Page 67 of A Cosy Christmas with the Village Vet

‘Yeah, you can’t miss it,’ said Ollie. He thought for a second and said, ‘Well, maybe you can.’

‘Anyroad, turns out the bloody thing’s made of packed ice and is rock solid, as I found out when I collided with it.’ He frowned and gingerly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

‘Nice one, Jimby, but at least you didn’t end up in the pond for a change.’ Ollie chuckled.

‘Aye, true.’ Jimby nodded in agreement.

‘So what happened with the other bloke from the van?’ asked Nick. ‘The one we were chasing’s been taken to Middleton police station.’

‘And so’s his pal,’ said Camm.

Between them he and Jimby told them that the shorter of the two men had run down a snicket between two cottages where he’d come face to face with Reg. He’d done an about turn and come flying out with the outraged cockerel in hot pursuit, flapping his wings and brandishing his spurs in a flamboyant display of machismo. The rooster had taken exception to the unscrupulous man’s hood and had attached himself to it, pecking angrily at the thug’s head until he’d fallen to the floor, yelling and screaming which only served to enrage Reg all the more. Not long after, the police had arrived and arrested the man.

‘Wow! Is there ever a dull day around here?’ asked Nick.

‘Well, there’s usually lots going on, but thankfully it doesn’t involve toerags like them that have been causing unease around here. Hopefully, now they’re caught, things can get back to normal in time for Christmas,’ said Jimby.

‘And here’s hoping the police manage to trace the stolen dogs,’ said Nick. He knew Bert would be interested to hear the thugs had been apprehended. And he hoped for Bert’s sake they’d find his beloved Nell. He made a mental note to text Brogan once he was back in his car, tell her what had happened. He knew it would be a massive relief to her knowing that no one was going to be sneaking around in the middle of the night any more.

With all the excitement, no one had noticed that the snow had started falling more heavily until now. They declared it was probably time to head back home to their families. ‘At least we have some good news to post on the local social media pages,’ Ollie said to various sounds of agreement.

As Nick made his way along the narrow road to Arkleby he hoped Gary Trotter wouldn’t be late for their meeting. The snow that was falling was dry, and it was settling fast. He knew Camm would be around with the plough, but it had been an eventful few days and the sooner Nick could get back to Pond Farm, the better. He’d be the first to admit, getting back to Brogan and sampling more of her warm kisses was an added incentive.

As he pulled up outside Willow Cottage, it suddenly struck Nick that he’d forgotten to ask Jimby or Ollie if they’d mind accompanying him to his meeting with Gary Trotter. In all the excitement, it had completely slipped his mind. He told himself it was unlikely he’d need a witness; that nothing untoward would happen. At least, that’s what he hoped. While he waited for his landlord to arrive, Nick gathered the remainder of his stuff and packed it into his car, before taking copious photographs on his phone of the damage caused by the flood. By the time he’d done, Gary Trotter was over half-an-hour late. After calling and texting him numerous times but with no success, Nick accepted the man wasn’t going to show. He’d had enough of his landlord’s attitude; it was time to place the matter in the hands of his solicitor.

41

BROGAN

‘Bert! It’s me, Brogan. Have you heard? They’ve caught them. They’ve caught the pair that took Nell.’ Brogan could hardly contain the excitement in her voice over the phone to her neighbour.

‘They’ve got them? Oh, my… Have they got my Nell? Do they know where she is?’ he asked, his voice wavery, tearful almost. Her heart reached out to him.

‘I haven’t heard anything about Nell, sorry, Bert. But I’ve just had a call from Nick who said he and some other folk were involved in catching them. It happened in Lytell Stangdale. There was a chase.’

‘A chase?’ Bert sounded intrigued as Brogan went on to share the details Nick had given her.

‘PC Snaith said he’d be in touch to let us know what’s happening which hopefully he’ll do soon. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed it’s good news about Nell.’

‘Thanks, lass. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed too.’

Ending the call, she glanced out of the kitchen window onto a sea of white. The huddle of conifers over on the north side of the dale were being rocked hard by the wind that was building quickly. She wondered how Nick was getting on with Gary Trotter, hoped it wouldn’t be long before he returned home. She didn’t like the thought of him being out in this type of weather. The last few winters had been particularly hard here on the moors, the conditions becoming treacherous in a matter of hours, which was the reason Mike hadn’t hung around once he’d got the locks fixed. He was a nice man she mused; she could see why Nick liked him. He’d done a good job, too. And it didn’t matter that the pair who’d been sneaking around the place had been caught, the new locks would give her much needed peace of mind for the next time the moors were targeted by unsavoury types.

Forty-five minutes later, Brogan heard the sound of Nick’s four-wheel drive pulling up in the yard, her heart thumping with relief. Maudie and Wilf jumped up and raced to the door, leaping around excitedly when he walked in. Brogan rushed to him, throwing her arms around his solid frame, inhaling the cold, wintry air that clung to his clothes.

‘Well, this is what I call a warm welcome.’ Cupping her face in his hand, Nick gave her a lingering kiss. ‘Mmm. I think I might go back out and come in again if this is what I’m going to get every time.’ He kissed her again and she hugged him tight.

‘I’m just so relieved you’re back in once piece. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?’

‘I’m fine; I just caught my elbow a bit when I hit the floor, but the snow softened my landing.’

While she’d been waiting for him to get home, her mind had wandered to the risk he and the others had taken in tackling the criminals the way they had. What if the thugs had been armed? What if one of them had pulled a knife out? She’d shuddered at the thought, not wanting to dwell on it too long.

Once Nick had changed out of his wet clothes, they shared a pot of tea as he recounted in more detail what had happened in the village. Brogan held her breath as she listened to how he and Ollie had wrestled the thug to the ground, but had burst out laughing when he’d told her about Gerald and his false teeth.

‘What I don’t understand is, why he would have them in his pocket,’ Nick said, laughing.

‘That’s where he usually keeps them so he can pop them in when Big Mary tells him off for not wearing them. He’s not keen on them, says they’re not comfortable.’

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