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 59
10 weeks later.
Evie looked up the name on the map the computer showed her. It was a small village, barely worth the mention really.
She flipped the post card over again, and her gaze was drawn to the stack of similar ones that sat on the table beside her.
She had received one or two a week in the last 2 and a half months, and with each new place name, she plotted the route. It made her feel better to know where James was, even if she couldn't reply. Reading his words always produced a sense of loss and grief, but she smiled when she finished them.
They were full of short accounts of what he had seen, what he had done, the characters he met. And always finished with a quote, or a phrase he knew she'd have to look up. Each new one started with the question of had she discovered what the last one meant? Of course she had, and each one made the same statement, he loved her, and he regretted the way things had turned out deeply.
Reading the last one again she laid it with the others and opened her email account, she typed a long email and pressed send with a hint of sadness at the method, but no regret, none at all.
She looked at the last card again and sighed, swallowing tears and emotion. He'd ended this one by saying that he hoped she was her beautiful, calm and perfect self again, that she had found happiness, and the words :
'Dum spiro, spero'
She didn't need to look it up to know what it meant this time -
'While I breathe, I hope'
…...
James read the formal letter again, as a witness in a serious case, he knew that he'd have to come back and give evidence at Gordy's trial. But now it was actually here...
He'd left an emergency number with Jean Innocent, knowing that despite her personal feelings, she would guard his whereabouts, because it was protocol. She'd called him, personally, a few days ago. After briefly asking about his well being she told him the trial date was fixed, and that he was needed. He'd given her the address of the local post office, and now here it was. The summons back to his old life.
He folded the letter and sighed, he didn't want to go. He didn't want it all dredged up again, but he knew he would. And not because the law said he had to, because he needed to see Evie, how she was, how she was faring.
He looked at his phone...should he write? Call her? Warn her he was coming back for the trial?
She'd know, he realised. Of course she would, if Innocent could do nothing else, she'd make sure the victim knew that the star witness was going to be there, protocol or not.
…...
It took Evie 10 minutes to walk the entire length of the village towards the canal. The village of Fathorn was no bigger than the map indicated. She passed a derelict building, a cottage, with a hopelessly overgrown garden and collapsed fencing to an equally overgrown meadow. She paused and smiled, even in the grey December light, the house enchanted her, she could imagine children once playing in the garden, a woman in long skirts milking a cow maybe in the pasture. The place had a happy feeling about it.
Moving on she wrapped her scarf tighter against the wind and sleet coming up the canal and across the tow path, and shielded her eyes. The keeper of the tiny and only local shop had told her that there was a mooring place for passing narrow boats here, behind the house.
She didn't even know if he was still here. His postcards had charted a journey up the Oxfordshire Canal, into Northamptonshire and further into Warwickshire. It would seem, that James was on his way back, because she'd already had a card from this village, at the start of his journey and he'd said he liked the place, and felt at home in the church when he'd visited. That had given her relief, that he hadn't turned away from everything all together.
It was on the border of Oxfordshire and Northants, and Evie wanted to see it for herself. With no other connection to him, she just wanted to see the place that he liked, the place that he felt comfortable. Especially after she'd made such a huge decision.
And then she saw him, one leg on the path and one on the boat as he tightened the mooring ropes to prevent the increasing wind from blowing the boat into the canal side over and over.
For a reason he didn't know, James looked up and along the path. He was glad – and lucky – that he had just secured the line or his canal boat may well have taken off by herself down the water.
He doubted he would have noticed, because coming towards him was Evie. Even wrapped in a huge coat, hat and scarf obscuring most of her face, he knew it was her.
He stood, oblivious to the weather and watched her approach and stop in front of him.
He stepped forward and cupped her face gently in his hand, the other pushing down the scarf.
If this is a dream he thought If this is a result of too many days and nights alone, wishing, hoping...then I am going to enjoy every moment.
When he touched her lips with his own she responded, small gloved hands reached for his shoulders and then clutched at him tightly, unwilling and unable to let go.
"O pulchra paulo angelus" he murmured "My beautiful little angel"
And then he knew it was real, because no matter how good his memory, or how hard he tried, he could never recall the smile she gave him in all it's detail. He could never capture it completely, it was never quite perfect. But this smile, this was perfect.
"Hello you" she said. She sagged slightly, she had been prepared to go again, worse than him not being here would be his anger at her turning up unannounced...the fact that she couldn't announce herself wasn't the point.
He wrapped his arms around her, tightly, almost lifting her from her feet and they stood like that for a long time, longer than should have been comfortable in the drawing darkness and driving rain.
He released her, stroking the hair back that had escaped from under her hat in a loving and intimate gesture.
"Are you going to invite me in?" she said, trying to control the chattering of her teeth.
He looked startled for a moment and then his grin took her breath away, he stepped back, but kept hold of her hand securely in his and ushered her onto the deck and down into the galley. Fighting with the wind he closed the main doors and turned to look at her as she removed her hat and scarf, folding one glove inside the other.
"Are you angry with me?" she asked, biting her lip. Cheeks colouring as she looked away.
"Angry?" he was surprised "No"
She chanced a look at him and the smile she saw lifted her, as did his next words.
"I'm overwhelmed, delighted, humbled" he breathed "But never angry, not with you"
"Don't be angry with yourself" she pleaded "Not any more"
His expression sobered slightly as she went on.
"I just needed to see for myself that you're OK"
"I am now" he told her "I can't believe you're here"
She shrugged self consciously.
"How long?" he asked "How long are you here for?"
...
Oh my over 100 reviews! Thank you so much...:D huge happiness! More to come just adding the finishing touches now.