Preface
Sean should have been happy.
But he wasn't, and the reason that he wasn't had nothing to do with his work. In fact work was going better than he could have wished for. He had been a detective Sergeant for just under three years before getting promoted to Inspector, a rank that he was still getting used to three days later.
His partner, Dennis Harper, had been promoted to detective Sergeant, which eliminated the need to break in someone new.
No, as far as work was concerned, Sean was a very happy bunny.
He was unhappy because he had cohabited with the lovely vivacious Sarah for a little over twelve months now and he was beginning to believe that all was not well. The relationship seemed to be growing into something alien to him.
Sarah's mother had died in a failed robbery attempt at a local post office. She had been waiting in a queue to pay a bill when she had been shot accidentally by an over-enthusiastic member of the firearms squad. That, unfortunately, had put strains on the relationship, especially when Sean had eventually met the father and told him that he was a policeman.
Everything had seemed fine for his first two years with Sarah. It had been exciting and he had found himself looking forward to meeting her from the vehicle requisition department of one of the countries largest hire car firms after work and going on somewhere. She had introduced him to bowling, concerts and worse of all, poetry readings at the student's bar at the local University where she was doing a part time degree course in English History.
But since they had actually been living together in Sean's house, his brain had been in turmoil--as he watched the cushions and curtain ties being distributed around the place and the emergency bottle of whatever under the sink getting harder to find owing to all the other bottles of non drinkable cleaning stuff that now shared the same shelf.
As a direct result of his uncertainty about this girly way of life that slowly surrounded him, things had just gone from bad to worse. Tonight, he was going to have to tell her to move out while he took stock of his feelings. And during the drive home he composed the words that he was going to use on her when he eventually saw her.
His intention had been to go straight home and get it over with, but his nerve had deserted him after a few miles and he snuck into a pub for some Dutch courage. It was getting on for eleven by the time he had lost it for the second time and had stopped off at the local Doner Kebab shop for something to eat.
By the time he actually reached his house it was past midnight and he was surprised to see the television was still on in the lounge although the room itself was empty.
He was just starting to wonder where Sarah was when she came in from the kitchen and slumped down in one of the two armchairs. She did not look happy.
A male presenter came onto the television, dressed as usual for dinner at Buck House. "Good evening, and on the late news..."
His co-presenter took over the conversation: "The suspected serial killer thought to be responsible for at least eight killings throughout London and the Home Counties was today arrested during an armed raid by police in North London and is now being held in custody in the high security Paddington Green police station."
Sean smiled and pointed to the screen. "That was us that was responsible for that collar--my first nick as an Inspector, a high profile one at that."
The male presenter continued, "And the water companies are made to pay a fine totalling 180 million, the highest since privatisation..."
The woman again, "But first, a man has been found dead in a house about to be used in a television reality programme..."
Back to the male: "Yes, an as yet un-named man estimated to be in his mid to late fifties has been found dead at a country estate which until last year was the home of one of Britain's most decorated soldiers. Major General Bertram Cantrell died suddenly early last year at his Gentleman's club in London and having never lived in the house itself, sparking off rumours that the house was haunted, rumours that he had always denied out of hand, stating that the reason he had not lived there was because he had preferred to live at his club among people with whom he had spent his entire military life with.
"But this only fuelled the rumours and today a television crew from the program 'Haunted Places of Britain' made the gruesome discovery. For reasons or security we have been asked by the police not to divulge the whereabouts of the property. Now it's over to John Cummings who is reporting from somewhere in the south of England. John?"
The picture switched to a man standing across the road from the grounds of a large house. The footage had been taken in daylight and Sean noticed that, apart from a bored looking officer on duty at the entrance to the driveway of the house, there was apparently very little activity taking place, although he knew that there would be out of sight of the camera.
Sarah pressed the mute button on the remote.
Sean looked across the room. "I was listening to that love."
"I've heard it all before. In fact I've been listening to it all day seeing as I took today off work to sort out one or two things. Right now I think I would rather talk to you about us."
"Us?"
Sarah repeated the word "Us," then continued. "It doesn't actually matter if you don't want to because there isn't going to be an 'us' for much longer," she glanced at her watch, "about another ten minutes in fact."
Sean remained quiet. Maybe she would save him from having to say what he had been so long planning to say.
Sarah added, "I mean it."
Sean's mobile rang and he began his normal search for it. "I know you do and I want to talk about us as well."
He pressed the green button. "Hello?"
He listened for a few minutes and then thanked the person on the other end and replaced the receiver.
"That was Superintendent Roper, I have to go. We can talk when I get back."
As he stood up so did Sarah. After taking what appeared to be a deep breath she announced, "I won't be here when you get back."
Now that the time had come, he wasn't sure anymore.
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