Part Seventeen   "Assignments"

 

Tammy's Tales Book 6
 

 
Tuesday 29th September
 

"And after he explained the assignments he asked me out!"

"Gore?"

"No Flint, but I could see a white mark where a ring usually lives so I swerved and left the room."

"Shame it wasn't Gore, Tammy."

"Hey, Hilary, I don't want to get that close to the subject!"

"You still get to write a report though."

"There's a downside to everything."

"All part of the day job, Tammy."

"I though my student life was the day job?"

"You said you have two weeks to assess a bogus company that looks amazingly like the accounts you did for that fashion show lot."

"Yeah, hardly going to tax me, is it?"

"That's a point, let's pull Gore's tax records."

"I wouldn't think that would be enough? After all if his only income is the university then he doesn't handle it at all."

"True, it could all be PAYE deductions, but you never know?"

"Okay, what about the other Gore family?"

"Grab yourself a terminal and have a read. I need to get some work done, but I wouldn't mind a coffee!"

Hilary's report was non-committal; Martina Gore's parents, John and Anita Gore, seemed to flit around the world regularly. Their stated occupation was market research, but their company was registered in the Cayman Islands so no accounts were available.

She opined that you could assume they were assassins by the trail of destruction that followed most trips, but it would be hard to pin a multitude of harm on an English couple travelling on business, or pleasure. The case was therefore not proven.

Sixteen year old Martina Gore had rarely accompanied her parents overseas but had been with them when a renegade Russian General was murdered in their hotel in London and was with them in Paris when supposed Middle East peace talks deteriorated into a gun fight. Both events were during the past summer.

Daisy and Finlay O'Shaughnessy, however, often went with their parents and held Laissez Passez documents in their own right from one of the UN agencies as their parents had international accreditation. Their international travel privileges would come to an end with the death of their parents. The murders of Fergal and Sonia O'Shaughnessy was still officially being investigated by the Bulgarians and UNESCO, as well as the UK Anti Doping Agency who were their actual employers.

Fergal & Sonia's actual role was less clear, they weren't scientists and weren't involved in monitoring the scientists or athletes. They did however have free access to all of the afore mentioned in any country under a UNESCO role.

"Ruddy spooks!"

"Did you infer that Tammy? I don't remember writing it!"

"Well, seems obvious."

"Nothing is obvious, you need to look deeper."

Hilary's report included known background information on where each of the adults, and their children, had been. Since Finlay had been a St Andrews boy for several years obtaining his records hadn't been difficult, although the request hadn't gone to the Head.

"Who did you get this information from?"

"Sorry, but I won't compromise any of my sources."

"I know everyone there ......"

"Please don't speculate, Tammy, my source does not wish to be identified. You are not my only asset in this town but you are the only one to have have almost unrestricted access to this office. Please don't make me change that arrangement."

Tammy continued reading, somewhat rebuked. The O'Shaughnessy parents went from country to country, sometimes following the international athletics herds, sometimes football and sometimes tennis or even nothing obvious at all. They visited arenas, other sports venues, clinics, government offices and anywhere else they seemed to need to go. UNESCO and the UK Anti Doping Agency had said little about their role except they would be sorely missed.

"Where are mummy and daddy Gore right now, Hilary?"

"On their way to Cyprus I believe."

"What are they doing there?"

"A break in the sun? It's still in the low 70s each day, especially in the hills."

"There's Russian billionaires in Cyprus."

"True, Tammy."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Which one's about to get knocked off?"

"Don't you think that I'd already be working on that if there were any clues?"

"I suppose so, Hilary."

"So, don't speculate, look for intelligence. Read the press and check the daily intel briefings. Look for connections that aren't obvious and follow the leads."

"Where are the briefings?"

Hilary pointed out where to request the daily briefings from various departments, Tammy only selected a couple as she wouldn't be checking this email account daily.

Tammy read a week's worth of the intel but was none the wiser. "I'm shattered Hilary. How do you do it every day?"

"Experience."

"Which I guess I don't have any of?"

Hilary nodded, "but every day you learn a little more. What is your summary of the past few hours?"

"That we can't say for sure what the Gores or the O'Shaughnessys do or did for a living and there's no clear idea whether Martina Gore is a threat to the O'Shaughnessy kids."

"Correct."

"Damn."

"Don't take it personally, Tammy, that's the nature of intel - there is no absolute most of the time. Sometimes, by the time you gather enough evidence it's too late, that's the very nature of the beast."

"So despite all of this work, Daisy and Finlay could be hurt?"

"Yes."

"And there's nothing we can do?"

"Not overtly."

"Then what?"

"I'm running a trace on Martina's phone but I'd like a bug in her room as well."

"How are you going to achieve that?"

"Not me, Tammy, you."

***

"Sir, Headmaster, I wonder if I can do something for the sixth form girls?"

"What are you thinking about, Miss Smart?"

"A small keepsake for each of the female dorms?"

"Is this an attempt to repair what happened last week?"

"Yes, Sir, although I still don't see what the issue was. Nevertheless, I think something that welcomes them to Thurso might be in order. Almost all the sixth form boys have been here for years."

"If you extended the gesture to boys who've joined the sixth form from outside then I would accept the gesture. Perhaps if it came from both of the ambassadors it wouldn't look like you're currying favour with the girls?"

"That's a good idea Sir, perhaps I could have a list of the sixth formers who joined this year so I could personalise the gift?"

"I'll provide that on the condition that you do not pass that information onto anyone else, Miss Smart."

"Naturally, Sir."

"You may want to include Miss Sturgeon with the girls, she'll be rejoining us from hospital on Thursday afternoon. I wouldn't want her to think you've left her out?"

"That's good news, Sir, I'll certainly include Ellie. What about Daisy O'Shaughnessy?"

"She remains a temporary student and, as such, I don't believe it's appropriate."

"Understood, Sir."

"Goodbye Miss Smart."

Tammy sat back, stage one of the plan had been achieved. The plan was for each girl to receive a small toiletries set and a pot pourri. Each set would be named, the only difference being that Martina Gore's set would include a bug - or two.

"What's my budget, Hilary?"

"You can have fifty pounds from petty cash."

"That's not enough."

"It was your idea to involve all the girls in order to hide what you are doing."

Tammy had real trouble deciding what gift to buy for the boys so each of those were to get a five pound gift voucher for the local sports shop instead, in fact there were only four boys who were new to the school.

"John, can you help me here?"

"It's only twenty pounds?"

"Yes, it's costing me seventy."

"That hardly seems fair."

"I don't have the same expenses that you have."

"I suppose so. When do you want the money?"

"Whenever I see you, I'm not in a hurry."

"Thanks."

"How's Tanya doing?"

"She had an ante natal class last night, Sandy took her. I think she's realised she's not alone."

"Pregnancy is quite common!"

"That's not what I meant, apparently there were several eighteen year olds and one sixteen year old girl."

"I see."

"She's also got her first session with Dr Kaufman on Friday morning, I'm going with her."

"Good."

"I'm moving to the Thurso office next week as well, but only for two or three days a week and the rest of the week in Inverness."

"Which days?"

"Monday and Friday in Thurso, plus another day if Tanya has an appointment that I also need to attend."

"You must work for a very caring firm, John?"

"I do, Tammy."

Tammy left the offices of Caithness Marine and walked around to the sports shop. She'd placed an online order for the perfumed sets and the promised delivery date was Friday, which in any other part of the country would probably mean overnight delivery. At times even Tammy forgot just how far North she was, eight hours by rail from Glasgow!

The assistant in the sports shop didn't seem to be excited with the purchase of the gift vouchers, "are these for your boyfriend?"

"No, for some of the boys at St Andrews."

"Oh, going after school boys?"

"I don't like your attitude, but no, this is the Headmaster's idea - a reward scheme." Tammy decided that answer was better than the truth.

"Oh, sorry."

Next stop was Sarah's shop.

"I need cheering up, Sarah."

"Not you as well?"

"Eh?"

"It's the weather, the summer's long gone and we'll have a frost tonight."

"Oh, yeah, that's it. Anyway, I need to buy something."

"How about a woolly cardi?"

"Sounds good, how are you?"

"Not bad, my tablets have been changed and I don't feel as bad any more. I have a date."

"Oh, already?"

"Yes, it's at the end of October. They want me there on Sunday the twenty-fifth ready for surgery the following day."

"I guess that's good news?"

"The surgeon thinks he can do a vaginal hysterectomy, the recovery time is about a week apparently."

"Really?"

"Yes, can you help?"

"Of course, but I have to see my tutor that week."

"I'll have my daughter here as well so work it out between the two of you."

"Sure."

Tammy gave Sarah a hug, both needed reassurance at that point.

***

"Tammy, it's Ellie."

"Oh, hi."

"You don't sound surprised I called?"

"I spoke to Dr McIntosh earlier, he said you have been accepted back."

"Yes, I was hoping I could tell you first?"

"Sorry, I missed your call and my phone died. I'm back at home now."

"Well, apparently I'm excused PE."

"Sorry, Ellie, I guess that's for the best - I can't imagine you on a rugby field in a skirt!"

"Hey, that's cruel!"

Tammy stayed quiet, accepting the rebuttal.

"Anyway, Thursday I get out from here, can you come here for me, please?"

"I guess so?"

"Thanks Tammy, I'll need some clothes too."

Tammy closed the call. It was just before five so she called Sandy's salon and booked Ellie in for the works on Friday morning. Tammy had no idea whether Ellie would need to attend school on Friday, but this took precedence.

Her phone pinged, there was an email from Lori with a list of all the female students plus the four new male sixth formers. She'd go through the names later.

After dinner Tammy sat down to work on her first university assignment, it was remarkably similar to the business plan and accounts of the fashion show Tammy had participated in several months earlier.

There was a knock on her door, Angela let herself in before Tammy could object.

"You're not doing secret squirrel stuff are you"?"

"No, just coursework."

"Have you seen my coursework plan for this term?"

"No, why should I?"

"I get to look after one of those robo-babies after half term!"

"Best that you know how a new mother feels?"

"That's what the tutor, Miss Springett said. The whole of the first term is on post-natal, infant health and welfare."

"Seems like a good place to start. It's useful that you worked in the hospital crèche during the summer?"

"I've changed enough dirty nappies, for sure."

"Do you get any practical work?"

"After Christmas we get to tail a health visitor for a week, the focus moves to pre-school age. What I don't get is the number of reports we'll have to write!"

"Get used to it, I've done several already this week and none are connected to my course."

"Yeah, but that's different."

"Is it, Angela, what about those reports you had to write about the crèche?"

"What reports?"

"The ones that you can't mention?"

"Oh."

"Exactly, if you saw something wrong you had to report it. It's exactly the same with me."

"But in my book it was in case of abuse?"

"And in my eyes it's in case of abuse, but at a different level."

"I get it."

"Thanks sis, we're really not that different."

"Thanks Tammy, do you have much work?"

"Not too much, thankfully."