Something's Brewing

Chapter 2: Stop Being Nice

"I'm gonna hang out with some of the guys for a bit, maybe go to one of their houses." Daisy shrugged as she put her phone back in her pocket.

"Guys, which guys?" Hardy quizzed his daughter.

"Over there." She pointed to a group not too far away. "I"ll be back by ten. You'll still be at work anyway."

Alec corrected her, "Not tonight. Miller is coming over for dinner and to discuss the case."

She nodded. "Good then, better I'm not there to hear the gory details."

"I didn't say there were any gory details." He looked back at the group. "Okay, just be sure you all stick together. Don't walk home alone if it's after dark. You can call me if it gets late, I"ll come give you a lift. I don't mind."

Her right eyebrow perked up. "Dad, what's going on?"

He gave her a concerned look. "Just be careful, okay? Don't mention this to your mates."

She sighed. "Well, thanks for freaking me out."

"You're welcome. See you later." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug before she bolted off towards her friends.

-*-*-

Hardy sat at his dining room table, looking at the photos scattered there, when his phone beeped, indicating a text message.

Fred's sick. Can't come. Sorry.

Hardy scowled, typing back quickly. Can't your father take care of him?

The reply came back quickly. You want to ask him that?

He wasn't sure how to respond. He tried to convince himself that his disappointment was purely work-related. Alright, see you in the morning. He flung his phone down onto the table and slumped back further into his chair.

-*-*-

Daisy had come home safely by curfew but went straight to bed without much conversation. Hardy was still up hours later when he received a text, then a uniformed officer had delivered the forensics report to his front door. But he was shocked when he heard the knock at the door an hour later, at 2 o'clock, and saw Ellie's bright orange jacket outside his door.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alec questioned as he opened the door.

"I was passing and saw your light on." she tried lying, knowing it wouldn't work.

"What, half way up the hill at 2 in the morning?"

"Alright, I drove over. I was hoping you'd still be awake. Don't be a twat about it. Look, Trish called me, she told me her attacker put something in her mouth to gag her."

"Yeah I just got the initial forensics."

"And?"

"Cloth fibers in her mouth swabs confirm what she told you..." He continued with a brief explanation of the findings, and the call he was going to have to make regarding the implications on the town.

She sighed. "Well, I'm here. Want to go over that report and the case files so far?"

"At two in the morning? Are you sure Miller? What about Fred?"

"He's feeling better. Passed out asleep now. I left a note for Dad. They're fine."

"Shouldn't you be asleep, Miller?"

"Shouldn't you?"

Over an hour later, he looked up from the report to find Miller passed out asleep on the sofa, a stack of photos still in her hand, laying atop her half slumped body. He stood quietly and moved over to her, gently slipping the photos out of her hand, and pulling the throw down off the back of the couch onto her. He gathered the photos and the rest of papers into their file folder and slipped it back into his briefcase before glancing back at her one more time. It would do no good to wake her now and send her off, it was almost four in the morning. He turned off all but one of the lamps and headed off to his bedroom.

-*-*-

The next morning he awoke to find Ellie gone. He got dressed quickly, checked his phone and found a text from her waiting. SOCO was at Axehampton House, and so was Ellie.

An hour later he walked back out to the bridge at Axehampton House and found Ellie there, handing her the cup of coffee he had stopped off for on his way. They briefly discussed the case, before she asked a more humorous question, considering the night before, or technically that morning.

"Did you get any sleep?" she asked him.

"More than you, if you've been here two hours. When did you leave?" He turned towards her to observe her response.

She turned her head down as she responded, but he saw her cheeks redden. "I left at six, went home and changed, showered, and came here."

He nodded. "You don't have anything to be embarrassed about, Miller."

"I fell asleep on your sofa."

"Not the first time." He smiled as the memory came clearer into his mind. "Remember when we were going over Sandbrook and you fell asleep on the sofa. Wee Fred was playing with his toys on the floor."

She blushed even more. "Oh yes, another stellar performance. That one in both parenting and partnership."

"It was four in the morning, Miller. You're allowed to be tired. Besides, if we're giving out awards for worst partner, I think we both know who would win." He got the reaction he desired, she looked up and smiled at him.

"You've got to stop being so nice to me," she said quietly.

"You want me to stop being nice, Miller?" he answered in confusion.

"People are going to start saying you're playing favorites." She glanced down at the team working in the field below them.

"Hmm, perhaps I am," he responded, much to her surprise.

"You what!?" she tried to respond quietly, but her voice raised an octave.

"Perhaps I am playing favorites, Miller." He stared into her eyes as he answered, then turned and walked away, down towards where SOCO was gathering evidence.

"Well sh—" she whispered to herself in shock.

"Miller!" he yelled from below, interrupting both her expletive and her distraction.