Doyle stood by the side of a sparkling stream, moodily casting a line out over the water and reeling it in. He tried several times without a bite, then set the pole down and sat under a tree. He and Bodie had sometimes gone their separate ways after work and even taken holidays apart, but they usually went fishing together. It was damnably lonely to be fishing here by himself and he was about to get up and go back to the inn when a stranger came up the bank towards him.
The man was in his forties, with thinning hair and an abstracted expression and he was quite close to Doyle before he noticed him. "Hullo. Having any luck?"
"Afraid not." Doyle stood up and stretched. "I'm about to pack it in."
"That bad?" The stranger had a fishing pole, a net, and a large basket, and he set them all down as he looked over the stream. "I think I'll have a go just the same." He smiled deprecatingly. "I always have all the trappings but I don't usually catch anything. Mostly I just like to sit by the water."
"Suit yourself." Doyle packed up his gear. "I'm probably going to head back to the city."
The stranger waved a hand as Doyle walked away, then turned his attention to his fishing pole.
Doyle went back to the shop and returned the fishing gear, then checked out of the hotel. This wasn't any good. If Cowley still wanted him to take some time off, he'd take it somewhere that wouldn't remind him so much of Bodie. He headed back to the city, speeding along in his usual abandoned fashion and wishing that his partner was beside him, complaining about his driving. He was almost back to the outskirts of London when the brakes failed.
Thankfully the road in front of him was empty. Doyle pumped the brake peddle, then pulled on the hand brake. No, that was gone too. He considered his options and did the only possible thing, turning and driving off the road into a ditch. For a moment he was stunned by the impact, then he crawled out of the car, surveying the wreck and marveling it hadn't been worse. Two cars and a motorcyclist slowed down but he waved them on. He could see a petrol station just up the road, and he would call Cowley from there.