Wuthering Dormice (aka Bike) Part 796 by Angharad

I was eventually persuaded to go to bed and after taking a pill did sleep. According to the bedside clock, it was seven when I awoke and lay listening to the voices on the radio without actually hearing what they were saying. I stumbled into the shower and cleaned myself up, letting the water wash away my sadness.

I dressed in some stretch jeans and a long sleeved top with a fleece waistcoat thing on top and trainers on my feet. I wanted to be ready for action if it was necessary. Inside I felt a total void, but with my energy levels a little repaired by the rest, I was now capable of doing more than just crying to myself with self-pity.

I went down and found both the coppers fast asleep, she on the couch and he on the floor with a cushion under his head. I filled the kettle and shut a couple of cupboard doors rather noisily, giving them a chance to wake. The kettle boiled and I expected them to come and see what all the noise was, they didn’t. I stamped into the lounge and shouted at them, they didn’t move. I touched the face of the policewomen on the sofa, it was as cold as marble which made me gasp. She was dead. So was he. I couldn’t see how they’d been killed and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know. The phone was dead again but there was a note attached to the inside of the front door.

’Go to your house in Bristol at once if you want to save the lives of your family. Tell no one and destroy this note.’

My heart told me to go at once, my head told me I’d perform better after some food and drink, it was a while since I’d eaten. So I made some toast and drank a cup of tea, then I grabbed a jacket, my handbag and the bow and quiver of arrows. I left the house unlocked, so the police wouldn’t have to break down the door again.

Slumped inside their car were two other coppers, this time I could see a row of holes across the windscreen and splashes of blood inside the car. I felt a shudder and loaded my stuff into the Golf and screamed out of the drive and off towards Bristol.

If they had killed four police officers whilst I slept, why didn’t they kill me or even abduct me. They knew I was in the house – they left a note for me. What were they after? How long before the police came looking for me? And what on earth were the Russians doing at my house in Bristol? I didn’t even know if they knew of it. I drove as quickly as I could without risking a speeding ticket or drawing attention to myself. Was I heading into a trap with no likelihood of backup? If I was, how could I best defend myself? I had the bow but that would be useless against guns and modern technology. Besides, I didn’t even know how many there were of them and I only had about eight arrows.

I thought about stopping at Asda on the way into Bristol and buying a strong kitchen knife which I could strap to my leg or tuck into my jeans, but decided against it. Then as I approached the retail park at Cribbs Causeway, I changed my mind and bought a set of chef’s knives and roll of clear tape. Back in the car, I taped a six inch knife to my leg and put another ready to stick down the back of my jeans. The rest went into the boot of the car under a blanket I keep in there and next to my bow. They were good stainless steel knives and had cost me a hundred pounds. If they had hurt any of my family, I would do my utmost to make them hurt too. My mood felt more clinical than angry. I wasn’t a psychopath, well not as far as I knew, I wasn’t, I was merely controlled, saving my anger until it might be useful – for the moment, I felt detached and calm, I was doing something, even if it was likely to end in disaster – at least I had tried.

I kept a pair of binoculars in the glove compartment, when I was out in the countryside, they came in useful for identifying birds and so on. I was beginning to form some sort of plan, if only I could get near enough the house. I had no idea who was on my side or if they were the enemy. Were Bill and Ben good or bad guys? If they were MI5, were they that incompetent or were they fakes? I couldn’t take a chance even if I met them again. Did they escort Simon, or merely trap him? I felt very wary of everyone except my family.

Were they alive or dead? If they were dead, I would kill as many of the Russians as I could before I died myself, or spend the rest of my days tracking them down and disposing of them. I would also spend my whole life trying to undermine anything Russian.

I stopped half a mile from my house and shoving the knife down the back of my jeans, pulled on my jacket to hide it. I put my bag on back and with my binoculars, I ran to a spot I knew where I could see the front of my house, a small hill which was left as a sort of wild park. Hiding behind a tree, I scanned the house for signs of life.
I couldn’t see anything, except the Mondeo was parked in the driveway. It didn’t necessarily mean anything.

I didn’t know what to do next and was still watching the house when a male voice behind me said, “Miss Watts, how nice to see you, so glad you could come.”

I spun around and faced the voice, it was one of the flowerpot men, Bill. “I’m not sure if I feel the same about you,” I spat back at him.

“Sorry you feel like that, but you need all the friends you can get.”

“If I have friends like you, I certainly won’t need enemies.”

“I can understand your anger, but we are on the same side, you know.”

“So how come they got Simon?”

“Ah, yes, most unfortunate. My colleagues in the escort got sidelined and he was snatched.”

“I thought you lot were supposed to be professionals?”

“Oh we are, dear lady. The problem is, so are they.”

“Gee thanks for telling me nothing.”

“I left you the note, inviting you to come up here.”

“Did you kill those police officers?”

“Kill cops? Me? Good lord no. That was one of their hit teams, it was meant to act as softener to you, frighten you a bit.”

“It had its desired effect.”

“Not surprised, a bit gross – but that’s Ruskies for you.”

“Why did they kill them?”

“It upsets the police and they tend to get careless when they’re after revenge. It also sends a message to everyone that they don’t mess around with this lot.”

“But the girl was only my age, and he wasn’t much older – it makes me feel angry.”

“Please control that emotion if you can, I need you to be calm if we are to have any chance of getting your family back alive.”

“You mean we have a chance?”

“As far as I know, they’re still alive, or were when they arrived last night.”

“How did you know where they’d go?”

“I didn’t, we followed them.”

“But no interception?”

“They are rather well armed and there are children present. I might not be James Bond, but that also applies to my sense of morality – he’s a cold blooded killer, I’m not.”

“Right now I feel I could do with him,” I said quietly.

“To make love to you or kill the bad guys?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know, Miss Watts, but I suspect to get the bad guys.”

“As the first priority, yes.”

“Miss Watts, you shock me.”