Fic: The Art of Being Lost and Found (42/?), blue cortina, dakfinv
Title: The Art of Being Lost and Found (42/?)
Author: dak
Word Count: 1071 (this part); (60,138 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 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41
Sam managed to trip him up which allowed Ray to grab the little scrote before he could run off again.
“Didn’t they tell you, son? Running’s a sure bet you’re guilty,” Ray snarled as he pinned the young man’s arms behind his back.
“I’m not guilty of anything! I swear!” he whined, squirming in Ray’s tight grip.
“Oh we believe you, don’t we, Tyler?” When he received no response, Ray looked down at the pavement where Sam was sprawled out, panting heavily. “Tyler?”
“F...fine,” he forced out between deep breaths. “Really...out of...shape,” he added, wincing as he tried to sit up. After a brief struggle, Sam let his boneless body fall back to the ground.
“Now look what you’ve done,” Ray scolded the boy, shaking him. “He were just getting normal.”
“Let me go. Please. I did nothing. I know nothing. Alright?” Freddy continued to wriggle, but his gangly teenage body was no match for Ray’s solid muscle.
“Maybe you didn’t do owt. But if you know nowt, why’d you run?”
“I...I...” Freddy stammered, unable to come up with an answer. Ray looked down at Tyler who, still catching his breath, managed to force himself to a seated position, his arms draped over bent knees.
“What d’you say, Tyler? Think this warrants further enquiry?” he purposely shook the boy.
“Ab...solute...ly,” Sam nodded. “Long as we can...do it...sitting down.”
*
With little help from Sam, Ray managed to wrangle Freddy back to the all-night greasy spoon he and Tyler had eaten at earlier. This time, Ray settled for a cuppa, while both Sam and Freddy ate their fill (courtesy of Ray’s wallet.) Ray hadn’t wanted to spend a penny on the little gobshite, but Sam had insisted that being kind to the boy would encourage him to speak.
So far it had been ten minutes of eating and no minutes of talking, and Ray’s temper was beginning to get the better of him.
“You start talking, else that pie’ll be going out the same way it went in,” Ray cracked his knuckles. Freddy gulped and paled, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth.
“He’s right, you know,” Sam said calmly, taking his time with his hot treacle sponge.
“I told you, there’s nothing I can tell you,” Freddy repeated. It was not what Ray wanted to hear.
“You know this bloke. You’ve seen him. Else you wouldn’t have run,” Ray pushed the photo towards Freddy, who flinched.
“It’s a normal reaction,” Sam told him. “We understand you’re in a difficult position. But, Freddy, it is very, very important we find this man.”
Freddy swallowed another bite then aimlessly swirled his fork inside the pie.
“You won’t kill him, will you?” he asked quietly.
“Why would you think that?” Sam asked before Ray could scream it. The boy merely shrugged. “Is he involved in something? Something bad?”
Freddy winced.
“Bloody hell, Gene. What did you get yourself into?” Sam griped in near-typical Tyler fashion.
“You know him, then?” Freddy asked. Sam seemed preoccupied with unspoken thoughts, leaving Ray to take up the conversation.
“Aye. We’re his mates. Heard he was in a spot of trouble. Came down to help him out.”
“Are you coppers, too?”
Both Ray and Sam stared silently at the scared but curious boy.
“You think he’s a police officer?” Sam asked.
“I know he’s a police officer. How I found him,” Freddy seemed to notice the worried looks on the faces around him. “But I never told anyone. I swear! Gene made me promise. So I did.”
“You always keep your promises?” Sam asked suspiciously.
“Depends.”
“On what?” Ray asked.
“Who I made them to.”
“Wait,” Sam held up both his hands. “You said it’s how you found him? What did you mean?”
“It’s a really long story,” Freddy tried to dissuade them. When their stern gazes refused to waver, he reluctantly continued. “I had to write him this letter, you see...”
“Hang on,” Sam cut in. “You wrote the letter?”
“How do you know about it?”
Ray reached into his jacket pocket and set the folded papers on the table in front of them. Freddy glanced at it and, recognizing his handwriting, slumped down in his chair.
“You know why he’s here, then.”
“But not the where,” Ray told him.
“Don’t know exactly meself. He’s on a job.”
“A job?” Ray’s head started to spin.
“Aye.”
“What sort of job?” Ray asked.
“The sort that gets you into trouble. That sort.”
“He didn’t. He did. Dammit, Gene!” Sam smacked his fist on the table. “I told him. I told him over and over. Does he ever listen? No.”
“Tyler?”
“He didn’t come here for just the girl. He saw the racket this gang was running and being the delusional sheriff he is, decided to bring them down himself.”
“I’d watch who you’re calling delusional.”
“But, I’m right, aren’t I?” Sam turned to Freddy. “This job, do you know what it’s about?”
“Uhm...heroin, I think. But you didn’t hear it from me, alright?” he panicked, but Sam ignored him.
“Heroin,” Tyler repeated with certainty. “Exactly,” he leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Exactly what?” Ray asked.
“Drugs! Bloody...drugs! The Guv always overreacts when it comes to drugs cases because of what happened to Stu,” Sam leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands. “I knew he would get too involved. I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“As if he’d listen to a nutter like you.”
Sam ignored the comment.
“Right, Freddy. Looks like you’re coming with us.”
“I’m not going to any nick!”
“You’re not. You’re going to stay at our hotel.”
“Usually I charge for that.”
“On your feet,” Ray glared, rising from the table with Freddy. Tyler remained in his chair, his head still cupped in his hands. “Sam.”
“Right, right. Sorry. Coming.”
*
It was four am by the time they made it back to the hotel in Earl’s Court. Freddy asked if he could use the shower. Ray allowed it, on the condition that he use only Sam’s towels. Once the boy was in the bathroom, Ray turned to see Sam sitting on the edge of his bed, one of the pill bottles in his hands.
“Change your mind, again, did you?” he asked, collapsing his exhausted body on his own bed.
“Ray?”
“What is it now?” he grumbled, his eyes already closed.
“I...I think I know more about this than I can remember.”
Author: dak
Word Count: 1071 (this part); (60,138 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 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41
Sam managed to trip him up which allowed Ray to grab the little scrote before he could run off again.
“Didn’t they tell you, son? Running’s a sure bet you’re guilty,” Ray snarled as he pinned the young man’s arms behind his back.
“I’m not guilty of anything! I swear!” he whined, squirming in Ray’s tight grip.
“Oh we believe you, don’t we, Tyler?” When he received no response, Ray looked down at the pavement where Sam was sprawled out, panting heavily. “Tyler?”
“F...fine,” he forced out between deep breaths. “Really...out of...shape,” he added, wincing as he tried to sit up. After a brief struggle, Sam let his boneless body fall back to the ground.
“Now look what you’ve done,” Ray scolded the boy, shaking him. “He were just getting normal.”
“Let me go. Please. I did nothing. I know nothing. Alright?” Freddy continued to wriggle, but his gangly teenage body was no match for Ray’s solid muscle.
“Maybe you didn’t do owt. But if you know nowt, why’d you run?”
“I...I...” Freddy stammered, unable to come up with an answer. Ray looked down at Tyler who, still catching his breath, managed to force himself to a seated position, his arms draped over bent knees.
“What d’you say, Tyler? Think this warrants further enquiry?” he purposely shook the boy.
“Ab...solute...ly,” Sam nodded. “Long as we can...do it...sitting down.”
*
With little help from Sam, Ray managed to wrangle Freddy back to the all-night greasy spoon he and Tyler had eaten at earlier. This time, Ray settled for a cuppa, while both Sam and Freddy ate their fill (courtesy of Ray’s wallet.) Ray hadn’t wanted to spend a penny on the little gobshite, but Sam had insisted that being kind to the boy would encourage him to speak.
So far it had been ten minutes of eating and no minutes of talking, and Ray’s temper was beginning to get the better of him.
“You start talking, else that pie’ll be going out the same way it went in,” Ray cracked his knuckles. Freddy gulped and paled, his fork frozen halfway to his mouth.
“He’s right, you know,” Sam said calmly, taking his time with his hot treacle sponge.
“I told you, there’s nothing I can tell you,” Freddy repeated. It was not what Ray wanted to hear.
“You know this bloke. You’ve seen him. Else you wouldn’t have run,” Ray pushed the photo towards Freddy, who flinched.
“It’s a normal reaction,” Sam told him. “We understand you’re in a difficult position. But, Freddy, it is very, very important we find this man.”
Freddy swallowed another bite then aimlessly swirled his fork inside the pie.
“You won’t kill him, will you?” he asked quietly.
“Why would you think that?” Sam asked before Ray could scream it. The boy merely shrugged. “Is he involved in something? Something bad?”
Freddy winced.
“Bloody hell, Gene. What did you get yourself into?” Sam griped in near-typical Tyler fashion.
“You know him, then?” Freddy asked. Sam seemed preoccupied with unspoken thoughts, leaving Ray to take up the conversation.
“Aye. We’re his mates. Heard he was in a spot of trouble. Came down to help him out.”
“Are you coppers, too?”
Both Ray and Sam stared silently at the scared but curious boy.
“You think he’s a police officer?” Sam asked.
“I know he’s a police officer. How I found him,” Freddy seemed to notice the worried looks on the faces around him. “But I never told anyone. I swear! Gene made me promise. So I did.”
“You always keep your promises?” Sam asked suspiciously.
“Depends.”
“On what?” Ray asked.
“Who I made them to.”
“Wait,” Sam held up both his hands. “You said it’s how you found him? What did you mean?”
“It’s a really long story,” Freddy tried to dissuade them. When their stern gazes refused to waver, he reluctantly continued. “I had to write him this letter, you see...”
“Hang on,” Sam cut in. “You wrote the letter?”
“How do you know about it?”
Ray reached into his jacket pocket and set the folded papers on the table in front of them. Freddy glanced at it and, recognizing his handwriting, slumped down in his chair.
“You know why he’s here, then.”
“But not the where,” Ray told him.
“Don’t know exactly meself. He’s on a job.”
“A job?” Ray’s head started to spin.
“Aye.”
“What sort of job?” Ray asked.
“The sort that gets you into trouble. That sort.”
“He didn’t. He did. Dammit, Gene!” Sam smacked his fist on the table. “I told him. I told him over and over. Does he ever listen? No.”
“Tyler?”
“He didn’t come here for just the girl. He saw the racket this gang was running and being the delusional sheriff he is, decided to bring them down himself.”
“I’d watch who you’re calling delusional.”
“But, I’m right, aren’t I?” Sam turned to Freddy. “This job, do you know what it’s about?”
“Uhm...heroin, I think. But you didn’t hear it from me, alright?” he panicked, but Sam ignored him.
“Heroin,” Tyler repeated with certainty. “Exactly,” he leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Exactly what?” Ray asked.
“Drugs! Bloody...drugs! The Guv always overreacts when it comes to drugs cases because of what happened to Stu,” Sam leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands. “I knew he would get too involved. I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“As if he’d listen to a nutter like you.”
Sam ignored the comment.
“Right, Freddy. Looks like you’re coming with us.”
“I’m not going to any nick!”
“You’re not. You’re going to stay at our hotel.”
“Usually I charge for that.”
“On your feet,” Ray glared, rising from the table with Freddy. Tyler remained in his chair, his head still cupped in his hands. “Sam.”
“Right, right. Sorry. Coming.”
*
It was four am by the time they made it back to the hotel in Earl’s Court. Freddy asked if he could use the shower. Ray allowed it, on the condition that he use only Sam’s towels. Once the boy was in the bathroom, Ray turned to see Sam sitting on the edge of his bed, one of the pill bottles in his hands.
“Change your mind, again, did you?” he asked, collapsing his exhausted body on his own bed.
“Ray?”
“What is it now?” he grumbled, his eyes already closed.
“I...I think I know more about this than I can remember.”