It said I'd typed too much so here's the rest of it, it's all one post really
Though tell Sgt Merton he can take two offences into consideration and arrest me twice.
You must have imagined it. She told herself, remaining frozen to the spot, not daring to breath. But it had not been her husband’s voice, surely if it had been in her head it should have been him answering her plea. This voice was different, an unfamiliar accent, raspy and pained, almost a whisper.
“Is someone there?” The voice said again. This time accompanied by a rustling in the heather. “I need help.”<br>“Where are you?” Jenny peered into the blank darkness, not seeing anything beyond the edge of the tarmac, her heart hammered, blood rushing past her ears dulled her senses.
“Don’t come any closer.” The voice instructed. “I’m hurt, hurt bad, I need you to get help.”
“What happened?”<br>“The plane, it doesn’t matter, I need you to get help.” The voice was clearer now, the words easier to understand. “You go and get help, tell them Cleary, have you got that?” The voice asked. “Cleary”<br>“Cleary.” Jenny repeated. “Are you cold?” She asked suddenly concerned for a fellow human being. “I could give you my coat.”<br>“No!” The voice was insistant. “Don’t come any closer, you need to go, go and get help for me.” The heather rustled again. “Just go.” The voice sounded tired, pained.
“Is there anything I can do for you? I’m a doctors assistant” Jenny was suddenly reluctant to leave her only human contact in this deserted landscape.
“No! Just get help, that’s all I need.” The voice had dropped in volume. “Please just go.”<br>“If you are sure.” Jenny laid her bike on its side at the edge of the road. “I’ll leave my bike here, so we can find you again.”<br>“That’s good, just go.”<br>Reluctantly Jenny turned back in the direction she had come from, she had totally lost her bearings and hoped that she was heading in the right direction. A hundred yards or so along the road she paused, looking back towards her bike, she could just make out the cream paintwork and the moonlight glinting on the chrome. She was beginning to wonder if she had imagined the voice in the darkness.
The Ashfordly train made good time and only an hour after leaving York, Dennis was walking towards the police station. He paused under a street lamp, sorting through his bunch of keys to locate the one for the gate. Jenny hadn't answered the phone, she must be sleeping soundly.
To his surprise the gate was closed but not locked. His car was where he had left it but one of the panda cars was missing, something must be happening. He unlocked the door of the remaining police vehicle and switched on the radio, for a few moments there was only static then he heard Crane’s voice he was calling Bellamy.
“No sign over here, I’ll heard back towards Aidensfield.”<br>“Delta Alpha Two One to Delta Alpha Two Two.” Dennis keyed the mic.
“Sarge!” Bellamy sounded relieved. “Where are you?”<br>“In the station yard, what’s going on?”<br>
Jenny had no idea how long she had been walking, her feet were sore, she had adjusted the laces several times but still the boots rubbed her skin into blisters, she was used to walking a few miles, five or even ten on infrequent afternoons spent on the moorland paths with Dennis, but she must have walked miles. She was beginning to think that she had gone totally insane, or this was a dream, a nightmare, it that were the case why couldn’t she wake up. The road was beginning to dip, she hoped there would be a farm house in the valley, or at least a phone box. She paused and looked around at the horizon, hoping for some sign of dawn. The sky remained dark, cloudy and almost moonless. Her feet were sore, too sore to keep walking, if there were only a hill at the other side of this dip she did not know what she would do. She moved forward slowly, concentrating on taking a step at a time, trying not to count her footsteps.
She did not know how much time had passed or how far she had walked but the road was beginning to flatten out, she thought she glimpsed a flash of light, as though car headlights had swept across the moorland.
“Please let it be a car.” She said under her breath, wary of speaking out loud in case another voice were to answer her. The lights flashed across the hillside again, there were some distance away but it was definatley a car. Jenny stood motionless, hardly breathing, the car was drawing closer, the lights two distinct beams slicing through the darkness.
Suddenly it was directly in front of her, the harsh light hurting her eyes. She raised her hands above her head and signalled for it to stop. The car came to a halt, the engine purring loudly, the lights dipped and a dark figure in a long coat got out of the driving seat, he paused, looking directly at her, one hand on eth top of the open door, the other on the roof of the car. He stare at her, as if unable to believe what he saw.
“Jenny?” A familiar voice met her ears. “Are you alright?”<br>“Dennis? Is that really you?” Jenny did not trust her senses, she remained frozen to the spot, letting her husband walk slowly towards her, he was in his uniform, his cap at a rakish angle.
“Jenny, what’s going on?” He asked, laying his hands gently on her upper arms.
“Oh Dennis.” She moved forward swiftly, placing the palms of her hands on his chest, pressing them into the warm woollen fabric of his uniform, resting her face on her hands. He wrapped his arms around her, protecting her from the night and the demons as yet unknown to him. Tears ran down her cheeks, she began to shiver, Dennis sensed her need, wrapping the folds of his greatcoat about her, enclosing her in safety of his arms. He stood with her for a few moments.
“Shall we go home?” He asked gently. Jenny nodded.
He led her to the car, opened the passenger side door for her and glided her into the red leather seat. She clung to his hand a moment as he moved to close the door. In a second he was seated beside her.
“My bike.” Jenny grasped his wrist urgently. “I left it on the moor.”<br>“Don’t worry, it will be fine, I’ll get Bernie to collect it at first light.”<br>“No you don’t understand.” Tears were streaming down Jenny’s cheeks. Dennis turned in his seat, his left arm sliding along the back of the seat protectively. Jenny looked up at his frown. “There’s someone up there, said they were hurt, asked me to get help.” She sniffed, floods of emotion demolishing what composure she had retained. “They said to get help, I left the bike… left it so you could find him…. Cleary……… he’s called Cleary.”<br>“You did the right thing.” Dennis hugged her close with his left arm whilst reaching for the radio mic with his free hand.
Three hours later Dennis was at home, he sat on the sofa, his wife’s sleeping body draped across him. Her arms round his neck, her head against his chest, the tears which had soaked the pale blue cotton of his shirt had now dried making it slightly uncomfortable. He stroked her shoulder gently, she was hardly any weight against his body, her legs curled on the sofa beside him, her bare feet covered by a blanket.
He looked up as there was a gentle knock at the door and Liz let herself in.
“How is she?” She asked in a whisper.
“That sleeping draught worked wonders.” Dennis replied, looking down at the crown of his wife’s head with a slight smile. “How’s the mystery man?”<br>“He passed away when they lifted him into the ambulance.” She shook her head, avoiding looking directly at Dennis. “It was for the best, Lord knows how he had survived that long, his injuries were unspeakable.” A sudden though occurred to her. “Did Jenny see him?”<br>“She said it was too dark, she offered to help but he wouldn’t let her.”<br>“Well that’s one blessing.” Liz sat down in the arm chair very suddenly, covering her mouth with her hand. She composed herself quickly. “I guess they’ll be needing you at the station, do you want me to sit with her for a while?”<br>“You’re right, there’s so much to do, how long will she sleep for?”<br>“Hopefully most of the day.”<br>Dennis lifted his wife gently, slipping from beneath her, placing a large yellow cushion in place of his body, it felt a very inadequate substitute. He wished with all his heart that he could stay with her.
He picked up his still fastened tie which he had discarded earlier, and pulled it over his head, flicking up his collar to settle it into place. He hitched up his trousers, tucking in his shirt at his slim waist. He pulled his crumbled tunic straight and fastened the buttons one by one, picking up his whistle from the coffee table and carefully hooking it through the button hole. He was very aware of Liz watching him.
“I hate to go but there is so much to be done. Informing Cleary’s relatives for one.” He did not voice the greater concern that played on his mind, the fewer people who knew about the bomb the better.
“Cleary?” Liz looked surprised.
“The man on the moors, he told Jenny he was called Cleary.”<br>“He was called Gavin Barton, he had his passport in his pocket.” Liz explained.
Dennis paused, leaning over his wife, checking that she was still sleeping. She was, breathing easily, a stray strand of hair lifting as she exhaled, he reached over and moved it from her face.
“I’ll try not to be too long, phone me if she wakes.”<br>“Of course.” Liz returned his smile. Jenny was so lucky to have Dennis, Liz knew how much his work frustrated her but he did really truly love her and he would protect her above all else. Her eyes followed him to the door and she raised her hand in parting to him as he looked back across the room.