Defeating the Enemies
Chapter 8 -The Devil Rides Again
A bit of angst and a some worrying moments for Gene within this chapter. Also the name of Alex's stalker is finally revealed . I've been experiencing slight writers block over the past few days which left me worried to post this chapter but i hope it is ok which is Unbeta'd
Rhys who had been standing round in the dark living room for more than 20 minutes and had been feeling very drunk his legs nearly giving away from underneath but remaining fully unaware of what had already happened upstairs between Gene and Alex and their reasons for leaving early . When they had finally made their way downstairs a few minutes later, obviously trying to hide their smiling faces and trying not to bring out any suspicion from the young Welsh man. Not noticing that Gene's white shirt was currently showing a bit of flesh . However luckily the small love bite on the upper part of his neck, just under the cheekbone where she'd given him an hour earlier was being covered by the collar of his shirt.
"Blimey take yer time both of you.... how come you two left me in the middle of the club i couldn't find you?, You know I had to make my way home by walking for 30 minutes because there was no sign of a single taxi in sight" raising his eyebrow with suspicion , remainging quite unhappy but in the meantime he'd had some important news to tell them concerning Jack Finnegan.
"Buggering hell how many have you had Rhys you look like you've been doin the YMCA quite a few times the way you're wabbling all over the place just standing there"
"I've had too much"
"Sod all that anyway i wanna know what's the latest news on Finnegan Rhys, what his latest is?", the young man stumbled over towards the sofa, sitting down ressting the back of his head against the cushy pillow turning to look up at Gene who was stood by the telvision in the living room and Alex was standing in the doorway. Upon gathering the information he'd heard he looked down thinking then noticing that Gene's flies were wide open on his trousers pulling an amusing look and silent chuckle as he then moved his head upwards making brief eye contact with the big dark eyes of the male detective.
"Well I stayed around for about another hour and I overheard one of Finnegan's friends mentioning about a planned robbery on the Carlton's house they're planning it for this Monday morning. He said that he hadn't been paid enough by Mr Carlton, greedy git I thought "
Alex was convinced that this would be the evidence to finally nail the former criminal with "I think he's definitely given the game away there Gene surely we can nail him before he does the robbery within the next week or so" also she hinted, mouthing about the zipper on his trousers being open. He looked down and then back up slightly red faced with a sweaty eyebrow. Rhys had already left the rroom and went upstairs to get changed in to his pyjamas as he was then climbing into bed for a good couple of hours sleep hoping to sleep off his headache.
"Do you think he noticed about me zipper being wide open?" whispering looking at Alex with a moment of shyness.
"Yeah pretty much did " she grinned, trying to hide her infectious giggling from the embarassed Gene, which he had heard.
" Gene Genie does not appreciate being laughed at, so I'll be getting you back for that later Bolly " winking his eye at her, playfully giving her bum a slap before chasing her upstairs with a seductive but cheeky smile on his lips while she squealed with delight.
Their working relationship was changing ever so fastly and much quicker than expected since they had been in Wales for the past few days. She felt more relaxed and a lot safer around him. She joked to herself that he was like her own Prince Charming but more stouter.
Early next morning Alex was already up having left a calmer more sleepy Gene in bed and tip toeing past Rhys' bedroom as he continued to remain fast asleep in his bed , she was making herself some breakfast while Rhys had also still be sleeping , she heard the television switch itself on, the sound of a young girl's voice spoke out. She turned round and jumped with fright when she realised it was Molly who was still wearing her school uniform from the tragic day that Alex was taken away from her daughter.
"Wake up Mum I miss you, please wake up its so lonely here without you, Evan's being really horrible he's at work all the time, ignoring me "
Alex ran straight over towards the television in the main living room, she fell to her knees and gently placed her hand over the image of Molly's sad but lonely face on the tv screen. "I coming home Molls i will find a way back to you i promise".
Tears streaming down her face as the picture then preceided to fuzz out. Her eyes looked downwards at the floor as she tried to gather to courage to hide her emotions wanting to keep them to herself.
A little while later a hungover Rhys had come down for his breakfast, yawning as he walked towards the kitchen and pouring out a bowl of Frosties from the cereal box.
" What are you going do about Gene then?" glancing up noticing her quiteness in the living room as she sat on the sofa eating the remainder of two slices of toast ,while was he tucking in to eating his breakfast at the kitchen table.
"Don't know what you mean Rhys" turning her head feeling a bit flustered as her eyes glanced towards the living room door waiting to see if the very tired DCI would finally make an appearance .
" Don't be silly I know,.. Its so obvious I could tell straight away there was something between you and Mr Hunt, he so likes you I can always tell by people's body language the way they react around one another,its in the eyes that always give it away ".but still she refused to going in to detail
"Oh Come on.... please tell me I could do with a right chat while we wait for him to get out of bed" as he chuckled to himself.
"Ok i might tell you later" as she came into the small kitchen and turning to wash the plates in the sink. Both of them exchanging a moment of laughter.
She came to realise that Rhys was a very clever young man , he'd mention a couple of nights ago that he had studied Psychology from reading many books on the subject, however he had decided not to study it further in College . He had also proved to be clever with keeping tabs on suspects for DCI Hunt which at the saem time scared Rhys deep down inside worrying that it would eventually get him killed .
As Gene finally arose out of bed around mid morning yawning loudly with his arms raised in the cold fresh air, he noticed that he had missed three phone calls from the office back in Fenchurch. Dialling the number up to the office , Chris answered
"Oh Guv we've been trying to get in contact with ya for two days, we've got a name for the guy that's been hanging around outside DI Drake's flat, his name is Rupesh Malenga from India apparently, me and Ray found out that this Malenga guy has been arrested a few times back in India for fraud and deception. Can i ask you somethin Guv? one thing I don't get is, what does this guy want with DI Drake, she said she doesn't know who this guy is didn't she?" the young Detective Constable looked completely baffled.
"Good question Christopher hopefully that's what we'll try and find out very soon and have him arrested " placing the receiver down back on the telephone holder next to the bed . Plenty of worries being felt in his mind for the safety of DI Drake, making a promise to himself to protect the woman he loves. Which was something he hadn't told her yet, feeling a slight worry that their night of passion was nothing more than a one off , trying to ignore his sudden worry he wanting to find the right opportunity to confirm his love for his DI. Also needing reassurance that she might feel the same way.
He got dressed into his dark royal blue suit, grey trousers but forgetting to brush his blondish hair, closing the door of the bedroom eventually made his way down the stairs. "Can I have a word with you Bolls" pulling her in to the kitchen. She noticed the concerned and panicked look on the usual grumpy DCI's face.
"Did Chris or Ray ring?" guessing straight away.
He nodded "I know you want to protect from this guy who seems intent on making our lives hell but..." she put her index finger on his lips shushing him,
"I don't care, all i want you to do Gene is keep me safe wrapped in your arms forever..Forever Gene" she smiled leaning up to leave a gentle tender kiss on his forehead and moving to kiss his lips softly.
Wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as they rested their foreheads against each other's with their eyes remaining closed for a few seconds. Their worries quickly vanishing in to thin air as they took in the silence around them.
Noticing the silence in the kitchen Rhys popped his head round the corner of the door and was happy to witness the moment of happiness being shared by his two lodgers "Erm I don't want to interrupt you two lovebirds but you might want to go and take a look at this outside the front drive way Mr Hunt" Rhys interrupted yawning and sighing with his mouth wide open.
"What is it Rhys?" Gene wasn't happy being distracted away from Bolly.
"Its your car it looks like someone has graffitied all over the front of it "
The angry Manc Lion stormed out of the kitchen, followed by Alex and Rhys and then eventually coming on to the driveway.
The sight in front of him made his blood boil through his veins and teeth grind.
The message "Your days are numbered you fucking animal, the devil will ride again", the three of them didn't know what it meant, Gene suspected Finnegan or of it being down to one the Irish man's friends . Red graffiti would be hard to get off the main windscreen of the car.
"Gene please don't flip out like this " as Alex tried to comfort him with her hand resting upon his shoulder which he removed quickly , he shouted back at her scaring the DI, "You want me to be calm but how can I be calm when some bastard has done this my beloved car, you know what Bolly just go back inb the house while i try and clean this bloody mess up!!" banging his fists on the car bonnet in anger.
She ran back in feeling very upset for just being shouted crying on the sofa . Rhys remained outside standing behind Gene who tried to wipe a bit of it off with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Mr Hunt it'd probably be best if you got a bucket of water and sponge to try to clean it off the windscreen it would help very much"
"Well don't just stand there go and get one then " he growled back breathing heavily on the chest . Rhys rushed back in to the kitchen filling the bucket up with water walking back to join Gene outside as he then noticed Alex curled up on the sofa crying. Feeling sorry for Alex he was about to place his hand on her shoulder when he heard Gene shouting for him.
"Rhys I haven't got all bloody day!!" his shouting had become very louder.
He came rushing back out with a bucket of water and sponge, Gene grabbed the bucket and sponge, splashed the water all over the front part of the car. The sponge worked well getting three quarters of the sprayed paint off.
A few moments he had managed to calm down.
"I think you might owe a certain person an apology Mr Hunt " Rhys hinted pointing out giving a nod in the direction of the front room.
Gene then realised he had just reacted very ignorant and selfish to Alex.
" Bugger, she probably thinks I'm a right 'orrible' northern bastard won't she or a boring depressed idiot"
"I'm pretty sure she willl understand hopefully, she is a Psychatrist after all" Gene walked past him and back in the house. He suddenly remembered as the DCI turned facing Rhys as he corrected him
"No Rhys she's a Psychologist.... blimey i've said it right this time for once"
Taking a moment breath before entering the living room, looking down to see her obvious tears on the woman he loved, they were quite visible on her cheeks, about to speak only to be stopped by her telling him.
"Go away Gene I don't wanna talk to you, you hurt my feelings out there, putting the Quattro first as you usually do" as she turned away from his guilty look.
"Alex I'm sorry you know what i'm like.. how I overreact all the time about a lot of stupid things" he bent down to stroke the brown curls of her hair as she turned to look up at his eyes which met hers with a moment of intensity. Hand moving to smooth against in the left side of her chin .
"Ok but you need to do something about that temper of yours or it will come between us again and again " the only answer she could give as they hugged each other.
" Now I was thinking that we should really pay Joey Baker, Finnegan's mate a visit don't ya think?"
She jumped up off the sofa following behind the more calmer DCI. "Rhys is it ok if use yer car instead?"
Rhys understood throwing the car keys over to the DCI "Yer why not, just don't bring it back all smashed up cause' it cost me a lot money to buy my lovely precious Volskwagen car"
Allowing him to use it, softly whispering something in Welsh under his breath that Gene obviously didn't hear, he smiled nodding towards the DCI. He watched as they drove off as he next tried to catch up with some housework he hadn't done within a few days.
Near around mid day while the Volkswagen car had still been stuck in heavy traffic jams, Gene beeped on the carn horn infuriatingly, causing Alex to let out a silent chuckle. He popped his head out of the driver's window shouting at the top of his voice
" This is doing my head in , Move it you stupid bastards"
"Gene i'm sure the trafffic will get going in a while just sit back in your seat and relax"
As he sat back down in the seat suddenly feeling something he hadn't felt before ,a sharp pain in his chest, a sudden fear passed through his mind, panic which felt like the fright of his life . Grabbing at the right arm tightly. That then caused a change of atmosphere within the car as her smile quickly changed into a very scared and panicked look as she seen his face turn very pale . "What is it, is it a pain in your arm, chest or heart?", she had felt that maybe this was a clear warning sign for Gene telling him to stop losing any anger and temper or his health would detorate further.
"Please take it easy i'll question Baker when we arrive at his house". He managed to listen to her every word as he felt more relaxed when they finally came to the address of Joey Baker's house which was situated in a close knit community.
She climbed out her side of the car, opening the door for the DCI who didn't want any fuss being made about his brief health scare in the car a few minutes earlier.
"We should really have gone to the hospital just to have a check up to see if you're feeling better"
"Bolls for christ sake!!, stop worrying woman i'm feeling a lot better now my brain will literally explode if you mention the hospital again". When he was 10 years old Gene had always hated hospitals having been in and out of them quite a few times, after getting in to fights in school with school pupils and his mother giving him a clip over the ear for being rude to the doctor.
They made their way to the front white door of Joey Baker's house with Gene still holding on to the top of his shoulder. Before she could have the chance to knock at the door, the former criminal opened it , realising they were police detectives , making a run for it throwing his bags down by the door . Alex quickly took off to run after him leaving Gene standing in the garden, who was quite surprised to see how quick his DI ran off to chase after Baker . Baker dived over the wall as Alex was closing in to catch him a few yards behind. As he tried to jump over the second back garden wall she pulled him down by his legs. "You're under arrest" she announced as she tried to get her breath back.
She bought him round to the front, as the detectives took him back in the house closing the door behind them.
"What do ya want from me i've done nothing wrong , i'm not dealing drugs anymore i've changed"
"You've done nothing wrong sunshine well how come then you were spotted with bags of drugs in a nightclub last night then" Gene asked while exercising his sore painful shoulder with his other hand.
"Shit, Jack said that he reckoned we were being watched last night by you soddin coppers" he sighed sitting back on the couch. Attempting to light up a fag only to have it knocked out of his hand by the frustrated DCI Hunt.
"You're quite the angry copper that Jack's been talking about aren't yer" attempting to play mind games with Gene, as he looked over at Alex with a wink which she tried to ignore mouthing "Piss off". It seemed Gene Hunt was a well known copper to the former London criminals as an old friend of Baker's, known by the nickname of Porkpie had previously been arrested back in London in 1981 by Hunt for an assault on an old man outside the local football ground.
" Would you please stop messing round... please we've come to ask you a few questions about a planned robbery" she made sure to keep Gene standing behind her incase he wanted to kick seven bells out of the cocky Irish man.
Baker eventually obligied stopping his taunting at the male detective. "Yeah that's right there's been a robbery that's has been planned for quite a while now, Jack's been planning to fleece this guy called Robert Carlton and his son"
He laughed "So i guess you want me to grass on my best friend then, he won't be happy when he finds out " worrying to himself.
"We also believe that he was responsible for killing a young student called Ricky Stevens"
"Ricky who?" scratching his head in confusion.
Gene and Alex both debated with each other in the corner of the room, that although Baker had given the evidence that they were after about the planned robbery on Friday morning, they still couldn't get an answer from him about whether Finnegan did indeed kill young Ricky back in London.
"When you gonna leave my house i've got company expected in the next half an hour" he moaned, checking the clock on the wall.
"What company?" Gene rushed over to the chair and grabbed Joey by the chin, angrily squeezing it as he demanded a direct straight answer from him.
"Yer know what i hate lying little buggers like you thinking yer can get away with committing drug dealings, robberies, assaults on innocent young people and even murders whenever you feel like"
"Its not Finnegan he's going back to London tomorrow going ahead with his plan".
Gene turned to look at a confused DI Drake about what should be done next.
"Ok if you want to know he's gonna be in a black plain van taking off from Roberts Close in West Fenchurch at around 8.24am, Finnegan didn't kill this Stevens, said he witnessed it and that he'd agree to protect the real killer through blackmail " as he finally answered the question they had been waiting for. Noticing he had bruises on his arms after having his arms held tight by the DI.
"By the way if you want to know i told Finnegan i didn't want any part in this robbery at all"
They left a few minutes later walking over to the parked Volkswagen Polo over the road , taking in the new developments in the case. As they now planned to bring Finnegan in for questioning even though he was no longer the main suspect in the murder case. They wanted to get the truth from him on who was the real killer and charge him with blackmail at the same time. Would they also find out who had wrote the threat to Gene"the devil rides again" on his precious red Quattro?
"We'll have to let Chris and Ray know about the latest developments in the case, i'll phone up the office later." he suggested. Climbing in to the passenger seat as Alex insisted on driving the car back to Rhys house.
Changing the subject all together as their eyes made contact with his when Gene asked her about how they would get Rhys out the house later that evening evening so that he would be able to cook a very romantic meal for his girlfriend wanting to tell her and the world how much he loves her.
While they were busy making plans for their last two days in Cardiff before headng home to London, Alex knew Rhys would be disappointed as he had become like a good friend and like a brother she had never had over the last few days they got to know each other.
Unbeknown to them in a London hospital at around 5.05pm , staff were now battling to revive Robert Carlton as a nurse had spotted a dark figure trying to smother him with a pillow but had been unable to get a clear description. "Try again up second time please" the nurse shouted to her collagues as they tried to resuscitate Mr Carlton with CPR.
The lone figure of a young man stood in the shadows watching on eventually walking away.
Please R&R