The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2344 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“Where are you off to tonight?” I asked Stella as she primped in front of the hall mirror.

“Not sure, he’s supposed to have some friends in Gosport.”

“Right, if he’s taking you to meet his friends, sounds like he likes you.” I said smiling while wondering what his friends were.

“I suppose so,” she said more diffidently than I was expecting.

“You don’t have to go, you know.”

“I do, there he is—byee.” She opened the door and disappeared into the dusk. I immediately fled to the phone and dialled Jim.

“She’s just left,” I gasped down the phone.

“Fifty yards behind,” he said and cut me off. I felt a little easier when I knew he was following her.

I continued with my evening chores, clearing up the remains of the risotto, getting children to bed eventually and feeding little ones before putting to bed and changing pads in my bra. Simon helped by keeping out the way and watching some obscure Brazilian film with lots of nudity. I didn’t realise he could understand Portugese. Turned out he couldn’t, but he found the subtitles distracted him from watching the totty. Glad he told me, I’ll be asleep before he gets to bed—serve him right.

The survey, who were paying me, continued to get some of my attention plus I know the university wanted me to lead a dormouse count to teach some new survey members. It was still bringing in new students, particularly female ones, who were inspired by a certain film. Life seemed to be busy at the moment. I t was about to get a trifle busier.

About ten o’clock I’d just made a cuppa and was about to return to number crunching for the survey stats when the phone rang—actually, my mobile rang. It was Jim. I picked it up and clicked the button.

“Jim?”

“Hi Cathy, can you get your derriere over here pronto?” He gave me an address and I checked it quickly on the internet maps. I knew roughly where it was and calling to Si to watch the babies, grabbed my bag and jacket and ran out to the car. As I jumped in he got in beside me.

“Where the hell are you going at this time of night?”

“Jim just called,” I said turning down towards the Gosport road.

“Why?”

“I thought you were watching South American beauties?”

“Got boring after a while.”

I nearly did an emergency stop and rushed him to the hospital, instead I continued out to the address Jim had given me. About twelve minutes later we approached the industrial estate and he flagged me down not far from the place where they make all the drinks cups—export them all over the world I believe. I knew someone who worked there until she won the lottery—nice woman.

“Hi, Cathy, oh hi, Simon.”

“What’s going on?”

“Not really sure but it’s not a spot I’d expect to bring someone for a social outing.”

“Nor me, so why are we here?” asked Simon looking less than happy.

“They went in through that door over there,” he pointed out where the car was parked. “Normally, the CCTV is on, but they’re repairing it still after the gales in February.”

“What does Rushprint have to attract a supposed Special Branch copper and my sister?”

“I’ve done some checking while Chas an’ Dave do a reccie.”

“And?”

“It’s owned by a Russian company.”

“Ah,” said Simon and my tummy flipped.

As we watched a shadow stole towards us and a few moments later Chas appeared. He nodded to us. “There’s six maybe seven of them, plus Lady C.”

“Men or women?” I asked.

“Men.”

“Are we going to call for the cavalry?” I asked.

“On their way,” Jim said patting Chas on the shoulder and he moved noiselessly back into the darkness.

“What d’you want us to do?” asked Simon.

“I don’t know what they’re doing in there, so Dave is placing mics around the place to see if we can get some intel.”

A convoy of vehicles came speeding along the road and stopped a dozen or so uniformed police assembled on the pavement and started handing out weapons. A SWAT team, and Stella’s inside.

“Lady Cameron, nice to see you again.

“Commander,” I replied, “This is, Simon, my husband.”

“I know, Lord Cameron,” they shook hands.

“I’d like you to stay here until we know what’s going to happen,” said the Commander as his officers continued to tool up and pull on helmets and flak jackets.

“Stella’s in there,” I said firmly.

“Yes, we know. If it gets physical we’ll do all we can to keep her safe.”

I watched as he set his men at different points to cover the whole building and Chas and Dave withdrew a little and crouched watching. I could hardly bear to watch and what would happen to Stella? My tummy was now churning like an industrial butter factory.

I tried to concentrate on sending Stella any protection the blue light could spare. I was probably wasting my time but it gave me something to do. A door in the building opened and the coppers all dropped to the ground and we shrank into the shadows of the wall surrounding the factory. A man walked out of the Rushprint factory and I watched in total fascination as Dave stole up behind him and yanked him silently to the ground where two policemen helped to subdue him. They carried him away and one of them stayed with him.

A foreign voice called from the doorway and Commander Jacobs gave the go ahead. Suddenly all hell let loose, stun grenades were lobbed and shots fired. We were urged to stand well back. I saw another door open and the policeman watching it was hit by a burst of fire and he went down his gun clattering on the tarmac of the roadway.

The SWAT team stormed the front door and two men emerged dragging Stella with them. She was shrieking at them and trying to break free. I could stand still no longer. I pushed past the commander and ran towards the injured policeman.

One of the two escapees ran towards me pointing a gun. The wounded copper tried to reach for his gun but the attacker fired at him several times. I dived behind the wall at the edge of the car park and shards of brickwork flew over my head and body as the attacker fired at me. Shots were flying all in from all directions and more bangs and flashes emanated from the direction of the print works.

I crawled behind the wall to the gateway where the wounded police officer lay. He was groaning, besides him lay the attacker, himself shot by presumably one of the police. He lay absolutely still. I heard more screams as the remaining attacker tried to shove Stella in a car and was astonished when she back kicked him and caught him completely by surprise.

He staggered backwards and although her hands were tied, fortunately in front of her, she kicked him again and this time as he staggered further from her, a shot rang out and he sank to his knees and then fell on his face with a thud.

I ran to Stella and hugged her.

It took a few minutes for someone to cut the cable tie on her wrists and once they did we really hugged. “You took your time,” she said to Commander Jacobs.

“They sent us to the wrong factory,” he said shrugging.

“What?” I gasped, “You knew Mitchell was a fake.”

“Cathy, I sussed him on the course, and when I mentioned it to Daddy he introduced me to Commander Jacobs.”

“But Henry seemed to be unaware of what was going on,” I protested, “I met up with him.”

“That’s my fault, I’m afraid,” said Jacobs, “no one below cabinet level knew what was going on except Lady Stella, and she was sworn to secrecy.”

“You let her act like tiger bait?” I ranted at him.

“We had her under surveillance most of the time, she was pretty safe, you know.”

“You lying toad, she could have been killed if that guy had got away with her.”

“But she wasn’t, was she?”

“Only because she fought him off.”

“How’s the wounded officer?” asked Simon as I paused for breath.

“Pretty bad, the air ambulance is on its way.”

“Want me to take a look,” I offered and walked towards him and as I did I saw a small light rise from his body and float upwards. I knew then he’d died but I tried to help him all the same. The paramedics tried for half an hour before they pronounced him dead.

About that time we were escorted back to my car and told to follow the police car to the main police station to give a statement. It was midnight and I wanted to be asleep and in bed not sitting on a hard seat sipping coffee which I knew would keep me awake, reliving the night’s activities in my head as I described them to a woman police officer.