Fic: The Art of Being Lost and Found (35/?), blue cortina, dakfinv
Title: The Art of Being Lost and Found (35/?)
Author: dak
Word Count: 1689 (this part); (51,601 in total, so far)
Rating: blue cortina
Warnings: none here
Summary: Post 2.08. When the Guv goes missing, CID is saddled with an inept "interim" DCI. To find Gene, and the truth, Ray must team up with a hated enemy.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34
As far as dreams went, this one was alright. Jane Seymour wasn’t his favorite Bond girl, but she wasn’t bad to look at either and, since she was offering, Ray wasn’t going to turn her down. Everything was going just fine until she started screaming bloody murder. Ray wondered what he’d done wrong (he hadn’t even undressed yet), when he realized the screaming was a man’s voice. He was still wondering what was going on until he realized he was no longer dreaming and that the screams were actually coming from upstairs.
“Shit,” he grumbled, rolling out of the armchair with half-open eyes. “Bloody, crazy, twat,” he cursed as he walked up the stairs, leaning heavily on the rail. Once he reached the closed door of the spare bedroom, the screaming had stopped. But, Ray Carling wasn’t one to get out of bed, or even an armchair, for nothing, so he knocked nonetheless.
“Tyler,” he shouted when there was no response. He was about to knock again when the door was flung back. Sam stood in the doorway, panting heavily. Even in the dim hallway light, Ray could see his cheeks were wet but drying, and the dark circles under his eyes were plenty visible. Tyler’s face, however, looked anything but weak. His eyes were dark, his mouth locked in a scowl.
“What was that about?” Ray asked.
“What was what about?” Sam returned the question.
“The screaming.”
“Why do you care?”
“Cos it’s my house and I don’t take kindly to being woken up in the middle of the night, ‘specially by the likes of you.”
“Mind your own damn business,” Sam hissed, then slammed the door in Ray’s face. Ray stood there, still groggy with sleep, waiting to hear if Sam would start screaming again. The room appeared quiet, however, so Ray decided to leave Tyler to his nightmares, and he shuffled down the hall to his own bed.
*
“I’m just going to ask her why her father withdrew the report.”
“And I have to wait in the car because?”
“Because you scared the shite out of her the last time we were here.”
“One, you don’t know that. And two, I’ll be fine.”
“We only need one person for this. I’m the one what has all his wits about him. So, I’ll be the one that goes.”
“Thanks for the support,” Sam crossed his arms and pouted.
“Stop your moping or I’ll double up your drugs. Now, be a good boy while I talk to the bird and maybe we’ll go for ice cream later.”
“Neanderthal.”
“Twonk.”
Having gotten the last word, Ray left the car and walked to Lydia Wheeler’s front door. Hopefully she would still be willing to speak with him, despite the abrupt exit after their last conversation. The door opened after his first set of knocks, and Lydia looked surprised to see him.
“Detective Sergeant. I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Well, I wanted to apologize for last time. Our DI, he can be a bit...odd. Puts people off.”
“Thank you for stopping by. I was just heading out, so if there’s nothing else...”
“Actually, Miss Wheeler, there is.”
Lydia swallowed nervously and fiddled with her engagement ring.
“Oh really?” she asked. “I’m afraid I don’t know what else...”
“You filed a missing persons report in February of a few years back, for Linda.”
Lydia glanced downwards.
“Yes. Yes I did.”
“Was this before or after the baby was born?”
“After. Just after. Sergeant Carling, I--”
“But, then your father had it withdrawn, ‘bout a month later. Do you know why that is?”
“Sir, I can’t be talking about this,” she whispered urgently.
“Your parents, aye?”
“Aye. If they knew--”
“But you said they were in Spain, didn’t you? They won’t even know I was here,” he smiled broadly, hoping to calm her. When Lydia didn’t press the issue, Ray continued with his questions. “So, why did your father have the search stopped?”
“He was furious Linda took off.”
“So, he didn’t want us to find her?”
“No! He...he loved my sister. Loves her. I’ll admit, she was a burden off his back once she left, but he did care that she was alright. “
“Then why call off the search? Miss Wheeler?”
“Because she called us.”
“In March.”
“She only meant to speak with me, but Daddy answered the phone. They had a right row. Shouting and screaming, they were, till Linda finally hung up.”
“And did she say where she was?”
“I never spoke to her. But once the call was over, Daddy kept yelling. At Mum. At me. Said she went South.”
“To London?”
“Don’t know. Just South is all he would say. South with that slag. That’s what he kept saying over and over.”
“That slag? You know who he was on about?”
“Aye,” she nodded. “Sally Carmichael. Her girlfriend. Best mate, really. Well, at the time. Danced at The Warren way back, so Daddy didn’t approve of her from the start. If Linda ever got into trouble, it was with Sally.”
“You seen this Sally lately?”
“Haven’t seen her for years. Guess the last time was the day Linda was released from hospital, with the new baby. Linda was staying at hers, since Daddy wouldn’t let her in the house. That’s all I know, Sergeant. I swear. Please can I go now? If I’m late for work, they’ll sack me for sure.”
“Well we can’t have that, can we? Off you trot, luv. And, really, thank you for your help, Miss Wheeler.”
Lydia nodded and hurried past him out the door. Ray watched until she disappeared around the corner, then returned to his car, where Sam was waiting impatiently.
“So?” he asked, tapping his foot and scratching at the dashboard with his thumb.
“Girl went South with a mate called Sally Carmichael. Used to work at The Warren apparently.”
“Oh joy,” Sam muttered. “Where we off to?” he asked as Ray started the car.
“Home. We need to pack.”
“You said we could get ice cream.”
“I was joking.”
“You promised.”
“I said maybe.”
*
“Aye. We’re heading down there tonight. Already booked us a room,” Ray spoke into the phone.
“How long will you be gone?” Chris asked.
“Till we find the Guv, I guess.”
“Does Annie know?”
“Thought you could tell her.”
“She won’t be happy you’re taking Sam. Neither will Dr. Wynton, if she finds out.”
“Cartwright won’t be happy no matter what we do with Tyler. And far as Wynton’s concerned, Tyler’s life is still in danger. ‘Sides, the good doctor ain’t going to find out ‘bout Tyler’s little trip, is she?”
“S’pose not.”
“I’ll call you when we’re there. Give you our number at the hotel. You keep us updated on the Bresson case, will you? I still think that had summat to do with Tyler.”
“Wilco, Ray. Oh and Ray?”
“What?”
“You’ll...keep him safe, won’t you?”
“You have me word,” Ray sighed and hung up, then went upstairs to pack his own things.
*
“I thought we were going to London?”
“One stop we need to make first,” Ray pulled the car up to the curb.
“That’s...that’s the Guv’s house,” Sam pointed across the street.
“Well aren’t you sharp today?”
“Who is that?” Sam asked, still pointing.
“Put your finger down. I can’t see,” Ray smacked Sam’s hand away just in time to see a plump woman walking down away from the Guv’s front steps. “She looks familiar. Hang on. That’s Mabel Hynes.”
“Who?”
“Lawrence Hynes’ sister.”
“Oh. Who?”
“Remember that bakery we took you to?”
“What bakery?”
“Right,” Ray sighed. “Wait here. I just need to speak to Vera quick.”
“Okay. Who’s Vera?”
“The Guv’s bloody wife.”
“Oh. Right. You want me to wait here then?”
“It’ll be better if you do.”
“For who?”
“What?”
“Better for who?”
“Just...stay here.”
Ray opened his door and hopped out, crossing the street while keeping an eye on Mabel Hynes as she turned right at the end of the street. He barely got his finger on the bell when Vera opened the door.
“Ray! What’re you doing here? And at this time of day? Oh Lord,” she put her hand to her chest. “They haven’t found a body?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“No, Vera. But I am here to talk about Gene.”
“Please. Come in,” she ushered him inside. “Getting colder out there, innit? Would you like some tea?”
“No thanks. I can’t stay long. I just came by to update you on the case.”
“Update? You mean you have news?” she smiled hopefully.
“No sightings or nowt, I’m afraid. But we, that is, DI Tyler and I, we have a lead.”
“Bless,” she sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“We, uhm, we think the Guv might’ve gone...might’ve been taken. South. Possibly to London. We’re going down there for a few days, see what we can find.”
Vera opened her eyes and enveloped Ray in a warm hug.
“That’s the most news I’ve had since he disappeared,” she cried into his shoulder.
“Well, it’s not much...”
She pulled back and gripped him by the shoulders, staring right into his eyes.
“It’s something, Ray. And that is much better than nothing at all. Please, just...just do what you can, will you?”
“Of course.” Ray gave her one last hug, then moved to the door. “Oh, and Vera, there’s just one other thing. Don’t, uhm, don’t tell anyone from RCS about this, alright?”
Vera seemed slightly confused but agreed nonetheless. Ray bid her farewell then hurried back through the cold to his car. Whatever Mabel Hynes was doing there, it wouldn’t do to bother the Missus about it now.
“All sorted,” he told Sam as he started the engine. “You ready?”
“I was born ready,” Sam said with a smile, then chuckled under his breath.
“Right then,” Ray rolled his eyes. As he pulled away from the curb and headed down the street, he desperately hoped he wouldn’t have to kill Tyler before they even reached London. He owed to Chris to at least get the nutter there alive.
Author: dak
Word Count: 1689 (this part); (51,601 in total, so far)
Rating: blue cortina
Warnings: none here
Summary: Post 2.08. When the Guv goes missing, CID is saddled with an inept "interim" DCI. To find Gene, and the truth, Ray must team up with a hated enemy.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15
Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28
Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34
As far as dreams went, this one was alright. Jane Seymour wasn’t his favorite Bond girl, but she wasn’t bad to look at either and, since she was offering, Ray wasn’t going to turn her down. Everything was going just fine until she started screaming bloody murder. Ray wondered what he’d done wrong (he hadn’t even undressed yet), when he realized the screaming was a man’s voice. He was still wondering what was going on until he realized he was no longer dreaming and that the screams were actually coming from upstairs.
“Shit,” he grumbled, rolling out of the armchair with half-open eyes. “Bloody, crazy, twat,” he cursed as he walked up the stairs, leaning heavily on the rail. Once he reached the closed door of the spare bedroom, the screaming had stopped. But, Ray Carling wasn’t one to get out of bed, or even an armchair, for nothing, so he knocked nonetheless.
“Tyler,” he shouted when there was no response. He was about to knock again when the door was flung back. Sam stood in the doorway, panting heavily. Even in the dim hallway light, Ray could see his cheeks were wet but drying, and the dark circles under his eyes were plenty visible. Tyler’s face, however, looked anything but weak. His eyes were dark, his mouth locked in a scowl.
“What was that about?” Ray asked.
“What was what about?” Sam returned the question.
“The screaming.”
“Why do you care?”
“Cos it’s my house and I don’t take kindly to being woken up in the middle of the night, ‘specially by the likes of you.”
“Mind your own damn business,” Sam hissed, then slammed the door in Ray’s face. Ray stood there, still groggy with sleep, waiting to hear if Sam would start screaming again. The room appeared quiet, however, so Ray decided to leave Tyler to his nightmares, and he shuffled down the hall to his own bed.
*
“I’m just going to ask her why her father withdrew the report.”
“And I have to wait in the car because?”
“Because you scared the shite out of her the last time we were here.”
“One, you don’t know that. And two, I’ll be fine.”
“We only need one person for this. I’m the one what has all his wits about him. So, I’ll be the one that goes.”
“Thanks for the support,” Sam crossed his arms and pouted.
“Stop your moping or I’ll double up your drugs. Now, be a good boy while I talk to the bird and maybe we’ll go for ice cream later.”
“Neanderthal.”
“Twonk.”
Having gotten the last word, Ray left the car and walked to Lydia Wheeler’s front door. Hopefully she would still be willing to speak with him, despite the abrupt exit after their last conversation. The door opened after his first set of knocks, and Lydia looked surprised to see him.
“Detective Sergeant. I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Well, I wanted to apologize for last time. Our DI, he can be a bit...odd. Puts people off.”
“Thank you for stopping by. I was just heading out, so if there’s nothing else...”
“Actually, Miss Wheeler, there is.”
Lydia swallowed nervously and fiddled with her engagement ring.
“Oh really?” she asked. “I’m afraid I don’t know what else...”
“You filed a missing persons report in February of a few years back, for Linda.”
Lydia glanced downwards.
“Yes. Yes I did.”
“Was this before or after the baby was born?”
“After. Just after. Sergeant Carling, I--”
“But, then your father had it withdrawn, ‘bout a month later. Do you know why that is?”
“Sir, I can’t be talking about this,” she whispered urgently.
“Your parents, aye?”
“Aye. If they knew--”
“But you said they were in Spain, didn’t you? They won’t even know I was here,” he smiled broadly, hoping to calm her. When Lydia didn’t press the issue, Ray continued with his questions. “So, why did your father have the search stopped?”
“He was furious Linda took off.”
“So, he didn’t want us to find her?”
“No! He...he loved my sister. Loves her. I’ll admit, she was a burden off his back once she left, but he did care that she was alright. “
“Then why call off the search? Miss Wheeler?”
“Because she called us.”
“In March.”
“She only meant to speak with me, but Daddy answered the phone. They had a right row. Shouting and screaming, they were, till Linda finally hung up.”
“And did she say where she was?”
“I never spoke to her. But once the call was over, Daddy kept yelling. At Mum. At me. Said she went South.”
“To London?”
“Don’t know. Just South is all he would say. South with that slag. That’s what he kept saying over and over.”
“That slag? You know who he was on about?”
“Aye,” she nodded. “Sally Carmichael. Her girlfriend. Best mate, really. Well, at the time. Danced at The Warren way back, so Daddy didn’t approve of her from the start. If Linda ever got into trouble, it was with Sally.”
“You seen this Sally lately?”
“Haven’t seen her for years. Guess the last time was the day Linda was released from hospital, with the new baby. Linda was staying at hers, since Daddy wouldn’t let her in the house. That’s all I know, Sergeant. I swear. Please can I go now? If I’m late for work, they’ll sack me for sure.”
“Well we can’t have that, can we? Off you trot, luv. And, really, thank you for your help, Miss Wheeler.”
Lydia nodded and hurried past him out the door. Ray watched until she disappeared around the corner, then returned to his car, where Sam was waiting impatiently.
“So?” he asked, tapping his foot and scratching at the dashboard with his thumb.
“Girl went South with a mate called Sally Carmichael. Used to work at The Warren apparently.”
“Oh joy,” Sam muttered. “Where we off to?” he asked as Ray started the car.
“Home. We need to pack.”
“You said we could get ice cream.”
“I was joking.”
“You promised.”
“I said maybe.”
*
“Aye. We’re heading down there tonight. Already booked us a room,” Ray spoke into the phone.
“How long will you be gone?” Chris asked.
“Till we find the Guv, I guess.”
“Does Annie know?”
“Thought you could tell her.”
“She won’t be happy you’re taking Sam. Neither will Dr. Wynton, if she finds out.”
“Cartwright won’t be happy no matter what we do with Tyler. And far as Wynton’s concerned, Tyler’s life is still in danger. ‘Sides, the good doctor ain’t going to find out ‘bout Tyler’s little trip, is she?”
“S’pose not.”
“I’ll call you when we’re there. Give you our number at the hotel. You keep us updated on the Bresson case, will you? I still think that had summat to do with Tyler.”
“Wilco, Ray. Oh and Ray?”
“What?”
“You’ll...keep him safe, won’t you?”
“You have me word,” Ray sighed and hung up, then went upstairs to pack his own things.
*
“I thought we were going to London?”
“One stop we need to make first,” Ray pulled the car up to the curb.
“That’s...that’s the Guv’s house,” Sam pointed across the street.
“Well aren’t you sharp today?”
“Who is that?” Sam asked, still pointing.
“Put your finger down. I can’t see,” Ray smacked Sam’s hand away just in time to see a plump woman walking down away from the Guv’s front steps. “She looks familiar. Hang on. That’s Mabel Hynes.”
“Who?”
“Lawrence Hynes’ sister.”
“Oh. Who?”
“Remember that bakery we took you to?”
“What bakery?”
“Right,” Ray sighed. “Wait here. I just need to speak to Vera quick.”
“Okay. Who’s Vera?”
“The Guv’s bloody wife.”
“Oh. Right. You want me to wait here then?”
“It’ll be better if you do.”
“For who?”
“What?”
“Better for who?”
“Just...stay here.”
Ray opened his door and hopped out, crossing the street while keeping an eye on Mabel Hynes as she turned right at the end of the street. He barely got his finger on the bell when Vera opened the door.
“Ray! What’re you doing here? And at this time of day? Oh Lord,” she put her hand to her chest. “They haven’t found a body?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“No, Vera. But I am here to talk about Gene.”
“Please. Come in,” she ushered him inside. “Getting colder out there, innit? Would you like some tea?”
“No thanks. I can’t stay long. I just came by to update you on the case.”
“Update? You mean you have news?” she smiled hopefully.
“No sightings or nowt, I’m afraid. But we, that is, DI Tyler and I, we have a lead.”
“Bless,” she sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“We, uhm, we think the Guv might’ve gone...might’ve been taken. South. Possibly to London. We’re going down there for a few days, see what we can find.”
Vera opened her eyes and enveloped Ray in a warm hug.
“That’s the most news I’ve had since he disappeared,” she cried into his shoulder.
“Well, it’s not much...”
She pulled back and gripped him by the shoulders, staring right into his eyes.
“It’s something, Ray. And that is much better than nothing at all. Please, just...just do what you can, will you?”
“Of course.” Ray gave her one last hug, then moved to the door. “Oh, and Vera, there’s just one other thing. Don’t, uhm, don’t tell anyone from RCS about this, alright?”
Vera seemed slightly confused but agreed nonetheless. Ray bid her farewell then hurried back through the cold to his car. Whatever Mabel Hynes was doing there, it wouldn’t do to bother the Missus about it now.
“All sorted,” he told Sam as he started the engine. “You ready?”
“I was born ready,” Sam said with a smile, then chuckled under his breath.
“Right then,” Ray rolled his eyes. As he pulled away from the curb and headed down the street, he desperately hoped he wouldn’t have to kill Tyler before they even reached London. He owed to Chris to at least get the nutter there alive.