Chapter 2

She's gone now, in a poof of perfume and door slamming. But what does she expect? She waltzes in here all hormonal and highly strung and expects me to give her the answers to everything. If I knew the answers to everything I'd be a rich man and not stuck in this shit-heap clearing up the crap the scum leave behind in their wake.

I get lumbered with strange ones in this job. First comes Ray. All fists and facial hair. Chris. I've known worms with more backbone than him. Then there was Tyler. Tyler, Tyler, Tyler. He had a stick shoved so far up his arse he'd put a scarecrow to shame. And then there's the birds, the less said about them the better. But it works. For some crazy unknown reason it works. I'll never understand how, it just does. When we're all working our best we're unbeatable. Un-bloody-breakable.

Then along comes Drake. The strangest of them all. She arrives in skirt shorter than Ronnie Corbitt, all wide eyed and diamond encrusted. I don't half get landed with them.

Knock, Knock, Knock

speak of the devil.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Come in Drake."

"Guv?"

It's Ray.

"What?"

"Body at thirteen hundred hours. Juicy one hey Chris?" He laughs over his shoulder in the direction of Skelton.

"Jucier than a girl called Lucy eating a packet of juicy fruit."

An awkward silence.

"Shurrup Chris, you ruined it!"

He nods, colouring up slightly, which only deepens when Shaz walks into the room. Those two really are pathetic. It's CID, not a playground.

"Is someone gonna tell me what's going on around here?"

"Someone's found a body in Kingston's factory."

"The drinks one?"

"Yeah. In a vat of orange juice."

"Orange juice?"

"See where I was going with the juicy gag now guv?"

Sometimes I have to wonder whether they really are all there.

"Where's Bolly?"

"Dunno Guv, buggered off with Shaz last time I saw her."

"Granger?"

"Yes Guv."

"Where is my DI?"

"Oh... Urm... I'm not sure Guv."

"Well once you've found her get you and yourself down to Kingston's factory."

"Guv."

She scampers off and returns quickly with Drake.

xxx

"The victim was called Jonathon Perky. Known as Perky not surprisingly."

"Not looking so perky now is he."

The usual accusing look from Drake.

"So, you think it was an accident?" She asks in her polite way.

"Hardly, unless he hit himself round the back of the head with a heavy, blunt object."

Ray rolls over Perky onto his back so we could see his face.

"by 'eck! He looks like he's auditioning for Charlie and The Chocolate factory."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"You know! Oompa, Loompa, doobidy doo."

He even does the dance.

"Not now Ray." Drake sighs, looking down at Perky sadly.

"He was only a boy."

She was right. He can't have been much older than 19, and had that almost androgynous look about him. He wouldn't have looked out of place as a choir boy in a cathedral.

"Kid lives on his own according to the boss. Has no friends, or family."

"No girlfriend?"

"Not that he knows of."

"I'm guessing Perky here made up for what he lacked in friends with enemies"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well he's dead isn't he Chris?" Alex says impatiently.

.xxx.

It never gets any easier. Perky did had family. They live in the midlands. Piss poor, He'd come down to London to start his degree, but soon dropped out and out of shame couldn't bare to tell his folks he was a failure. He sent them a monthly paycheque with a letter, but hadn't returned to see them in 3 years. They'll be arriving here tomorrow, his poor mum is distraught.

I've never had kids, it's not a huge regret in my life. Some of us are meant to sow our seed, some of aren't. I've never felt the need. It's the main reason why the wife buggered off. The thought horrified me. Lots of mini Gene Genies effing and blinding about the place, the country couldn't take it, and more importantly my heart couldn't take it. Saying that I couldn't even begin to imagine the pain it must bring a parent to know that their kid's bitten the dust. They're a part of you aren't they? It's a part of you that's died. It's the hardest part of the job, it always has been. I've seen a lot of reactions from parents, they're all different. There's hysteria, silence, denial, anger, resentment, all are as difficult to with as one another. I never know what to do.

Drake's good at that emotional stuff.