The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2795 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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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.
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I sat in bed for a moment thinking about what I thought I’d just seen. If it wasn’t just an hallucination, where would I have to go quickly? There was only one place, the field study centre, Billie’s centre.

Nudging Simon, I said, “I have to go out.”

“Yeah yeah,” he said back as I climbed out of bed. I went to the loo first then started to dress. “What’re you doing?” he asked sleepily from the bed.

“I’m going to check on the study centre, I’ve got a feeling there’s something going on.”

“What time is it?” he asked yawning.

“Quarter past twelve.”

“And you’re going out?” he sounded more awake.

“Yeah, why? If you remember I used to do it in the woods all the time. I’ll be all right.”

“I know you will, because I’m coming too.” Before I could protest he was out of bed and into the bathroom. A minute or two longer and he was dressing as I was pulling on socks and my walking boots. “I must be mad,” he said to himself pulling on a sweater.

“See you downstairs,” I left the bedroom and spotted Julie’s light was still on. I tapped on her door and told her where I was going.

“Don’t do anything daft, Mum, if there’s more than six of ’em, let Daddy help you.” She then snorted at her own joke.

We left about ten minutes later, with Simon driving my car—well he might get mud on his—duh. There’s not much traffic about at that time of night so once out of the city, he put his foot down. Thankfully, we didn’t meet any police cars as he sped well over the legal limit towards the field study centre. He pulled in to a parking space having switched off the lights before we got there—didn’t want to warn any vandals that we were coming. We also closed the car doors very quietly.

The moon is gibbous waxing, which means it’s not far off full so we were able to walk about without using torches or other lights. I noticed a van parked under some trees and out of the view of the security cameras. It was highly suspicious and on approaching it could see there was no one in it. Too make any get away more difficult I shoved a load of mud and leaves into the exhaust. If there was no problem, I’d remove them when we left.

We walked quietly into the entrance and was surprised to find the door open. I hadn’t hallucinated, Billie had come to get me. Simon pushed past me and opened the door. He pulled on a pair of leather gloves in case he needed to defend himself or me—no not from me, do concentrate. There were lights on in the manager’s office and the murmur of voices could be heard. I waved my phone at him and he nodded. I slipped back out and called the police on 999. I then went back inside and quietly locked the doors slipping the key back in my pocket.

Simon was standing by the partly closed door listening to what was being said. Then voices were raised. “Look, sunshine, open the strongroom, we know there’s all sorts of goodies in there.”

“I haven’t got the key,” answered Dan’s voice.

“I don’t believe you,” was said and I heard a slap being administered—shit—Dan wore contacts. “Sure you haven’t got it?”

This was more than I could bear to hear, I walked to door and pushing it open said loudly, “He hasn’t got one, but I have.”

“How did she get in?” asked one of the masked gang, there were three of them.

“Right, Darling, open it up for us,” he lunged at me and I stepped back grabbing and twisting his hand against the wrist. He yelled and I kicked him in the gut and again in the face. He went down groaning.

Seeing his chance to get his own back, Dan head butted the second thug in the groin and I kicked him hard on his backside propelling him into a large metal cupboard. The third man tried to escape but ran straight into Simon’s gloved fist. The punch lifted him off his feet and probably broke his jaw along with some of his teeth. He too lay on the ground groaning.

I helped Dan up off the floor and sat him in a chair. Simon set about restraining our foiled robbers. He found some tape and bound their hands behind their backs. There was a knocking from the front doors and I went to let the police in.

“What the hell happened here?” asked the first officer through the door. Instead of explaining I switched on the security computer. What the thugs didn’t know was that we have infrared cameras outside the building which are motion sensitive. We also have them inside the building and more conventional cameras which are part of the alarm system but they’re well disguised. He watched as I showed a playback including them beating Dan to get the keys to our secure room.

“Can you do me a copy of that?” I nodded and inserted a DVD disc.

It took another hour before more police arrived with a van to take our captured robbers to the nick. We had to do statements and one of the police mentioned excessive violence looking at the bleeding mouths of two of the thugs. His colleague waved the disc and said, “I don’t think it was excessive, they rescued their friend who these three arseholes were beating up to get a key to the equipment room.”

“You got it on film?”

“All of it.”

We took Dan home via the QA. Fortunately, he had mostly bruising with a couple of lacerations and they patched him up. I told him to take as much time off as he wanted to get over this attack. He thanked me then asked, “How did you know something was going on?”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

“I would, Cathy.”

“Okay, Billie appeared to me and told me to come quickly.”

“Billie? The one the centre is named after? I thought she was...”

“She’s very proud of her centre and likes to keep an eye on it.”

He looked at me as if I was mad. “It’s true,” said Simon, “She does appear now and again.”

“What, you’ve seen her too?”

“Yes,” he said and I put my arm through his.

“Can’t say I ever have, though once or twice I’ve felt as if someone was watching me. Didn’t feel scared or anything, just weird.”

“It’s her you’ve got to thank for us arriving.”

“Right, next time I feel she’s there I’ll thank her.”

“Make sure you do or she may not help you again.”

“Again? You don’t think someone else will try it, do you?”

“I doubt it, the word will go out it’s protected with technology and by ghosts.”

“Not sure which would scare me the most,” said Dan and we left him at his home. It was three o’clock before we got home. Simon’s hand was quite sore until I held it for him. I did wonder if it would heal with the blue light but it did. He sent a text to his PA for the morning saying he’d be in when he got there.

Just as I was nodding off to sleep, I saw a luminosity in the room and Billie appeared, smiled at me at me and faded away. I went to sleep smiling.