The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2865 by Angharad Copyright© 2016 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 felt I wanted to warn James but just in case my line wasn’t secure I waited until I was at the school. I sent him a hurried text, ‘Watch ur back, he knows ur diggin. C.’

As I walked to the school my phone peeped. ‘Oh good, I like to interact. J’
One of these days his need for excitement will be the death of him, I just hope it won’t be while he’s working for me.

The girls were easily rounded up and once we got back to the car I repeated the old old story, don’t talk to strangers and don’t go off with anyone without me knowing beforehand, and certainly—do not go off with strangers at all. I then explained that someone at the university may be out to hurt me or could target them. Of course, I couldn’t tell them anything as it might endanger their lives. I just hoped that by telling them they’d be more aware.

We got home and I went to change, reminding them to go and change and do their homework, first and then their evening would be free. They grumbled—they always do—but then usually got down and did it. I suddenly remembered the mysterious file that Tom had given me. In my jeans and trainers I trotted out to the car to get it from the boot and for a moment thought I’d disturbed someone. I stopped and looked very carefully all around me but saw nothing concluding it was just the wind.

Continuing on I opened the boot and picked out my laptop bag which contained the file and I’d just shut the boot when I heard rapid footsteps behind me. I spun round and man wearing dark clothes charged at me, snatching at my bag. I dropped it on the ground and kicked it under the car, now it would be twice as difficult for him to get.

“Bitch, now you get what’s comin’,” he said and drew an object from his back pocket which he clicked and a blade emerged from the end.

“Haven’t seen one of those for a long time,” I said casually trying to stall for time.

“Yeah, you gonna see it real close up in a minute, I’m gonna slash you good.”

“No that’s not right,” I said.

“What isn’t?”

“You’re using a adjective as an adverb, just like the bloody Americans do.”

“What?” he actually stopped and looked at me as if I were some sort of deranged old biddy.”

“It don’t matter. I’m still gonna cut you good.”

“I don’t know who your English teacher was but they obviously had little impact upon your language skills.”

“I don’t talk posh like you but I ain’t gonna be the dead one.”

I had edged away from the car so when he lunged at me I was able to run round the car with him in hot pursuit. It was during this rather dangerous game of tag, that David came to put something in the dustbin and saw what was going on.

“Cathy, you all right?”

“Get the police, he’s got a knife.”

David disappeared back inside the house and the thug launched himself at me over the bonnet of the Jaguar. I jumped backwards and stumbled over a kerbstone by the outhouses.

“Now you gonna get it, bitch.”

“If you’ve damaged my car I shall be rather cross.” Was all I managed to say as he stood before me, me squatting on the ground aware that a yard behind me was a wall and therefore no escape.

I heard the door slam and David came rushing down the drive carrying one of the girls’ hockey sticks. The intruder seeing the odds were rising against him turned and fled. I snatched the stick from David and set off in pursuit, my reason being; if I catch him, he’ll no longer be a threat and we might find out who sent him.

He could run but I was just behind him at the gate. He suddenly stopped and flashed the knife at me and I swung the stick it made contact with his hand and he yelled, the knife flying off into the grass on the roadside verge. He jumped back and avoided my next swing but landed in the path of a car which hammering past.

There was a sickening thud and sound of metal and glass breaking followed by a second thud as he hit the ground some twenty feet away, the car, out of control, then crashed into a tree.

In the distance I could hear sirens and David reached the road. “My god,” was all he said. Our would be assailant was missing a leg, it was lying in the road. The blood was everywhere like a primitive abattoir and the driver was sitting very quietly in the car.

I ran to the car and with help from David managed to drag open the damaged door. The driver was alive but seriously hurt, his airbag had saved his face hitting the steering wheel when the impact with the thug had happened but it hadn’t for the second impact with the tree. The steering wheel had penetrated his chest and his jaw had hit the top of it dislocating it. He was drooling blood down his front. The first police car nearly ran over the thug swerving at the last moment and mounting the kerb. The second managed a relatively sedate stop. One of them saw the man lying in the road and threw up, yeah, it was that awful. The second crew called for ambulances and a fire tender.

I happened to glimpse up the drive and saw the children rushing down and sent David to stop them, he understood immediately and took them all back in.

The paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene. An inspector arrived and was pointed at me. “Lady Cameron, I presume?”

“Yes,” I said. I pointed to the knife lying on the grass verge.

“This isn’t yours I hope,” he said looking at it carefully in the now fading light.

“No, it belongs to him,” I nodded to the body lying under the blanket.

“Care to tell me what happened?”

“I hadn’t long got home with my girls from school, went in and changed and then remembered I’d left my laptop bag in the boot of the car. I went out to get it and that bloke just tried to rob me. He chased me round the car and David our cook came out to put something in the bin and saw him. I shouted for him to call you lot and he dashed inside then came out with Danni’s hockey stick. The guy ran off and I gave chase. He stopped tried to slash me and I knocked the knife from his hand. He went to run away and straight into the path of the car which was fair speeding along. The car hit him and then crashed into the tree. David and I had just got the door of the car open when your men arrived.”

“Why did you chase him, most women I know would have run back to the house glad to be free of the danger?”

“What if he came back?”

“What d’you mean?”

“What if it wasn’t just a random attack but that I was targeted?”

“Why should that happen?”

“I don’t know but in previous attacks, assailants have come back. If I chased him away, he might not do that or, at least I could see which way he went and direct your men.”

I started to shiver and he told me to go back to the house, a woman police officer accompanied me. “Come along, madam, let’s get you a nice cup of tea.”