Chapter 5

Jack held his head in his hands as the door slammed in the Police van. "Fuckin' 'ell mate," a voice in front of him cried. "This is against 'our 'uman rights."

Jack had lost sight of Poppy and guessed she was in another vehicle, but the indignant man in front of him yelled constantly – despite being ignored by Police officers – for them to release him.

The Police station in Northwich seemed barely able to cope with the influx of the two-dozen doggers and Jack was led in to the small desk area in handcuffs.

The officers moaned, but Jack was near the back of the "queue" and there were a number of Policemen and women keeping an eye on the detainees. He looked around for Poppy, but there was no sight of her and instead bowed his head and thought.

He was in serious trouble; his parents would hit the roof and his brothers would not stop teasing him. Even Dannielle, would probably disown him and University would certainly think twice about letting someone with a criminal record, no – a criminal record for sex offences – enter their establishment.

His future was being held in the balance, and he took a few deep breaths and wiped his eyes.

The rest of the people from the dogging site were just as pensive and quiet; everyone knew that it could affect their careers, their families and their lives. There were a few complaints, but the room was quietly efficient as the four people were "booked in" and then the scared man was brought to the stout desk sergeant.

"Name," he barked and Jack answered nervously and demurely, before being ordered to "speak up." Jack shook as he answered his address, date of birth, was read his rights and then taken next door to make "his phone call."

"I don't want to," he muttered and the Sergeant smiled.

"Either you ring, or I will send a Police car to this address to tell them," he said with a smirk and Jack's heart leapt again.

"But..."

"Ring them," a WPC added. "Make it easier if you tell them."

Jack took the telephone handset from her, and had a horrible phone call to make.

Jack yawned; it was 2am and a flustered Police officer entered the room. "Jack. Jack Fox?" He asked, and Jack nodded. "Right, oh, I've just been speaking to your parents," he told him and Jack sighed. "Nice people, now..."

He sat down as he shuffled some papers, and Jack took a deep breath. "I'm really sorry," he muttered. "I just ... we just ... it was a stupid thing to do."

"Good," the officer told him and looked at his notes. "Now I see this is a first offence and ... we know it's easy to get sucked into these things. But we've had half the coppers in this nick out there tonight. It's late, they'd rather be at home with their families. I'd rather be at home with mine, and I'm sure you'd rather be at home with yours." He stared straight at Jack who nodded.

"Well actually, it might be a bit embarrassing to be home with them right now." The officer laughed. "It's the girl I was with. She is so demanding and..."

The officer put up his hand. "Now, your arrest will stay on file. If you are arrested again for a similar offence in the next two years, we will look into this one again. But if you promise me that you aren't going to go back there or anywhere else to do that, you can go."

"Go?"

"Yeah, go."

"And no criminal record?"

The officer chuckled. "No," he said with a smile. "No, no criminal record." Jack nodded.

"Sure, yeah, well it was Poppy who loved doing it and..."

"Keep it in the bedroom," he was advised. "Trust me, it's safer and warmer. And with softer sheets!" Jack nodded and made him a promise to stay out trouble, before asking after his companion. He wasn't told anything about Poppy and was escorted to the front desk to be signed out. His parents appeared behind him, both scowling, and he gave a muted "Hi."

"Jack," a female voice screeched from the other side of the reception area. "Jack, sorry!"

"Poppy?" Jack asked as he spun around, but his father put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"You stay away from her," he barked. "She's..."

"Oi," Poppy shouted, but her own mother intervened and told her daughter to stay away from Jack. "See you soon, Jack," Poppy shouted as he left the Police station and walked to their jeep in silence.

"Sorry," he said, nervously breaking the silence, as they reached the vehicle and his mother looked up and her son. "It was a stupid thing to do."

"Yeah," his father said gruffly. "First the magazines, then the peeping at girls and then flashing yourself to every Tom, Dick and Harry." He grabbed his son by his collar and pushed him against the dark green car. "What's wrong with you, man? Aren't girls like Dannielle enough for you? It's that studying, it's just not natural for us Fox's. You need to be out on the farm."

Jack panted and waited for the smack that never came. "Dannielle finished with me," he said firmly. "Not the other way around."

"Yeah, and now we know why. From now on, you stay away from the girls on the farm. I'm not having you being up to things and frightening them. You hear me?" Jack nodded, and his father opened the door. "Now get in and don't say a bloody word. Always said that Poppy was trouble."

"Yeah," Jack muttered as he got in the car.

"And to think you think she's the one. I'll skin you alive if you so much as talk to her again," he threatened his son.

Jack had hours of lecturing ahead of him.

Jack looked at Dannielle as they sat down on the picnic rug by the motorway, as far away from the stables and farmhouse as they could get. "You can talk about it," the girl, resplendent in new pink wellies, told him and pushed her hair back. Dannielle took out a tupperware box from her bag and put it down on the rug, and tried to read her ex-boyfriend's mind.

"Don't want to," he snapped. "And you already know it anyway."

"I don't." She cocked her head to one side and ran her hand over her chin. She sighed and groaned. "Did you love her?"

"No," Jack told her and then stared at the ground in thought. "But I loved being with her, does that count?"

"I guess so. A bit." She pursed her lips together. "The way you are behaving I would say that you did love her and don't want to admit it."

"I didn't. Well not like I loved you." A smile flickered gently over Dannielle's face, and she rubbed the back of his hand with her soft touch. "And you can..."

"She was a bit crazy," Dannielle suggested and passed her friend the baby wipes to clean his hands before offering him a sandwich. "Very crazy, did you like exposing yourself?" Jack flinched, and Dannielle gave a giggle.