The dangers of Smoking

Part II

The dangers of smoking are widely known, by smokers and non smokers alike. Detective Sergeant James Hathaway knows them, accepts them and lives with them. Except one. No one thought to warn about that one did they?

Chapter 43

After taking down Evie's formal statement of the night the now dead man had approached her, Lewis turned his attention to the past, and the people from it.

The heavy mood that had receded whilst James and Evie had waited for him had returned again. Following Lewis through the door like a cloud of reality.

Lewis checked his notes, trying to ignore James twitching as he sat apart from them, probably his idea to give them space, but he was unable to let go completely, and Lewis realised how close these two had become. It was there in the hunched shoulders of his sergeant, and the little looks that Evie gave him when she thought Lewis wasn't looking, and then the reassuring smile that James gave back. Hathaway had always been good with victims, empathetic and kind, but there was a shielded fury here too, against whoever had scared her so much. It worried Lewis a little.

"Evie, I'm sorry but I had to open the file on your incident" Lewis told her "I needed background about what happened, and the trial and everything"

"So you know what happened then?" Evie asked.

"I know that you were stalked and attacked by a patient, and I know that Gedge, ultimately, was responsible for that" Lewis confirmed "What caught my attention was the little promise he made you after he was found guilty"

Evie sighed "Yes"

"Promise?!" James couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"Gedge" Lewis answered "Told Evie that she had ruined his career and life, and she could expect the same"

James didn't answer, not verbally, but with his tight lips and tighter fists, he didn't need to.

"Yes" Evie said again, not looking at what she assumed was an accusing glare from James, she'd left that bit out when she'd told him what happened.

"And 3 weeks ago, he was released from prison after serving his sentence" Lewis went on "I believe he wrote to you? Do you still have the letter?"

Evie dug into her pocket and handed over a crumpled envelope, maybe the most important thing that she'd brought from home to James' flat that afternoon.

Lewis unfolded the letter from the envelope and read the contents while James foot beat an impatient tattoo on the floor. He didn't know that either before today.

"So in essence, he was writing to ask you to forgive him and to apologise?" Lewis asked, and Evie nodded "Did you reply?"

"More to the point" James growled "How did her get her address?!"

"It was sent to my parents address" Evie said flatly. It didn't ease James' tension.

Lewis let it go and waited for the answer to his question.

"No, I didn't" Evie said "I have forgiven him, but I can never forget, and I want to get on with my life here, I have closed the chapter on that, and I don't, didn't want it reopening"

James snorted with derision and shook his head, tightening his jaw when Lewis shot him a warning look.

'Shut it or I'll boot you out of your own flat' was the general gist.

"Would he be the type to not take no for an answer?" Lewis pressed "Seek you out in person and demand you listen?"

"He used to be" Evie admitted "But that letter, it's very different in tone, very different to anything he would have written before...the threat in court, that's more his style. Or it was"

"So this is just bollocks to get you to contact him?" James asked in a barely disguised whisper of anger.

"James" Lewis warned.

James clamped his mouth shut and Lewis continued.

"And your phone went missing?" he prompted "Problems with your car?"

"My phone went missing on a night out" she replied "I didn't report it because it was old and I assumed that I had just lost it, it wasn't worth anything"

"And you didn't see..?"

Evie cut him off with a smile "James asked already, if Gedge was there I didn't see him"

Lewis returned her smile as she carried on "And my car, it's a diesel, apparently I have put petrol in it twice. I don't think I did, but I didn't keep the receipts, so I couldn't check"

"So you assumed that you had?"

"Yes" she confirmed "And I've had a few dropped calls on my new phone, again I assumed they were either someone trying to sell me something or that I couldn't work it properly..." she smiled quietly and James also did "And a few things have gone missing from my locker, silly things really"

"Like?"

"James' card" her cheeks flushed as both men looked at her intently "He, um, gave me one and I put it in there, I needed it one day and it was just gone"

James' flushed cheeks went unnoticed for the moment at the mention of the card, but his blush was more modest surprise that she had kept something like that.

"Anything else?"

Evie frowned "A scarf, though I could have misplaced that anywhere, and some body spray, but again, it's something I may have left here or at home. I didn't really think too hard about it until that man..."

Lewis jotted on his notebook and closed it, looking at her.

"Evie, I'm going to look into this" Robbie said kindly "I'd like you to stay with someone all the time, just in case. You're staying here?"

"For now" Evie looked at last at James, but he was looking down and she couldn't read his expression.

"Good" Lewis nodded "I'll have a couple of officers posted here and at the hospital when you are at work, until we locate Gedge. Don't worry, or at least try not to, we'll find him and get to the bottom of this"

Lewis stood and Evie did too, looking at him awkwardly "Thank you"

"Any time" Robbie smiled and put a kindly hand on her shoulder before turning away and looking at James "A word?"

"Sir" James slid from the stool he sat and led the way to the hallway like a petulant child.

Evie collapsed back onto the sofa.

…...

James let Lewis out, he felt comforted and chastised at the same time, an odd combination. But one thing was for sure, he'd been warned in no uncertain terms that if he chose to do a little investigating of his own, no one was to find out. He wasn't to act on anything, but pass it onto Lewis.

James reflected that it was a mark of the mutual respect between the two men that Lewis didn't order him not to investigate, knowing it wouldn't work. And James respected that, he also respected Lewis enough to give his true word that he would pass on any and all information he should 'come' across. He'd also promised not to look for Gedge himself and confront him, that would be disastrous to any investigation.

Coming back into the main body of the flat he saw Evie opening and closing cupboards, and the fridge.

"Hungry?" he asked, leaning a hip against the breakfast bar and folding his arms.

"Yes" she replied absently "Thought I'd cook you dinner, to say thanks...and er, sorry. But you don't appear to have any food" she looked at him, a wary look like a child may give a parent when they were finally alone and expecting the 3rd degree.

"There is food" he disagreed, his face giving not giving away his inner decision that he wasn't going to allow the reason for her being here to ruin the fact that she was.

"Yeah if you like pate on weetabix" she grimaced, following his lead.

"It's quite nice" he defended.

"Humph" she folded her own arms.

"Do you want a take away?" he offered "Or go out?"

"No" she said "I want to do something normal, like cook food and then eat it. Anyway, I eat too much crap"

"Which translated" James raised his eyebrows "Means that you think I eat too much crap"

Evie shrugged lightly and smiled, and he saw it, his smile, the one she gave him.

"We'd better go shopping then" he gave a sigh but his mouth twitched with humour.

"How domesticated" Evie replied, it was a little step forward again, she realised, not that she knew where to.

"Yes dear" James chuckled and Evie giggled at his resigned tone, like that of a hen pecked husband.

...

Thank you so much to all the readers, those of you that are taking the time to review and those that are following - I am humbled! The story is starting to heat up a bit now - and there's trouble to come!