What Was Happening
Millie turned her head to the side so that Mick's lips landed on her cheek.
"No Mick, stop! I'm sorry but I'm here as a friend and nothing more. I'm seeing someone and I'm completely committed to him."
Mick drew a deep breath. "I'm sorry Millie, I know I shouldn't have done that. I know how things stand. I was just thinking about how close we were that night, and well, you remember how good it was."
Millie grabbed his hand, "I do. And part of the reason it was so special was that it was a one off. We agreed that at the time, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. I wish it was different though."
"Yeah well, in another time and another place perhaps. Mick, you're so smart, brave and handsome, there are hundreds of girls out there for you."
"You're saying 'you too could be happy like me', right? Maybe you've spoilt me for other women. None of the ones I've met seem to come close."
"You're young, you'll find someone."
"Thanks Grandma. Umm, is hugging OK?"
"Yes, that's still OK." Millie hugged him tightly, wishing with all her might that somehow he would meet someone as special to him as Max was to her. She knew she could have so easily ended up in bed with Mick again tonight, or even justified (to herself at least) sharing a kiss and a bit of a feel. After all, she had wanted to test her love for Max in his absence, and what better way? And she was sure she would have enjoyed it on a purely physical level too. But no matter what she told herself, she simply didn't want anyone but Max, and there was no way she'd ever do anything like that to him.
"Millie," said Mick. "There's a small service for Si tomorrow. There won't be many there, just a few cousins and friends. I hoped it would be OK if you came along, you know, as a support to me?"
Millie gave him a squeeze, "Of course I will. Now, what say we go have that dinner now."
"OK"
They got up and walked together to the café.
The next day Millie arrived at Mick's place to collect him and drive him to the small chapel at which Si's service and cremation were to take place. Millie had arranged to have the morning off work to attend the funeral so they had a quick cup of coffee at Mick's flat before leaving. They drove together to the chapel. The turn out for the service was pitifully small in comparison to most funerals Millie had been to. She squeezed Mick's hand.
Mick spoke and introduced Millie to twenty or so people gathered, who turned out to be mainly cousins. Mick explained to Millie that they had scores of cousins.
"By the way," he said as he sat up the front of the chapel with Millie, waiting for the service to begin. "I got a call from another cousin of mine, who lives in Australia. I've decided that I'm going to go live there with him for while, possibly forever. I don't think I want to stay in England now." Mick glanced sadly at the coffin at the front of the room.
"Mick, that's great! I'll be sad to see you go, but a change might be just what you need. This cousin of yours, is he straight?"
"He doesn't do drugs and he's not a crim, if that's what you mean," replied Mick as they stood to welcome the celebrant into the chapel.
Millie squeezed Mick's hand, which was still in her own, once again. She held his hand throughout the service.
After everything was done, Mick, Millie and the other mourners wandered outside and made their farewells. Mick shook hands and hugged various people, and explained to just about everyone that no, Millie was not his girlfriend, just a friend who had come here to support him and who knew Si.
Soon just Millie and Mick were left standing together out the front.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye then," said Mick, clasping both of Millie's hands in front of him.
"I guess so," agreed Millie, not quite knowing what to say.
Mick smiled, "This is our second final goodbye, if you remember?"
"Oh yes, I do. With any luck maybe we'll get a chance to have a third or fourth final goodbye," Millie said with a small laugh as she reached up to stroke Mick's cheek.
Mick put his hand on the hand on his face and pressed it to his lips. He reached out both his arms for Millie and they hugged each other. Millie had tears in her eyes. They stood there holding each other for some time.
After a while, Millie became aware of her phone buzzing in her bag. Still holding Mick with one arm, she answered it. The name that lit up was 'Will'.
"Hello," she said calmly.
"Millie," came Max's confused and angry voice back at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
How Things Looked
Earlier that day…
Max and Will were sitting in Superintendent Jill Lees' office being given an assignment for the day. Max was finding it very hard to concentrate. The Super was wearing yet another of her seemingly inexhaustible collection of short, tight, black skirts, and was sitting on her desk with her legs crossed. At one point she switched legs and Max could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a suspender strap under her skirt. So while the Super talked he was having difficult time stopping himself from watching to try to confirm his suspicions. It had to be said that he wasn't especially attracted to the Super, he was just watching out of curiosity and getting a slight kick out of the reminder it gave him of Millie the other night modeling her new purchases for him.
For her part, it never would have occurred to Jill Lees that a man twenty years her junior would have the slightest interest in her, nor would she be going out of her way to attract him. This was simply the way she liked to dress, and she expected people to take her as she was. While the Super talked and Max looked uncomfortable Will was trying to suppress his laughter at seeing Max every so often tilting his head from one side to another. He knew damn well what Max was looking at!
In between their other preoccupations during this meeting, Max and Will were able to glean that the Super was asking them to observe the funeral of a former Jenson associate, just to see if anyone they suspected happened to show up to renew old ties.
"…that name ring a bell, Max?" the Super asked.
Max looked up at the sound of his own name, "Sorry, Ma'am?"
"Simon Jones, or Si Jones as he was commonly known. That name should ring a bell for you."
"It does." said Max. "He was one of the brothers who kidnapped Mill - PC Brown after the toy shop robbery."
"Now, we strongly suspect that an old mate of Jenson's, a Bill Palmer, ordered Jones's murder. Palmer is serving time in the same prison as Jones was, and would have had dealings with Jones in the past. Basically we need you two to see if any familiar faces, particularly from this station, make an appearance. We believe that Palmer might be in charge after Jenson's death. Of course, we'll have to get you a car that can't be associated with this station to carry out the obbo…"
"I'll fix that up, Guv," said Ian Sutcliffe, who had been sitting quietly in the corner. He then left the room to organise things.
"Right. Now, PC Brown's other kidnapper, the victim's brother Michael, should be there. Do you know what he looks like?" asked the Super.
"I do," said Will. He glanced over to see if Max reacted to that name. He wasn't sure if Millie had ever told Max about her and Mick.
"Keep an eye on him. He's completely reformed so they say, and you never know what an opportunistic Jenson supporter might do. There are some that seem bent on revenge for Jenson's death, and will blame anyone, no matter how insignificant a connection they may have had to him."
"Guv," Max replied.
"OK, DI Sutcliffe will let you know when the car's ready. The funeral's not for two hours yet, which should give you plenty of time."
Max and Will left the room. On their way to the general CID office they encountered two of their colleagues, DS Wood and DC Kirk going in the opposite direction. They nodded at each other.
"Coffee time?" said Will, noticing that they seemed to be heading in the direction of the door.
"Err, very funny," replied Paul Kirk. "Actually, we're just following up a lead."
"Good luck!" said Will as the two men walk away from them.
Max and Will looked at each other. If any officers were connected with Jenson, their money was on those two!
Soon enough, the car was organised and Max and Will drove to the chapel where Si Jones's funeral was being held. There seemed to be a few people milling around the chapel, but there was no sign of Mick Jones, which surprised them, but they reasoned that he had probably got to the chapel early and was already inside organising things. 1030 came and no one else seemed to be entering or exiting the chapel, except for a lone smoker who appeared at about 1045.
It was rather boring sitting there in car for Max and Will, but at least the two men seemed to have learnt to put their differences aside and work together quite harmoniously. Max was still basking in the euphoria of his weekend with Millie, and felt so happy and secure about everything that not even Will's past dalliance with Millie could upset him. Will in turn had warmed to Max because he could see that Max was truly devoted to his good friend Millie, and was treating her well. And of course the whole feeling of being in a Not Quite Right Sun Hill together at their new station was a bond as well. Neither man would use the word, but it was almost like they had become friends!
Eventually people started coming out of the chapel. Will's attention was suddenly diverted to a car parked on the opposite side of the street.
"Max, see the blue car over there. Look who's inside it."
"Kirk and Wood. I hope they haven't spotted us."
"At least our windows are a bit more tinted then theirs seem to be. Nice to be able to return to the station with a breakthrough."
"Let's not give up just yet Will. More people are coming out of the chapel."
"That looks like Mick Jones to me, Si's brother. And with him is…" Will didn't complete his sentence. There was no need for him to. Max could see clearly enough it was Millie.
Will didn't know what to say. He looked at the Max's face and saw his stunned expression.
"What's she doing here?" Max asked rhetorically.
Will felt he had to answer. "Well, you knew she and Mick were mates right?" he asked carefully.
"What do you mean 'mates'?" Max said, even though he was pretty sure he knew exactly what Will meant.
"You know, they had that thing…" Will knew Millie was going to kill him.
"What? Are you saying something happened the night of the kidnapping and she never mentioned it?"
"No, it was after that…"
"When she was seeing me?" Max demanded.
"No, well before that. When she was still a copper, or at least before she pretended not to be one."
"She slept with a criminal when she was a copper?" As if this wasn't distressing enough, Max had looked up to see Millie had her arm linked with Mick's.
Will saw what was happening and shook his head. He couldn't believe Millie could be so stupid. "Yeah I know, not exactly ethical. But she regretted it afterwards."
"Oh I can see that! She obviously wishes she never went near him! Today she's just there to offer a sympathy fuck you think?"
"Max, I don't believe for a second Millie would do anything like that. She loves you. She would never cheat on you. I'm sure she's just here as a friend." Will could have killed Millie because, right at the moment, she wrapped her arms around Mick, who was embracing her back.
"Look mate," he said to Max, "…take my phone and call her right now. It's not fair to either of you not to put a stop to this before it goes too far."
"Somehow I think it's best I get to see what's really going on," said Max, pushing the phone away.
"No." Will was adamant. "You ring her now. It's the best thing for both of you. Then you'll see it's just a misunderstanding."
Max angrily took the phone from Will. He punched in Millie's number. He watched as she looked in her bag and answered her phone.
"Hello," came her voice. Max couldn't believe that in the midst of betraying him she could sound so cool.
"Millie," Max replied. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Millie was perplexed. She let her other arm fall from around Mick. "What do you mean?" she asked.
'I mean, you see that red car across the road from you, no, wait, you hear this horn blaring…" Max hit the horn, "that's me and Will sitting in the car. And we are currently watching my supposed girlfriend with her hands all over some guy who Will has just told me was once her lover." Will sank back into his seat. "That's what I mean!"
"Max, for God sake!" Millie was angry. She took a few steps away from Mick. "Do you realise that poor Mick's brother has just been murdered, and that his parents have long since disowned them? I am here to offer comfort to a friend, that's all. I haven't done anything wrong!"
Max was almost speechless with rage. "Nothing wrong? OK, let's just say then that you're being a bit insensitive! Is that better?"
Millie sighed. "Look Max, let's not argue now about who's being insensitive. Ring me back later, and we'll talk then OK? I do love you, you know." Millie had decided if the police were watching the funeral, she'd better escort Mick home after all.
"I thought I did. Now I'm not so sure." Max hung up and crossed his arms and stared in front of him. Will didn't know what to say. He notice Max only moved his gaze when Millie and Mick started to walk off towards the car park, where he recognised Millie's car and wondered why he hadn't spotted it earlier.
Will thought he'd better say something. "Max, I don't think Mill would cheat on you. I'm sure if my brother died she'd look after me the same way. And you know that wouldn't mean anything don't you?"
"I know you're trying to make me feel better, but you're not," said Max. "And I don't understand how you can defend her."
"I can't." Will said simply. "I think she's being incredibly insensitive, and quite frankly, a bit stupid. But I don't think she thinks this in anyway impacts on your relationship. I think she's just trying to be a good friend."
Max didn't say anything. He just looked at Will and shook his head. Then he turned as saw Millie looking at him as she and Mick drove off together in her car.