And here's Chapter 7. Okay, things turn in a pretty unpleasant direction here, but stick with it okay? Though it may get worse before it gets better.
Chapter 7
A little while later, Gene parked up and walked round the corner into Luigi's.
It was early still, but Luigi was there, polishing a wine glass and singing off key - just for a bit of variation to his routine.
'Tell me, quando, quando, quando!' he quavered to the glass.
'Blimey Luigi, thought you was strangling a cat down here!' Gene told him leaning against the bar.
'Signor Hunt. Always the funny man.' Luigi replied with a straight face.
'Yeah, well after the day I've had you'd be this funny too.' Gene told him. 'Scotch. Double.'
'Is it not a bit early for you?' Luigi told him, hovering with a glass by the optics.
'When did you turn into my mother?' Gene fixed him with a glare known to make the police dogs think twice and lit up, 'Scotch. Double. Don't make me have to ask again!'
Luigi filled the glass and carefully passed it over the bar.
Gene picked up the alcohol and made straight for the darkest corner of the restaurant.
He sat down, and was once again faced with his egg stained tie. He put his drink down and, pulling the tie from around his neck, crumpled it and threw it on the table in front of him.
He was halfway through his drink when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
Light footsteps, belonging to a woman wearing heels.
Gene's blood ran cold for a second, and it wasn't totally to his surprise when Alex wearily walked up to the bar and asked for a very large glass of red wine.
Luigi made sympathetic noises and passed her the drink she asked for, no questions asked, Gene noticed.
Alex sat at the bar until Luigi whispered something to her and made the slightest of nods to Alex.
She pivoted in her seat and looked at Gene.
Neither of them moved, they just sat there looking at each other.
Finally, Gene cracked.
'Think you've had a crap day, Bols?' he called across the empty space between them.
'You don't know the half of it.' she replied.
'Give me a laugh and tell me about it,' Gene told her, making space for her on the seat beside him.
Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise at this offer, but slid off the high chair she had been slumped on and walked over to him.
To Gene's surprise, she didn't sit opposite him, but did actually step round the side of the Formica table and slide across the seat to sit next to him.
'This alright?' she asked, and if her tone was just a little to this side of trying too hard to sound casual, Gene made himself ignore it.
'Yeah. Fine.' he forced himself to say.
'So,' Alex started, taking a swig of her wine and then putting the glass down on the table, 'cheered up any? Or are you still doing your infamous impression of a bear with a sore head?'
'Bolly, one day I'm going to tell you exactly what I'm thinking when you say things like that..'
'Oh!' Alex held her hands up in mock horror to her face at this, 'that will make such a difference!'
Then she grinned at him, reaching for her wine glass again.
Gene made himself look away, and reached in his pocket. He produced his parking ticket and slid it across the table to her.
'Oh dear - whose been a naughty police officer?' Alex asked him playfully.
'It's your fault!' he retorted.
'My fault?! How can your bad parking be my fault?!'
'If you hadn't run off in a fit of pique I wouldn't have needed to park!'
'Oh well, that makes it all my fault, doesn't it?!'
A cough came in the silence between them as they glared at each other.
'Much as I hate to interrupt the witty cut and thrust of an intelligent conversation…' the quiet, educated voice enounced perfectly.
Alex and Gene looked up to see Evan White standing in front of their table.
'May I join you?' he asked.
'Certainly.' replied Alex, suddenly switching from argumentative to charming.
'I'm not interrupting am I?' Evan asked. And although the question would seem to be directed at both of them, Gene knew the other man was really only talking to Alex.
'Yes!' Gene told him, his tone telling the younger man to bugger off and die somewhere quietly.
'No!' Alex replied at exactly the same time.
Evan smiled, a little bit too slickly for Gene, at Alex and placing his briefcase down on the floor, sat in the chair opposite them.
'So, Alex, how are you?' Evan asked.
'Me? Fine. You?' Alex replied.
Gene simmered and without excusing himself, stood up and walked over to the bar for another drink.
The more he saw of Evan the less he liked him. Slimy bastard. He seemed to turn up at the least provocation, simpering and oozing lawyerly charm over Alex who, Gene thought, seemed to lap up the attention.
Gene leant on the bar, trying not to listen in on the obvious play Evan was making for Alex.
When, suddenly, and to his great pleasure, Alex's voice went up in volume.
'No. I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been really busy!'
'I've called and called, Alex. I've left messages with that young constable you work with! You're avoiding me Alex and I don't like that!'
'Evan, believe me, it's been mad at work, and I've just been too tired to want to go out!'
Gene watched out of the corner of his eye as Evan reached across the table.
'Alex, I thought we had an understanding! I won't let you ignore that!'
'Evan, please let go of my arm!'
That was enough for Gene. He slammed his drink down on the bar and marched over to the table where he could see that Evan had a tight grasp of Alex's wrist.
'You heard the lady. Let go of her.'
'This is none of your business, DCI Hunt.' Evan told him callously.
Alex looked up at Gene, a frightened expression on her face.
Gene reached down and, taking Evan's hand off Alex's arm, forced the lawyer back in his chair.
'I suggest you leave now, Mr White.' Gene told him, in a tone that brook no argument.
'You can't tell me to go!' Evan said petulantly, 'This is free country!'
'No, you're right there. So I'd be within my free civil rights to punch you till the blood pooled around my feet! Your attentions to DI Drake are not welcome.'
Evan stood up and looked up at Gene, a loathing emanating from him.
Alex had her eyes cast down and was nursing her wrist.
'For the last time, Mr White, I suggest you leave. Do you understand me?' Gene told him.
Evan grabbed his briefcase and stood up. Casting an evil look at Alex, he turned on his heel and walked out of the bar.