Chapter 4
"Promise me you won't cry today Mathew, mummy has a lot to do, I can't keep coming back to pick you up."
A tall blonde woman was crouching down to little Mathew's height, dabbing his moist eyes with a handkerchief. Mathew, his flushed face creased up, his lower lip trembling, gazed helplessly into his mother's eyes outside 'Little Bears' nursery. "Mummy" he whined.
"I mean it Mathew, you're a big boy now and big boys don't cry." Pipa was trying to be strong in front of her son, but it broke her heart having to be stern with him. His father had accused her of being too soft with their only son and that he was turning into a mollycoddled wimp. Pipa had disagreed vehemently with Robert arguing Mathew was just finding his feet and needed encouragement not admonishment. Robert had said his decision was final and Mathew was to go to nursery to start his journey which would eventually lead to boarding school. Pipa had no energy left to fight Robert, being the partner of such a strong powerful man had gradually zapped any get-up-and-go she had. Once she had a high flying career as a stockbroker, but that ended abruptly when she fell pregnant with Mathew, pregnant women didn't belong on the testosterone fuelled trading floor.
Now she watched sadly as Mathew was lead away by a member of staff, he looked back at her forlornly. She blew him a kiss "Have a good day sweetheart." As he disappeared into the front entrance, Pipa caught herself playing with her engagement ring, she looked at it wistfully, he had promised, hadn't he? Robert promised she would have a wedding ring very soon. She smiled ruefully, somehow, she doubted it more and more.
"Everything okay Leroy?" Shaz enquired putting a mug of black coffee down on Leroy's desk.
"Huh?" Leroy looked up not really listening.
"You look miles away." She smiled.
"Oh, it's nuthin' I just got a weird visitor yesterday."
"Yeah?" Shaz sat down next to him sipping her tea.
Leroy was pondering, he was studying the business card Thomas had given him. "Shaz, how many people do you know named Makepeace, is it a common name over here?"
Shaz knitted her brow in concentration "Not really, until I met Harry I had never heard of it...apart from that writer who wrote 'Vanity Fair'."
"Yeah, that's what I figured."
Shaz cocked her head intrigued "Why do you ask?"
"This suit that came to see me yesterday...this guy Thomas Lyons, he works for a firm called Richards, Makepeace and co...do you think there's a connection?"
Shaz thought for a few moments. "Maybe, I seem to remember hearing Harry's ex husband was a barrister."
"Hmmm, have we got much on today?"
"No, Ray and Chris have gone to talk to Mrs Jones about her missing safe deposit box, but not much else happening."
"How do ya like the sound of some good ol' fashioned tailing?" Leroy grinned mischievously at her.
Shaz returned the grin "Fab, who are we spying on?"
"Lyons and Makepeace, sumthin' don't smell right, I'll explain in the car."
Jimmy jumped a foot in the air as a huge paw slapped him on the shoulder. "Jesus Christ Lance," he gasped in surprise steadying himself on the bar "You frightened the life out of me?"
"You're a bit jumpy aintcha?" The enormous Lance laughed, his three chins wobbled in time with his chuckles. "What's up? Rozzers onto ya?"
Jimmy grimaced "Sort of, they think I'm caught up in dodgy insurance claims."
"You are aren't ya?" He replied brightly.
"Nothing major, only the cut and shuts Rick slings my way, I'm just providing a service." Jimmy beckoned the barmaid over "Pint of bitter please luv...what you havin'?"
"Bit early for me..." Lance watched bemused as Jimmy glugged down half his pint in one go. "Shouldn't you go a bit steady on the grog?"
"Stuff sorts me head out."
Lance lowered his voice "Bill says the delivery will arrive Thursday."
"Thursday?" squeaked Jimmy nearly choking on his drink "That doesn't give me much time, you did tell 'im I've had the fuzz sniffing round?"
"You worry too much, what's suspicious about a garage having oil drums in the back yard?"
Jimmy looked reticent "It's not oil drums I'm worried about, it's what's in them."
"Ha! You do worry too much mate, you'll only have them for a couple of days...a week tops." Said Lance ,flippantly.
Jimmy looked less than convinced "You sure it will be safe?"
"Course! What could go wrong? You get your grand at the end of it...everyone's a winner." Lance smirked, he really couldn't understand why Jimmy was making such a fuss about a few oil drums.
"Okay, but I'm not touching it, if anything...anything goes wrong" He emphasised the point with his finger, "on your head be it."
On Jersey, Gene and Alex were the picture of the typical British holiday maker as they walked from their hire car towards the beach. Alex was wearing skimpy denim shorts and a halter neck bikini top, Gene bare-chested and a pair of Bermuda shorts plus flip-flops topped with a pair of aviator sunglasses which Alex had bought him in New York. They were carrying towels and a cooler...for Gene's beer of course.
Alex started to scan her new surroundings "Hmmm wonder if there's somewhere to buy an ice-cream?"
"What! Another one? That will be your fourth, what's up with yer women?" it was true she had already munched her way through several raspberry sauce coated Mr whippy's by lunchtime.
"I'm on holiday, it's hot and I don't know...just seem to have a hankering for ice-cream."
"Carry-one like that you'll start getting fat." Smirked Gene
"Oi!" she playfully thumped him "I watch my figure thank you."
"Don't worry Bolls, I'm keeping an eye on it for ye."
They meandered their way down to the beach, but had to stop short when they came across metal barriers and a group of people standing around, craning their necks seemingly trying to get a good view of the water's edge.
"What the 'ell is going on?" asked Gene perplexed, but Alex wasn't taking any notice of him, instead she was jumping up and down on the spot in gleeful excitement.
"John Nettles!" she exclaimed "It's John Nettles!"
"John who?" He gruffed baffled by his wife's enthusiasm.
"Bergerac!" she squealed "Look that's his car." She pointed to the burgundy Triumph parked a little further down the coastal road. "They must be filming."
"Aww bloody 'ell...I spose ye want to go and perve over him like the other birds."
"What an excellent idea! We can get his autograph."
"Don't know why you like the program, nuthin' like proper police work." He huffed.
"It's TV Gene, not supposed be like real life."
"Maybe I should go and give him a few pointers."
"Give him the Gene Hunt guide to policing?"
"Why not? He would end up with less murders."
"There's a lot to be said for that, by the time he gets to Midsummer there's dead bodies all over the shop."
Gene looked hard at Alex "Luv I really don't have the first idea what ye on about."
They pushed their way further into the crowd until they got a good vantage point.
"Oooh, he was rather good looking then." beamed Alex as she got a clear view.
"Was? I thought he was the copper pin up boy."
"Er... he is." Alex quickly corrected.
"Quiet please!" the first assistant yelled "Scene 6 take 2...ACTION!"
John Nettles sprang into life running through the water out to sea to rescue a half drowned Philippa Vale.
It wasn't a particularly busy day in the SI10 office, but each officer still had plenty to do. With a number of active cases to work on, there was still a bustle of activity. Spikings had been strangely absent for most of it, preoccupied with meetings. He had had a breakfast meeting with the Commissioner, attended a luncheon hosted by the home secretary and then a briefing at the Coroners court. The latter having left Spikings with a sense of dome and gloom.
He entered the office unusually quietly, choosing to speak to no one apart from a curt nod directed at Dempsey and Makepeace indicating they should follow him to his den. A quick apprehensive glance passed between them as they obeyed shutting the door behind them.
Spikings dropped the bulky file he was carrying onto the desk with a loud 'thwack'. Dempsey and Makepeace's eyes followed the file, their focus landing on the bold title 'Monica Grey – private and confidential'.
Dempsey reading Spikings's soured expression asked "Problem?"
"You could say that Dempsey." Spikings looked directly at Harry "Meeting with the Coroners court...It appears Chapman has got a heavy-weight fighting his corner."
Harry felt uncomfortable under Spikings's glare why the hell was he concentrating on her? "Who?"
"You're gonna love this, the lawyers in question are a firm called 'Richards, Makepeace and co'"
"WHAT!" Dempsey and Harry exclaimed together.
"You gotta be kiddin' us chief?" anger was starting to build within him "He can't do that! He's Harry's husband."
Harry looked shocked "Please tell me this is some sort of sick joke."
"No joke I'm afraid."
Harry squeaked "Robert's my husband, you can't bring an inquest to court when you have a personal involvement...can he?"
"Yeah, Harry's right, how can it be a fair hearing." Dempsey's eyes shone with anger and disbelief.
Spikings sighed, he totally agreed them and he had the same reaction when the court clerks gave him the same news. "He can and he has. All the paperwork is in the name of his whipping boy Lyons. I have raised a formal complaint on the grounds of impartiality, but they were having none of it. The reply was that if you two were clean and followed proper procedures then you had nothing to worry about."
Dempsey in agitation brushed his hand through his hair "This stinks." He muttered turning to stare out of the window.
"Guilty until proven innocent." She huffed.
"If you followed correct procedures, then you do have nothing to worry about."
Dempsey suddenly whipped round jabbing a finger at Spikings "Oh! And you believe that? This has got stitch up written all over it."
Spikings dropped his gaze, he had a feeling Dempsey was right, but he tried to stay calm "That as maybe, this is why I need to know exactly what happened in Spain."
"You have our reports Sir." Added Harry a touch coldly.
"Harry, you know as well as I do, that is the potted official version which you two concoct between you to keep me happy...what I need is the unofficial version...you get me...warts an all."
Dempsey and Harry suddenly felt a cold chill run down their spines. Spikings was no fool, he was well aware that his dynamic duo didn't stick to the rules and there was other 'things' going on which he really didn't want to think about..But to save their skins he needed to know.
"Now, I am asking you...if there is anything which I need to know." He looked sternly from one to the other " I need you to tell me before the vultures get wind of it. This is the bottom line, if anything happened in Spain which might..."
Dempsey tried to cut in, but Spkings was quick to silence him raising his voice " anything which might have a bearing on the outcome of the inquest. I need to hear it chapter and verse."
"What the hell is that s'posed to mean? Like what?" barked Dempsey.
Spikings narrowed his eyes "Well for starters Lieutenant, how far did your relationship with the Grey woman go?"
Dempsey looked like he'd been smacked in the face with a wet fish, his mouthed opened and closed wordlessly like he was catching flies 'how the hell did he know about that?' He shot Harry a glare, her guilty expression told him everything he needed to know "You told him about that?" he snapped at her.
'Oh no!' Harry grimaced inwardly, but kept silent.
Spikings sensing a classic Dempsey and Makepeace flare up quickly jumped in "How far Lieutenant?"
"We had dinner..thass all." He defended.
Spikings raised an eyebrow "and?"
"And what?"
Spikings scowled "Everything Lieutenant...did you sleep with her?"
"WHAT? NO!"
"Dempsey." He growled with warning.
"We went back up to her room..."
"And you slept with her?"
"No, maybe...hell I dunno I don't remember." Dempsey blustered.
"So you were drunk on duty as well Lieutenant?" Spikings's blood pressure was starting rise with alarming speed.
Feeling the need to rescue her partner Harry jumped in "No, he didn't sleep with her Sir, Monica told me as much. Dempsey wasn't drunk, he was ill. He passed out and Monica had to bundle him into a taxi. And to be fair to Dempsey he didn't know she was part of the case at the time."
"Oh right Sergeant, so you had a cosy little chat with her as well...swapping notes were we? Magic!"
Harry was incredulous, she bridled at his words...was he really suggesting her and Dempsey had been at it in Spain?
Spikings read her expression and realised his barbed comment had over-stepped the mark.
"Okay, okay." He held his hands up trying to calm down the situation. "I want the full story from start to finish...but you have to see it from my point of view, if I can read into things like this, that's exactly what these piranha lawyers are going to do. Now, Harry, is there a reason why your husband would want to drag you through this? I know it's personal, but if Dempsey is right, there is another agenda going on here and we need to know what we are dealing with."
Harry gave a heavy hearted sigh and slumped onto the chair in front of her boss...it was going to be a long story.
"AND THAT'S A WRAP!" yelled the director "Thank you everyone." It was met with a small ripple of applause from the onlookers.
Alex clapped enthusiastically "That was fantastic!" she said to Gene "Absolutely fantastic! Can we go and meet him?"
"If we must, anything thing to keep my darlin' wifey happy." He smiled. It still felt odd referring to Alex as his wife, but she had made him possibly the happiest man alive. Their honeymoon so far had been blissful. They had scorching hot weather every day and had divided their time between the beach, pub and the bedroom with the occasional sightseeing and game of crazy golf. Not to mention bucket loads of ice cream.
Bumping into the filming of 'Bergerac' had been an unexpected bonus. Alex had vague distant recollections of watching the series as a little girl with her guardian Evan, but she had clear memories of later series, firing her ambitions of joining the Police further.
It was with both nervous expectation and excitement that they waited patiently to meet John and get his autograph. Although Gene gave Alex the impression of caring less about the encounter, secretly he was just as excited as Alex. He'd never met anyone off the telly as famous as Jim Bergerac. He had met Shaw Taylor of 'Police 5' however; Gene had viewed that as an occupational hazard rather than a pleasure.
Alex became jittery as the actor made his way towards them. She said in a small shaky voice "John, please could I have your autograph?"
He smiled warmly "Sure, who shall I make it out to?"
"Alex...DI Alex Drake actually." She grinned.
"You're in the police?" he said mildly amused
"and I'm a DCI." Added Gene proudly
"Wow, you enjoy the show then?"
Gene and Alex nodded.
"Good."
Alex couldn't help herself and advised "Erm, when they offer you Midsummer Murders, grab it with both hands."
John looked perplexed "Midsummer Murders? What's that?"
"A detective series."
The actor wasn't sure whether Alex had some insider info or she was just some deluded fan "Right, I'll remember that."
"And if you need any tips how to be a proper policeman, just give me a call." added Gene.
"I will, thanks...erm I'd better go..." John made good his escape, he was used to strange comments, but Gene and Alex's were in a category all of their own.
Alex grinned from ear to ear as they watched him disappear towards the filming trucks.
"Isn't he lovely?" said Alex a little dreamily.
Gene frowned at her "Did you have to go all fruitcake on the poor sod? We're used to it, but he isn't."
Alex just smiled broadly at him. They started to make their way back to the car when Alex felt a churning in her stomach.
"Wass up?" Gene enquired noting that Alex had gone ashen.
"I think I've had too much ice cream." She grimaced "I'm going to be sick." She dropped the towels she was carrying and fled to the nearest bush.
"Women." Tutted Gene picking up the discarded pile. "Meet a famous person and they go all wobbly."
a little bit of fun for Galex, just a note, The Bergerac bit was based on my boyfriends holiday encounter. He was on holiday in Jersey when you guessed it, he wandered straight onto the set of Bergerac and there was John in his famous burgundy Triumph haha...now there's an idea for a crossover lololol...oh dear!