Chapter Nine – Reassurance

David grinned from ear to ear as Claude brought over a cheese; their first goat cheese ever. Then his expression changed rather rapidly as the smell of it caught his nostrils. "I think there's something wrong with it Mr. Greengrass," he said carefully, not wanting to upset the old man.

Claude looked at him in annoyance as he placed the cheese on the table in front David before slowly managing to sit down himself. "It's made of goat milk in case you hadn't noticed," he returned sarcastically. "People aren't interested in ordinary cheese nowadays David, this is a gourmet."

Alfred's interest seemed to peak as David carefully picked it up from the table. The dog got up from where he lay next to his master's feet, put his front legs up in David's knee and barked lightly.

"It's not for you Alfred," Claude chastised as he retrieved a knife from the table and nodded at David to hand over the cheese to him. The petty criminal sliced two pieces, one for himself and one for David.

The slightly slow man happily accepted the slice and placed it in his mouth.

Rather amusedly Claude waited for David to spit it out. However, the man managed to keep it and down it albeit with a priceless grimace.

"Who eats this stuff anyway?" David said astonished as he reached for a bowl of water.

"It's for the rich," Greengrass let on with a smug look on his face. "Mr. Baker, down at the grocery store, has offered me a fair prize if I can deliver every week. He even paid me one week in advance."

"Well, that must mean a lot of cheese, Mr. Greengrass," David said confusedly. "How are you going to manage that?"

"You leave that to me, David," Claude said with a cunning smile.

OOOOOO

It was starting to get late when Maggie Bolton parked the Land Rover around the corner and headed for the entrance door to her rented apartment. After having had a trying day at work she was glad to finally go home and take a nice long bath. Sometimes she really missed the company of Jo, having someone to talk too, to share her problems with.

Maggie's attention was abruptly turned back to the present as a man stepped out of the shadows and into her path.

"Hello, Maggie," Doctor Neil Bolton said kindly.

"What do you want Neil?" she asked, her voice short. "Haven't you done enough for today?" she challenged. "You are the last person I want to see right now."

Neil carefully sidestepped as Maggie took a step forward and inserted the key in the lock to the main entrance hall.

"Can't we at least be friends again?" he tried and for a moment she thought she detected a hint of desperation in his voice.

"What is there to talk about, Neil?" she asked angrily as she walked through the door. "Look, we have talked about it, the case is closed."

"The case?" he echoed disbelievingly, following her inside. "Is that what you call us? Our life together…our son?"

A lump formed in Maggie's throat at the words thrown at her and she swallowed, stopping momentarily at the first step of the stairs, turning back to face him. "Don't start Neil, I don't want to hear it," she returned but her voice was cracking.

"Okay," he said sourly. "I take the hint, I'm not wanted. I'm sorry for bothering you, for trying to apologize for what happened at the hospital this morning."

"I don't need your overbearing ways, Neil, your cockiness or your arrogance. It took me a long time to get over us four years ago. I wished you'd stayed away," she returned, practically shouting the last few words at him before storming off toward her apartment.

Doctor Neil Bolton stared sadly after his estranged wife, regret painfully present in his eyes. "Good night, Maggie," he said to the empty staircase.

OOOOOO

Sergeant Nick Rowan put down the phone and rubbed his forehead. It had been a long day and it wasn't over yet. However, everything seemed to be in order for the day after. The warrant had come through and Shiner had called in some extra CID officers. The discussions about connections between Chadwick, Jones and the gang had been long and poorly conclusive.

Rowan jumped slightly as the shrill of the phone brought him back from his musings. With an exasperated sigh he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Ashfordly Police, Sergeant Rowan speaking," he said.

"Sergeant Rowan," a dark, yet jovial, voice carried over the line. "This is PC Adams, Pickering police station," he said by way of introduction.

Nick waited for him to continue.

"The surveillance of the office building that was requested by senior CID officer DI Shiner has paid off. We have two men in custody. Stopped a delivery truck on its way from the back of the building. It was loaded with crates. Only there wasn't toys in them," he informed.

A faint smile creased Nick's lips at the news. "Antiques?" he guessed.

"Right on the spot," the constable concurred. We'll have our hands full just to sort out everything."

"Thanks for letting us know," Nick said.

"Anytime, Sergeant Rowan," Adams said, ending the call.

OOOOOO

Jo looked up from where she sitting, on the floor, next to the fireplace as there was a soft knock on the door. Curiously she got up and closed the short distance to the entrance.

"Maggie," she said happily and stepped to the side to let her friend in.

The nurse gave her a ghost of a smile and sighed as she shrugged out of her coat.

"Maggie, what is it?" Jo asked gently seeing the saddened look on her face.

"It's Neil," she let on. "I don't know what he really wants Jo."

"Have you asked him?" Jo suggested as Maggie sat down at the kitchen table.

"It's like he expects everything to be as it was before…" she trailed off and looked at Jo who glanced over her shoulder from where she stood at the sink, filling the teapot.

"…before he left," she filled in rather hastily. "Anyway I wish he hadn't come here. People have started asking questions, Doctor Bolton – Sister Bolton."

Jo chuckled. "When it comes to gossip even Ashfordly is a small place, she said.

"You don't know how lucky you are Jo," Maggie said ruefully. "Nick is a wonderful man."

Jo smiled looking very pleased, on the borderline to smug as she sat down next to her friend. "Yes, he is," she concurred.

A faint smile crept over the nurse's lips as she looked down at the table.

Jo got serious. "Hey, Neil must have been that too if you decided to marry him several years ago," she reasoned.

Maggie looked up to face Jo. "Yes I suppose he was, we became madly in love. But then we were too young and many things have happened since," she said.

"Are you sure you have changed that much – either of you?" Jo asked softly.

"Maybe not," Maggie let on.

"There you see," Jo reasoned. "Maybe there's hope for you two yet."

"It's not that easy Jo," Maggie cautioned.

"Yes it is, if that's what you really want," she countered. "Do you remember when you talked me straight about Nick not wanting to be with me? That he rather chose to be on his job?"

Maggie smiled knowingly.

"Sometimes you need another point of view," Jo added with a soft comforting smile.

OOOOOO

To be continued

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