miles from home (open)

This part of the dock just didn’t have the coffee bar where Nick worked. Outside was the pier proper with sunshine and sea. Also a lot of relaxed shiny happy people and quite a lot of tourists as just as Alice was about to suggest she could do this on her own as she wouldn’t even take Lucas on a mission. That time in Greece was totally unexpected.

“Thief. She got my purse” was the shout from outside. A little bit of drama reached even here in the part of ultramodern city. “Work never stops” she said instead and took her coffee with her and went outside. Unless she got a lucky break the thief would be gone by now but did she talk to the woman after showing her badge. Nick would have heard a description given of a girl in yellow. Round ten years old or close to that. Long brown hair as well.

While she had deputised people she knew in emergencies it wasn’t how things worked here. Had Nick seen anything?

Nick Mire

Nick did have input as he’d seen her before as well as knowing when she was likely to turn up for an expensive drink. “Nick that is helpful. Do you remember what name she gets written on her paper cup?” she posed with the wheels turning in her head about which possible child thief it could be. Sometimes they were attached to gangs or just ran their own criminal business.

Then she turned back to the robbed tourist. “Let the Ashford arms know your purse was stolen. I will inform the PD but the hotel can cancel the visitors debit cards” she added and then recorded in a notebook what the woman figured had been stolen. Some cash, a credit card issued in Miami, the island debit card, her mobile phone, key card for her room and she wasn’t sure how to explain this to her husband. She also took down her name and room number for the follow-up visit which Alice promised that evening.

So stopping for a coffee had ended up with another case. Just her luck and she hadn’t even got to take the statement from the boat tour guide yet.

Nick Mire

So with the woman at least not so shook up and ready to do what Alice suggested it was back to talking with Nick. “This is normality for my partner and myself but at least I let others deal with this. I tend to get murder cases and other serious things. Having something this simple is refreshing” Alice mused before draining her coffee. So much for having a break.

“You wouldn’t believe the kind of things we’ve dealt with. Including an overseas case that ended up like an action movie” she added. She couldn’t give much in the way of details but her work did cover the darkest deeds humanity as a whole could think off. There was certainly too many shootouts for her liking.

Nick Mire

Looking back at Nick she did look serious. “If you want to go to the slums stick to the west side. You’ll at least find police officers there. The new city is the safest place on the island but the fishing villages to the west and east of the city are hospitable. They get tourists from time to time. Also locals wanting to get fish or go on a boat trip” she replied.

Then she showed Nick a digital map on her phone pointing out what she’d talked about. She zoomed in once she did do and it might give him ideas.

Nick Mire

Alice smiled hearing this offer. She didn’t know much about fishing but she could ask around for him. “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open about good fishing spots. There’s plenty of organised things to do and see. I’ve been to most of them but I liked the paleotology path better. It was also the babies first day out” she said.

“Duty calls Nick but I will keep in touch” she added with a sigh. He was good company but once she got her police work cleared up perhaps the next day would work for them. “I should be passing here tomorrow”.

Nick Mire

The next few days later  Alice was back. However the elusive child thief was staying that way as there wasn’t an accurate description of her and she could hide anywhere in the city, old town or slums. She doubted the name supplied when she bought drinks was genuine. About as genuine as her own surname was given she’d grown up with just one name all of the life she remembered. One thing she could do was work out how the cctv cameras functioned here and perhaps a sting operation to scoop up some petty criminals just might be possible. This was part of potential planning.

So looking a bit more relaxed though still on duty it made sense to have a good look round here. If pick pockets were operating it also made sense to try and spot the signs of it; in return you just might catch somebody in the act. So strolling up to the place Nick worked she ordered a vanilla latte for a change. So he just might hear her name again while he kept the production line going.

Nick Mire
(We can just keep,on going)