teeth.

'I'd be very surprised if you did.' he replied.

She saw fear and confusion in his eyes and her stomach flipped over. How was she going to talk her way out of this one? Why hadn't she been more careful with the epaulette number?

'I'm sure I did.' she said, hoping against hope that perhaps he'd forgotten the number, or that it had never been his number at all and he wouldn't connect it with his former self. 'I was cleaning out a drawer in my desk and it was there.'

'Why did you come here?' he asked.

'It's my flat.I live here.' she replied.

'No, here, to Manchester. What are you doing here?' his voice was cold, he didn't sound like himself at all.

'I...I...' she closed her eyes and thought hard, she had no choice, she owed it to him to tell him the truth. She knew Sam would be furious with her but she didn't see any other way out. 'I came here to help you.' she said.

'Well you're doing a shit job of it so far.' he said, turning the epaulette number over in his hand thoughtfully, 'It's been a long time since I saw this.'

'Really?' she tried to sound surprised, as she watched his troubled expression her heart was pounding and sinking, she could almost see his mind working things out.

Finally he spoke again, 'Seems my past has come back to haunt me Drake.'