Sally was waiting for him when he came in, he dropped the backpack and hugged her. He felt her crying, trying to pull away, she wouldn’t let him go. When she eventually let her grip lessen, he took her into the lounge. “What’s happened?”
“Nothing, I was worried, I have had a bad feeling all day. I thought something was going to happen to you, were you in St. Pauls when the bomb was discovered?”
“Yes, there were three, they were big and packed with nails. We got to the bottom of it in the end, there is too much to tell now. I have a report to write on Boxing Day, I will explain everything then. Right now, I’m starving, sandwiches and a ping meal will be OK.”
They sat in the kitchen, she watched Dave as he ate. “We need to talk, when you have finished, we will go to bed, there are things I need to say to you.”
Before going upstairs, he switched on the Christmas tree lights, “it looks really good, with the cards, it’s made the room Christmassy.”
“I’ve set the table for lunch tomorrow, I wanted to keep busy today.” He showered before getting into bed, Sally sat on his legs, she was wearing one of his tee shirts. “Dave, I want you to accept the job, I was frightened today, I don’t want to lose you. It’s time you stopped putting yourself in danger, you can only be lucky for so long. Let Taff take over if he wants to, if he doesn’t, find someone else.”
“OK, Jane said today I spoke to people differently, and that deep down I had decided to take the job.”
“Have you decided?”
“Yes, it’s the logical thing to do.” She leant forward and hugged him, his hands automatically went round her bum.
In the morning, he wished her ‘Happy Christmas’, there was a coffee on the bedside table. He got back into bed, opening the drawer in his bedside table, Dave passed her a card and present. She hugged him when she read what had been written inside. The paper round the present was ripped off. Inside the box, it was a thin gold chain with a diamond pendant, there was another hug and a load of kisses. “Help me put it on. My present and card for you are downstairs, it’s not as romantic as yours.”
She was out of bed and looking in the mirror at the necklace. “Dave, it’s beautiful,” returning to bed, she climbed on top of him, her arms were round his neck. There wasn’t time to make love. It was after 10:30, the turkey had to be put in the oven, lunch was at 14:00. Dave went down the stairs with only a towel round him, he put the oven on and took the turkey out the fridge. Sally was in the shower when he returned to the bedroom, he sat on the toilet watching her. There was an offer to help her. “We can’t, wait until later, I might have a plan.” She was downstairs first, toast was on the table ready, more coffees were being poured. The turkey was now in the oven. They hugged again when Dave came in, “I feel very clingy today, I’m not sure why.”
“Do you want to talk about it before we do anything else?”
“No, I think it might be because you have made a decision about our future, the person I am now, is totally different to the one when you moved in. A lot has changed, now there is to be more change, it will affect both of us. There is a certain amount of anxiety.”
“Let’s enjoy today, there is my report to start on tomorrow, until then, we have friends for lunch, it’s going to be a good day.” They kissed before Sally left to bring him his present, it was a large box wrapped in Christmas paper. Inside was a coffee machine, he opened the card, it was full of hand drawn hearts and kisses, she sat on his knee as he looked at it. She thought his eyes looked slightly moist.
They were both busy until around 13:00, Dave was first to go upstairs to change. When he came down, it was then Sally’s turn. There was a knock at the door, Richard the neighbour was there, Dave wished him a Merry Christmas, he handed over a card and a bottle of whisky. “Thank you for inviting me.” He was asked if he wanted a ‘Bucks Fizz’, beer, lager, wine or something a bit stronger. He opted for the Champagne and orange juice.
“I see there is a different car on the drive, I know you drive a taxi, but you do something else. I have never seen so many blue lights in the street since you moved in.”
“I do a little bit of work for one of the government departments, I used to be in the Army, it’s not something I can discuss.” Sally had come in, she looked stunning in a cherry red silk dress which finished just above her knee, she kissed Richard.
“There are two more to come, our friends Olivia and Michael, I think you have met them before.” There was knocking at the door, Sally went to answer it this time, she introduced the new arrivals to Richard, more Bucks Fizz were handed round. The smell of the turkey cooking was coming from the kitchen. Just after 14:00 Dave said it was nearly time, they moved through to the dining room. Sally asked Michael to open the wine, Dave was in the kitchen, the turkey was out the oven and resting, he made a gravy with the juices. When he thought it was all ready, he left the kitchen to have his starter. Smoked salmon was already on each of the place settings, the now opened wine was poured, it emptied the bottle, he said another one was in the fridge for the main course.
Crackers were pulled, party hats were put on, everyone groaned at the jokes. The conversation round the table was lively, there were smiles and laughter. Michael helped Dave clear the starters, he brought through bowls of veg and roast potatoes. Dave was slicing the turkey, Michael was on serving duty, finally Dave brought in the gravy and another bottle of wine. No one spoke as they ate, as each person finished, they said how good the food was. The conversation started again, this time Sally and Olivia cleared the plates, there would be a break before trifle or cheese and biscuits would be served. Dave topped up the wine glasses, the three men talked on their own, Richard wanted to know about Michael’s job, he had worked in the hosiery trade many years before.
Dave was happy to listen, he didn’t want to talk about his work. The trifle and cheese were put in the middle of the table, Sally said for everyone to help themselves. Most had the cheese, there was only Richard and himself who had trifle. By 16:00 they were all in the lounge drinking coffee, an hour later Richard said he would be going, he had to call his son who lived in Canada. He thanked everyone for making his Christmas one he would remember. Sally kissed him as he left, she said for him to come back later if he wanted.
Michael asked if it was a new car on the drive. “No, it’s a company car, I was in London yesterday. I borrowed it to get home, it has blue lights, it allowed me to get home quicker.”
“Were you involved in the bomb hoax at St. Pauls, the Carol Service was supposed to be shown live, but is was delayed, the news channel said there had been a call to the police about a bomb being planted.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about a hoax bomb.” Sally followed Dave into the kitchen. “Can I tell them about your new job?”
“I guess you are itching to tell them, you can say it’s an offer, do not say I’ve accepted.” While they were in the kitchen, the dishwasher was emptied and refilled. Sally put a box of ‘Heroes’ on the coffee table for anyone who wanted chocolate, Dave took a couple before sitting down.
Olivia said she wanted to ask a question, but wasn’t sure if Sally would answer it. “Try me, I’ll answer it if I can.”
“What does your boss say when you are off working with Dave?”
“There is an understanding, the university is contacted by the government to say I won’t be in. Hopefully it shouldn’t be happening too much in the future.” Both Olivia and Michael looked at her, “Dave has been offered a different job, assistant to the head of MI5, in charge of investigations.”
Michael looked at Dave, “congratulations, will you accept it?”
“We are just about to enter the negotiation stage. I’m not sure, there is a lot to be sorted out.”
Olivia looked at Sally, “will you be moving back to London?”
“No, Dave has insisted he will remain in Loughborough, if he accepts, he will spend three days in London and two here.” The smile had returned to Olivia’s face. Around 20:00 Sally asked who wanted more food, there were cold meats, dips and salad, it was laid out in the kitchen, “help yourself.”
Michael said they had a cab booked for 22:00, as they were leaving, he said to Dave if he wanted to talk, he just needed to say. He thanked him, there were kisses and hugs on the door step, they watched until the cab drove off. With the door closed, she flung her arms round Dave they kissed in the hallway, Sally wouldn’t stop. “Are you OK?”
“No, I suddenly felt insecure, it’s made me feel scared, I want to go upstairs to think, just me.” Dave watched as she climbed the stairs, he went into the lounge to clear up, he did the same in the kitchen then put the dishwasher on. It was 23:15 when he went upstairs, the bedroom was in darkness, it was the same in the office. He found Sally curled up in a ball in the spare bedroom, the one he had been in as a lodger. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the only light was from the landing, his hand rested on the lower part of her leg, “do you want to tell me about it?”
“She sniffed and turned her head to look at him, “I’m scared, I love the Dave I know, will you change when you are sitting behind a desk, will you be a different person?”
“I can’t answer that, when I worked for the MOD, I became jaded, that’s why I left. I think we have changed each other, but you have also seen me when I am drained by an investigation. You’re worried if I stay working in the field, my luck will run out. You can’t have it both ways. If I take the job, we will review it after six months, see if it is working for both of us, decide then if we want to carry on or look for something else. Could that be a plan?” She slowly uncurled herself and sat on the edge of the bed, Dave wiped away the tears. “Let’s go to bed, we can talk in the morning when we have both had a good sleep.”
It was raining when he looked out the bedroom window in the morning, it was 09:45, Sally was still sleeping. Dave went downstairs to make coffee, he flicked the heating to stay on all day. Coming back upstairs, he could hear Sally in the en-suite, they both returned to bed. “I’m sorry I spoiled the end of the day. Earlier on, I had a plan for us.”
“Keep it for another day, one when we are less tired.”
“I want you to stop, but I will miss the excitement and not knowing what will happen next.”
“Will you miss the shooting, seeing dead bodies, wondering if the next shot might hit you?”
“No, I won’t.”
“I’ve been doing this for over ten years, I have the opportunity to stop, and take up a well paid post, we have to at least give it a try.” Sally said she understood and agreed with him, but it was unsettling. “Forget about it for now, there is a report to write, I want to make a start after breakfast.”
Sitting in the office, he wrote out the report in his scribble, there was no order to it, he had to get what was in his head down on paper. The re-write was done more slowly and most of it was in the correct order. Sally would be able to read it this time. When she had typed it up, he would go over it making alterations, this would carry on until it was the way he wanted it. While he was in the office, he had heard Sally’s phone ring several times, she brought up coffee for them both. “Would you mind if I went to London tomorrow, Olivia, Sam and myself want to go shopping.”
“How will you be getting there?”
“We thought we might get an early train and come back when we have finished.”
“I’ll take you, there is something I want to do before the new year.” Sally asked if it was anything to do with the job offer. “Sort of, maybe, it might be. Sorry, that’s not very clear, a bit like my head at the moment.”
“OK, I’ll tell Sam and Olivia to be here at 08:30,” they swapped places, Sally opened up the laptop and started on the report, when his coffee was finished, he went downstairs to make a phone call. Sitting in the lounge, his eyes were closed, he was deep in thought, they opened when he heard his name being called. The first draft of the report had been typed out, Sally handed him a printed copy, he sat beside her reading it, bits were scored out other information added, arrows moved sections around the report, when he had finished, he handed it back. “Don’t disappear, this won’t take long.” Another copy came off the printer, this time there were only minor alterations. Sally saved the report, stood up to allow Dave to sit down, he kissed her as they changed places.
Leaving the office, she said lunch would be ready in half an hour. The report was emailed to all those Dave thought needed the information. He logged into the MOD site and printed out a personnel file, he did the same on the MI5 site, the final bit of information was from the Police National Computer. Each printout was put in his briefcase ready for the next day.
Later they went for a walk, the rain had stopped, Sally knew there was something on Dave’s mind. “A problem shared is a problem halved, what are you thinking about?”
“I’ve arranged a meeting for tomorrow, I don’t know how it will go, I’m not sure I should even be doing it, but I’ll see how it goes. I will tell you about it afterwards.”
“Does it affect us?”
“No, it’s just about organising the set up if I take the job.” She stopped walking, Dave hadn’t noticed they were now in the town centre, he was pushed into the entrance to the closed shopping centre.
“One minute you are all for accepting the job offer, the next you are waivering, what is holding you back?”
“Something, I have no idea what it is, maybe tomorrow will make it all clearer.” Sally asked who he was seeing, “if it all works out, I will tell you then.” They went into Caffe Nero, many others had the same idea, it was packed. Sally sat down while Dave stood in the queue, there were two cakes on the tray when he joined her, he asked where she would be shopping in London.
“Oxford Street, then maybe Harrods, it depends on the money and our feet.” It was suggested if there was a lot of shopping, it could be dropped off at MI5. That evening, they made a curry from the leftovers of the turkey, the remains of the desserts were eaten afterwards, they were in bed by 22:00.
Olivia had picked up Sam and was knocking on the door at 08:30, Sally was ready, Dave was finishing off his coffee. They drove down in the Range Rover Dave had arrived in on Christmas eve. Sam asked if it was a new car, Dave said he had borrowed it for a few days. They were dropped off at Oxford Circus, Sally knew to call him when they were ready.
He was sitting at his desk by 11:30, he reread the files from his briefcase before going to find a coffee machine. The building was quiet, there were very few people about, only enough to cope with any emergencies which came up, many more were on standby. At 12:45, there was a call from security to say his visitor had arrived. He travelled down in the lift, he saw a suited figure waiting for him. “Hello Taff, thank you for coming,” they shook hands, he was asked if he wanted a coffee as they walked to his office. Dave carried two plastic cups with him, Taff was asked to open the office door. When the cups were on the desk, he closed and locked the door, he didn’t bother closing the blinds, he didn’t think anyone would be looking in. Taff took off his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair. “Taff, I have an offer to make to you.”
© 10210ken 2026
