“No, Felicity knew it was from you and so I let her open it. She was delighted to have something from her dad since we didn’t know you would be home,” Jennifer looked at me, “You can slag them off, Detective, but the government gave some of the soldiers extra leave to be home for Christmas and that is the best present we could have asked for.”
“I completely understand. I know it was a little strange for me to ask but have your bins been collected?”
“What are you trying to say, Detective?” the soldier ordered.
“It’s just my detective mind questioning things I don’t understand. Anyway here is Coffee, I’m just happy I could help,” I handed her the bag.
“Wait detective, Flic made you something,” the female Morgan said going back into the house.
Her husband stepped outside and shut the door before speaking, “Detective was there something dodgy about that present? I mean why would anyone send a present back here? I’m a military policeman by trade and I don’t like people sending strange parcels to my house.”
“Sir, if you could get me that packaging then I can check for you. There was something inside the doll but it has been taken care of. Just tell your wife to be a little more vigilant with parcels sent here.”
The soldier looked concerned but shook my hand, “Thank you. I’ll go see if I can find it in the recycling. I will also look into this on my end and keep you informed if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, anything I can do to help you boys in uniform.”
He went inside and I had something to look forward to in the New Year and I knew that it meant my man in the army, Richard Higgins, could be of use again. Sure it was another thing I wasn’t being paid for, but there would be a point where I could make some cash, I was certain of that. I mean international drug smuggling was sure to have some rewards to it and I had a number of lines of enquiry to go down.
I didn’t wait long for Jennifer Morgan and her daughter Felicity came to the door. The little girl was holding a tray of cookies that, to be brutally honest, did not look appetising at all, “Thank you Mister Harper.”
With that cripplingly cute speech impediment, it made all of the beatings I had taken the day before and the illegal substances now in my house, worthwhile. I did my best to kneel before her, which was a struggle with my injuries, “It is ok, little one, and you go enjoy the rest of the day.”
“These cookies are for you and I made a card as well.”
I took the offered tray and a handmade red Christmas card which takes pride of place in my office now as a reminder that sometimes you do the job not for the money but because it is the right thing to do. There wasn’t much more I could say or do as it had touched me so much and so I thanked her and her mother and walked to my car biting into one of the cookies. Felicity’s father came out with the wrapping paper the parcel had come in and I gave him one of my cards. I got into my car and waved goodbye to the Morgan’s with a feeling of satisfaction I hadn’t experienced at all in a year that I had stopped serial killers, rapists and drug dealers.
A Merry Harper Holiday (John Harper Series) Page 5
