CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

There was quite an air of celebration in The Locomotive that lunchtime, and many of the officers had made private arrangements for their partner or a friend to pick them up after work, so that they could have a little more than one drink. Whatever had they done before mobile phones?

When the merry atmosphere had been milked for as long as possible, the officers began to dribble away back to the station and, finally, there were only Olivia and Lauren left. ‘Don’t be too late back, ladies,’ called Buller as he waved them a cheery goodbye, and Olivia went to the bar to order them two cappuccinos, a spur of the moment decision that she felt had been relayed almost by telepathy from her sergeant.

As she placed the cups on their table and sat down, Lauren held out a hand. ‘I’m so sorry I haven’t been much of a friend recently,’ she said with emotion in her voice.

‘We all have periods when we’re a bit off,’ Olivia countered.

‘I know I’ve been really distant and aloof, but there were reasons.’

‘Which you don’t want to confide in me.’

‘It was more a case of “couldn’t talk about” because I was, underneath, so ashamed.’

‘Do you want to tell me anything now?’

‘A little. I was becoming dependent on alcohol. I was using it like a tranquiliser to distance me from all the trouble I expected from Kenneth regarding custody of the children, maintenance, and the eventual sale of the house. After he died, I suddenly realised that I didn’t need it any more. Kenneth had been my trigger, and he was no longer around.’

‘Is that all?’ queried Olivia, who had often used wine to switch off her head when a case was particularly disturbing, just for the temporary break it gave her from her teeming thoughts.

‘No, but I can’t tell you any more at the moment.’

Inspiration struck the inspector, and she asked, tentatively, ‘Did Dr Mac tell you about Gerda’s condition?’

‘He did have a word in my shell-like to let me know before it came out in the inquest that she was three months up the duff, but then Kenneth never could keep it in his trousers, and she would probably have been terribly careless with the birth control, because she wanted a piece of him that she could really own.’

‘That’s very grown-up of you,’ replied Olivia, wondering whatever else had been bothering her sergeant, if this wasn’t it.

‘Anyway, I’ve made my apologies. I hope we can be friends again as well as colleagues, and what about a musical evening in the near future?’

‘Yeah …’ Olivia’s one word reply was limp and lacklustre, ‘but give me a while. You’re not the only one who’s had problems; and, no, I can’t talk about it either. It’s too raw at the moment.’

‘Buller did have a quiet word with me about Hal.’ Now Lauren sounded nervous.

‘I simply don’t believe it. If you want anything broadcasting around the whole station – nay, town – just tell a police officer.’ Olivia’s face was a mask of fury, but it dissipated quickly. ‘Scratch that. At least you know what I’ve been going through.’

‘What are you going to do about it?’ Lauren was curious to discover if Hal’s little slip would end in another fractured marriage.

‘I have a fair idea of how I want to play it, but I’m not saying anything till it’s dealt with.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘Come on, drink up. As responsible officers of the law we shouldn’t be sitting here in the middle of the afternoon drinking coffee and chatting about the murkier areas of our lives.’

You don’t even know the half of it, thought Lauren, as she carried her cup and saucer over to the bar and collected her handbag from the back of her chair. The place was nearly empty now, and they were beginning to stick out like sore thumbs.

‘What about these thugs who dispatched the man and the woman in the van, and that man nailed to the table?’

‘We know who the killers of the victims in the van are, and they’ll be picked up and charged. Whatever, justice will catch up with them, but that’s nothing to do with us, now. The other bloke semi-crucified in the kitchen – well, I think that’s another matter altogether and leads further up the ladder. Buller will follow that up when he’s back on home territory. He’ll enjoy that.’

‘So, what do we do now?’

‘Sort out our personal lives and take a breather until something else evil this way comes, I suppose.’ Olivia was already getting ready for a tense evening at home, and her mind was ahead of her, in the cottage and at odds with Hal.

When the inspector arrived home, a little late that night – subconsciously on purpose – it was to find that Hibbie and Ben had gone out in Ben’s old banger, and Hal was waiting for her in the hall with a bunch of flowers.

‘Come on in, my lovely,’ he invited, escorting her with a leading arm to the kitchen. The table was laid with a snow-white cloth, placemats, matching – unusual in their house for everyday eating – cutlery, coasters, and wine glasses. There were even side plates to the left of the forks with ringed napkins on them, and finger bowls to the right.

‘What’s all this in aid of?’ she snapped suspiciously.

‘Something very important. I’ve done all your favourite dishes. We’re having asparagus with butter sauce – finger bowls and napkins absolutely essential for that – steak with mushrooms and all the trimmings, followed by lemon meringue pie – not a very elegant dessert, but incredibly delicious.’

‘But … what’s all this in aid of?’

Hal suddenly dropped down on one knee and pulled a small leather box out of his trouser pocket. As he opened it, he said, his voice deep and serious, ‘Olivia, will you marry me?’ as Olivia stared down in incredulity at the most beautiful ring.

‘Don’t be silly, Hal. We’re already married.’

‘I meant … will you consider renewing our vows; like a fresh start for us?’

The devil on Olivia’s shoulder forced her to reply, ‘I’ll have to think about it first.’ But the ring looked absolutely scrummy, and considerably more upmarket than the one he had originally bought her when they had gone through round one of matrimony. Her resistance started to crumble.

‘Will you at least let me put the ring on your finger? Try it for size?’

‘Let’s eat first. I’ll probably weigh about a stone more after that lot, and we need to know it will fit after a blow-out.’

‘Does that mean “yes”?’

‘I’ll tell you after I’ve sampled your cooking.’

‘We can have a glorious reception, and maybe go off on a second honeymoon: go over and see the folks …’

‘Hold your horses. Food first, Casanova.’

THE END