Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Bill'.

The Noble Fight

Chapter Four;
Devil on the Door

"Puppy!" Oscar ran towards the fence, reaching his hand through the gate to scratch the neck of the small white Maltese. The dog's owner, the family's next-door neighbour, gave Millie a wave. Millie smiled back then grabbed her son's hand.

"Come on Oscar, we can see Ernie on the way home."

"Can I get an ice-cream?" Oscar asked, looking up at his mother with wide eyes. Millie shook her head. "A chocolate?" She shook her head again. "A lolly?"

Millie gave a low warning. "Oscar."

"A toffee?" He tried again, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Millie sighed. "We made a list remember? I looked and you wrote it down." She pulled out the list with Oscar's handwriting, little more than coloured squiggles, covering the page. Millie read it as if she had any idea what it actually said. "Bread, milk, eggs and teabags."

Oscar pointed a finger to the bottom corner. "And surprise." Millie's eyes turned to a dark blue coloured squiggle. "For me." He gave a cheeky grin. "It's on the list and now you gotta get it."

Millie re-pocketed the list with a small laugh, flicking back her fringe with one finger. "Alright, you outsmarted me again. You get one thing, for dessert, so choose carefully."

Oscar stuck his finger between his lips, lost in thought. As Millie glanced at him she saw they'd come to number 34. She noticed the colourful lights of the television dancing on the other side of thin curtains and stopped. Oscar, who'd kept walking, was tugged back. He stopped and looked up at Millie. "What?"

Millie glanced down at him. "Oh, I just want to talk to Mr. Quinn for a second okay?"

Oscar frowned. "Who's Mr. Quinn?"

Millie picked him up and re-shouldered the child. "Come and meet him." She gave Oscar a smile then, glancing down the street at a few neighbours she knew, pushed open the gate of number 34 and walked up to the house.

*

Max looked up as three knocks sounded on his office door. In the doorway stood a PC he didn't recognize. "Guv, I tried calling you…" the PC stopped as his eyes made it to the phone. After a whole lot of annoying updates from Will (who'd decided to punish the DI for a dud job by giving him updates every minute), Max had taken the phone off the hook so he could finish a report. "Uh, this came for you." He held out a small white envelope and Max took it without standing.

"When?"

"Five minutes ago. It was just left on the windscreen of one of the vans out the front. I didn't see who left it sir, sorry."

Max shook his head as he turned the letter in his hands, the words 'DS Max Carter' scrawled across the front. Whoever had left it hadn't heard he'd ranked up. "No problem. Thank you Constable." The PC nodded and left. Max ripped open the envelope with his pinkie finger and withdrew a letter, dropping the envelope to the table as he shook the folded piece of paper open. Only a few words were across the page but they spoke volumes.

'I saw you at the park. Sweet family.'

Max's breathing got heavier as his eyes danced across the words again. Noticing his hand was shaking, his slammed it to the desk. Then, with two quick movements, he ripped the letter in half, scrunched it up and threw it in the bin.

*

William Quinn, a man of about 60, opened the door with a frown. "Hello?"

"Hi Mr. Quinn. I'm sorry to disturb you. My name's Millie and this is my son Oscar. We live up at 46."

Mr. Quinn nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes, the detective's wife. I've seen you around." He held out a hand. "Nice to finally meet you." Millie shook it awkwardly, her hand still holding Oscar. Despite making it obvious he wanted to get away from his mother, Millie didn't let the boy go, still uncertain about being parted from him for even a second just in case. Mr. Quinn grinned at the child. "Oscar, what's that behind your ear?" He reached up and withdrew within his hand a penny from behind the boy's ear. Oscar beamed and grabbed for the coin. Mr. Quinn handed it over without too much fuss. "Would you like to come in for some tea? I'm just watching the cricket, we're getting pounded." He laughed.

"No, I promised Oscar a trip to the shops. I just wanted to ask about your vehicle, the maroon sedan?"

Mr. Quinn nodded. "Yes, have there been any problems with it? I tell my daughter not to park it up on the curb because it gets in the way, but she's a stubborn young lady."

"It's your daughter's car?"

"No, mine, but she drives it. I don't have any real use for it these days. Bad knees, bad hips, worse eyes." He laughed again.

Millie smiled. "I'm just wondering because I've seen it parked up outside our place. I'm sure it's nothing. I know how horrible parking is on this street."

"It's awful. And the council want to do roadworks too. That'll only make it worse. But if it bothers you dear I'll tell her to park closer, or even better would be further away. She needs the walk."

"Oh no, it shouldn't be a problem. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"Not a problem dear. It was good to meet you." He waved at Oscar. "Bye Oscar."

Millie withdrew the coin from Oscar's hand and passed it back to Mr. Quinn. When he didn't take it she pushed it. "Take it, otherwise he'll start begging for his own from me."

Mr. Quinn smiled and re-pocketed the penny. "Afternoon dear." He shut the door behind them as Millie dropped Oscar back onto his feet and left the property. When they reached the pavement she glanced back towards her house. The gap where the maroon sedan had earlier sat was evident and despite meeting the owner she couldn't shake the feeling there was something odd about that car. Something that made her worry.