Chapter Text
It was a pleasant enough Wednesday morning.
Morse had collected Thursday from home and they’d been happily waved off by Win, who had given them, much to Morse’s embarrassment, a hug, a kiss on the cheek and a packet of sandwiches each.
“I think she’s still trying to pay you back for the breakfast in bed lad.”
Thursday teased.
Morse glared at him and blushed.
Thursday laughed
“I’m joking! It’s the mother in her. She just wants to make sure you’re eating properly. And since all that’s happened to us both over the last couple of months, well, we’ve all become closer, haven’t we? and she…WE… care about you, so don’t go getting so on edge when we show you a bit of love, ok?”
Morse nodded “I’m just not…”
“…used to it?” Thursday finished for him
Another nod.
“Well, one step at a time…” Thursday smiled kindly at Morse then added,
“Right then, no sense sitting here all day, we’re not going to get any work done guarding my house, we best be off”.
Morse drove them to work.
There had been a spate of burglaries in Oxford and the surrounding areas over the last couple of weeks. The offenders each time producing fake Police warrant cards to the victims who had then happily welcomed the offenders into their homes, whilst one asked questions about a made up incident, the other would sneak off and help themselves to the poor victim’s valuables.
They hadn’t even needed uniforms or Police cars, as their fake IDs got them everywhere they wanted to go.
Thursday and Morse were in agreement that this was sinking really low, to gain someone’s trust with that kind of lie, only to then steal from them.
It also made it that much harder for anyone from CID to attend and make enquiries, due to the victims only wanting to see Police officers in uniform. And who could blame them?
Well, after two weeks of statement taking, house to house enquiries, and following up on several dead end leads, they were starting to get a bit despondent.
So when another piece of information came in that morning about a vehicle that had been seen near to a similar burglary just the day before, They were almost resigned to it leading nowhere already.
Thursday came out of his office and called across to Jakes.
“That latest lead about that car that was seen…did I hear you say something about it being registered to a farmer?”
“Yes, Sir….to a Charlie Bradshaw.” Jakes reached for a piece of paper on his desk.
“Ash Farm on the Thame Road, just the other side of Forrest Hill. It’s a black Morris Minor.”
“Well, I don’t know about you Morse, but I fancy a nice drive out into the country? Make a nice change. Grab the address off Jakes and get your coat.”
Thursday and Morse set off out into the countryside.
“So, how have you been?” Thursday asked, glancing across at Morse.
“In what respect?”
“In the respect where you nearly broke your neck on my drainpipe two weeks ago! Are you still in any pain? …How have you been?” Thursday explained and repeated his earlier question.
“Fine”
Thursday rolled his eyes.
Morse added “Thank you, Sir” with a small smile
That would have to do, for now, Thursday sighed.
As they neared the farm, Fred thought to himself that this would likely to be nothing. A farmer’s wife probably, visiting a friend for tea in town, who happened to live just near to the burglary.
But despite his thoughts, they’d be taking no chances.
“Right, I’m sure that this will be a dead end, just like all the others, but we’re a good few miles away from Cowley here lad, so no heroics? Ok? Any sign of trouble, we get back to the car and call it in.”
Morse nodded. “Right, Sir”.
They continued down the drive and pulled up in front of the small quaint looking farmhouse. There was a feed store off to the left and next to that, a large barn.
There were one or two other small brick buildings and sheds dotted around and an old tractor parked up nearby.
There, next to the tractor was the black Morris Minor. Right address then.
Thursday went to the front door of the farmhouse and knocked on the door. He got no reply.
He could see Morse over by the Morris, so he went to join him, stopping briefly by the Jag to call in their location and ask for another car, just in case…he couldn’t say why, but Fred suddenly had a bad feeling about this place and his gut instinct had never let him down before.
“No reply at the door. Anything here?”
“Not that I can see. The car’s locked.” Answered Morse
“Odd? Locking your car when you live all the way out here?” Thought Thursday, out loud.
Then a voice from behind them “Well, you never know when you might find people prowling around”
Morse and Thursday turned and came face to face with a man holding a shotgun, which was pointed directly at them.