Chapter Twelve – A Wonderful Scent

Jenny Merton waited just inside the front door as Dennis finally arrived home. She was dressed for a night out with a jacket draped over her shoulder and a matching pair of shoes.

The Ashfordly sergeant had to look twice at his beautiful wife before registering what he was seeing. He'd been caught in utter surprise having prepared himself for a dressing down, instead she stood there ready to leave with a dazzling smile on her lips.

"Jenny," he said, unable to hide the grin creeping over his face. "Fancy going somewhere?"

She nodded. "I'm only waiting for my husband to shrug out of his uniform jacket and change into a civilian jacket," she let on softly. "I may not like having you away so much but if it means you're going to take me out on fancy restaurants every night to compensate – then I might accept it."

"I take it you liked the food and company yesterday then?" He returned with a sly grin as he got into his green Manchester jacket.

"So, Mr. Merton where are you taking your lovely wife this evening?" She asked cunningly as they walked out of the house, locked the door and headed for the car.

He chuckled as he opened the car door for her. "Well, how does a late supper at a castle sound to you?" He asked.

Jenny crinkled her nose and beamed at him as he walked around the car to get into the driver's seat. "Sounds wonderful to me," she said happily.

Within thirty minutes they were seated at a candle lit table enjoying a late night out. No one knew them as the doctor's aide and pharmacist or the Ashfordly police sergeant since they didn't frequently go to visit the castle. Therefore they could enjoy themselves without being disturbed.

"So," Jenny began carefully as they were halfway through the midcourse. "I heard you and Liz talked about Jack Lane's goat farm?"

Dennis frowned innocently. "Seems rumours travels fast," he said cryptically.

"Come on," Jenny admonished lightly, a smile still on her lips. "We've talked about it too so I know that's the truth."

"I give up," he replied, raising his hand slightly from the table in mock surrender. "Yes, we talked about it and, like I told her, I'm a police sergeant, not a stable boy."

"Oh, I don't know. I think I can picture you in a coverall, as a shepherd on the moors," she teased.

"If you're trying to talk me into helping out, just forget it," he returned seriously.

"Don't be like that. It would be fun," Jenny countered.

He reached for his beer with an innocent look on his face. "Says who?" He asked.

"Me. I will be there and Liz and Ben. Hopefully even Gina and Phil, those two needs a distraction," Jenny reasoned.

Dennis face lit up. "There you see. There's no need for me to be there," he countered. "Imagine Bertha's expression should she see the Ashfordly police sergeant herding sheep."

Jenny broke into a grin. "That would be marvelous," she said joyfully.

As the evening turned into late night both Jenny and Dennis were happy and relaxed together, more so than they'd been for weeks. The discussion about helping out at Mr. Lane's farm however seemed an open subject.

"Dennis," Jenny said as they left the restaurant, heading for the car. "I don't want this night to end."

"Come on now, Jen," he said softly into her ear as he snaked an arm around her middle. "There will be more of them."

Their attention solely on each other they didn't notice the man approaching the entrance to the castle from the other direction and bumped into him as a result.

"I'm sorry," Dennis mumbled apologetically. "My wife and I…"

Jenny's smile vanished to be replaced by confusion as she felt her husband tense next to her. She turned slightly, focusing on the man before them but he was unknown to her. However, his deep blue eyes sent chills down her spine.

Dennis unconsciously tightened his grip around his wife's middle and drew her closer to him. The man standing before him hadn't been seen for years. He'd vanished into thin air that night several years before when Sergeant Merton was Detective Constable Merton working for the CID.

They stared at each other. The man, unknown to Jenny, looked surprised at first then she saw recognition in his eyes and then the malice directed at her husband that made her squeeze Dennis' hand for comfort and security.

Both Merton and Forbes were older but the recognition was mutual as they looked at each other. Then as sudden as he'd first appeared Forbes vanished into the night.

OOOOOO

The respected, although highly irritating, upper-class man, Emile Nolan awoke with a start as a scream echoed through the large house. Without knowing what was going on he threw the bedcovers aside and opened the large lead encased glass door leading out in the garden and stopped short in his tracks as his feet connected to the moist lawn.

Angelica Nolan stood frozen next to the large pond in the middle of the garden, the look on her face changing from despair to surprise and then to anger as she saw her husband. "Wait till I get my hands on Scripps," she seethed. "I'll kill him with my bare hands!"

Emile frowned. "What's going on? I thought you'd caught an intruder the way you screamed," he said.

"My precious fishes, in the pond. He's killed all my fish with this…this, fertilizer," she let on.

Emile crossed his hands over his chest. "Well, then it's certainly effective," he replied. "The heavy rain pour tonight must have washed it away from the flowerbeds and into the pond."

"Would you shut up!" she growled. "I'll let the entire village know what he's done and then I'll see to it that he pays for new ones flown here from London. And I demand that you take this up at the next council meeting, Emile," she finished.

OOOOOO

Liz Merrick glanced through the window as she heard a car coming. It was still early in the morning so regular traffic wouldn't stop by and certainly no patients since the practice didn't open for at least an hour. The doctor frowned and then smiled as she watched Jenny get out of the Rover and saw Dennis at the wheel.

The doctor went out in the hallway to open the door for her aide and pharmacist as she neared the house.

"Is he making up for lost time at night?" Liz teased lightly as Jenny jumped slightly when she opened the door. The smile morphed into confusion and slight worry as she studied her normally happy friend.

"You look spooked, Jenny. What's the matter?" She asked.

Jenny Merton shrugged out of her coat and hang it on the hook inside the door. "I don't know, Liz. I have this funny feeling, like something bad is about to happen," she said seriously.

"Why?" Liz wondered aloud. "The sun is shining, you got a lift from your husband and we shouldn't have that many patients today."

"Yesterday we met a man, Liz. When we stopped by the old castle to have quiet evening," Jenny began hesitantly. "I've never seen him before but this one time was enough to send a chill down my spine. He was a felon, I think he's dangerous too, Liz, and he recognized Dennis."

"Okay," Liz replied with uncertainty. "Why don't you come into my house instead of taking your place behind the counter? We can sort the drugs later together. I'll get us some nice tea and we start from the beginning."

OOOOOO

Dennis waited patiently at the railway station for the morning train to arrive. After a while the old locomotive whistled nearby and the next minute it appeared behind the hillocks. He was in no hurry to greet the person coming to him but yet he didn't want to linger any longer than necessary – especially not as something sharp and pungent attacked his nostrils.

A another few minutes DI Shiner, having ditched his company back in Liverpool, got off the incoming train and walked up to him and acknowledged his presence. Since they'd spoken on the phone beforehand the DI went straight to business.

"Jonathan Forbes?" Shiner said in confusion as they started walking toward the waiting police car.

Merton nodded seriously, still doubting whom he'd seen the night before. "I don't believe in coincidences, at least I didn't. The name should ring a bell to you, sir," he said.

Shiner sighed as he reached up to rub his tired eyes. "Liverpool, the smuggler league, seven years ago," he returned.

Dennis nodded. "I remember the joint cooperation between Leeds and Liverpool CID and the exchange program," he said. "Now, what is interesting is that Jonathan Forbes escaped trial and hasn't been seen since then. He was written off as dead if I recall correctly?"

"Until now, that is," Shiner returned deadpan before making a face. "What is that smell?"

OOOOOO

Joyce Jowett walked out on the platform, a cup of tea in hand from the small cafeteria, to inhale the fresh country air and almost choked on her breath as a sticky, awful smell of ammonia pestered her nostrils.

The council woman stared at a dark trail running from the entrance stair and over the platform till it ended on a flowerbed further down the line.

"What on earth?" she exclaimed with a frown as she put down her tea and made it down the platform toward the flowerbed next to the railway master's office.

A bit further down, just outside the railway area, at the end of the platform, stood a red truck looking suspiciously like the one Vernon Scripps used to drive. As she tried to make out what was going on she saw David Stockwell applying something black and murky on a few hanging flowerpots next to the entrance.

She began to walk toward him, her features grim. "What are you think you're doing?" She demanded angrily, causing the large man to drop the sack and involuntarily take a step back.

"We are establishing the base for a new large flower bed," Vernon Scripps explained as he walked up to them, having been standing in front of the truck.

"Was there something wrong with the other one?" She questioned, hands on her hips.

"The railway master wanted this rear entrance to be somewhat extraordinaire," Vernon let on.

"Well, it certainly is already," Joyce countered angrily. "It stinks like no one else's."

"It will get better. I promise you, Mrs. Jowett," Scripps assured her. "We'll add a layer of soil and top dress as well before the flowers arrive."

"If I where you I would add the soil rather quickly because in one hour from now the railway delegation will arrive and if you cause them any grief with your projects, business will be banned around here and that includes your taxi service," she returned in annoyance a she turned on her heels to head back Stevenson.

David took off his cap as he watched Joyce stomp back toward the railway master's office, her head held high and her stance irritated. "Mrs. Jowett seem angry, Mr. Scripps," he deduced.

Vernon drew in a frustrated breath as he turned to look at his so called assistant. "You don't say, David," he muttered.

OOOOOO

To be continued

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