‘Then what is?’ Harry asked.
‘Love,’ said the old man, then he turned on his heels and shuffled off back into town.
Chapter Thirty-Five
‘Love? He really said that? Well, that’s a right load of total bollocks, isn’t it?’
‘Bit cynical of you,’ Harry said, staring at Matt as he continued to shake his head in disbelief at what Harry had just told him.
It was early evening and Harry was standing in Hawes marketplace with the rest of the team. Well, the rest of the team bar Jenny and Liz, who were still busy transporting doctor James Rawson to Harrogate to begin the process of booking him in, taking statements, questioning, and all the rest. Harry would follow on soon. PCSO Coates had done well, he thought. They all had.
‘I’m not being cynical,’ Matt said, ‘it’s just that, well, you know, to say it at all, like that, I mean? Well, it’s nonsense, like, isn’t it?’
Harry saw Jim wandering over towards them, his hands full with cardboard trays carrying disposable coffee cups. He handed them out then pulled out a bag of doughnuts. Harry went to grab one, but a hand slapped his away.
‘What would Jenny say, now?’ Gordy said with a wink.
‘Any news from her and Liz?’ Jim asked.
‘Not yet,’ Harry said, looking at his watch. ‘They’ll be there by now for sure, though.’
‘I still can’t believe it,’ Matt said. ‘Mike Smith? Everyone’s known him for years!’
‘Doctor James Rawson,’ Harry corrected. ‘Ah, he was a pretty good actor. Even his dad didn’t know, until the killing started. But even then, he had no idea who his son actually was, just that it was him that was doing it. Madness, really.’
Harry took a sip of the coffee, which stung his lips and burned his mouth. He didn’t care. Although the rain had eased, it was still a cold day, and the warmth was welcome.
‘Can you imagine it, though?’ Gordy asked, shivering as she sipped her own coffee. ‘Planning it for all those years?’
‘I’m not sure he was,’ Harry said. ‘I’d like to believe that he really did come home to be with his dad, to show him that he’d made something of himself, explain why he’d disappeared, faked his own death. Then, when he got here, and his own dad didn’t even recognise him? Well, I think that was just the start of it all eating him up from the inside again. Until, eventually, he just snapped.’
‘Well, I think that’s all very generous of you,’ Gordy sighed. ‘Which surprises me rather, I have to say.’
‘Perhaps, perhaps not,’ said Harry. ‘It’s never just a simple matter of who killed who and throwing away the key. There’s always more to it, more history. And none of it is ever good.’
‘Aye, you’re right there.’
Harry took another hit of the coffee. The earthy smell of it mingled with the damp, cool air of Wensleydale, and he wondered when the weather would change again, and bring back the promised summer.
‘So what now?’ Jim asked.
‘What now?’ Harry repeated. ‘Well, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m already looking forward to the huge pile of paperwork we’re going to have to go through. And then there will be all the stuff to do with the courts, solicitors to put up with, the press. It’s going to be busy.’
‘Is it always like this?’ Jadyn asked.
‘What, murder, bad weather, and the occasional doughnut?’ Harry asked.
‘No, I mean . . .’ Jadyn spluttered.
‘I know what you mean,’ Harry said, smiling. ‘And to be honest, I hope not. In fact, I hope with the very essence of my soul that from now on everything is very boring, very dull, and that the most any of us has to deal with is a couple of angry pensioners arguing over a bag of penny chews.’
‘Wow, that’s specific,’ Jadyn said.
‘It is,’ Harry said. ‘It’s also happening right over there . . .’
The team turned to find themselves staring at exactly what Harry had described.
‘Looks like a job for uniform to me,’ Matt said.
‘But what about you?’ Jadyn said, looking at Jim. ‘You’re a PCSO!’
Jim shook his head. ‘No, that’s definitely more your area I think,’ he said.
‘Oh, yes,’ Matt agreed. ‘Those two can get quite violent as well, so you’ll need to be careful.’
Jadyn slipped his hat onto his head and started off, but by the time he’d crossed the road, whatever the argument had actually been about had been forgotten, and the two in question had shuffled off and away into the evening.
Harry raised his face to the sky. ‘It’s coming in again, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘The rain? Does the weather ever make any sense up here? At all?’
‘You get used to it,’ Jim said.
‘And you make sure you’ve got the right gear,’ added Gordy.
Harry knew exactly what the DI was getting at and looked across the marketplace to the outdoor shop on the other side. He chucked what was left of his coffee down his throat.
‘So you’re going to finally do it, then, are you?’ Jim asked.
Matt reached out and rested a concerned hand on Harry’s shoulder. ‘You sure about this, Boss? I mean, if you buy what I think you’re going to buy, then this is serious.’
‘Oh, it’s serious alright,’ Harry said, and with that, he headed off through the first drops of rain, quietly wondering if buying a pair of wellington boots was a sign that perhaps, and after so little time, the dales were starting to get under his skin. And if so, would he ever be able to get them out again.
THE END
Author’s Note
I think I saw Apaches for the first time in 1982. I was nine years old. Looking back, I’m not sure it was the film which terrified me so much as the playground grapevine! Tales of what it contained ran around us like frightened hares, the older
