As a result of my episode the night before, Evan rang the school the next day, saying I was ill. I actually felt fine after my sleep, although it was school policy that if a student was sick, they had to stay off for 48 hours, so I had two days of no school ahead of me. Most students would relish this opportunity, especially as Evan would be at work so I had the house to myself, but instead I began to conduct my own investigation.

First of all, I created a timeline of my visions. I got a piece of A4 paper and wrote down the chain of events. On another sheet, I wrote down what I had learnt;

Firstly – Mum gets shot in the head by Arthur Layton. She ends up in the 1980's, with Gene Hunt and a Martin Summers turns up.

Secondly – time is different there.

Thirdly – Sam Tyler had the same thing

Fourthly – Arthur Layton caused my grandparents to die. He then kills Mum. Am I next?

Fifthly – Am I going off my head, or am I genuinely seeing genuine visions?

Happy with my list, I got out an A5 lined notepad. What was I to do first? I decided that the first two would be quite impossible for me to look into anything to do with that place… assuming of course, I wasn't going mad.

So, I made up my mind that what I should focus on is finding out as much as I could about Sam Tyler. I remembered coming to the conclusion, back in the front of Mum's car, that this bloke was mad. Maybe… maybe because that was the day that Mum got shot, I was making links… Sam went back to 1973… I had dreams of Mum going back to 1981…

Also, I had to find Arthur Layton. He had to know something. And he deserved to rot inside a cold, dusty cell. And I was going to need Evan's help.

Everything had become so confusing. These were just dreams, for goodness sake! I should be thinking about seeing a psychologist, not trying to learn about them. But on two occasions in my dreams had it been said that Mum was shot and woke up in that world. And that she was fighting to see me. I couldn't just ignore that.

I never usually slept during the day, so when Evan rang me at lunch time, and told me to sleep, and I refused. Although I did give my brain a rest, and decided to watch some TV. I turned on the TV and it was on the wrong AV… so I changed it. And got a different channel to what I was expecting.

It's late at night, and Alex and Gene are sat either side of a desk, looking at each other. Alex's hair was much shorter and straight now, with a quiff. Gene looked exactly the same.

"Why did you have to come crashing in like that? I was just getting somewhere with her." Alex sounded as though she had lost some of her… light, energy.

"'Cos I'm not lettin' you take all the glory with little Jimmy."

"Just can't stand not being in control, can you?"

"You know, you presuppose that the killer is a man. Well wha' if I manage to flush out that the killer is a woman."

"Control freak." Alex decided. They both look down to forms they were filling out.

"Wha' did you put for favourite meal?"

"It's personal." Alex almost teased.

"It's a police investigation." Gene countered.

"Uh… I would say the most amazing roast vogoire with gooseberry, braised conveux and cracked biscuit.…What did you put?"

"Steak and chips." Gene simply said.

"Favourite artist?"

"Herb Alpert, and The Tijuana Brass."

"Herb Alpert?"

"Yeah, women love it. Reminds 'em of sun and sea and gettin' poked behind an electricity substation in Torrelomanos. What did you put?"

"George Braque."

"You know what, yer gonna get every soppy, postular virgin this side of the Blackwell Tunnel."

"At least I'll get some replies." Alex took Gene's sheet. "Favourite drink? Bitter… but only from Central Manchester. Favourite film… High Noon. Most admired person… Winston Churchill. Philosophy on the opposite sex… maid in the living room, cook in the kitchen, whore in the bedroom." Alex looked deeply unimpressed.

"Women admire honesty, Bolls."

"You know how many replies you're going to get, don't you? None."

I switched off the TV and punched the floor in protest.

"What is wrong with me?" I shouted. I took some breaths. "And why does he call her Bolls?" I suddenly questioned.

I grabbed the timeline I made and added to it. I also added a note to the last point on my 'things I have learnt' list, which I then realised was badly named as I have learnt nothing. I decided I had to speak to Evan. I trusted that he wouldn't cart me off to see a psychologist. Maybe he even had visions himself?

And I spent the rest of the afternoon switching through the channels, trying to find something else to see. Sadly, I didn't, and it was when Evan arrived I realised just how obsessed I was becoming, and Evan clearly thought something was happening.

"Scrap, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Just bored." I replied. "Evan, can I talk to you, please?"

"Yeah sure… what's up?"

"Firstly, please don't say that."

"Isn't that the 'cool' thing?"

"No. Sit down!" I rushed him. He did so. I didn't want to go straight into the whole 'hey guess what I'm having hallucinations about Mum and that Gene Hunt dude' so I simply started with a question.

"You know 1981?"

"Molly, I already told you it didn't mean…"

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the police."

Evan relaxed slightly, and then frowned. "What about them?"

"You mentioned a Gene Hunt… was there a woman there too?" This was the big question. How he responded to this determined everything.

"I… I can't remember." He flustered. That proved it. He knew it was Mum. Or was beginning to know.

"You do." I lightly noted. Evan stared at me.

"What?"

"You know it was a woman called DI Drake."

Evan looked nervous, worried as though I would think him mad, which was quite funny really, given what I was about to say.

"I did." Evan muttered. "It's impossible… but, Scrap, now don't tell me I'm mad because I can assure you, DI Alex Drake was… your mother. But she was in the same room as the eight year old her, it's preposterous."

"I'm having visions… hallucinations." I told him, matter of factly. "Her… Gene Hunt… Grandma Price… it's all so real, Evan. There's a restaurant, and a red car…"

"Luigis. And the Quattro. How can you be seeing this? No. No, this is ridiculous, I refuse to believe…" And with that, Evan left the room. I had always noticed that Evan, my godfather Evan White, was a bit… set in his ways, perhaps? Anything that didn't conform just didn't agree with him. I, on the other hand, was open to new things, they intrigued me. Which was why I was comfortably sat on the sofa, now absolutely positive that I wasn't going mad and keen to carry on my investigation, whilst Evan was probably pouring himself a large glass of wine to block it out. He'll come round, I thought to myself. And when that happens, the two of us will solve this.

And I still thought that the key… was Layton.

S*** IS GOING DOWN NEXT CHAPTER. This is my third chapter today and it's half ten so I think I'll start that tomorrow after school. Kindly review and stuff. Note that I had no idea what Alex was saying when telling Gene what her favourite meal was… and so I had to go with it. ALSO right this minute, my friend Nadine is watching Ashes to Ashes for the first time! Good luck to her haha. -