Chapter 11:
Around 6:00 p.m., Julia went to the office of the employees of her house and asked them not to wait for her to serve dinner to her daughters. She asked them to tell them that she would be out with their father, and she quickly slipped out of the house.
She had spent hours getting dressed. She did not know what dress to wear to see William. Finally, officially, she was not going to see William. She was going to deliver an important letter to Inspector Brackenreid. When she finally arrived at the Station, she once again gazed at the effervescence of the place with eyes lit up with envy. She would like so much to be like these men... To have the right to run everywhere, to work on real tasks... to work...
"Ju… Mrs. Brenks…? What are you doing here?"
Julia felt her heart race.
"I… Hello Detective Murdoch." The young woman hesitated nervously, looking around her. She noticed that several officers had stopped working to look at her.
"My… well, my husband sent me to give this letter to Inspector Brackenreid. Is he present today?" she asked timidly.
"Yes…I'll accompany you to his office. It's this way." William gestured to a door on the left before escorting the young woman.
William knocked on the door to the chief inspector's office, but when he heard no response, he opened it anyway. He gently pushed Julia inside and entered in turn, closing the door behind him.
"What is…"
She did not have time to finish her sentence when she was kissed full on the mouth by William. She dropped the envelope to pull William as close to her as possible.
"I…I…William." laughed Julia, unable to start or finish her sentence. "I have to deliver this letter to the inspector."
"He will be back in a few moments." William laughed back. "But I'm so glad to see you..."
"Me too… When Ethan sent me on this errand, I couldn't help but smile."
"And I am popping it now." he smiled toothily.
"Ethan won't be home until 11:00 tonight…He has an important meeting…"
William's smile widened even more at this revelation.
"What do you suggest?" William asked with happy anticipation.
"I'll wait for you at the park next to the Station. We could stay there after dark."
"Like a secret getaway? I like it…"
The door suddenly opened, and Julia quickly picked up the abandoned letter at her feet.
"Mrs. Brenks? Detective? What are you doing here?" Thomas Brackenreid frowned in suspicion when he found his office occupied by his best detective and Doctor Brenks' wife.
"Sir… Mrs. Brenks has a letter for you from her husband."
"Oh...Is it serious?" Thomas asked, taking the letter with a frown.
He had the unpleasant impression of sensing a kind of tension in the room between the two people in front of him. He was even more suspicious since he had thought of a potential relationship between the two. But, in general, he pulled himself together quickly. William Murdoch would never do such a thing. Have an illegitimate relationship? Then he laughed to himself to imagine that THE William Murdoch could manage to have a wife like Julia Brenks.
"Serious… I don't know. But I know it's urgent." Julia declared.
"Very well thank you. You can leave." concluded Thomas abruptly, heading for his office.
"Very well… goodbye gentlemen."
"I'll walk you Mrs. Brenks."
"No Murdoch." Thomas cut in abruptly. "Stay, I have two words to say to you." he said, motioning for him to approach, keeping his eyes fixed on Dr. Brenks' letter.
"But...and ma'am..."
"Crabtree will walk her home." the Chief Inspector cut in again. "Crabtree!"
"Yes sir?" George suddenly appeared in the crack of the door.
"Could you kindly walk Mrs. Brenks out? Thanks." Thomas finished dryly, still without looking up.
Julia, although a little surprised by this sudden dryness in the inspector's voice and gestures, followed Officer Crabtree, not without a last look at William, who returned it.
When the door was finally closed, Inspector Brackenreid slammed Dr. Brenks' letter on the table in his office.
"I'm not going to cut corners, Murdoch. Quite honestly, if you sleep with Dr. Brenks' wife, you can say goodbye to your career. Because he will blow your ass off! And I too will explode you!" Thomas practically yelled his face red with anger.
"What's gotten into you?" William asked almost frozen in place. "What are you telling?"
"You lie very badly. I assure you don't mess with me." Thomas pointed a finger at William.
"My life is none of your business. You have no right to talk to me like that."
"Do you see this letter? Ethan Brenks offers us a huge collaboration with Terrence Meyers and with the hospital in which he works. Do you know what that means? Access to the morgue and, no more generals on the back."
Thomas approached William who remained totally unmoved by the situation. He tried hard not to show any emotion on his face.
"And what do you think will happen to us if Ethan Brenks finds out his wife is sleeping with you? Eh?! What do you think will happen to you?! You are completely unconscious!"
"Let's be clear sir. Between you and me. You tell yourself stories. With all due respect, you don't have to meddle in my private life. Who are you pretending to be with such slander? Leave me alone." Murdoch concluded firmly before storming out of his superior's office.
Thomas froze in place. He had never seen Murdoch in such a state, he who was always so calm, so composed. The Chief Inspector abruptly sat down in his desk chair and let out the breath he was holding. He leaned back, lost in thought.
William did not deny. He did not deny having a relationship with Julia Brenks. And that worried him. He had not expected it to turn out like this. He had felt like he saw something between the two the few times he had seen them together. Then, at Mr. and Mrs. Perkins' party, the young detective had completely disappeared for a while. It was then that, while discussing with Mr. Brenks, the doctor asked him if he knew where his wife was who had also disappeared. Finally, Thomas had not taken long to put two and two together. Especially when he had seen them come back one after another, lost in thought, a disheveled but happy look on their face.
He was worried. He had discussed it with his wife Margaret who had replied with a look as worried as his, that it was not the type of William. But she had to admit, she found them beautifully matched together. To which Thomas had not replied, although he had furtively thought the same thing.
Although he wanted to believe his best detective, he could not help but worry about the repercussions this might have on the Station and on William. If there was a relationship, of course.
Note: Well... It's no longer the time to laugh, it seems. Things are getting dangerous.