Nick went to speak to Jo after school that day. She was still in her classroom although the children had long since left. He wondered as he perched on a table in the classroom if she were deliberately putting off the moment when she would have to leave and go home.

She dusted off her blackboard and turned to face him with a sigh.

"So definitely nothing to do with the Jacksons," she said. "I seem to be getting quite proficient about accusing people of things they haven't done."

"But you didn't," Nick said gently. "You only wondered if they might have had something to do with it. You hardly went round there accusing them of damaging your car yourself."

"You thought all along this had nothing to do with the Jacksons though. I should have listened to you." She sat down at her desk, brushing chalk off her hands.

"Jo, you know what I'm going to say now don't you?"

"That you think this is Max's work. Well, maybe it is, but I don't want anything else done about it Nick. I mean it."

"Why?"

"Well you'll accuse him of it and he'll deny it. We've no proof. And anyway it would just make things too awkward. You don't understand."

"Try me."

She sighed. "Maxwell's family are County Nick. His parents are Lord and Lady Cotesmore, that's the Cotesmores of Cotesmore Hall. They run the show and own pretty much everything round about. Nearly all the locals have some attachment or dependency on the Hall. Dad is the local bank manager and he assists with their affairs. Mum works closely with Lady Cotesmore in the local Womens Institute. They're as good friends as what they could be given the difference in social status. If I send the police round accusing Maxwell of smashing up my car..." Jo took a breath."No that's it Nick. Its not to be taken any further. I'm withdrawing my complaint or whatever it is I need to do."

Nick was really frustrated by Jo's decision yet at the same time he could understand it. He raised the matter in the duty room at Ashfordly the next day but his Sergeant's response was fairly typical if understandable.

"Well that's it Rowan," Blaketon said, "you'll have to leave it there won't you? Domestics!"

"Sarge."

Alf Ventress looked keenly at Nick. "You reckon there'll be more to come don't you?" he asked.

"Well if she doesn't make a complaint against this Maxwell and at the same time he's not getting what he wants, then yeah, I do," Nick said. "He didn't strike me as the sort to quietly go away."

"I don't want you wasting any more time on it Rowan," Blaketon said sharply, "and that's an order."

He went back into his office. Phil looked over at Nick.

"Taking a bit of an interest in this one aren't you Nick?" he asked.

Nick looked sharply at him. "Don't know what you mean."

"Well you can see how it might look to us," Alf put in. "Some might say you had more than a passing interest in our new school teacher. How did dinner go the other night by the way?"

"It was fine and it was nothing more than a dinner," Nick said speaking defensively.

"Now don't go getting all prickly on us," Phil said. "Seriously Nick, you need to start living a bit again. Do you no harm."

Happily for Nick the phone rang at that moment saving him having to answer. Alf picked up the phone, saying "Ashfordly Police. Oh I see. Yes, he's here. Aye. All right Maggie, leave it with me."

He put the phone down and looked over at Nick saying, "Maggie Bolton's got Joanna Weston with her. She turned up this morning in a right state. Someone's been hanging round that cottage of hers, banging on the doors and windows and that sort of thing. Before that all started she got calls, three or four one after the other but when she went to pick it up no one were there"

"I told her to call me if she had any more trouble!" Nick said exasperated.

"Aye well she tried that when the banging on the doors started. Except the phone line were dead. Someone had cut the wire."

Blaketon had come back down the passage from his office to hear all this. He looked over at Nick.

"Well you'd best go over to Maggie Bolton's Rowan," he said. You might want to impress on our Miss Weston if we get some co-operation from her, we might actually be able to do summat!"

"Yes Sarge." Nick went to get his greatcoat. "But if we've no proof its going to be hard to lay anything at Maxwell Cartwright's door."

Jo was not in a good state when Nick arrived at Maggie's cottage. She was sat by the fire twisting a handkerchief in her hands. She was pale and her eyes had dark rings round them

"She wanted to go into school!" Maggie said softly to Nick. "As you can see she's not fit."

"No." Nick sat down gently opposite Jo. "Jo, come on its all right now."

"I was so scared Nick. When I found the wire had been cut. I- I was too scared to even run to the car and drive for help. I just barricaded myself into the house. When the noises stopped, well, I just huddled there by the door you know. I was too scared to move. When it was daylight, I just ran for the car and drove down into the village."

"Did you see the person who was doing this Jo?"

"No I was too scared to even look out the window. I'm so sorry."

"All right. I know." Nick took a breath. "Jo, we can't ignore this."

"I know."

"We need to have a word with Maxwell. To at least ask him where he was last night."

"Nick, he'll deny everything." Jo spoke shakily. "And what keeps going through my head is, what if this isn't Maxwell's work? What if this is someone else? That's even worse isn't it?"

"Can you think of anyone else it might be?"

She shook her head. "No, honestly I can't Nick."

"All right." Nick gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Leave it with me Jo. The main thing is you're safe now. But we have to start somewhere and that means speaking to Maxwell I'm afraid. Although its going to be difficult without any evidence. But we will sort this."

"Thank you."

"Jo, do you think Maxwell is behind all this?"

"He hates things not going his way. And he has a real temper as you know. Especially when things don't go his way or he doesn't get what he wants. And I humiliated him you see. No, I would'nt put any of this past him," Jo said finally acknowledging what Nick knew already and what in truth she had always known deep down. "I need to get this sorted, "she went on. "I might be safe here now - until Maxwell or whoever this is finds me here. Because they're not going to go away are they?" She looked from Nick to Maggie and they saw the fear on her face. They looked grimly at each other. They had to stop this.