A Bloody Grim Payne

A Few New Friends

They did not need Nicola and her partner for anything. Louise, with the Chief's approval, let Nicola have the day off to look for a suitable dog to help them out. As she wasn't on duty, Nicola strolled through the Industrial Area, which had the cheapest but most loyal pups in the city, according to her aunt. She wasn't alone either, taking Tom with her. The boy was excited to get a new furry friend, and even more excited to name it himself.

Tom was still wearing the purple cap that his friend had given him, matching his purple shirt, which had a pixellated image of the armoured protagonist Sam Allen. Nicola was thinking about taking Tom to meet Alex, as he would likely be a fan of the series, too. But the boy was gripping her hand tightly.

"You know... When I was your age, I wasn't too worried about murderers left and right. I didn't need to hold Granny or Granddad's hand, either," she said, looking at Tom.

"I'm not you! And it's your fault for making me nervous."

"If anyone hurts a hair on your head, I'll make them sorry that they were ever born. But it won't happen. Surely you could handle, say, Jones? You handled Theresa just fine!"

"I've known Theresa my entire life, mum! I'm scared of some of my teachers, I'm scared of the cashiers in stores... How will I be an adult when I'm afraid of everyone? How will I be a detective like you?" he asked, lip trembling.

She frowned and hugged him. Tom didn't care about strangers staring at them and hugged her back.

"Kiddo, maybe you've been watching me too much. I'm always keeping an eye out for trouble. You shouldn't have to, you've got me. And if not me, you have Alessia, Aunt Louise, and Uncle Martin. There's Jennifer too, when she's not at that butcher's or with her parents. You're getting to know Jennifer too, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Because you trust her," the boy thought to himself, "You trust your team, too! Maybe I will meet Inspector Jones, and be his friend, and-"

Tom cut himself off. They had arrived at the K9 centre. The mother and son both shut up and ran inside, grinning.

....................

There were many breeds, from the faithful Golden Retriever to the friendly King Charles Spaniel, all looking adorable. Tom stared at each dog in awe while Nicola looked at the prices for things such as food, beds, shampoos, treats, and more.

"Hello, ma'am," said an employee, "You're an officer?"

She reached into her bag and pulled out her badge, "I'm Detective Payne. I'm looking for a dog for myself and my partner. I'll be looking after it, so I brought my son with me."

The employee looked over at Tom and frowned, "That's your son, ma'am? Is he adopted?"

"Is that any of your business?" she almost growled.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry!" the employee said, stuttering. They continued to tell the ticked-off mother about the different breeds and how they were well trained when a man came up to Tom.

"Aw, they're so cute!" he grinned as Tom squeaked and stepped away.

"I'm going to look at this dog now!" Tom tried to escape, but the man squinted for a second, pondering.

"Wait! Freckles, and you're a young boy with a British accent... Do you have some white hair under that cap?" the blue-eyed man asked Tom.

"I..." the boy came to a realisation after remembering his mother's description of her partner, "Are you, uh, Inspector Jones?" Tom whispered.

"Yeah! And you're Payne's son!" he pointed at the boy, smiling, "I'm David. Nice to meet you, kid."

Tom just nodded and looked over at his mother. The employee was finally leaving her alone. She looked back at her son, and-