"Just 'ang on 'ere till a few more passengers arrive" Parky told him, Toddy looked puzzled and wondered why he had to wait in the cold before he could get on the train, he looked at his watch to check the time.
"what time do we have to be in court for?" he asked.
"Not till 8.30" Parky replied.
"It's nearly 8 now, cant wait much longer or we will be late" Toddy informed him getting more worried by the minute, he was having visions of being late and the judge dishing out some punishment to them for it. After all this was his first time in court and he wanted it to go without a hitch.
Just at that moment three people walked under the bridge from Heys Road, a black Austin A30 pulled up behind them and two men alighted .
"Right NOW" Parky told him nudging him by the arm forward towards the ticket office. "hang back a little, not too close, make sure we are last" he continued.
"Why?" asked Toddy. "What's the big idea".
"Trust me lad, I'll show ya" Parky replied.
Where Do You Think Your Going?
As they latched on to the end of the queue waiting for tickets to their destinations Parky pulled Toddy back so as not to get too close to them.
"Tickets Please" said the stationmaster in the kiosk, Toddy couldn't actually see the man, only his hands out of the kiosk dishing out the tickets.
"Return to Radcliffe" said the man in front of them,
"That will be tupence sir". The man duly popped a tanner in his hand the stationmaster gave him threp'pence change.
Now Parky made his move and tried to walk past the ticket office.
"oi ! where do you think your going mate, your going nowhere without tickets".
"No time for that" Parky replied "we're in hot pursuit of a pickpocket and your helping' him to escape".
"Is that right Sherlock, more than me jobs worth to let you go without tickets, c'mon now hand over the fare" replied the stationmaster in the kiosk.
Parky wasn't happy, being shown up in front of his young charge like that and started to get worked up. He fumbled about in his left inside breast pocket and fished out his police badge.
"PC Parker and this is Pc Todd, now if you don't let us through and the train leaves without us and he escapes we will have no option but to charge you with aiding and abetting a criminal to escape and stopping the police in the execution of their duties" barked Parky.
The stationmaster in the kiosk was taken aback and speechless for few seconds not knowing what to say without making matters worse for himself.
"Well let us through!" shouted Parky getting a little too involved as he didn't want to be late himself either.
"Which one is it?" he asked.
"The one with the brown trillbie and.....never mind that, are you going to let us pass or not, we cant let him escape, he's robbed an old lady of her pension and....."
"Well err if you put it like that...." a bell sounded behind him and he looked up at the large British Rail clock on the wall. "Well go on, it's on it's way now, you've got about a minute to get up the stairs before ....."
Parky wasted no time, before the ticket collector could finish he and Toddy were gone, climbing the stairs two at a time as they could now hear the train pulling up on the platform.
The stationmaster learned out of the kiosk and shouted "hurry up, hope you catch the blinking swine" worried it may not be the last he heard of the incident.
"Get in behind the bloke with the trillbie!" shouted Parky looking back down the stairs.
"Why" Toddy asked between breaths.
"Make it look real, we're bein' watched" Parky answered.
"All aboard" shouted the train guard shutting any doors left open by passengers who had alighted and not closed them. Parky and Toddy jumped on the second carriage just behind their prey, the whistle blew and the gaurs waved his flag, that train started to pull away before they had found any seats.
"Told ya to stick with me didn't i?" he said. "payin !, not on your Nelly, easy as pie" Parky gloated triumphantly that he had beaten the station master and got one over on British Rail to boot.
"Ya see son, it's all about using your loaf in this game, think on your feet and over come 'urdles that ruddy jobs worth's put in ya way" Parky told him now he had got away with it.
Toddy checked his watch, "Still on time" he said.
"Aye, an shown 'ose boss an 'al" he quipped as they finally found a free compartment and sat down to rest.
"Your a crafty one you aren't you" Toddy joked.
"Aye so they say, me I'm just makin sure im no others mug" Parky told him while fumbling about in his pockets looking once again for his notebook for the court case.
"Another ten minutes and we will be in Bury, just in time" Toddy told him looking at his watch with a worried look on his face.
"Just in time for a hot pie from the market first, gotta get ay priorities rite ya know" Parky chuckled.
Toddy just tutted and began watching the world go by from the carriage window. Parky began whistling away to himself, the melody melting into the rumbling of the train going over the track and points until finally Parky snapped "rite we're 'ere, on ya feet, it's HOT pie time".
They alighted the train at Bolton Street station and made their way to Bury Market for Parky's hot pie addiction.
www.pctodd.co.uk
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