Naming the Cat

[smallhobbit]

Title: Naming the Cat
Rating: White cortina
Word Count: 525 words.
Notes:  A follow up to Secret Santa  With many thanks to jinxed100 for correcting the errors

 

Having established that DI Tyler was no longer suffering the effects of concussion, DCI Hunt drove him back to his flat the following evening.  Sam got out and turning to shut the door was surprised to see Gene also out of the car.

“I’ll see you to your flat.  Don’t want you falling over again,” Gene muttered.  He wasn’t going to admit that something was vaguely troubling him. Maybe it was his copper’s instinct but he felt something wasn’t quite right.

Sam put his key in the lock and opened the door.  He made a sound midway between a groan and a yell.  Without stopping to think Gene threw his arms round the younger man.  He, too, looked into the room, to see what appeared to be Niagara Falls coming through the ceiling.  He swore loudly.

“Oh great.  A burst water pipe.”  Gene thought rapidly through what needed doing.  “We’ll need to switch the water off.  Sam, where’s the stop cock?  ...  Sam?”

Sam was still standing in the doorway, as if he had been mesmerised.  Gene looked at his expression and changed tactics.

“Sam, here are the keys to my car.  Go and sit in it.  Stay there until I come.”

 Sam took the keys and went outside in a daze.  Gene meanwhile went in search of the stop cock.  Fortunately one of the neighbours heard him crashing around and came to help him. Job accomplished Gene thumped back to Sam’s flat, where he looked around and gathered up a few of Sam’s possessions, which, failing to find a bag, he tied up in a very damp sheet.  Feeling a bit like Father Christmas he threw the bundle over his shoulder and returned to his car.

“Right, Dorothy, it would appear that I shall have more than the kitten for company this Christmas,” he said, as he started the engine.

The next day DCI Hunt marched into CID.  “I have two announcements to make.  The first is that DI Tyler will be staying with me as a temporary measure, due to a burst pipe above his flat.  There is no need for any clever comments.”  He glared at Ray.  “Secondly we need a name for the kitten, as I am told I cannot keep calling it Cat.  So, if any of you have any suggestions, please let me know.”

“Tommy,” Ray said, “All cats should be called Tommy.”

“What if it’s female?” Annie asked.

“We once had a cat we called Teddy, turned out he was a she, but we couldn’t change the name,” Phyllis volunteered.

“It’s a male kitten,” Gene was starting to regret asking for help.

“Felix is a good name for a cat,” said Chris thoughtfully.

“I still like Ivanhoe.  We had a cat called Ivanhoe when I was little,” Sam ventured.

He was greeted with a chorus of “No”.

“How about Monty?” Annie suggested.

“Thank you for all your extremely helpful ideas,” Gene didn’t sound as if he meant what he was saying.  “However, I have made my mind up.  The cat is going to be called Sooty.”

With that he disappeared into his office, shutting the door behind him.