by Pete Adams
Mandy smiled but her heart was not really in it, ‘Why does he not say?’
‘He’s embarrassed. He’s the sort of bloke things happen to, and between you and me, Kate never wanted to come here, as I said. She hated Jack being a copper and after what happened, Dottie an all, she wanted him to take retirement. It was the only thing he stood up to her about, being a copper,’ and she tapped her nose. What was that Mandy thought? ‘It’s what makes him the man he is. The rest, a little boy, God love him. Take your time and you’ll get to know the man we know. I have a nose for these things.’
Mandy replied, ‘I’m just not sure, Maisie.’
Maisie hugged her, ‘Whatever, sweet’art.’
Fifty-Eight
Mandy wandered into the forecourt garden, kicked her heels while Jack paid off the cab and fished for his keys, ‘You’re quiet, babes.’
‘For God’s sake, Jack, the only reason I’m here is because I did not have the heart to kick Liz and Carly out of my flat. I don’t know you. You close yourself to me so I can't find out about you. You tell me nothing unless I ask directly, and then I have to ask the right question. In your mind you think you’ve bestowed some sort of honour on me by taking me to meet your friends this evening, which I appreciate by the way, but why the bloody hell could you not tell me, and a first date, and in a bloody dress?’
‘Ah, it’s the dress, we’ll pick that up tomorrow and you can return Ted’s overalls then, no need to worry.’
She looked at him in amazement, ‘It’s not the dress or Ted’s fucking overalls. Who are you Jack, John, Peter, Joseph, CBE, QGM and soon to be GM if you don’t fart or swear in front of the Queen, I haven’t a clue!’
He was riled, ‘You said, you wanted to go on a date and get to know me, so I took you to people who know me best; speed it up!’
Not for the first time that evening she was dumbstruck. There was logic in what he said, and had she known beforehand, she would have been thrilled at meeting Fatso and Maisie, but would certainly have dressed differently, but still, a first date?
‘Messed up, thought he would?’ They both spun to face the front door.
‘Michael, how long you been there?’
‘Long enough to know dad’s in deep doo-doo.’ Jack looked at his son, worried he’d become a Tory over night; doo-doo? ‘Get in, Dad.’
He followed Mandy who followed Michael. Colleen was standing at the foot of the stairs and received Mandy’s stare with a degree of stoicism Jack ordinarily would have admired if his head had not been hung low.
Mandy stopped in front of Colleen. ‘You knew.’
‘About the fishing boat, yes, but didn’t know how to tell you. Having said that, and apart from the smell, the boiler suit has a certain modishness.’
‘Colleen, I like you, but don’t rely on that in court.’
Michael appeared with a bottle of wine and four glasses, ‘Let’s talk about this like grownups.’
Colleen and Mandy said, almost at the same time, ‘What’s Jack going to do?’
Stilted laughter over, they sat around the table, Mandy in Ted’s overalls, Colleen and Michael looking smart and casual, Jack wearing a mixed bag of clothes, none of which went together, and a frown that did not help his looks at all.
‘May I talk please?’
Michael nodded to Mandy, ‘Engineering has the con.’
Mandy could see how this was funny, but didn’t feel like laughing. ‘Michael, what do you know about your dad?’
Silence, Mandy folded her arms, and Michael looked at his dad, his head in his hands. ‘I think dad has told Alana and me everything. He trusts us to keep his life, where appropriate, discreet. I asked him if I could tell Colleen, and after a while he agreed.’ Jack looked at his son, nodded, and Mandy noticed the assent. ‘Dad was a spook, high level, strategic not field, and was awarded the CBE on retirement. We suspect, but do not ask, he’s still involved. He wanted to become a copper which, with the help of his many Whitehall friends, he was able to do here on the south coast, getting in at Inspector level. He got his eye by rescuing a kid down at the fishing quay. You've now met the parents, if not Dottie herself; he got the Queen’s Gallantry Medal for that. Yes, he embarrassed Mum at the Palace, they never spoke about it, but the row went on for weeks, Dad more worried about what Mum thought than the Queen. He was scared of Mum because he loved her, because I think, he struggled to be himself with her, he wanted to be what she wanted, he tried, but an impossible task. He could not keep up with Mum’s intellect, and to be fair to Mum, it’s not what she wanted.’
‘I didn’t tell you that.’
‘Dad, I’m alive, have a brain, eyes and ears. Mum wanted you to give up the police.’ He looked at Mandy, ‘She’d had enough of him getting hurt, was sick of worrying. Mum said when he was a spook he never got into action, but in the police he did, he’s like a trouble magnet. Mum wanted him to have a 9-to-5 job, argued he was inept, and it frightened her.’
‘Son, that’s unfair on your mum.’
Michael gave him a look that Mandy would have been proud of, it shut him up. ‘Dad, Mum used to say you were like a ship and we lived in your bow wave. The rest you know, Mandy, except as kids we love him, just as he is, and always will. We worry, of course, but he is doing what he wants to be doing, we miss Mum terribly, but she was different, and towards the end, Dad and Mum had grown apart.’
Jack lifted his head, ‘Grown apart?’
‘Dad.’
‘I’m sorry, sorry if I worry you too.’
Colleen looked lovingly at Jack, ‘If I might say, and I know you know this Mandy, he’s a kind, gentle and generous man and for that I personally would allow an element of dipstick crap, but what would I know, I love his son, and he’s not much different.’
Michael stemmed the tittering Colleen, ‘Mandy, the trawler is the key to dad. We stayed up because we knew he would blow it, we wanted to help smooth things over, he can never do anything on his own, it’s why he’s a team player. We thought you would see that.’
Mandy eventually broke the silence, ‘Yes, well', she sighed, 'I knew he was a tosspot right from the start, and to let me go to a trawler in that dress thinking everything will be okay, frankly, he deserves to be in the dog house big time.’
Jack lifted his head, ‘I wonder how Martin is?’ Mandy was tearing his skin off with her eyes, ‘Our first row, Amanda.’
‘Yes, Jack, now shut-up and get up those stairs.’
‘Amanda.’
‘What?’
‘Will you take a shower, you smell of fish guts and diesel.’
Fifty-Nine
Only a refracted light came though the edges of the curtains, accompanied by a chill; Mandy guessed a sea mist. They cuddled, the night had been about reparation. “Probably why people courted, to get to know one another”, Jack had said. Mandy derred. She was wearing one of Jack’s shirts and lay facing away. He wrapped his arm around her and gently didn’t undo the buttons; she did it for him. ‘I’m definitely putting you on that course, how to undo buttons, bra straps, for the inept male,’ she turned, and the passion was released in a frenzy.
About midday, Jack and Mandy shared brunch with Colleen and Michael, the mist was breaking and the sun brightening, all seemed right with the world for Jack, just the nagging in the back of his mind, the case, something pushing to the surface; the raison d’etre? Jack had a light bulb idea, ‘Walk down the seafront?’
The bulb dimmed upon Mandy’s reaction, ‘Taking me for a walk, so this is what Martin feels like? Okay, but the boiler suit might attract attention?’
‘Just when you thought it was safe to go in the kitchen,’ Jack mimicked the deep throaty film trailer voice in his head, unfortunately, out loud. However, slowly the glacier retreated and Liz and Carly came over with some clothes, Carly laughing heartily at the trawler date; Mandy guessed she was the more masculine of the two.
The sun grew steadily stronger, sluggishly burning the mist off the coastline, generating
a late spring feeling where the warmth is relished, making the body feel rejuvenated. Leaning on the promenade railings, it was Mandy who mentioned the forts; Tracy Island was obvious, nearby and clear, wisps of mist trailing the battements. Jack pointed out No Man’s Land Fort. It was distant, and in the mist, impossible to look at in any detail, a grey mass. They decided to walk eastward and kept the fort in their line of vision. The early afternoon was filling up with walkers, some with dogs, a lot with kids and some on their own. The odd jogger came by making Jack jump and Mandy refrained from mentioning hearing aids, she was still sore, and watched him looking at her face to see if things were okay; like he would know?
They strolled, and at each seafront feature, Jack regaled Mandy with stories of Alana or Michael, when they were small, the pier, Alana wanting to play the revolting machines, Michael wanting to fish and Jack, ironically, hating to touch a wriggling fish. Mandy melted a little more each time, and squeezed further into him. Canoe Lake, where Alana was good at crab fishing, fished out with bacon on string, often with Jack nursing a hangover from the previous rugby day. The rampart mound, part of the old Lumps Fort that edged the Park of Canoe Lake, the model village on top, and they made plans to bring Meesh. They walked beyond the model village and via the walled Rose gardens, climbed a steep rampart to achieve glorious views out to the Solent, and settled on a solitary bench, legs squashed together, a few mmmm’s as the sun warmed their bodies, the mist fading; they enjoyed the intimacy.
Jack, looking out to sea, ‘No Man’s Land fort, has me thinking.’
The fort was still shrouded and she wondered how long he’d been thinking this, and was it while she was trying to discuss how she felt about the previous night, but let it go. ‘How so?’ and waited for the Japanese joke, but it never came.
‘What d’you say we get KFC onto it, pass a message up the line, if you get my grift? All that activity, what’s happening?’
‘Jack, I think I like you involving me, and yes.’ She had his attention, and in a mellow tone, ‘Will you talk to me about yourself, not now, over time? I won’t pressure you, and I won’t try to change you, and maybe, I can talk about me?’ The mellowness ramped up, and took him by surprise, ‘What do you know about me?’ She answered for him as he blinked his immediate response, ‘Nothing, you act on blind faith, are you not even curious?’ he was quite shocked by her vehemence.
Turning, so his good eye faced her, he tried not to show his own irritation, ‘I know you’re from a small village in Surrey, your dad was a doctor, Mum stayed home, and eventually drank herself to death.’ He squeezed her hand as she reacted, ‘Your dad was cold; you and your sister had to fend for yourself. You were a high achiever, your sister in your shadow for which you still blame yourself. It would be nice to meet your sister, her husband and family, they’re only in Sussex, yes?’
‘Yes, outside Brighton, carry on, you’re amazing me,’ had she mellowed, he was buggered if he knew, but carried on.
‘You got a first-class degree in sociology at Exeter and you’re pleased Liz is there doing the same, but worried because David is at Nottingham, which is a pretty hairy city even if you forget Robin Hood.’ She chuckled at the obvious joke. ‘David will be okay, but you worry about Liz, maybe now you won’t so much. You married a copper because you got pregnant with Liz. He was a tow-rag, but you held it together for the sake of the now two kids, but when he started to hit you, thank God, you kicked him out.’
She winced at the memory, and he squeezed her hand.
‘I’m not sure if you know where he is, but he eventually dried himself out and is living in Birmingham. He sees David occasionally, Liz doesn’t want anything to do with him; hopefully that will change, both are nervous to tell you he got in touch. This may also explain why you’re wary of drink; your Mum, and your husband. You don’t drink much, why you were not used to the drinking the other night. You had so much to cope with by evening, a drink seemed like a way to deal with it. It never is by the way, alcohol’s a mood enhancer, think about it, you were uncomfortable, Liz, me, your life; a turmoil of emotions.’
She was dumbfounded, again. He was tempted with codfish and mouths, aware he had some scoring to catch up, but chose to carry on. ‘You brought your kids up by yourself and made your way in a tough career for a woman, despite all of that, you are not a feminista, although you will fight tooth and nail for your equal rights, me too incidentally, I just happen to be a man who feels men have lost their way.’
She interrupted him with a hand gesture, ‘Jack how d’you know these things? Oh Christ, you didn’t have your spook friends...?’
He stopped her, ‘I pestered your kids, remember Liz, arsehole? She thought I was stalking you. In a way, I suppose I was, it’s how I know your perfume is Opium.’ Mandy had a strange look on her face, stunned, curious, relieved the shite in her life had been uncovered and he was still there. ‘So you see, I know a lot about you, but not in an intimate way, and I want to, but it will be me as a man, not a great thinker, not Mr Sensitive perceptive guru, just an ordinary bloke in love with a beautiful woman, can you live with that? I hope you can.’
She was looking out to sea in a dream which was broken in a way only Jack could do, and after such beautiful sentiment and words.
‘Right then; pictures?’
She turned to face him, and taking his face in her hands, she kissed him, ‘No love, let’s go home and go to bed, courting is temporarily suspended.’
Sixty
Monday Morning
‘Sid, your family, they are well?’
‘Tolerably well, thank you.’
‘Cod and chips twice,’ and Jack bounded up the stairs where Mandy was waiting.
‘I was talking to you and you weren’t there?’
‘Sorry sweetness, bit of banter with Sid, not quite himself?’
‘Oh? I’m going to brief the Commander on your thoughts,’ Mandy said.
‘Our thoughts Mands, dynamic duo, and before you ask you’re Dobbin,’ he crossed his fingers and put his hands in the air so she couldn’t argue.
She stood hands on hips and shook her head, ‘Get in Batman, and be good.’
Jack looked at his desk, a note from Father Mike, a computer code for Frankie and Connie; they were used to this now. Other chaos notes didn’t look interesting so he balled them up, threw, and missed the waste bin, wheeled himself to the basket, retrieved the ball of paper, looked around, nobody looking, moved the basket closer and had another go; missed again, blamed his eye and left it for Dolly.
‘Kids okay, Jo?’
‘Just a bloody nuisance.’
‘Briefing at nine?’ Jack was swinging in his chair.
‘Sure,’ Jo didn’t even look up, ‘anything cooking?’
‘Maybe nothing.’
‘I’ve amended the crime wall, Jane,’ a pensive Nobby said.
Alice looked at Jack then smiled at Nobby; something has bloomed in the chalk and cheese department. He sat legs out, swinging more vigorously in his chair, thinking of the weekend.
Jack jumped up, ‘Shitehawks, Pugwash, what’s happened to him?’
Nobby answered, ‘Alice and I interviewed him the next morning. Somewhat distracted by Alice’s attire, he coughed, and is recommended to be bound over to keep the peace.’
‘Nobby, Alice, a result,’ he pondered, ‘Nobs lad, did Alice deliberately wear these clothes?’
‘No sir,’ Nobby replied, a picture of innocence, admired by Jack, ‘we were going out afterwards. Pugwash seemed unstable to us.’
‘Did you file a cautionary report?’
‘I did.’
Jack spun a full round, ‘Well, we have our arses covered in true Pugwash fashion,’ he tapped his gammy eye.
Throwing up noises greeted Mandy as she entered with the Commander, ‘I would like to thank you all for the hedge in my office, it will come in handy when I have to look at Jane,’ and they settled around the chaos table.
‘No Cyrano?’
‘No Commander, we’re treating the drugs as a separate issue, remember?’ Jo shrugged; her head in her notes.
Jack smoothed the Commander’s feathers, ‘Keep us posted Jo, Mands and me will need bikes from Hogwarts soon. I’ll be the one wearing the Lycra of course, nothing like a pert arse on a bloke, eh, Mands?’
Mandy looked aghast, whilst the rest of the squad asked to borrow Mandy’s hedge. ‘Nobby, what do you have?’
Nobby strode purposefully to the wall, ‘I temporarily changed Moriarty back to Moriarty,’ laughter, Jack approved. He ran through the spider’s web, how he had reorganised the wall, ‘I’d like to add a personal thought please?’
‘Rock-on, Nobs,’ Jack answered, and Mandy felt like Spotty losing control.
‘Alice and I think the Islamic thing may not be terrorism, the bombers were likely naive youngsters allowed to believe they were an Al Qaeda cell. Maybe the objective was public demonstrations stretching the police resources, fear amongst the Islamic populace?’ Jack stopped swinging, ‘We’ve learned that Osama’s son, Tahir, is not the only child missing, seems the community is too scared to say anything.’
Jack leaned forward, ‘And?’
‘We think they’ve been taken for the paedophile ring. We would like to get a Hearts and Minds team in, to gather information locally.’
‘Paolo?’ Mandy asked.
‘I preferred NoraFarty,’ another joke from Paolo? ‘We agree. Worm is singing, and Frankie and Connie are convinced it was the Leader of the Council that saved him five years back, and they’re trawling social services computers, looking for tie ups, common themes.’
‘Connie?’
‘We look for where records been deleted. We have Del shit-hot programme for getting deleted file.’ Frankie smoothed her thigh, Connie correspondingly warmed. ‘We’ll plug in what we get from the Asian community when we get it.’
