Chapter Seventeen – Troublesome Illusion
"Isn't it enough that you spend your entire days in Whitby?" Nick questioned, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
"I thought we'd talked about that. It's not forever Nick, and it's not every day," Kate reasoned. "It's just that after a late clinic and then one early the next day I…" she trailed off, frustrated.
Nick looked at her but said nothing, instead he chose to get out of the sofa and see to the fire.
Kate scratched her head absentmindedly. "What's the use of evenings like this? I'm tired, you're tired…" she sighed and let the sentence hang in the air.
Nick turned his head to look at her. As he did so a faint smile appeared on his lips. "You're cranky," he replied.
His soft teasing voice getting the better of her she started to chuckle softly. "Come here," she said and reached out with her arms.
Nick plonked down beside her and she rested her head against his chest. "I won't love you less just because I stay over in Whitby," she added.
"I know, Kate, it's just that I enjoy coming home and have someone to spend the night with," he let on.
"I'll call you on the phone every evening I'm staying the night at James' place, I promise," Kate assured him.
OOOOOO
Claude Greengrass awoke with a start, where he was sitting comfortably in his armchair, as there was a knock on the front door. He blinked a couple of times in annoyance and then slowly got up to let whomever in. The old crook, and now goat farmer, managed to conceal his surprise to a lesser extent at finding Sr. Maggie Bolton at his doorstep.
"What brings you here?" he asked.
"I'm the bearer of bad news I'm afraid, Claude," Maggie said politely.
"Bad news?" Claude echoed, uncomprehending. "What are you talking about?"
"The cheese you've been producing…," she began with a grimace as she saw Alfred get up from the floor and quickly grab the last piece of Claude's sandwich on the table.
Greengrass turned around at the look on the nurse's face and pursed his lips in disappointment. "Alfred, you mangrove," he chastised. "Don't you have any shame in your body?" he asked unhappily before turning back to the nurse. "Why don't you come in?"
"No thanks, I won't be long," Maggie assured him. "I was just going to tell you that we have reason to believe a woman has been poisoned by your…product and there will be an investigation. You'll have to stop your deliveries for the time being," she explained.
"Wait a minute," Claude protested.
"No, I'm sorry Claude but you have no choice in the matter. Until an investigation has been completed and your cheese have been eliminated as a possible source for food poisoning you can't really do anything," Maggie informed him.
OOOOOO
PC Mike Bradley stared into the seemingly never-ending sea through a pair of binoculars. The docks was busting with activity, although it could hardly be seen. Several CID officers and uniformed officers from the division in Whitby were spread across the magazines and storage compartments in the harbor. DI Shiner was standing close to Mike with a walkie-talkie in hand as he saw the young constable tense ever so slightly.
"I have a sighting, sir," he reported in a neutral voice. "She's coming in dark, all the lights are out but she's definitely on her way in," he added.
Shiner strained his ears and heard the silent hum of a diesel engine closing in on their position. "Sounds like you're right Bradley," he agreed and gesticulated to the nearest men to take their positions.
"Any sightings of Charlie Chadwick?" Mike asked curiously, his eyes still glued to the dark ship.
"Not yet," Shiner replied and the disappointment in his voice could easily be picked up.
The walkie-talkie suddenly sprung to life. "Sir, there's a car coming down the docks, the driver hasn't spotted us yet," a voice reported from the other end. "We can confirm the person sitting in the back fits the description of our man."
Shiner turned to Mike with an unmistakable smug look and then broke into a cautions grin.
OOOOOO
PC Phil Bellamy shivered slightly in the damp air of the late night where he stood hunched behind a tree, not far from the gates to Hillsdale Farm. Nothing had happened for over an hour and he was starting to wonder if anything would happen at all when, suddenly, a piercing scream filled the air and sent shivers down his spine. He instinctively ducked as something large came flying over his head and fumbled with his flashlight, turning it on. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as the ray of light caught a fleeing owl.
"Stupid bird," he muttered and switched off the light again.
Phil placed the flashlight between his legs and started to rub his hands, trying to get some circulation back into his cold fingers.
The silence was deafening around him and he felt bold enough to walk closer to the farm and into the courtyard. For a brief moment he considered calling in with the station but he figured Alf hadn't much to say so he decided against it for the time being.
The moonlight caused an eerie glow to set over the old buildings and the main house stood out in stark contrast to the rest as it had been scorched by a fire. The blackened stone walls and collapsed roof made it look like something out of horror movie, a haunted house. He kept away from it and steered toward the henhouse instead as he heard the faint sound of an engine purring.
Phil cautiously moved around the corner of the small henhouse, pressing himself against the wall and turned to look in the direction of the barn. The sound definitely came from there. The doors to the old garage part opened and two headlights appeared. He crunched down, afraid of being spotted.
Heels clicked over the paving, next to the car, for a moment before he heard the doors slam shut. Phil decided to throw caution to the wind and peek. A fairly young woman jumped into the red car, ready to drive away. Phil cursed his own stupidity, he would never be able to prevent her from leaving just by waving his hands in front of the car and he couldn't get to the Panda car fast enough to track her. But then again, he had the moment of surprise on his side.
The red headed police officer rushed from his hiding place, jumped over the smaller stone wall circling the place and hastily closed the gates. He started toward the approaching car who came to an abrupt halt a few meters in front of him. The strong headlights blinded him but he kept his position and used his hand as an extension of his helmet in order to shade his eyes.
"Mary McMara! You are surrounded by the police. I suggest you shut down the engine and come out where I can see you," he shouted.
The engine of the car revved and for a minute Phil was afraid she was going to come at him in full speed. "We know about your involvement in the antiques gang!" he said, trying to sound as convincing and stern as he could muster.
The sound of the engine died and the headlights darkened and Phil blinked, trying to see in the darkness, his eyes still adjusted to the bright light. He switched on the flashlight as he heard clicking heels running away from the car. Unperturbed and with his mind set on nailing the woman he took off after her. His steps longer and his standard police issued boots better suited for the somewhat rough terrain in the courtyard he quickly managed to catch up with her.
"Miss McMara," he began as his hand locked around her arm. "You are under arrest, please follow me nice and calmly."
OOOOOO
Nick turned off the lamp in the bathroom and then silently padded into the bedroom, careful not to wake his pregnant wife. The thought of them having a child warmed his heart despite the cold outside this time a year. The last two and a half months had been trying as the more he'd tried to keep their relationship together the more Kate had doubted it and turned away. The thought of having her back with him seemed far-fetched just two weeks ago. But then something happened when she decided to tell him about their unborn child. Their final reunion came that day when he'd participated in an arrest of a few army officers.
He would always remember that day, he was lucky, it could have gone so much worse than it did that day; he could have ended up bleeding to death from a knife wound. Instead the knife cut into the soft skin of his palm causing tissue damage but in the end nothing was irreparable.
Nick stared at the white and stark bandage wrapped around his right hand and shuddered, it still hurt as only a week had passed. Kate slept peacefully as he carefully sat down on the bedside and then eased down under the bedcovers in the semi-dark room. He remembered clearly when she'd come through the door and looked almost like a child, lost for words. Then she'd laid eyes upon his hand and the doctor in her immediately took over. He'd waved her concern away. She sat down on a kitchen chair as he stood there ironing his shirts and explained to him her true feelings of confusion and that she was afraid and started to sob. He walked over to comfort her, sneaked his arms around her, and told her that he loved her. Then she looked up at him and told him the most wonderful words in the world; I love you too. They had hold onto each other then, clung to each other, like nothing else mattered; locked in a moment together that seemed to go on forever.
Nick turned to Kate as she lay with her head toward him, her eyes closed. He reached out and carefully moved a strand of hair from her face. With a smile he lay there looking at her knowing there would be a new tomorrow, no matter what, because he and Kate were together again.
OOOOOO
Oscar Blaketon walked with heavy steps down the sterile corridor of Ashfordly General Hospital and up to a closed ward. He took off his hat as he walked through the doors and headed over to the nurses station.
"I'm here to see Nick Rowan," he said to the young nurse that came to greet him. "My name is Oscar Blaketon."
She nodded gravely. "Only for a couple of minutes, Mr. Blaketon," she cautioned as she walked out behind the counter and indicated for him to follow her further down a corridor, down to a private room.
She stopped at the door and turned to him, her hand resting on the doorknob. "As I said, don't be too long," she cautioned.
He nodded sadly as she held up the door for him. The former sergeant looked down at his successor sadly, taking in the stillness, the sickly pallor of his skin and the beeping of the machines that surrounded him.
"Hello, Nick," he said mutedly, his voice seemed hollow somehow.
Blaketon took a seat next to him and let out a frustrated sigh. "I didn't want to come sooner, Jo needs the time with you," he said kindly. "And little Katie."
The silence was deafening to his ears and he wished that Nick somehow would look at him and tell him that everything would be fine. However, the young sergeant's eyes remained closed and unseeing. A vivid purple bruise traced most of his left cheekbone and disappeared beneath the gauze covering a gash on his forehead.
"Come on now Nick," he suddenly spoke up in a voice that was much more like his usual self. "It can't end like this. Are you going to let Jo go through the same you did with Kate?"
With a sigh he continued his monologue. "I remember when you first arrived here seven years, almost eight years ago," Blaketon said, smiling at the memory. "How life here changed you," he added.
"Getting the hang of it, you turned out to be one of the best officers I ever had the pleasure of working with. I want you to know that. I might have been hard at times and you might have done some pretty stupid things at times but in the end everything turned out well," he finished and studied the pale face in front of him for a while. "I just hope it will turn out for the best this time as well," Oscar added sadly.
OOOOOO
To be continued
17/28