Chapter #3: Hunt Family Secrets
When Gene's mother learns about her eldest son getting his little sister Emma Joanne Hunt involved with the historical domestic violence case as a police informer, Mrs. Denise Louise Hunt is worried about the backlash from her ex husband and the in-laws. She also has a hard time with caring for the three grandchildren, when a judgemental teacher from Salford Primary School completely misunderstands the situation.
A sixty odd year old lady appeared from the front room. "What the…Eugene?" she said sharply.
"Eugene!" she scolded "What's this case you and your CID mates are working on against that elderly ex hooker Beth Goddard and violent wife beater who was a famous 70s star in The Sweeney and Minder?"
Gene protested and asked his question quickly "You know my little sister Emma has found that elderly ex hooker and a washed up Seventies television star are our parents in laws, mum?"
"Don't tell his family, cos your Dad'll not be pleased to come 'ome to find you've been using your little sister as a police informer against his brother and sister in law, though I never liked that Dennis Waterman and Beth Jane Goddard even back in the day when they were telly hearthrobs. He'll give you both what for, Eugene and Emma."
The smell of freshly cooked breakfast made his stomach growl. Gene took a huge bite out of one of the slices of toast in front of him.
Gene frowned at being told off. "Just…watch him, Mum. I'll text or call you and be back soon as I can." He climbed the steps to the Stopford House station as other people arrived in dribs and drabs, the uniformed officers all preparing for shift change. He headed for the CID office, his first thought to buy a cup of coffee on the way to Greater Manchester Police at one of the local Starbucks coffee shops.
"In position, Boss," Chris radioed quietly. "Ready when you are." they were helping Uniform find a missing old man with dementia who worked at the Salford Docks once a upon a time before becoming a police officer decades ago.
"Well maybe someone he used to know – if he's confused. Dementia can make elderly people believe all sorts. He might think he's in his favourite film for all you know, poor thing, the past events of their life or in their childhood." said DC Annie Cartwright after summoning a team of paramedics to collect the confused old man to the nearest NHS hospital, once DCI Tyler rang 999 for an ambulance and answered the operator's questions; who then typed in all the relayed details and the patient's address on to the computer and in priority.
"Always find that the ex forces boys fight back quicker than the rest," the nurse smiled.
Gene nodded, then frowned. "He was a copper once, not Army."
"Well ex-forces then. This gentleman was in the navy, wasn't he?" asked the nurse.
Gene shook his head. "Nah, worked on boats, but he wasn't enlisted into National Service until 1956, Sam and I found this out when we were researching his record."
The nurse frowned. "His old tattoos though…he's got the badge from the HMS Newfoundland on his shoulder." At Gene's quizzical look she smiled again. "My father was in the navy, my brother and I would spend hours looking at all the badges and medals, in books. I wouldn't forget that one, it was one of my favourites, with the caribou on it."
"The nurse was on about your tattoos. Says she recognised some of 'em." DCI Gene Hunt explained to the confused old man in the hospital bed with a crisp, clean bedset in his hospital gown.
"Thing is, she didn't say it was a merchant ship. She said it were the HMS Newfoundland. Her dad was in the Navy, see, and she used to read up on all that stuff. Natural interest, I s'pose." blathered the curly haired old man, remembering his youth at sea during the days of National Service. "'56, I were back off Malaya, pounding them with the guns. Spent nearly two years over there, workin' for one of the plantations, lookin' after the place." he managed in the end, even though it felt like yesterday for him.
Even though he was only a kid at the time, in the 1970s and 1980s, DCI Gene Hunt had always protected his beloved mum from some of the more violent members of his family. Denise has to look after her three grandchildren Charlotte, Phil and Millie, both belonging to Gene's two brothers.
Gene had been in Manchester, cleaning the streets he'd grown up on of the scum that littered them. There had been times when he'd regretted some of his childhood choices; but he had a career, a wife, a fantastic mum, brilliant friends at work and a house – all the things that most in his position had chosen to give up. Manchester was as much a part of Gene as he was of Manchester, and he knew, deep down, that's how it should be.
When he had been younger he would never have believed you could love anyone enough for it to hurt.
"And look at the state of you," she finally said, sitting down next to the filthy younger children at her pine wood dining table. "Don't look like you've 'ad a bath in a month." as Mrs. Hunt took their filthy clothes off, separated them by colour and put the correct detergant in the washing machine, according to the programmes on her Samsung washing machine.
The children deny that they have been naughty "You've been causing mischief for your dear nanna! Well, really. I remember when my two became sixteen. My Gene had his first job in the Police Service. Your sort should look up to kids like 'im. He didn't come from much, an' look what he's made of hi'self. Proud of him, I am. Any mother would be. What d'your feckless parents think of you, eh? Getting' all in trouble? Think they're proud? I'm ashamed of them, bringing such badly behaved children into the family!" The children were immediately placed into the bath before dinner as they've finished school from 3:00 PM.
As soon as he could sign out from the station, Gene headed back through the city streets to his mother's house. He let himself in and, smelling dinner cooking, was glad he was in time.
"'Ello Mum." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Everything all right?"
"No, Eugene; your nephew and nieces are unruly. I noted they've been picking fights daily and I got called up the school. HITTING A TEACHER!" ranted Mrs. Hunt needing to talk to her eldest police officer son "right now I feel like taking the grandchildren to a specialist!"
"So also had no Nintendo DS, Wii, computer or cartoons for a week, in the course of this week, you have been called up the school about yer grandkids on three seperate instances, with different children involved, Mum on my nieces and nephew's bad behaviour." asked DCI Gene Hunt "this isn't right, you shouldn't have to be picking up the pieces of my brothers unruly offspring, when you should be enjoying your autumn years in peace. You've done your parenting years in the 70s and 80s when we were kids." he then explained.
"A note was in their book bags today saying they were in trouble not once but 3 times! For the best, I'd say. Those poor children, seems like my grandchildren woulf be better off without that sort of influence." She checks her purse for the housekeeping money on the worktop, she exclaimed "Phil's 'ad all me housekeeping, it needs to be deposited into the bank tomorrow!"
"You wait 'til I find nephew Phil." Gene's blue eyes blazed with anger. "I'll fuckin' teach 'im a lesson, you just see if I don't. Little baby scrote."
"Language, Gene!" his mother scolded.
Gene shouted when little 9 year old Phil is finally dressed. "Think you can come in 'ere, laughing at your uncle, nicking your nanna's housekeeping money and misbehaving at school…you're nothin' but a thieving little SHIT of a nephew." and immediately carts him to his waiting Ford Granada Mk3 Scorpio by the scruff of his white school polo top and royal blue Salford Primary School jumper "And if you get one fuckin' drop of orange juice in my car you'll be lickin' the whole fucking thing clean."
Gene was beginning to feel tiny pangs of regret, now that his anger was subsiding as he drove his nephew and nieces to school.
"Then about 11:30; I have a phone call from school. It was the deputy head saying my grandson was really upset this morning. I said well I'm not surprised he was really naughty this morning." said Mrs. Denise Louise Hunt to her book club friends who have been through similar tales of woe with their grandchildren "Monday morning we was getting ready as it was back to school after the half term break. My eldest grandson was very cross that he had to go back to school as he thought he was still on holiday. He was adamant he wasn't going but I said he has to as it's the law. This is whilst they are screaming at the top of their voice. Then we go on to the next performance of their useless mum trying to get them dressed."
"Sounds like your daughter in laws, can't be bothered to bring their children up properly. I think the school have totally over stepped the mark." replied Ruth Tyler who also knew Gene Hunt from a very young age "You've explained to little Philip that just because he gets told off and it might hurt his feelings it doesn't mean it's physically hurting too."
"So the grandkids kept taking them off, shouting and screaming and my son Eugene (their uncle) was trying to put the clothes back on. Children then tantruming on the floor and throwing toys everywhere. Luckily my son Gene videoed the tantrum as I wanted to show the professionals how bad Phil, Charlotte and Millie were being."
"Phil should be ashamed of himself treating his nanna this way and he should be acting more grown up now he's going to be 9 this year." replied retired police officer Phyllis Dobbs who knew of the new culture on children being believed at all costs, especially when they have a history of disturbed behaviour "Your grandson goes round telling everyone that his mum and dad are so nasty to him."
The judgemental female teacher had allowed Denise Hunt's three grandchildren to rule the roost both at home and in Salford Primary School: Well that isn't all, he has told us your daughter in law hit him and that his Dad beats him too! I have reported you to Social services.
"I was gob smacked and honestly couldn't believe he had said that." Mrs. Hunt had the words from the phone replay in her mind "This teacher wasn't a very nice lady, I felt like she had already passed judgment without knowing what actually happened and was only ringing me to inform me. The school know all about the difficulty we've had with the grandkids behaviour and they're mostly the same at school; ask my police officer son Eugene, he'll confirm the stand on this for his dear mum. I was obviously distraught and had the worst case scenarios going round my head." she sobbed in a heap in front of her book club circle "Sadly there is a protocol that they must follow in cases where a child makes a serious allegation."
Mrs. Hunt and her police officer son Gene, often thought that something wasn't right with Phil but the doctors and school just put it down to him just being a bit naughty. Social Services are all so scared of another Baby P or similar that they cover their backs. There were 1.5 years between the violent partner leaving and another step father arriving.
"Every time my phone rings I panic, it is the Social Services calling." said Mrs. Denise Louise Hunt stressed out from the bombshell that the grandchildren's primary school have unleashed on her, it is well documented that children living in violent situations especially in their formative years 0 - 5 years old are going to be adversely affected.
Denise Hunt's grandson needs to heal from the trauma he witnessed in those early years.
Gene was holding little Phil so he couldn't do any harm and just repeating in a very calm voice "No, I am not going to let you hurt anyone. No, I cannot let you hurt anyone."
He'd avoided other male CID officers in the past, but mainly because the men on the team were either so old Gene felt like he should be driving them around in a hearse, or younger than him they'd been clueless about the job description or messed up the computers, who'd held him back and annoyed him so much he'd felt like he was running a primary school.
Chris was different. Gene didn't feel like he needed to nanny state him, although he knew Chris was a few years younger than himself, from their previous meeting. He was fast becoming Gene's best friend, apart from DCI Sam Tyler and DC Annie Cartwright.
"Want to tell me what's up then, DCI Hunt?" said the fledgling Detective Constable.
"It's me mum having to look after my brothers kids for the time being..." Gene Hunt was feeling miles away in the Greater Manchester Police briefing room "Phil's made up some false allegation to his teacher and she's completely misunderstood the situation by blowing it out to the Social..." he stayed silent for a long moment drawing little doodles around his notes.
Chris assessing his boss Gene's demeanour. "If I can help…" he finally offered.
Gene looked up again. "Yeah. I mean, thanks. I dunno…there's…" he shrugged, then leant forward, resting his elbows on the modern design table "Mum's so worried…" he shook his head.
Chris rang the doorbell of the nearest and neat council house.
"Mum," Gene gestured to DC Chris Skelton "Brought a colleague of mine to help you."
"Mrs Hunt…uh…" stammered Chris nervously as he stood at the front door.
"I knew my Gene'd find another good mate in the end – he's a good boy, honest, so stick by him and you'll be a DCI yourself one day." said Mrs. Hunt stood at the front door welcoming Chris Skelton in, while she was in the middle of reprimanding little Phil at the same time, hoping that Gene's mum had made a good impression on the new Detective Constable.
"...with uncle Eugene, he'll teach you right from wrong, an' this time you can keep them hands to yourself," after another incident at Salford Primary School being phoned in "lying and naughty little toe-rag..." the nine year old boy had his computer games confiscated again and no cartoons on CITV for a week again.
"Mum said you could come back to hers tonight, for some dinner." said DCI Gene Hunt who reiterated the offer.
Chris said he'll have a takeaway doner kebab tonight, but Denise Hunt insists "Nonsense – you'll no doubt need a good proper and home cooked meal." Mrs. Hunt ushered him to one of the seats at the table. "In fact my Gene, has invited you as a colleague of his to have dinner with his dear mummy. Sorry you had to watch me reprimand one of the grandchildren, today."
"Now what can I get for you? Dinner's in and cooking – some nice lamb and freshly steamed vegetables, I've done." said Gene's mum dishing up the plates and dinner.
Can DCI Gene Hunt protect his mum from the backlash of two parent in laws whom were once British television stars, from way back in his childhood?