OK, chapter 3 :)
Disclaimer: Don't own Danny or Jenny. The places are all real. Honest. I live nearby. As is the thing about Tolkien.
"Pretty place," Danny commented, staring out of the window.
"Hmm." Jenny opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "It's Middle Earth. I assume you have heard of Middle Earth," she teased.
He laughed. "I may be an ex-cop, and a little rough round the edges, but even I know about Lord of the Rings." Thinking about what she'd said, he frowned. "But how is this place Middle Earth?" he asked, gesturing at the window.
"Tolkien was at a place called Stoneyhurst and walked around the Bowland area. It's the basis for Middle Earth."
"Ah," Danny said. "Never read them – too long. Bloody good films though."
Jenny laughed. A few seconds later, the radio crackled into life.
"We'll be landing in about 5 minutes," the pilot informed them.
Realising she'd leant forwards, Jenny quickly sat back and looked out of the window. Now was not the time for Danny to think she was interested in him.
Jumping down from the helicopter, Jenny straightened her skirt. Turning, she sighed. 'Trust Danny to get into an argument,' she thought. Walking over, she interrupted.
"What's wrong?"
"This idiot won't let us in," Danny said angrily. He jabbed his finger at the other man's face. "If we don't go through, people could die."
"I don't care," the man stubbornly argued. "I was told to secure the area and let no-one in."
Seeing Danny open his mouth to reply, Jenny quickly put her hand on his arm and shook her head.
"Hello, sir, I'm Ms. Lewis," she said to the man in her professional voice. "The orders you received were from our boss at the home office were my associate and I work. You must excuse him; he's not good with people. Excellent at his job though. Now, perhaps we could go somewhere quiet and sort out the details of all this?"
"Certainly, Ms. Lewis," the man replied, leading her to a nearby building.
Danny smiled to himself. She might have quit, but she was still the best for the job. Looking quickly round him, he started to plan his next move. However much Jenny might want him to stay here while she organised things, it wasn't going to happen. He was standing next to a backstreet, a police cruiser parked across the entrance, blocking it off. On his right was a crossroads, the three other streets full of houses. On his left, the building where the cop had taken Jenny – a primary school. He was thankful it was a Saturday, but now he was more determined than ever to find all creatures. The streets nearby would likely be full of children, and he had to make sure it caught none.
The men standing by the car were staring at him suspiciously. He nodded at them and wandered off to the right. Going round the first corner, he stepped into a doorway and pulled out the detector. Glancing down the street, he guessed the anomaly was near the end. Shoving the detector away, he then grabbed his old police badge and put it in his top pocket before setting off down the street. He passed two more entrances to the alley, both guarded by police.
Finally, the houses stopped and he reached a low stone wall. Behind it was the woodlands Connor had noticed. On the wall was a sign reading, "Warning – Deep water. Trespassers will be prosecuted.'
Danny was about to jump over the wall when he noticed the copper nearby. Swearing silently, he went and knocked on the door of the house next to the wall.
The door opened a bit, a teenage girl looking out.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"DC Quinn," he said, smiling and showing her the badge. "I was wondering if I could go through your garden. Is your dad in?"
"Mum!" she yelled over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off Danny.
"What is it?" a lady asked, coming to the door and opening it wider. She looked Danny up and down. "What do you want?" Danny stared. She looked about 40, fairly pretty, but only wearing a dressing gown and looking like she'd just got out of the shower. Realising, she blushed slightly. "Well?"
"I need to go through your garden. Is that OK?"
"There're entrances to the alley down there," she pointed. "You don't need our garden."
He grimaced. "I'm from London," he explained. "Those coppers don't think I know anything that'll help them, and so won't let me through."
She surveyed him silently, then nodded. "Ok then. But there's cops at the bottom of the garden as well. When you get to the side gate, use that. You'll be in the trees then. They won't see you."
He smiled at her, relieved. "Thanks."
"Oh, and feel free to call back any time," she said as he was about to leave, smiling flirtatiously at him.
"Mu-um!" the girl groaned, rolling her eyes and shoving back inside.
Danny laughed, then nodded once and hurried off. 'You've still got it, Quinn,' he thought, grinning.
As he opened the gate, it creaked and he cursed. Slipping through, he felt as if he'd entered a different world. It was dark under the trees, and silent, as if everything else had vanished. Almost like he really was in the past.
Hehe, just had to put in the last bit :P
Action should start properly in the next chapter, when we'll catch up with Becker and the team. I'll try to update soon. No promises though.
Mx