The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2603 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

---

This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
@@@@@
Moments later Allie arrived in Simon’s car. Simon was standing there semi-zombified as if the drug they’d given him was continuing to act. I’d never seen him like this before—completely vulnerable. I led him back to my car and locked him in.

“Aren’t you going to close the gates?” asked Allie.

“No, there’s something not right here.”

“The gates were open.”

“Perhaps someone forgot to close them.”

“Where are Chas and Dave—they’re supposed to be guarding us.”

“How d’you know they aren’t watching us now?”

“I don’t. Wait with Simon while I check out the house.”

“Isn’t that my job?” Allie drew the gun from behind her.

“No lights on in the house you mean?”

“I don’t think so. I know the house better than you. If I’m not back in five minutes take Simon somewhere safe.” I handed her the car keys.

“What if it’s a trap?”

“I’ll get caught won’t I?”

“Doesn’t that worry you?”

“Yes, but I need to check my children.”

“Let’s call the police, get some reinforcements.”

“I can’t wait that long.” I left her standing with a gun in one hand and a mobile in the other. I watched her move into the shadows. Walking this close to the house should have set off security lights and CCTV. It looked like the power was off, the street lights in the near distance tended to suggest it must be very localised as they were casting their yellow glow at the end of the drive.

I felt for the lock and pushed home my key. I then took my little torch from my bag and got ready to shine in the eyes of any attacker. It was only small but had seven LEDs in it so it was pretty bright and hopefully would dazzle anyone inside in the dark.

I flung open the door and stood away from it. Nothing. I walked in and the place was quiet except for something soft and furry rubbing itself against my legs, obviously wanting her meal.

Five minutes later I had checked out the house—there was no one here at all. I called Allie who brought Simon with her. She had her own torch and shining it round the kitchen found the note attached to the door of the fridge by a magnet in the shape of a dormouse.

“Seen this?” she handed me the note.

‘Cathy,
Something went bang with a big blue flash and the electric went off. We’ve all gone to the hotel. Stella.x’

I pulled out my phone and dialled Stella, she answered a few rings later. She informed me that she packed some stuff for me and Simon—Sammi had told her that I’d found him. She called an electrician but he couldn’t come until tomorrow. I told her I’d be over as soon as I’d fed Bramble. Apparently, she’d shot off when the electrics went bang—she’d been sitting quite close to it and fled like she was attached to a rocket.

After feeding the cat, we left for the hotel in my car, leaving Simon’s car in the drive. As the fault had occurred inside the house there was no point in me looking for the generator as it wouldn’t help. I ‘d grabbed my laptop and it’s power unit, shoved them in my laptop case and locked the house up, hopefully with the kitten on the inside.

At the hotel Simon said he was tired so I took him to bed. The girls were very restrained and sensed he wasn’t well, so instead of their ebullient over the top welcome, they just said hello to him. He acknowledged them but asked to go to bed, hence my helping him to undress and get under the bed clothes.

“Are you going to be all right?” I asked feeling quite concerned.

“Yeah, just tired.”

I told him I needed to eat but I think he was asleep, so I stole out of the room and into the sitting room. Everyone else had eaten—it was eight o’clock, so Allie and I went off to the restaurant by ourselves. I wasn’t that hungry until I smelt the aroma of food—that did it. I ended up ordering a steak with salad and new potatoes, while Allie ordered salmon.

We chatted until the food arrived, she told me about going to Cambridge—she was a very good student in school and was doing languages when she got attacked by the three men. I told her if it was too painful she didn’t have to tell me about it.

“I’m fine about it now, but it took me three long years to deal with it helped by a therapist.”

“I’m not surprised, I can’t imagine what it must be like. Were they caught?”

“Not enough evidence according to the police.”

“Not even medical—um—evidence?”

“I had samples taken for DNA analyses, but the police told me it was too contaminated by my blood.” I winced. “I found out later that one of the men who did it was related to the guy supposedly leading the investigation.”

“How did that happen?”

“What the bent copper or me finding out?”

“No, a man leading the investigation—I thought they had women officers for rape cases.”

“It was a few years ago and they didn’t then. So it went unpunished until I saw the three of them laughing and joking outside a pub. I followed them surreptitiously and discovered where they lived. This was nearly three years after the rape. I made sure none of them would do it to another woman—in fact they’d have to sit to pee.”

I didn’t ask for details feeling she might have said too much already. It also reminded me of Danielle’s and Trish’s ordeals. Not something I’d care to revisit. We had coffees after the meal and returned to our suite.

“I’m sure nothing is going to happen here, so why don’t knock off for the night? We’ll go down for breakfast about seven.”

“Please don’t go outside this room without telling me, will you?”

“What just me?”

“No Lady Cameron, any of you. You’re all at risk.”

Going to bed after putting the girls to theirs and reading them a story I saw that Simon seemed very agitated. He appeared to be sleeping but he was rolling and twitching in the bed and calling out every so often. I discussed it with Stella and she agreed we needed some advice. I sent for the hotel doctor.

I expect this happens in other places as well but in the UK if you are taken ill in a hotel, they usually have a number for a doctor who will visit if it’s urgent enough. Stella spoke to the quack and he agreed to come over.

Twenty minutes later he arrived and examining Simon asked what had happened. I told him as best I could but had no idea what the drug was they’d injected into him. Simon was still thrashing about the bed but couldn’t seem to wake up even when we shook him.

“I’ll give him a sedative which should knock him out for about six or eight hours—you’ll at least get some sleep that way, but he needs some tests doing and possibly needs some psychotherapy to deal with his abduction.”

He gave Simon a jab which a few minutes later seemed to quieten him down. I thanked the doctor and he told us if it worsened to call an ambulance and take him to hospital—they might be able to determine the drug and neutralise it.

I got into bed alongside him and at one point wondered if Simon had died his breathing was so slow. I lay beside him telling him I’d get him better as soon as I could. I think I saw him smile briefly at that. I lay there for a couple of hours before I could drop off. I hoped I could find out who did this to Simon and why, what happened after that I wouldn’t be able to predict—but it could get messy,