New Baby, New Problem

"Kev, there has been a mass breakout at the juvenile prison!" Skylab said.

"Did Nick getaway? What about Philippa?"

"The news is sketchy, guards were killed, some inmates are dead, the others are running loose. Oh my God, what does this mean?" asked Skylab.

"The police will round them up."

"Kev, someone from outside must have organised this."

"Maybe, yes. You don't know."

"I've got a bad feeling about this. Philippa blames us. What if she comes looking for revenge? I'm scared for Holly."

Kev did his best to calm Skylab. He, too, was worried.

Skylab was bathing baby Holly. She was gurgling. Proud father, Kev, was standing watching with a satisfied but forced smile. Uncomfortable thoughts were tapping like a woodpecker on a tree.

"We need to find some work soon. Our cash is running out," he said, changing his thought process.

"Don't worry, jobs will soon roll in, just like before," Skylab said.

"This is the longest we've gone without something decent to work on."

"Kev, please relax, sit back, enjoy our new baby. You still help people find premisses, I can go back to teaching. We're fine."

"Maybe, but I miss the excitement and adventure working with Gatts."

Gatts was the couple's friend, a police captain. They had posted him to the station over the road from Coffee Investigation's office, Kev and Skylab's secondary business. Teaching and real estate were fine, but they loved the thrill of pitting their wits against criminals. The good thing, or rather the bad thing, was that where they lived saw little crime. They coined the Coffee Investigation name as a jokey reference to the amount of the mugs of the hot dark brown, refreshing liquid that the team downed by the mug full when working. They had cut the name to a more snappy, social media-friendly title. It was now known as Co-In Limited.

Gatts was more than a pal to the couple. They had saved each other's lives in the past. Now, Gatts had been promoted and moved to the troubled deep south of Thailand.

Gatts had made a name for himself working with ex-pats in and around Hua Hin, but now he had to turn his skills to deal with smuggling across the border with Malaysia and the more serious problem of Muslim insurgents. Kev and Skylab missed him badly.

His replacement was straight out of the police academy in Sam Phran. Sip Tam Ruad Tri. Miss Khwam had the rank of Police Lance Corporal in English. She was beautiful. She passed all the police exams with full marks. But inexperienced in anything but the training grounds. It helped in gaining such a plumb posting that her father was a police general (retired).

The Co-In office phone bleeped.

"Can I speak with Khun Skylab please?"

"Speaking. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Corporal Khwan. Captain Gatts said I must meet you before I start my new position. Can I come over?"

"Yes, sure, we'd love to meet you. We are both here most days, come over anytime."

"How about now?"

"Yes, we can see you soon. Where are you? Have you settled in already?"

"Not yet," she mumbled.

Skylab was telling Kev about the call. He hoped she may want a new house or condo. There was a gentle knock at the door.

Kev's chin rose away from his chest, his smile stretched his face as he opened the door.

"Come in," he stammered, earning himself a glare from Skylab.

"How can we help you?" asked Skylab.

"Hello, I'm Khwam. I just spoke to you on the telephone. You are Khun Skylab?"

"Yes. I was expecting someone in uniform?" She didn't say, 'and not so good looking,' but that comment remained a thought.

"I don't officially start until next week. I wanted to meet you as soon as possible, even before I find somewhere to live."

Khwam's jeans appeared someone had taken a great deal of time painting them on.

"Oh, I love your… Shirt," said Kev, a lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan.

"The Captain said it would please you."

She stretched the bottom of the white material, showing off the Tottenham cockerel on her chest.

Kev laughed at his friend's humour. Skylab was wondering what to think. Was Kev studying the team logo or something else?

"If you are taking over from Gatts, you can have his coffee mug," suggested Skylab.

"Thanks, but I don't drink coffee."

Skylab and Kev couldn't believe what they heard.

"I've brought you a gift," said Khwam, as she handed Skylab a box of Chinese green tea.

"Thank you," a puzzled Skylab said.

"Captain Gatts suggested I bought a pack and 'donated' it to you. I may need your help, and when you have your coffee, maybe I can have a cup of that." She smiled, pointing.

"Would you like a cup now? I'm just going to put the kettle on."

Kev pointed to Gatts' old place. Khwam settled in nicely.

"Gatts wondered if you had heard anything from Philippa or Nick?" she asked.

"Has he told you about them?"

"A little, but he suggested that you and Pi Skylab filled me in. He thinks you or the police station will hear something eventually," Khwam said.

She placed two steaming coffee mugs and a delicate teacup on the table. Skylab squeezed tight against Kev.

"Oh? How so?" said Skylab.

"You may have seen the news. They are no longer incarcerated," answered Khwam.

"What have you heard?" stammered Kev.

"Nick and Philippa broke out last night. They weren't amongst the bodies. We are waiting to hear the full details."

Kev looked at Skylab's ashen face. He squeezed her leg to calm her. She forced a smile before she spoke.

"Let me start with the Nick part of the sad tale," began Skylab. "We have a good friend called Myrtle. She and Kev's best friend Nick had just got engaged. They were expecting their first child, when Nick was killed, saving us by diving on a hand-grenade. Myrtle lost their baby in the explosion."

Khwam sat open-mouthed. Gatts had not told her that part of the story.

Tears still came to Kev's eyes at the thought of his noble friend's death those years ago.

Skylab continued, "Myrtle became a nun. She is still in the temple near here. While meditating on the grassy lawns, a dog presented a baby to her. She named him after her great love, Nick. So she ended up caring for baby Nick."

"A dog presented him?" a stunned Khwam asked.

"The temple dog was rooting through some rubbish and found the baby. We later found the evil man who dumped him. More on him later. Today we have enough to cover with the children and their early lives. Myrtle took the baby boy in. She looked after him and cared for him as if her own."

Skylab took a breather before she carried on.

"All the nuns share a large bedroom. Some nuns are mothers, so all lent a hand in his care. All was not well. The ladies started having disturbing nightmares. It got so bad the nuns were going to leave the temple. Eventually, with the blessing of the abbot, Myrtle brought Nick to us."

Khwam's tea was getting cold. She sat, shocked at the story.

"Myrtle didn't tell us all about the happenings, she just said, 'He is a special boy, with talents.' It was all very mysterious to us, but we ended up taking him in."

"It was not a great idea, and I was not in favour," admitted Kev.

Skylab nodded. "We had a run-in with a London girl called Camilla. Another long story, which no doubt we'll get to another day. Anyway, Camilla had a baby daughter the same age as Nick. The two children became inseparable. I said Nick had some talents? He was a maths genius, and he knew if he was being lied to."

"How did you find out?" asked Khwam.

"We were experimenting with balls on a pool table, rolling them backwards and forwards. Nick could judge the speed of the ball and tell us the angle it would bounce off the cushion. I said he could tell us things about moving things. He didn't tell us normally. He would only talk in figures."

"How odd. Why? You mean he only stated numbers, but not the meaning?"

"Yes, it took a while, but we worked out what he meant, ninety, meant ninety degrees, five meant, five kilometres per hour, and so on," explained Kev.

"The only person he would speak to was his friend, Philippa."

"So they had normal conversations? Did she talk to anyone?" asked Khwam.

"Oh yes. An opinionated girl, just like her mother," stated Kev. "Her mother is a long story, but here's an outline. She was a news reporter, a single lesbian with huge dreams. She discovered her uncle was an extremely powerful drug dealer based in the north of this country. She did a deal with him. He wanted a special child, he believed that the chemistry between him and Camilla would produce such a wonder kid."

"And did it?" asked Khwam.

"I'll get on to that. Camilla's uncle injected his seed into her womb. Camilla was born. She seemed like a normal child, but forward. We later found out she was, and no doubt is a psychopath, she kills without feeling."

Skylab continued, "We lost young Nick to Camilla. Nick's father was also Philippa's father, so Camilla had family ties. Also, Nick was desperate to live with his half-sister. They all went to Bangkok to work in a horror film. The producer employed a French woman to look after the children. She took control of the pair."

"What about Camilla? Didn't she mind being separated from her daughter?" asked Khwam.

Kev grunted.

"She was not the motherly kind," Skylab was unsure how to report the rest of the story. Kev took over.

"The nanny and the kids killed Camilla and a few more people. The children were too young to go to jail. There was no 'special' mental hospital for them. They were locked away somewhere and forgotten."

Khwam drained her lukewarm tea.

"I've taken enough of your time, and I want to hear more another time. It will be fun working with you two. If you'll have me?"

Kev looked at Skylab.

"It was great meeting you, and I'm sure we can all get along fine. Won't we Skylab?"

"Oh sure," said his partner, as she excused herself to change baby Holly's nappy.