A/N: Okay anyway, guys here is the next chapter. We are starting in episode one of series 9 of Midsomer Murders: The House in the Woods where Isabelle's first day at Causton Police Station is going to be anything but straightforward.
Isabelle was up bright and early for the start of her first day at Causton Police Sation, hair tied back in a neat bun, white shirt crisp underneath her uniform jumper and checkered cravat perfectly straight. She gave herself one last look in the wall mirror and smiled with pride nodding her head in approval. Walking over to her bed, she went to grab her police hat and backpack.
She headed down the staircase just as the post came through the letterbox went to pick it up off the floor and headed into the kitchen—the scent of freshly toasted bread and brewed coffee wafting up Isabelle's nose.
"Morning, mum," the young woman greeted lovingly, placing the mail on the breakfast bar, "Post for you."
"Morning, Isabelle dear," Joyce smiled gratefully at her daughter, "Thank you, I thought that I heard the letterbox go," she glanced at her daughter who placed her police hat and backpack beside her father's briefcase on the kitchen island, "Now let me have a look at you."
"Mum," the younger woman blushed and went to stand before her mother.
"I remember when you were little and used to tell me how much you wanted to be in the police like your father," Joyce smiled fondly, straightening out her daughter's shirt collar, "That day became more real when you graduated just a few weeks ago, and like I told you then I'm proud of what you have become," she cupped her daughters face gazing at her with pride, "Now how about some breakfast before you and your father leave?"
"Sure, I'll just grab some toast," Isabelle went to grab a plate and sat at the breakfast bar taking two triangle slices of toast to form the toast rack grabbing hold of the knife poking out of a jar of blackberry jam, spreading it on evenly on the pieces of toast before returning the knife and takes a bite savouring the sweetness of the jam.
"Morning, Isabelle dear," he stopped to take a look at his daughter, "Or shall I start calling you PC Barnaby now."
"Dad," she pretended to complain, as he lovingly pecked her cheek, making the younger woman blush.
"Now, any post for me today?" Tom now went to peer over his wife's shoulder just as she opened a letter with her name on it.
"Nobody loves you today, sorry," Joyce opens the letter and begins to read it over silently with her eyes.
"What? No one?" He inquired, still looking over his wife's shoulder, "I find that hard to believe. What have you got?" Tom now sees what it is Joyce was reading with interest, "Ooh, Midsomer Museum."
"It's the conservation group," Joyce informed taking her daughter's finished plate over to the sink just as the younger Barnaby went to glance at the letter her father was also interested in, "I'm going to help with the survey."
"What? Hedgehogs, badgers and all that?" Isabelle inquired with a frown equal as her fathers.
"Its the built environment," she returned at the breakfast bar to explain, "Architectural conservation."
"Ohh, Giles Cato," read out loud with interest once again before asking, "He's the custodian of our built environment now, is he?" he then looked to Isabelle, "Ready to leave in a moment?"
"Yeah, whenever you are," Isabelle goes past her parents to grab her bag and police hat.
"He's going to make an inventory of at-risk buildings," Joyce went on to explain, "Factories, barns, old cottages before the developers get in and think I might like to help."
Tom made a noise of concern and Isabelle rolled her eyes knowing well enough she was probably hinting at something, "It's not a pretext for house hunting," is it?"
Joyce looked back down at the letter, but the other two could tell she was smiling knowingly, "Well, you never know what you might find."
"No," Tom replied with a shake of his head, grabbing his briefcase and suit jacket before greeting her farewell, "Bye."
"Bye mum," Isabelle, quickly pecked her mother's cheek and followed after her father.
Both Barnaby's pulled up at Causton Police Station about ten minutes later they both got out of the car shutting the doors closed behind them. Tom opened up the car boot, grabbing his briefcase before looking to his daughter with a genuine smile and asked, "Looking forward to your first official day as a PC Isabelle dear?"
"Yes of course dad," she nodded, grabbing her backpack and police hat from the boot, "The last time I was here was when I took my entrance exam to qualify for the academy in London," Isabelle recalled placing the hat on her head as she glanced over at the familiar building not too far away.
Tom recalled with a nod, before going on to inform her, "Well it's changed a lot since then that's why Superintendent Cotton has arranged for one of the senior Constables to be partnered with you temporarily and to give you a tour of the main station."
"Dad surely it hasn't changed that much," I the young woman implied with a frown as she grabbed her backpack slinging one strap over her right shoulder and dad shut the boot locking the car with his keys, "Besides that there are the smaller stations dotted around the county I have to get familiar with as well."
With that, both of them headed towards the station, and the young police constable bid her father goodbye as he headed towards his department. She was told to meet the officer in question at reception, where criminals are being booked in, and members of the public waited to make complaints or give information on a crime.
Moving out the way of someone she accidentally bumps into a solid figure of a man wearing a similar police uniform, "Oh, sorry," it's when she stepped back to glance up and apologise to the man in question Isabelle's jaw instantly dropped open, stood before her was Ben from the pub, handsome Ben, Ben. He took her home and had held her hair back when she'd been sick.
"I know that the Superintendent told me I'd be in charge of looking after a new Constable today," Ben raised his eyebrow at the younger woman and folded his arms in front of him, "Then I remembered you telling me Izzy about that a few days ago when you were blinding drunk."
"Oh, God don't remind me, " Isabelle muttered her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment, briefly shutting her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, "Because the last thing I remember from that night was throwing up and falling asleep had a hell of a hangover the next morning."
"Not surprised by the amount of wine you and your mates drank," Ben implied, as she now followed on his lead beside him.
"Who are you, my dad?" Isabelle scoffed with disbelief, before glancing sideways at him to admit truthfully with a slight shrug, "Besides, maybe it wasn't the best of introductions."
"Tell you what, let's start with a clean slate," Ben stopped walking and so did Isabelle as he turned to face her holding out his hand a welcoming smile upon his features, "PC Ben Jones nice to meet you."
Isabelle went to return the smile and firmly shook his hand as she reintroduced herself, "Nice to meet you, PC Jones, I'm PC Isabelle Barnaby, but most call me Izzy."
They let go and proceeded walking not caring about the looks some of the other officers had given them, "Right, so how about we continue about the tour?"
"Yeah, that'd be great," Isabelle smiled and nodded in agreement but stopping once again to inquire, "Ben, one more thing before we continue."
"What's that?" He asked.
"If you ever meet my dad, " Isabelle insisted in response, "please don't tell him about how we met."
"Of course I won't," he confirmed with a smile which soon turned into a grin, "Doesn't mean that I can't keep reminding you about it though."
"Shut up, Jones," she feigned with a gasp before playfully nudging him both of them letting out a small laugh as they walked together.
