Chapter #18: No Help Given from Greater Manchester Police CID.

4 year old Jamie Murphy imagines his dad Kyle as a footballer for Manchester City to remember the happier memories before he became addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs. DCI Alex Drake thinks the imaginary celebrity father is a red herring for something else or it helps him deal with dysfunctional biological family in Manchester.

"I cuddle my 27 year old daughter even if it was to catch her breath. I will pat her, stroke her, tell her what a good girl Megan is and how much I love her ... and repeat if she still needs to cry to get rid of bad thoughts out, talk about what she's feeling or just needs her Daddy's presence." said Detective Superintendent Gene Hunt remembering the time his second born daughter cried solidly whenever he faced Fiona, the dodgy Shared Lives foster carer arguing heatedly over the phone with him "She can get restless when overemotional and if upset my Megs will become a little bit of a handful." Jamie was thankfully at school today and he was talking to his female DCI about the developments on her foster child Jamie Murphy. "Drake, in here now."

"Now, Jamie imagines his dad playing for Manchester City FC as those must be his early memories when Kyle used to take him to a home match. I think it was before his father started getting in with drug dealers." said DCI Alex Drake in private with Gene Hunt before they went into the main hub of Southampton Constabulary CID.

"Tea, three sugars; Shaz!" Gene stormed through the CID main hub bossing his team around into his office and switching his sleek slimline desktop computer on, logging into it, giving the filing cabinet a little kick for good measure. "Now, Ray don't you ever... about a senior officer... out of line... my private life... none of your flaming business..." being on the end of a bollocking from the Super Guv was not a nice experience and she knew this anyway.

"What's got into him, this morning?" DC Chris Skelton asked reading the case notes on his Apple I-Pad. Alex rose from her desktop to find Gene Hunt still angry with DS Ray Carling for thinking there was more to his and DCI Alex Drake's friendship.

"Being like a moody teenager again." explained the nearly 28 year old Detective Constable.

"Respectable... professional... dare I say considerate and a brilliant mum! Do I make myself clear?" Alex can hear Ray snigger at the Super Guv inside his plush office.

"Could I have a word, Super Guv?" asked DCI Alex Drake, he nodded his head to confirm. She entered his office closing the door behind her.

"Serves him right." Gene told her "spreading rumours and talking about you like that. When I was a little kid in the 70s, misogynistic men like Ray were very common and still are to a certain extent unfortunately."

"You don't need to defend me, Gene."

"I do." he told her with a hint of stubborness and finality, it was best not to argue with the Super Guv. "Bloody kids, I'll swing for them making a mess of the spare playroom in my house."

Alex was not convinced.

"Something's got you riled. What is it, mate?" Gene sighed and sat back down at his slimline desktop computer. If he didn't tell her, the problem would just be left to fester all day.

"If you must know, your foster son Jamie's nan rang me up on my smartphone after you left."

"Oh, dear how did she manage to get hold of your number!" Alex moved behind him and began rubbing his shoulders.

"Her opening sentence was 'I'm just ringing to make sure your girlfriend is looking after my grandson properly, he's still alive and one piece'." Gene was incandescent.

"The bloody cheek of the woman! How dare she -" Gene cut Alex off with a wave of his hand.

"It's fine, Bolly. I've taken care of it. Told her that even though she's Jamie's nan, I didn't want her ringing or visiting until she accepts that you are his foster mum and that you are perfectly capable of looking after him."

"I bet that went down well." remarked Alex.

"Liz wasn't best pleased no. In a text message to me, she then started laying into you. I texted back with red angry emojis and the following: I'm not going to listen to you anymore. You don't deserve to be a grandparent." Alex hugged him from behind, comforting the tall gorgeously handsome heavily built 56 year old man; despite his cool dude bravado attitude, she feared Gene was actually hurting more than he was letting on.

Sitting in his maroon pink Ford Mondeo Titanium X saloon in private, Gene put his finger to his daughter's lips in a shushing gesture "Megs, daddy needs to make this call to Greater Manchester Police CID, so shhh a minute." Gene went into the phone keypad and tapped in the number he needed on his gold Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone hesitantly "0...6...1...7...4...6...9...7...2...5" was he prepared for the news he might receive from the northern plain clothed police officers up in Manchester? Gene took a deep breath as the mobile rang out.

"Greater Manchester Police CID. Special Constable Dobbs speaking." came the voice on the other end.

"Phyllis? Blimey, have they not retired you yet?" suggested Detective Superintendent Gene Hunt cheekily.

"No, they bloody well haven't and don't be so flaming cheeky! You were still in nappies when I was a new police woman!"

"I've got me second born 27 year old daughter Megan and she's fine, running her dear Daddy ragged."

"Kids like yours tend to do that, you had her young still in the early 90s and 'ere you should be ashamed of yourself for having a child with such 'additional needs' whatever they call it these days."

"And Megan, what do I explain to her as her Daddy? She's going to find it difficult to rationalise Jamie's younger siblings because of her Asperger's Syndrome slash Autism and why Jamie with the younger children of his bastard dysfunctional bio family act like this!"

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll be able to find a way, after all you're Megan's other parental guardian as well as her older sister Katherine in case your ex decides to go to heaven." Phyllis Dobbs said rudely over the smart phone and Gene hung up as he doesn't like Phyllis's dated attitudes.

The four year old boy was refusing breakfast despite Alex's numerous attempts to settle Jamie back at the table to finish his breakfast before taking her own seat. He kept playing up for the school run, it is worse at 3:00 PM, home from school can be hard too as Jamie wants to hang around and trash the classrooom. Once Jamie finally finishes his breakfast and Alex gets his shoes on.

"Right, Megs. Shoes on mate. You and I need to get Mummy a surprise present." Gene instructed as Megan went to fetch her leather boots and zipped them up. "Alex, you just concentrate on getting Jamie to school."

"Dad! I want to get Mum tickets to BBC's Strictly Come Dancing!" Megan came bounding into the kitchen and growing more impatient by the minute "Daaaad! Come on mate, if we don't get those tickets, they'll be sold out!"

"You better see to your 27 year old daughter, looks like Megan wants your attention." Alex Drake told Gene Hunt.

I added in a BBC Strictly Come Dancing reference as this is my mum's favourite show and Greater Manchester Police's CID were no help to Detective Superintendent Gene Hunt when he was talking to a Special Constable old enough to be his mother about Jamie's situation.