In Which Sam Tyler has a Bad Day

[smallhobbit]

Title: In Which Sam Tyler has a Bad Day
Rating: Green Cortina
Word count: 600 words
Notes: Written for 1973flashfic for the amnesia challenge.  With thanks to my beta jinxed100

“Okay, what have you done with my notebook?”

DS Ray Carling looked up to see a very angry DI Sam Tyler confronting him.  “I’ve not seen it, Boss.”

“It was on my desk five minutes ago and now it’s gone – you’ve put it somewhere.”

“Honestly, Boss, I’ve not touched it.”  Ray looked totally affronted; it was one thing being shouted at for something you had done, but since he was innocent it seemed quite unreasonable.

Sam stormed off.  As he reached the office door he met Phyllis coming in.  She handed him a notebook, “This yours, Boss?  I found it on the front desk.”

Sam went back to his own desk mumbling something that might have been an apology as he went past Ray.

That afternoon Vince came in, “What’s up with the DI?  I’ve just had to placate Gwen, because Tyler had a pudding and then hardly touched it.  She was quite upset, asking what was wrong with it.  I ended up having to say he’d had an urgent phone call or we’d all have been on short rations for the rest of the week.”

Later in the afternoon Sam was complaining about feeling hungry.  He failed to hear Vince mutter, “Should have eaten your pudding then.”

It was not long after that that Gene came back, his face looking so thunderous that everyone instantly found themselves very busy and three of them nearly got stuck in the doorway as they all discovered they needed files from the Collator’s Den.

As Gene entered his office he shouted to Sam to follow him.  He slammed the door behind them.  “Where the hell were you?  I told you to wait outside the back of the bookies to see who we flushed out when I went in.  You weren’t there and now Barnes knows we’re onto him.  You’ve been a bloody pain all day, upsetting everyone here and you’re currently worse than useless.  Go home, Tyler.”

Half an hour later Chris knocked timidly on the DCI’s door.  He went in when Gene grunted.

“This better be important, Skelton.”

“Sorry, Guv,” Chris stammered.  “It’s just that the Boss has gone home, but he’s left his jacket on his chair.  It doesn’t seem right.”

“Hmpf.  I don’t suppose he’s also left a report on his desk?”

Chris shook his head.

“Thought not.”

Two minutes later Gene stalked out of his office, swept up Sam’s jacket and headed out.

Shortly afterwards he was hammering on the door to Sam’s flat.  When Sam opened it, he marched in.  “I’ve come for the report you failed to leave for me.”

“What report?” Sam looked confused.

“The one about what happened when you saw Milner yesterday evening.”

Sam continued to look at Gene as if he was making no sense.  Gene meanwhile was looking round Sam’s flat.  He went over to the bed and picked a pillow up.

“Sam, why is there dried blood on this pillow?”

“I’m not sure.  I sorta remember having a headache last night.”

“Come here and let me look at you.”

Sam sat on the bed whilst Gene looked at the back of his head.  The younger man winced as he felt fingers prodding at his skull.

Gene sighed.  “The sort of head ache due to a blow to the back of said head I presume.  My guess is that Milner had anticipated your visit last night and arranged for someone to waylay you on your arrival.  Still, it does explain your behaviour today.  It looks like yet another trip to Casualty is called for.  I’ll just phone the Missus and let her know you’ll be needing the spare bed again.”