The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2871 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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“Where the hell is James?” asked Simon when I told him what happened.

“I don’t know, but the stuff they were after is to my mind, quite damning.”

“Get it to Jason.”

“I’ve already faxed it to him and hidden the originals.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s pages taken from police files, in the two countries where the problems happened and has names of witnesses, plus his statement which contradicts five witness statements.”

“Is that going to be enough?”

“There is a statement from another man who claimed O’Connor paid him to frighten witnesses.”

“That sounds more useful,” said Simon.

“It was appended to a copy of a report on his murder the day after his statement, in which he claimed he was frightened of O’Connor.”

“Sounds like he had reason.”

“Yes. I’ve put them safe and I’m going to collect the girls.”

“Put them in the bank.”

“I haven’t got time.”

“Do it tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you when you go back to work?”

“I have a problem, babes, I’ve got a late meeting so will stay in town.”

“Oh great, so it’s just us women here tonight then?”

“No sign of Tom, then?”

“No and James isn’t answering his phone.”

“Now you make me feel guilty.”

“I don’t mean to.”

“If I can get away any earlier I will.”

“Let me know then.”

“I will don’t worry.”

He rang off and I let Kiki out quickly and after getting her back in, gave her a biscuit and Bramble some of her dried food before locking up, setting the alarms and putting a torque wrench in the foot well of the car as a weapon if it was necessary. Sometimes I envied the Yanks their guns, not that it would make things any safer because the bad guys would carry them as well and I’m a pretty lousy shot.

I arrived at school as the children were letting out. “It’s half term next week, Mummy.”

Wonderful—just what I need—except I could send them away or take them away. Just as this thought was flitting through the long dark corridors that constitute my mind, another superseded it—what about the animals and Stella and her two? I could just see her playing hell with me for visiting death and destruction on her through something that doesn’t concern her one bit. She’ll bite my head off.

I drove home completely oblivious to the children so rapt was I in my own thoughts. I stopped the car well down from the house. Kiki came dashing down to greet us as if the hounds of hell were after her. “Stay here,” I instructed the girls. “If I’m not back in a few minutes call the police.”

“Why, Mummy?” asked Trish.

“I locked up and set the alarms before I came out.”

“Oh,” she looked at me and then added, “Where’s Bramble?”

“I don’t know, kiddo. I’ll look when I’m in there.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police now, Mum?” suggested Danielle.

“If the dopy dog has managed to get out unaided because I forgot to shut something, I’m going to look a right narna and not only that they may be a bit awkward the next time we called.”

“Let me come with you, Mum.”

“No you stay and watch the young uns.”

“Where’s Lizzie?” she asked.

“Hell, I don’t know...” talk about feeling panic.

“Where’s Amanda?”

“Let’s go and see.”

All the adrenaline I wasted when it was Amanda who had let the dog out. David had the day off. I explained that I’d been attacked in my office that day and she went white but it explained why I was walking round carrying a large piece of metal.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I’m hoping somebody’s going to tell me.” Really all I wanted to do was sit in the dark and tremble. Instead I was sitting in my study trying to decide what the best or safest course of action when my phone peeped with a text.

I glanced at it, it was James. I felt so relieved, finally someone who knew what they were doing. I clicked to open the text.

‘Cathy, meet me at Southsea Castle at six pm, Jimmy.’

I felt sick. We had agreed a long time ago that if ever we wanted to send a warning to each other he would call himself Jimmy not Jim or James or even J. I return, I would spell Cathy with a K.

Now what do I do? Who could I call—hardly ghostbusters. Oh bugger. If I call the plod and they actually believe me, would they screw things up with helicopters flying round and so on. Is this O’Connor or somebody else? Does he do his own dirty work? According to one witness statement he killed someone in front of the others to frighten them. So far he’d kept out of things, but then his henchmen had messed up. Would that make him come out of his safe zone to get me and would he be alone?

In reality, I had no more idea than I did of the winning lottery numbers. But I had to believe I could win whatever happened. Quite how, up to now escaped me. I mean, why was O’Connor so intent on controlling a university? It’s not like he could import illegal immigrants—or could he? There are strict protocols for declaring foreign students, that is non-EU or Commonwealth and one or two other places like the US. But if you had a position above suspicion at a university, like Vice Chancellor, you could alter things or fake them to get people into the country and having cleared immigration, they just disappear into their own communities who will never give them away. Could this be what all this is ultimately about? Selling degrees could net him a few quid but not as much as illegals. They’d pay thousands to get into the country.

Stella arrived as I was dressing myself in a black outfit. “Look out girls, it’s the Milk Tray man,” she laughed.

“I have to go out. I’ve ordered pizzas for the girls.”

“What’s with the ninja outfit?”

“I’m going to check something out.”

“Cathy, is that wise?”

“If I’m not back by seven call the police and send them up to Southsea Castle.”

“What are you going up there for it’s pitch bloody dark?”

“Hence the outfit,” which wasn’t going to be all that warm.

“What are you checking out down there—Henry VIII’s shoe size?”

“Yes, very good.”

“Look if anything happens to you, how will we cope with all your children?”

“You will, you’ll have to and they do have another parent, even if it doesn’t look like it much of the time.”

“Wait until Simon arrives, have him go with you.”

“He’s staying up in town tonight, some meeting or other, he phoned earlier.”

“What’s that about two thugs tried robbing a teacher at your university this afternoon?”

“Where’d you hear about that?”

“On the radio driving home.”

I shrugged, "Probably after I left."

“Sounds more like something you’d be involved in, apparently the professor and secretary defended themselves and the men were in custody at the QA, the police were waiting for them to recover consciousness.”

“Really? Look I’ve got to go.”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

“Can’t remember.” I said snatching up my rucksack with my image intensifier and bow inside. I dashed out to the car and as I got in, Danni jumped in the other side, dressed in dark colours. “What d’you think you’re doing?”

“Watching your back.”

“Danielle, get out of this car now.”

“You’re going to be late.”

“Please, darling, get out.”

“No, Mum. If anything happens to you, I won’t want to live anyway. So I might as well be with you.”

“But I don’t know what’s out there.”

“Good job I brought these then.” She waved infrared binoculars.

I glanced at the clock on the dashboard, I had ten minutes to get there. Damn I’d have to take her.

“First sign of trouble, you call the police—okay?”

“Course,” she said beaming at me.

“Danielle, you’re no longer a boy, remember that.”

“Neither are you, better step on it, Ma.”