THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
A large figure blearily opened his eyes as he heard the front door banging. "Urgh! Ten more minutes…" Gene yawned.
THUMP! THUMP!
He angrily got off the broken sofa and looked around, wondering how he had fallen asleep in Alex's flat. Gene had never expected to stay a night at her flat alone…
Gene looked in the broken mirror in the bathroom, making sure he looked presentable before walking over the door which had managed to close properly. He turned the door handle and it swung open to reveal Ray and Chris.
"You weren't at the station." Ray said bluntly.
Gene shrugged and looked around the flat. "Decided to come and look at the damage 'ere." He answered.
Chris and Ray stepped in and were horrified at what they saw.
"Bloody 'ell!" Chris exclaimed, looking at the mess and walking over to the wall which still had a calendar hanging. He frowned and pointed to the 10th October and turned to them. "What does Mum Dad X mean?"
Gene looked at where Chris was pointing and shrugged. "Maybe her parents died on that day." He answered carelessly, not really bothered about her parents when Alex's life was at stake.
Chris frowned and checked her bedroom, looking around the room. "Found her underwear draw!" Chris yelled and Ray smirked. "Wait… Guv… come look at this."
Gene ran into Alex's room, closely followed by Ray. He was holding up slashed clothes and they kept on coming. Every draw Chris opened; every piece of clothing was slashed and ripped with gaping holes. Gene tightened his jaw and stalked out the room, pacing up and down.
"If Alex was 'ere she would know where the victim would be. She would know why 'e slashed the clothes. She would know 'cause of psychiatry. No… psychology!" Gene stared at the other two who looked blank.
"Come on, Guv, we will find 'er. Let's get back to the CID and see if we can find some clues about where she is." Ray muttered and opened her door, waiting for the other two to follow him.
Gene shrugged and walked through the doorway and down the stairs into Luigi's bar. Luigi was cleaning glasses behind the bar and looked up when he noticed Gene standing there.
"Signor! Why up early? Something wrong, no?"
"Drake's gone missin', Luigi, an' I gotta find her!" Gene answered, getting tired of telling everyone.
"The lovely lady will be in my heart, Signor."
Gene grunted in a reply and headed to the Quattro, determined to find Alex Drake, no matter what it took.
Gene sat at his desk, watching the world go by but not really paying attention. He couldn't pay attention anymore and was gradually getting angrier and angrier at everyone's relaxed attitude outside his office. They were laughing and joking, flying paper planes about and chewing gum. No one was on the case.
He suddenly was jolted from his thoughts when his telephone started to ring. Gene gingerly took the phone and pressed it to his ear, listening to muffles and cries.
"Gene?" It was in a hushed whisper but he knew that voice anywhere.
"Alex? Alex…" Gene gasped in a small whisper, trying to keep as calm as possible and not shout at her.
"Evan is letting me take one call. One call only… only one and I thought to call you…"
He could hear her start to sob as there was a rough shout on the other side of the line. "Alex just tell me where you are and I can come and get you. You'll be fine, Alex."
"He has a gun to my head, Gene. If I tell you my brains will be blown out before I finish the sentence. This… this phone call is just to say… bye."
Gene's heart fell as felt a pang of sadness that the one person Alex would call before she would die was him. Did she have no family? No one else that actually cared for her? Gene stayed silent as he could hear Evans words to hang up.
"One more thing, Gene. I know that we have sometimes hated each other but… I have done a lot of thinking. The times we have argued, the times we have gotten drunk together and locked in vaults and being saved from freezers. It may be the last thing I ever say to you, Gene. I think I love you."
Gene opened his mouth to speak but already the phone had been slammed back down and Gene stared at the receiver before placing the phone back. He covered his face in his hands and silently digested what he had just heard from Alex. Gene heard the door open and the familiar voice of Chris.
"Er… Guv… you alright?"
"Had a phone call from…" Gene swallowed, taking his hands away from his face. "Alex phoned me." He brought up the confidence to say her name.
"Where is she? Let's go!"
Gene shook his head and swigged back the last of his Whiskey in his glass. "It was a goodbye call, Chris. Evan would've killed 'er if she let out the information of where she was."
"Oh…" Chris looked awkward and scratched his head. "Background noise? Musta been anywhere with a phone."
Gene looked up and nodded. "No background noise… just her and the sound of Evan. Chris I gotta save 'er before Evan blows her brains out."
Chris looked at the floor then walked out the room to tell everyone what had happened. Gene tapped the table angrily, trying to think where Evan would keep her hostage. London was so big… so bloody big.
"So what she say?" Shaz asked eagerly, daring a glance towards the Guv's office.
Chris shrugged and turned to Ray. "Gene looks pretty upset 'bout all this."
"Well he would be wouldn't 'e!" Ray snorted.
"Why did she ring him?" Shaz pondered to herself.
"'e's 'er only hope!" Ray sighed. He knew that DI Drake was a pain in the arse sometimes, but she was the brains. Gene was right; she would know exactly what to do and exactly where to go.
Shaz looked down on the table to notice the note that was found with the body the day before. She frowned and carefully took the paper out of the plastic wallet and inspected it carefully.
"Did we ever find out whose blood this was?" She asked.
"Nah." Ray answered and picked up the Forensic notes. "Blood is AB pos. I didn't know that blood group even existed."
Shaz scratched her head and shrugged. "It isn't a common blood group. There is A B and O with negative and positive. AB is when it has both A and B antigens. AB negative is more uncommon than AB positive."
Chris and Ray looked at her blankly and Ray laughed. "Sounds like you swallowed a dictionary."
Shaz gave him an accusing look. "TV didn't work once so I had to read instead."
Chris grinned. "I like it when you talk all clever."
Shaz smiled and bent over to kiss him but was interrupted by Ray.
"So if not many people are AB pos means there are very few in London. Ya think DI Drake is AB?"
Shaz turned to him and shrugged. "I guess she could be… but how would her blood turn up on this paper?" She waved the note in his face, making Ray grimace.
"Bloody hell – that stinks! What is on that paper?"
Shaz brought the note to her nose and smelt it. "Hmm… it smells a bit like…" She frowned and tapped her fingers on the table trying to place the smell. "Like… like…"
Chris took the note and smelt it himself and grinned. "Smoke."
Shaz snatched the note back and shook her head. "Not just that… it is the type of paper that is used. Maybe the place where he got the paper is the place where Alex is! What kind of paper is it? It is thinner than normal paper and is like… it is like it has been ripped off a magazine 'cos of the smoothness."
"'Ang on pass me the note." Ray ordered.
Shaz gave the note to him and she looked down at it, staring at a small print in the corner of the paper. "Now what the bloody hell does this say? 'Ang on 'ang on!" He snapped his head up triumphantly. "It is a trade mark. Closed up these days – place went bankrupt. Now why the 'ell would 'e have this out-of-date paper? Their headquarters is boarded up and in the middle of nowhere…"
Chris looked up from his brand new rubix cube and gasped. "If it is in the middle of nowhere then… it is perfect for a 'ostage!"
"Get yer coats guys, I'll go tell the Guv!" Ray yelled, running to his office.
A few minutes later Gene, Chris, Ray and Shaz were sitting in the Quattro while it was going high speed down the motorway.
"You'd better be bloody right, Raymondo!"
As always please review and give constructive criticism. I will start to work on chapter 6. Sorry for leaving it on a cliff hanger ;)