It Takes One to Know One

Part 37

"I knew it, I knew something was brewing!" Aaron stated vehemently as they hurried towards the door. "I should have asked him, I should have made Cai tell me what was wrong, now look what's happened!"

"This isn't your fault." Jackson insisted looking to Paddy for backup."

The older man was quick to give his support, "No of course it isn't. None of us liked this Hurst, we could have all said something to Cai but we didn't because we thought, hoped he'd come to one of us if there was something wrong, and he could have, at any time."

"But he's not made a habit of doing that has he?" Aaron argued certain he could have somehow prevented the latest upset. " We've always had to push him."

"We were going to tackle him tomorrow..."

"Yeah a couple of days too late!"

"Alright enough!" Jackson said determinedly, "This isn't helping."

Silence descended as the three of them stepped out of the pub's festive warmth into the bitter cold of the winter's night. Jackson suddenly hit with the need to say something reassuring, "He'll be heading home."

"What if he's not?" Aaron wanted to think Cai would be too but if he was running scared then maybe not.

"Of course he is. Where would you go?" Jackson knew Aaron could all too easily put himself in Cai's shoes.

"Here." Thinking rationally he would, it would be the first place he'd go but if Cai was upset, and not thinking straight, he might think he couldn't come home, Paddy and Jackson might not understand that way of thinking but he did.

"He's got to be someplace between Hurst's and here." Jackson quickly realised that that wasn't nearly as reassuring as it sounded, a great many snow covered miles separated the two places. The boy was on foot, and the elements against him. He didn't want to think about the dangers that posed and deciding they'd wasted enough time already just standing there said, "Someone needs to stay here, he might phone, and he could turn up at any time, Paddy?"

Paddy had agreed to wait at the house while the two younger men took his car and went in search of the boy. An hour later and in treacherous weather conditions they were still looking for him, and growing increasingly concerned as each minute passed.

"I've lost count of the times he's run off now! He could have phoned one of us to go pick him up; he knows we'll be worried, that we'll be out looking for him! What's he thinking?" Aaron ranted as he stared out through the window, trying to see past the falling snow, hoping that at any second he'd catch sight of Cai.

"If he was fired up enough to hit Hurst he won't have been thinking, not rationally anyway, he'd have just run." Jackson reasoned, his attention fixed on the road ahead. "Maybe when he's calmed down he'll find a phone and let us know where he is."

"What'd you think happened?" Aaron wanted answers and now!

Jackson shrugged, he wished he knew, his imagination was running riot, some very unpleasant thoughts had gone through his mind, he didn't want to voice any of them, Aaron was worked up enough as it was... but maybe that was because he'd had the exact same thoughts!

Aaron knew there was no use pressing Jackson on the matter, and he certainly didn't want to share his own thoughts with him, they'd only worry him more. Seeing a sign he remembered from the other day he said, "That private lane I told you about is just down here on the left, he wouldn't still be here now though would he? He wouldn't have hung around. We must have passed him, missed him somehow."

"I'll turn around..."

"No, we'll go to the house..."

Jackson knew where this was going and felt his anger rise, they didn't need Aaron and his temper complicating things further. "What the hell for? He's not going to be there is he?"

"No but Hurst will be and..."

"No! I'm not letting get you within a mile of him..."

"I want to know what happened."

"Like you're in a listening mood! You'll just end up hitting him."

"Yeah well he probably deserves a smack in the mouth!"

"Maybe! Maybe not! We don't know anything for certain yet and you've already convinced yourself he's in the wrong! Look...as much as we don't like him he might just be innocent in all of this, Cai might have kicked off over something and nothing, he's taken a swing at you before now..."

"When he felt cornered..."

"You were just talking to him, trying to help him; this Hurst could have been doing the same..."

"You don't believe that anymore than I do."

"No, but until we do know what happened I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt, for Cai's sake not his. Gary won't let him come back to us if you end up charged with GBH! So you can forget all about..."

Aaron's phone was ringing, instantly silencing Jackson and having the younger man reach into his pocket to retrieve it.

"It's Paddy!" Aaron stated as he flicked his mobile open.

Jackson hoped to God the older man had some good news for them, but it was clear within seconds that he did not.

Ending the call Aaron passed on what Paddy had told him, "The police are out looking for Cai too, and not just because he's missing, according to Gary that bastard wants him done for assault!"

Jackson shook his head in despair; things just went from bad to worse.

They were on the way back to Emmerdale now, the car moving at little more than a snail's pace due to the poor visibility. They'd fallen silent, both mulling over the latest development and what it might mean for Cai.

Then a ring tone shattered the silence. His phone already in his hand Aaron opened it and held it to his ear.

Jackson sensed the relief flood through Aaron and knew instantly Cai was safe but waited with bated breath for Aaron to fill him in on what was happening.

"He's just walked in the door! Wet and cold but other than that he's ok."

It seemed to take forever to get back to Emmerdale, and it seemed they were the last to arrive, Gary's car was parked outside the Smithy so too a police car.

TBC