The Watcher

The Watcher: Chapter Six: Inspector Moxey Enters the Scene.

Inspector Moxey originated from the British Isles.  He had a posting with the Military Police in Petawawa.  Prior to this he served as a constable at Scotland Yard in London England. He was living far away from home and he sought companionship through the patrons of the pub.  He was a handsome bloke with a mop of straight hair across his brow and an earnest and interested expression on his face.  When he talked to people they always had his full attention and his responses were delightfully British.  He had a fashion of responding "Right, Right" to comments made.  He also referred to people who annoyed him as "bastards" which always got a giggle out of Nicole the barkeep.  He wore a trench coat not unlike Colombo!  He was of average height and stature and he was thought of in a fond way by all the patrons who knew him.  Inspector Moxey had his own unique style that charmed anyone he interacted with.  He often said "yes, yes isn't that amazing eh" or isn't that brilliant! 
Nicole handed Inspector Moxey his usual mug of beer on tap and she pulled him aside to tell him about the latest spooky happenings.  He peered intently into her face and bobbed his head up and down as Nicole told him her story.  He responded "that reminds me of my Granny back in England, who told us stories about the house that she lived in that she believed was haunted".  He told Nicole he didn't know if there was any truth in it but that he had never seen anything unusual during the weekends he spent with his Gran.  He described his grandmother as being a bit of an odd ball in that she dressed in bright colours that often didn't match and she had an obsession with cats which was evident in the clothing and jewelry that she wore.  She also played the mandolin which often resulted in family members romping around arm in arm kicking up their heels in what ended up as being a kitchen party.  Inspector Moxey loved these family gatherings and his Gran in particular who made the tastiest baked goodies.  He often talked about sweeties being his down fall now that he was moving beyond his prime at the age of 60.  He looked back over his life puzzled by how time had gone so fast and how his family were now grown and ready to launch. 

Inspector Moxey was on his own now and divorced and he was counting his lucky stars that he had left his dysfunctional relationship behind.  He had a soft spot in his heart for Nicole who was his good friend had she introduced him to many of her patrons who were now his friends.  Nicole had the gift of gab and a heart of gold that endeared her to anyone in her company.  Inspector Moxey also liked her eccentric neighbour Georgina, who was a retired social worker who loved her kitty cat Steve and also a good mystery.  Inspector Moxey was at times lonely in that he lived so far away from home and some of his good friends.  Other times he preferred his own company and the quiet times being single offered him.  His life was pretty good!  He earned good money in his job at the base and some of the perks he was able to have helped to take the edge off.  He was particularly fond of his red Toyota Corolla, in that it had a smooth ride and a luxury feel to it.  He lived in a garden home in Petawawa that he purchased at a modest price and it offered him home comfort and a feeling of home.  His house was well insulated and he never heard his attached neighbour including her yappy Yorkshire terrier given his house was extremely sound proof. Inspector Moxey also liked his neighbourhood which had regular people and non of the pretentiousness of other neighbourhoods.  He also adored the colour red and his sofa and draperies were cherry red accented by wall hangings with accents of gold and orange. He often felt like a man without a country to call his own.  A job opportunity had brought him here ten years ago after his job became redundant at Scotland Yard.  Coming to Canada was a good move for him in that he needed a fresh start for his life. 

Inspector Moxey had a bad habit of not servicing his cars and the last one he owned caught on fire while he was driving it to work one day.  He responded "Blimey I was meaning to get it into the shop but it has just been too busy!"  He recalled he had repeatedly forgotten to service his car resulting on it catching fire as he drove it. His Toyota was his new baby and he reasoned that it was a better investment and that darn it he was determined to look after it this time.
There were so many details in his daily life to remember and things that had to be done that depended on him alone. This was on top of the crazy demands his job made on his life often resulting in 12 hour days and also dealing with complex issues in volatile situations. In his sixties his new favourite activity on a Friday or Saturday night was to hit the hay early in the evening and to have a good nights sleep.

Inspector Oxley was often heard muttering "blimey or bloody hell" when things took a weird turn in his life or when he ran into strange situations.  He was often heard by his colleagues on the base in quite a state muttering to himself as he dashed about addressing new cases.  Now his friend Nicole was talking about a mortician and a ghostly female haunting her pub and he didn't have a clue how to respond to her. He pondered if his friend was a bit of a flake or maybe just a bit strange in the head.  He acknowledged that he really liked her though and every time he visited the pub he received a warm greeting from her and he adored her smile that lit up a room.  Life was funny that way in that a bloke like himself just wanted an ordinary life with a few human connections.  What he got instead was a lot of weird and unpredictable situations that drained the life out of him.  Strangely however he loved his new job and the adrenaline rush it brought into his life he welcomed.  It helped to motivate him and it energized his otherwise dull existence.How was it he always seemed to get dragged into these weird scenarios he asked himself?  More importantly what was he to do about a ghost and a creepy mortician?  Blimey!

Some days when Inspector Oxley woke up after having had a refreshing good nights sleep he experienced epiphanies, or a kind of insight into the complex issues of the Military families that he served.  It was like a God given insight that helped him to better understand the human condition and also the complexities of everyday life.  Inspector Oxley at times smoked a pipe and he enjoyed wrapping his head around a good mystery that needed his skill set to solve.  He acknowledged that people were at times quite messed up, largely the result of having made poor decisions while living out lives made complex by the social issues in their lives.  He came to the job with a unique perspective from having had a troubled upbringing himself and also having had terrible luck with the relationships that he had been in. In his job he worked with individuals who were addicted to illegal substances that were easily obtained from drug dealers in the community.  There were also relationship issues between men and women that resulted in domestic violence issues, that often ended up in family court where they sat separately avoiding eye contact as they sought custody and access with their children.  Inspector Moxey had a son who was 27 who lived in the U.K. who had followed in his father's footsteps.  They keep in touch by phone and social media but he dearly missed his son.  Inspector Oxley at times missed having human companionship or the company of a good woman.  However he did not miss the heart ache he had experienced in relationships.  Now there was his friend Nicole trying to involve him in solving an other worldly mystery which he didn't have the foggiest clue about how to address.