Hi everyone - thanks to everyone who read the last chapter, especially to talkingtothesky and sparks733 for reviewing! A huge thank you goes to JudasFm who is such a great reader and always spots my mistakes when I'm too blind to see them!
Thanks for coming back! I hope you all enjoy this update and take the time to review afterwards!
Making her way inside her latest place of work, WPC Casey Carlisle reflected on her first day as a part of Manchester's A Division. Her memories were a mixture of optimism that somehow always got polluted with her feelings of doubt. She was more than glad to be a part of the police, eager to help tackle crime and be a bigger part of the community which she grew up in. Yet, she couldn't stop feeling hopelessly anxious about her abilities.
Although she didn't feel like she wouldn't be comfortable at the station (once she got use to the stares of horny men and chauvinism), she just didn't feel that she yet fitted in with already tight knit group of workers who were already use to each others customs and personalities.
She was more than determined to keep her head down and her chin up, making the best of the intimidating situation until she became more confident in herself.
For the fear or being late (and running the risk of getting a bollocking from the not-so-forgiving DCI Hunt), Casey hurried up the concrete steps, beginning to regret her extra ten minutes in bed. Whilst it seemed like a good idea at the time, being fully refreshed and alert for the day ahead, it didn't seem like such a good idea anymore; jogging on a full stomach (or at least after a couple of rounds of toast) was never calming.
Opening the double doors, she glanced up at the clock; it read one minute to nine.
'Phew, thank gosh for that...'
Her musings stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw one grumpy looking Governor perched on the edge of her desk, tapping his watch face time after time. He was shouting at the team already, not a good sign for early on a Wednesday morning.
She crept into the office, like a poltergeist, wishing not to be seen. Yet, the inevitability of sound stunting her plans.
"You're late," he grumbled, not even turning to look at her.
"Sorry, I..."
His head snapped round, his face a crimson mask of fury. "What, you overslept? Went out on the pull last night and shagged so many men you could barely walk this morning, I don't care," he spat, standing, towering over her. "Just don't you ever be late again, you understand?"
His pointing was unyielding, meaning to be as harsh as possible. Swallowing and fighting back tears, she inhaled, bowing down. "Yes, Sir," she nodded, taking her seat at her desk like a disgraced school child.
Shifting through various pieces of paper, wanting nothing more than to disappear for good, she didn't notice the Gene Genie leave. Or Sam enter...
"Hey," he greeted, examining her face. Although (through the previous days experience) he was trying to judge Casey's facial expressions according to his past with her Father, he just couldn't make out what it was that she might be feeling; she looked sad, that much he was sure of. Perhaps even a little tired? Or angry? He dreaded asking her whether she was ok...
As much as he hated to stereotype, women had an unregistered quality of blowing up every time a bloke asked them that question. He didn't know what it was about that simple enquiry that made them so volatile. He tried not to question the fairer sex in a fussy or nosey manner. But for some reason – even when he asked Annie that straight forward, caring question – women just took offence to it.
"Hi, DI Tyler," she smiled a very watery, unsure smile. Barely making eye contact, Sam knew that something was up.
And he knew fore well exactly where the offender was right then...
"Ummm, did you find that information that I left you on the desk?"
"This one about correct procedure when making arrests?" she questioned, shifting through the various files and bits of paper congregating on her desk.
"If you wouldn't mind just having a look at them whilst I go and have a word with the Gov and then hopefully, we'll get out and about and put that into practise, ok?"
Casey smiled once again, this time a little brighter, seemingly grateful for getting out of the office a little bit. Sam turned away, his eyes narrowing as he made his way over to the office of one rather miserable Detective Chief Inspector.
Tyler burst into his office, neither man greeting the other or flinching at the sound of metal and glass colliding like two proud warriors before battle. Gene sniffed a little sarcastically, throwing a dart at the board, directly between the eyes of his nemesis, DCI Litton.
"What's the matter Sammy Bo-"
"What have you said to Casey?"
Not taken aback by the younger man's abrupt quizzing, Gene didn't move one bit. Instead, he took another dart, throwing it slightly harder than its predecessor.
"Nothing."
"Come off it, Gene!" Sam snarled, his eyes twitching at the morose mocking of his superior officer. "I know you said something to her..."
"'Ow do you know she's just doesn't look upset coz Chris asked her out?"
"Because I stood there and saw you practically scream your head off at her!"
Wishing that he did have a quick and at least semi-witty reply to his Inspector's answer, Gene stood from his seat, leaning against the wall without a hint of remorse. "Yeah well, she needed putting in 'er place."
"What? For being two seconds late?!"
"Calm down Gladys, don't want you getting yer frilly plonk knickers in a twist do we?"
Sam snickered in annoyance. "She was only a minute at the most late..."
"Yes I know that, Detective Inspector Tyler," Gene spoke, pronouncing each word in perfect, classic English, "But she knew the score when she signed up. Start as we mean to go on and all that shite..."
"That still does NOT justify you to yell at her like that!"
"Perhaps it doesn't but I'm not 'avin' 'er thinking that she can get away with it every morning," Gene's voice, as steadfast as ever, was hiding a series of notions that Sam was only beginning to unravel; the fibres of these ideas were extremely knotted, complicated even in the Gov's sometimes erratic mind.
"Oh, I get it," Sam's eyes flinched, his tongue pressing against the side of his mouth as the Governor's twisted plan soon became more apparent. "You hate the fact that she's got attention from one of the members of CID!"
"Oh get over yourself, Gladys just coz she's not making a spectacle out of herself like you did on your first couple of days, don't mean she 'as to."
Gene's voice told Sam to shut the hell up; it was dangerously deep, earthy and soul destroying.
Mainly, it was his soul being destroyed; Gene could sense it was only a matter of time before the little girl bitched and told everyone who her Father was.
Nothing was going to stop him from keeping her trap shut and especially not stopping him from doing his up most to continue what he does best; keeping the city of Manchester safe for all.
Sam swallowed a little of his pride, nearly choking on the acidic taste lining the back of his throat with a scorching sensation. "Yeah, well, I think it wouldn't exactly kill you to be a little more considerate to her. You know, manners go and long way and all..."
"What do you think I'm running 'ere, Sam? A police station or a ruddy day care centre?"
Gene stood from his chair, feeling a little worse for wear; it wasn't the usual scenario, him feeling some of the effects of a night of boozing. It only usually happened when he had a lot on his mind, too much to focus on. The headache usually caused by his malt was added and magnified by her mere bloody presence...
"I just think a little compassion wouldn't go a miss that's all."
Gene knew this was one of those occasions where Sam would be so bloody stubborn about the whole thing until he sort of, kind of attempted to...compromise with him. "Yeah, well, if she's on time and does as she's told, I won't 'ave a reason to yell at 'er will I?"
A knock came at the door, DC Cartwright entering the room as quietly as she possibly could. "Sorry, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"It depends what you 'ave to tell us," Gene snorted, taking his seat back in the recliner; standing up for any length of time today may turn out to be a bad idea.
"Well, you know that me and WPC Carlisle took a look at some of the files for the pupils who go to the school?"
Gene nodded, signalling for her to continue without uttering a word.
"Well, we found a couple of pupils, Mark Bolton and Jerry Boyd; they were fined last year for an attempted burglary on a pensioner's house the other side of town."
"How old are they?" Sam questioned.
"Fifteen and Sixteen." Annie confirmed, flicking between the files briefly.
Sam and the Gov gave each other an almost amiable look.
Annie stared at the files once again, in thought. "Wait a minute, wouldn't WPC Carlisle know them?"
"Yeah, she's sixteen, Gov."
Gene gazed at Sam, a slight grimace taking over his almost passive features. "Go and fetch 'er, let's find out."
Feeling that he was being treated like some sort of obedient dog, DI Tyler swallowed faintly, doing as his Boss ordered. Upon speaking to the young woman, she was reluctant at first to do as he asked. However, he reassured her that it was only helpful to the case if she came into the office, agreeing to her superior's wishes.
She entered the office, flipping her locks away from her eyes but avoiding all means of contact with her undiagnosed Father; trying to be civil with him for the rest of the day was bound to be a bitter pill to swallow.
"Yes, DCI Hunt is there anything I can help you with?" she questioned, her voice level, sarcasm still managing to splinter through her attempts at civility.
"Yes there is, WPC Carlisle," he spoke in an equally as catty tone. "Do you know a couple of youngish bastards called Mark Bolton and Jerry Boyd?"
For a split second, Sam thought he could detect a look of fear in her eyes; they protruded, darting from side to side a little. He dismissed his cynical notions though, remembering the incidences from the previous day at the school...
"Yeah, they're a couple of boys in my year. Well, I say that, but they hardly ever showed up to school or anything..."
"Bingo!" Gene interrupted, standing taller.
Sam's eyebrow raised, a little confused. "What?"
"We've got 'em!" he cried, grabbing his tan coloured coat and making his way over to the door.
"Gov, what the heck are you talking about?"
"DI Tyler's right, Sir," Annie piped up. "Just coz both of them have a criminal past it doesn't mean that they're directly linked to this one."
"Plus, in case you'd forgotten Gov, there were links to a girl's bracelet at the crime scene..."
"For once, Tyler, I wish you'd stop being so bloody gender conscious," Gene retorted. "Wit' names like that, they're bound to be bum bandits!"
For the remaining three officers in the office glancing at each other uncomfortably, it was only a case of how long it would take before one of them couldn't withstand the urge to slap - or thump - him across the face.
Following the barking Governor, who by this time had stolen the second round of Chris' bacon sandwich and had stuffed half of it down his neck, they knew what the next thing would be...
"Right, me, Dorothy and the new girl are going to these robber's 'ouses. You lot stay 'ere and guard ship..."
"I think you're getting mixed up with your metaphors again," Sam interjected, grabbing his leather jacket.
"Oh never mind that you tart, come on, let's get movin'!" he bellowed, the sarnie disappearing quicker than a villain into the night.
Skelton, up until this time who had been fairly retiring, only gazing up to see who was pinching his breakfast this time, smiled unsurely to the youngest member of CID. Truth to be told, he didn't know how to react to her, not knowing how old she was and everything; not being able to get to know her better over a pint or a port and lemon seemed the most unnatural thing in the world to him.
"Hiya, C-Casey."
Gene's eyes narrowed. "Come on, Carlisle, stop flirtin' with pissy boy!"
With that, and a new reason to be irritable towards her Father, Casey followed DI Tyler helplessly, knowing that today wasn't going to be as positive as she'd initially hoped.
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