Ashes to mars

Ms Parlin

"I can't believe you're doing this Gene, I buried my son today!" Gene's eyes squinted at the shrill tone of Mrs Parlin. "Don't you have any respect!"

Sam checked his watch. Watching nosy neighbours peek through windows and feel the need to take out the rubbish, all very slowly.

He sighed as the Guv stepped forward off the mantelpiece, chest puffed out. So much for the agreed softly softly approach, then. "I have respect, love, but I've got a police officer with her neck on the line for you, so I need you to be honest with me!"

"Her?" Ivy asked, incredulously looking between the two "- you don't mean that gobby tart who was hounding me yesterday?"

You mean DI Drake, Sam opened his mouth to say it, but the Guv beat him to it."The very one."

"Why are you doing this?" Ivy asked, looking at Gene "I thought you weren't like the others-"

"Others?" Sam frowned.

"Coppers," She near spat the word out like poison "you're all bastards. You wouldn't leave my poor Tommy alone."

"Yeah," Gene stepped forward, his voice low, "and you know why."

Ivy blinked furiously. "He was a junkie-"

"He was a dealer!" The Guv roared, having had enough of her lies and fancy stories, which only seem to get him in trouble.
Ignoring Tyler's glares for not having said anything sooner.

"How did you pay for the funeral Ivy?" Sam asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Piss off." She spat, no respect. Sam could of been a speck of mud to her right now.

But the Guv was sick, not taking it anymore. "Answer the man's question!"

"Mr. Peters helped us out." She admitted defiantly, trying not to flinch under Gene's glare, which was a hard task, one she failed. Sam's eyes widened at the sudden confession and narrowed at how Alex had got stick for bringing her in, and her letting the argument be furled on her own lies.

"Tommy did some shifts down his old place, was gonna do some more down The Cave. He's always cared about Tommy, always said hello if you passed him."

"Craig Peters" The Guv now grinding his teeth a little "is the reason your son is dead."

"My son was doing fine until your lot convinced him to be a Judas!"

"A Judas?!" Gene scoffed, looking at her like she'd lost her mind, "you mean do the right bloody thing!"

"I don't care about what's right all I cared about was my son!" Ivy almost shrieked, sobbing. "So many messed-up ways to die in this city and Peters protected him, never let anyone cross him...and then coppers keep at him and at him, saying you could protect him too, protect him better!" She scoffed. Every mention of police her eyes widened, saying in the up most disgust and grossed nature"Only you can't protect for shit, can you Gene?!"

"Blow the whistle..." Sam said, as his mind trying to play catch up "- what division was in charge of that? Why didn't anyone tell us this?"

"'Cause I told them where to shove it when they wanted to take over Parlin's case." Gene grimaced, before glowering at Ivy a final time. "What the bloody hell have you been telling Peters?"

"To look out for you tossers."

"I think you'll find you're the tosser, Ivy" Gene grinned humourlessly. "Your couch, 1949, best moment of my brothers life 'til then"