Chapter 11: That is exactly how it is!
Poppy parked the unmarked police car she had commandeered outside her home, and checked her watch, it was already quarter to ten, but she had no idea what time she had left the station. Not that it mattered, Max hadn't sent a message so he was still at work. Carrying the steak and salad she had bought she walked down the path and unlocked her front door, without noticing the broken lock on the back gate. She could smell food and hear music playing as she closed the door behind her, smiling to herself she assumed Max was playing a trick on her and had left straight away. Poppy opened the living room door to see candles and the table laid beautifully.
"Max Carter anyone would think you had something to celebrate you soft git!" She called out chuckling to herself, she could hear movement in the kitchen so she approached the door. "Are you trying to be romantic?" she grinned, but stopped dead in her tracks. It wasn't Max in the kitchen.
"I wondered when you'd be back, dinners nearly ruined, take your coat off and sit down" Adam insisted as he edged past her and pulled out one of the dining chairs. He then continued to the front door and slid the bolt and chain across the front door, all Poppy could do was watch frozen.
"How did you get in?"
"Ahh about that I forgot my key so I had to break in through the back door, sorry I've sort of repaired it for now but we can sort it out tomorrow. Go on sit down" He smiled. He was acting so normally it was unnerving Poppy. All she knew was that her escape routes were blocked and there had been no text from Max to announce he was on his way, she was trapped.
"Why are you doing this?" She demanded
"Why do you think, I'm cooking us a nice romantic meal, I even have champaign to celebrate." Adam beamed holding up the bottle, before removing Poppy's phone from her handbag, and putting it into the washing up bowl of soapy water.
"Adam you can't have forgotten your key because you don't have one! And what could we ever be celebrating?" She snapped panicking
"Don't spoil it, I'm trying to be nice about all this. We are celebrating us getting back together, being engaged again! You know you need me Poppy and I can't live without you and if this is the only way then fine. But I would rather you agreed voluntarily." Adam explained as if the situation was perfectly normal. But there was something in his voice and his eyes that Poppy had never seen before and it terrified her. "Now sit down and I'll bring dinner through." Reluctantly she did as she was told. Suddenly the nagging feeling she had made sense, in the pub Adam had known her car was off the road, and despite his lies somewhere in the back of her mind Poppy knew she hadn't said anything about her car to him; but it was too late to make the connection.
Half way to Poppy's house Max realised that he'd forgotten to text his girlfriend, but decided there was no point in pulling over to send the message when he was so close. Finally they had a solid lead on the case and he was driving home to be with his other half who was cooking dinner; he was the most content he'd been since he could remember.
With a plate of pasta in front of her Poppy shook as Adam described his day at work to her as he ate his own portion. It had been him all along.
"It was you that hurt Tom!" She spat venomously
"Don't snap at me love, and I was only doing what I had to do."
"Why did you have to do it Adam I really am struggling to understand this?" Poppy wailed.
"To make you see that you need me. You need me to protect you and look after you – just like old times." He stood up and knelt in front of her, she flinched away as he tried to stroke the bruise on her cheek. "If you had just said yes when I saw you in the pub, agreed to be with me then we could have been anywhere by now – married even!"
Poppy heard the key scrape in the lock – Max was home, she almost wept with relief, but then she heard the resistance of the bolt and chain as he pushed. Adam put his hand over her mouth to stop her calling out.
"Poppy it's me, sorry I forgot to text." Max called. After a few seconds he called again. Still no reply. He stood back and looked at the upstairs lights – they weren't on, but she could be in the bathroom. He pulled out his phone and rang her mobile. Max's brow creased with concern, the phone went straight to voicemail – like most detectives Poppy never had her phone off.
Knowing that Max was so close, Poppy took her chance and bit down on Adam's hand as hard as she could. He yelped and as she screamed to Max, he slapped her powerfully across the face, the blow had such force it sent her flying backwards in her chair onto the floor. With the front door open ajar, Max heard the commotion and shouted to Poppy. His heart was pounding with fear as he threw his ample structure against the front door, whoever had been stalking Poppy was inside; he was sure of it.
As Max barged repeatedly at the door, Adam dragged Poppy from the floor, dragging her into the kitchen doorway. Finally the security precautions gave way and Max flew into the house. Rounding the corner he saw Poppy being held with a knife to her throat. She was shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks and a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. She looked so small and terrified it broke his heart.
"Let her go" Max demanded, the man just laughed.
"She wants me not you – she needs me you see, she always has! Look at when she was mugged, she came running to meet me didn't she and left you all at home on your own."
"That was you as well?" Poppy gasped.
"It's amazing what people will do for a few hundred quid"
"It's Adam isn't it? Do you really think this is going to help – that scaring her and forcing her to be with you is going to win her back? You cheated on her, you hurt her! Just leave her to get on with her life – if you love her then you'll let her go!" Max attempted to reason with him.
"It was a mistake, but I'm trying to make up for it now!"
"By terrifying her. Look at her! The Poppy I know doesn't deserve to be frightened into submission and a life she doesn't want."
"The thing is Max, I need her more than you'll ever know – my life is incomplete without her, so if you love her then you'll have to let her go otherwise neither of us will have her." Adam said calmly, his words sent a shiver down Max's spine.
"I do love her and that is exactly why I can't let you do this to her Adam." The house phone rang out shrilly causing all three of them to jump. Adam glanced across to the table on which the phone stood and Max took his chance to tackle him. Arms and legs flew everywhere in the struggle and eventually Poppy realised that she was free, she grabbed the bottle of champaign that sat unopened on the table and smashed it over her captor's head as he struggled with Max, knife still in hand. He lost consciousness instantly and Max pulled his hands together and handcuffed his wrists.
Max stood up covered in champaign and breathing heavily, he was bruised and tired but his only thought was for Poppy. She was backed against the wall, shaking, the smell of the alcohol made her feel nauseous given the circumstances. Knowing how fragile she was Max couldn't just hold her, so he held out his hands and she slowly moved forward after staring at them. Poppy clung to him desperately, her legs unable to support her weight any longer, Max lowered them both to sit on the floor, but stayed silent for several moments until she had calmed down.
"I need to call this in" He finally said, as Poppy nodded and he reached for his phone. The police and ambulance arrived within minutes and Adam was taken away still unconscious. It seemed to take forever to give statements and go through the formalities, but Max never left Poppy's side, even though she hadn't said a direct word to him.
"Your flats ok now – I think you should take her back there, being here isn't helping" Smithy confided in Max as Jack Meadows sat with Poppy. "Go and pack her a bag and then take her away" Max did as he was told.
She still hadn't spoken a word to him when she sat down on his sofa.
"Thank you" She finally broke the silence
"You don't need to thank me Poppy" Max insisted
"Yes I do. I never thought he could do something like that, it never even occurred to me that it could have been him." She whispered looking at her hands.
"It sounds like he had some kind of break down and thought that everything had gone wrong because you two weren't together any more. You can't blame yourself."
"It doesn't change what happened though" She sighed, and smiled a little, as if talking was helping her "I was so glad when I heard you come back. I knew it would be ok after that somehow." He put his arm around her shoulders and she leant against him.
"Just remind me never to buy you champagn!" He joked. Poppy began to laugh despite herself
"Well it was really cheap stuff!" Max laughed with her, enjoying the sound. "When Adam had the knife, you said some things..."
"I said a lot of things" Max acknowledged.
" Did you mean them? All of them I mean." Poppy questioned.
"Yes all of them."
"Even when you said that you," She paused. Max moved to kneel directly in front of her with her hands in his own
"Especially when I said that I loved you Poppy!" He anticipated her question and answered it perfectly. Poppy grinned and winced as the cut corner of her mouth stung, Max kissed the side that was sore gently, then kissed her fully.
"We should get some rest, you look exhausted!" Poppy insisted,
"I don't believe this, you've just been held at knifepoint by your crazed ex, and you are fretting about me looking tired!" Max looked at the ceiling in exasperation.
"That is exactly how it is. Oh and by the way I love you too!" Poppy said quietly as she headed for the bedroom.
