Part   Thirty   "Tammy's Funeral"

 

Tammy's Tales Book 6
 

 
Thursday 29th October 2015
 

Tammy woke with rain beating against her windows, almost drowning out the sound of her seven o'clock alarm. She'd forgotten to cancel the alarm but equally hadn't plugged her phone in to charge overnight so it had been pot luck whether the battery lasted long enough.

She padded into the shower and took her time, conditioning her hair twice before stepping back out. Clothing today was going to be slouchwear, this would suffice whether she was slouching in the lounge or her own room. Leggings and a long woolly top met the requirements. The rain was intensifying so Tammy had no problem deciding she wasn't going anywhere.

She put her phone on charge before wandering down for breakfast.

"Hi mum."

"Hello Tammy, you look a bit fresher today. I wish you'd followed my advice, and I hope you're not going to work today, are you?"

"No! Happy?"

She stormed back up to her room, locking the door. Tammy had tried to avoid this, her father had promised last night he'd handle Joan but he had been nowhere to be seen this morning. There was some tapping on her door, Tammy ignored it.

"Miss, I have a coffee if you'd like it."

She opened the door, finding Lily with a tray. Tammy took the tray and thanked Lily before shutting the door and turning the key. There was indeed coffee, plus toast, marmalade and a banana. Under the toast rack was a folded slip of paper, there was just one word 'Sorry' on the sheet.

Tammy finished the breakfast then took her tray to the kitchen. By now every other member of the family had left, but Zara and Pru hadn't arrived. So, when the phone started to ring, Tammy went to answer it.

"Hello, Smart household?"

"It's your funeral next." The line went dead.

It rang again, Tammy was shaking but needed to make a point, "you can't scare me!"

"Pardon? This is the surgery."

"Oh, my, sorry, sorry but I've just had an awful call."

"Is that Tamara Smart?"

"Yes."

"Are you alright? Do you need medical help?"

"I'm calming down, thanks. How can I help you?"

"Dr Sutherland would like you to come in this morning for a blood test."

"Oh."

"She apologises but you left yesterday before she could tell you. Can you be here at ten?"

"Sure."

"I'll let the duty nurse know. Bye."

Tammy first locked the study door then she unlocked the safe to remove the encryption key before inserting it into the secure phone. She called Caithness Marine but the line was dead, Hilary's mobile was also off. She called Jenny's number at MI5 in London.

"Finance."

"Suzie?"

"Yes, is that Tammy?"

"Yes, is Jenny there?"

"No, she's been called to a meeting, something's going on."

"Oh."

"What's up Tammy?"

"I've just been threatened on the phone, it was a male voice." She repeated the words.

"And you think it's related to the trials, or to one of the ongoing investigations?"

"Yes, to both, I don't know."

"I'll make some calls, don't go anywhere."

"I've been told to have a blood test, I'll have to leave here in about an hour."

"I'll try to be quick, you should contact the local police as well. The blood test doesn't sound like the most important thing right now."

"Okay, I couldn't get hold of Hilary."

"Understood, Tammy, got to go."

She next called DS Franklin's mobile but got his voicemail. Out of desperation she called the Police Scotland general number.

"Police Scotland, how can I help you."

"I've been threatened on the phone."

"Have you spoken to your phone provider?"

"I've been told it's my funeral today or tomorrow, I'm a witness in four terrorist trials."

"I see. What's your name, address and number?" Tammy gave her details. "I'll just transfer you."

It seemed to be a few minutes before the next voice on the line.

"Tammy?"

"Who's that?"

"Iain Brown, what's up?"

"Oh Iain, do you have a secure phone there?" Tammy had first met Deputy Chief Inspector Iain Brown when he was directing West Side Story, a year earlier.

"Umm, yes."

"Can you call me back on this number?" She gave him the number of the phone on the desk next to her. It took two long minutes.

"Sorry Tammy, Miss Smart, I really shouldn't ask how you have one of these?"

"No DCI, you shouldn't!"

"Okay, tell me what's going on, from the top."

Tammy recounted and pointed out she was indeed going to a funeral the following day.

"So are you sure it's not a wind-up?"

"Positive."

"Who's at home with you?"

"Lily, our maid, might still be here but I'm otherwise alone."

Right, who else knows about this call?"

"My sister, Suzie."

"Why her?"

"She works for the Security Service, I also report to her boss."

"Okay, I'll send someone to be with you, but you may wish to find somewhere safe to go?"

"I'll want to get my weapon first."

"I take it you have a good reason to suggest that, and it's legally held?"

"I'm fully trained and licensed and I wouldn't need it if I wasn't being got at."

"Where is it?"

"In town, in a safe."

"Caithness Marine?"

"Yes."

"We have units near the building, there's been an explosion. You're recorded as the owner?"

"I am, oh shit, what's happened?"

"We don't know, it was only half an hour ago. I'm silver commander for the operation."

"I can't get hold of Hilary Bull, she's the manager of Caithness Marine."

"Stay put, Tammy, stay put, I will get a unit to you."

"Thank you Iain." She burst into tears.

Tammy sat back down, feeling totally helpless. She wanted to speak to more people but what could they do? She thought she should call her father but someone just tried the study door, Tammy froze, then looked around the room for possible weapons.

"Tammy, it's Pru, let me in."

"Are you alone?"

"No."

"Who's with you? Do you know who it is? Are you being coerced?"

"She says she's Louise, Richard did brief me yesterday and she was expected."

Tammy slowly released the bolt and carefully opened the door. Louise Charles, private investigator and personal protection specialist was there. Tammy gave her a hug, crying on her shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you."

"I guess something's happened?"

"Yes, police are on their way and I can't get at my weapon, do you have a spare?"

"Woah! Slow down! I don't carry a weapon and you, young lady, shouldn't have one."

Tammy went back into the study and re-opened the safe, retrieving a sealed envelope.

"These are copies of my permits, including my 'Get out of jail free' card. My pistol is in a safe in town, in whatever is left of the building."

"The town's virtually sealed off, I remembered enough back roads to get here."

"Well, someone has threatened me and now they've blown up the building that contains my office, oh shit, I should have been in the shop."

"No wonder your father wanted me back here. Okay, Pru can you organise some coffee while I check the perimeter. Tammy, stay here."

Louise was back three or four minutes later, by which time Tammy was getting jumpy. Louise stayed in the hallway, checking the layout for any changes when Pru returned. Outside it had finally stopped raining.

"Zara's in the kitchen, you should have seen it when Louise almost jumped on her as she came across the paddock."

"of course she doesn't know the new staff."

"No, and that's my fault. Anyway, have you played the call back?"

"No, can I? I didn't know we had the facility?"

"Your Dad had some call monitoring equipment installed in September, whilst you were away, it was in case of threats."

"Okay, you'll have to show me."

Pru showed Tammy which program to use on the desktop PC. "The calls are stored on a separate server and automatically backed up." She showed Tammy how to access the call log, finding the last incoming call.

She played Tammy's conversation with the surgery. "No, the one before that!" She sensed movement so looked up and saw Ben Franklin entering the room, accompanied by a young plain clothed officer.

"Hi Ben, did Iain get hold of you?"

"Yes, I was on scene. I have something for you." He handed over two plastic lunchboxes from a holdall. "The lady there suggested you should have these." Tammy slid the boxes in the safe next to her, the young officer was plainly uncertain what was in the opaque plastic containers.

"So Hilary's okay?"

"Yes, it was apparently a gas fault, but it's destroyed much of the electrics, incoming lines and so on. There's a water leak but we can't check out the shop as no-one's down there."

"You said it was a fault, could it have been deliberate? I was supposed to be working in the shop below that this morning, I would have been there shortly after eight thirty."

"The blast happened at eight forty."

"The phone call was ten minutes after that, Ben, probably when they realised my car wasn't there."

"Can we hear the call, Tammy?"

Pru played it. "Is a number recorded?"

"No, officer."

"Okay, Iain has already asked British Telecom to check the phone records. Can I have a copy of the audio?"

"Sure, by email?"

"Thanks, Pru, here's my card, my email address is on there. Now, Miss Smart, can we sit somewhere, and maybe explain why that lady is looking at me strangely?"

They walked to the sitting room, leaving Pru in the office. Louise came along whilst Zara took drinks orders.

"Okay, Ben, this lovely lady is Louise and she's my new bodyguard, she arrived just before you two did."

"You had one just after Christmas?"

"Same one, different hairstyle."

"So, Tammy, please explain what is going on."

"What about your lad?" She indicated the young officer. "Is he cleared for this?"

"Yes, he's DC Peter Brown, son of DCI Brown."

"Iain's lad?"

"The same, but that's not general knowledge." Tammy held out a hand to the young officer.

"Okay, where do I begin?"

---

Richard had arrived ten minutes after they arrived in the sitting room, clearly notified by Pru. He took Louise to one side to be briefed. Ben, meanwhile went outside to take a call, returning a few minutes later.

"Okay, firstly the phone call came from an internet phone and could be anyone, so phone records won't help. Secondly, the gas engineer has confirmed there's no apparent evidence it's sabotage. If it had been deliberate then whoever did it would have to have been in the main office. Hilary was in a side office and was caught in the blast, she's gone to the Raigmore to be checked out."

"So it's a false alarm?"

"No, we still have a threat against you, we'll ask for the recording to be analysed but I wouldn't expect anything."

"I'll ask the security service to analyse it."

"By all means. Now, please don't go running around Thurso with that weapon, it's defensive only. And you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near it, you're a hazard Tammy, a hazard!"

"Is that an official Police Scotland opinion?"

"Yes!"

Tammy looked at the clock, it was just gone ten thirty. "Louise, can we go to the surgery, I'm due a blood test?"

"Sure, I'll drive."

 
Friday 30th October
 

It was a cold but bright start to the day, blue skies with a white sheen across the grounds of the McPherson estate. Elsie was marshalling everyone who had opted to travel on the coach, this included her daughter Cathy.

The funeral, Elsie had suggested, should be a service of celebration for David. Gone therefore was the hearse and the limo, Cathy would join the others on the coach for the ride to and from Inverness with the hearse going direct to the crematorium.

There were other touches to lighten the mood, with a suggestion that this could send a message to David's murderer that her best efforts could not bring the McPherson family down.

Of course, not everything had gone to plan, Helen had arrived for breakfast in a pink knee length frock that would have suited a ten year old. She claimed this was her effort at moving away from standard funeral garb but Elsie wasn't having any of it. Helen had re-appeared in a long McPherson tartan skirt with a white linen long sleeved blouse, meeting Elsie's approval.

Elsie herself was starting to look tired Tammy wondered if this was the illness or simply the work she was doing at the moment. Tammy had taken coffee with her the previous afternoon, but this had been interrupted by phone calls from financial advisors, brokers and bankers as she marshalled her finances. Louise meanwhile had undertaken a review of Tammy's security as well as liaising with Cathy, the undertakers and the police concerning the funeral arrangements. She was, eventually, able to satisfy Tammy that protection was in place and that she should attend the funeral.

"The issue, Tammy, is that we don't know their motive, and without that we are only guessing. It could be their wish that you stay at home instead of going to Inverness, but there's no way to know what their intentions are. My advice is to proceed as planned but you'll have me looking out for you. Oh, please, leave that weapon at home."

The coach set off at eight thirty for the two hour trip, Tammy had found herself sitting next to Helen after the usual round of musical chairs was complete.

"Aunt Elsie has found me this art course, I wasn't going to go but I'm a bit bored at the moment."

Tammy smiled, she'd found the course and it had clearly been an inspired choice.

"I've could have time on my hands now, depending on what Dr Adi says next week."

"Well, join me on the course, it's in Berwick in a hotel."

"I don't know if I could get away."

"It's a month long but it covers everything, there's a diploma at the end."

"A month? What about university?"

"They'll have internet access, so you'll still be able to send in your work. If the doctor signs you off then the uni won't insist on you attending."

Helen's reasoning had merit. "I'll think about it, but what if the course is full?"

"I asked, there were ten spaces free so Elsie told me to reserve you a space just in case."

"Hmmm."

"Come on Tammy, don't blame me! It'll be fun."

"When do you go?"

"The course starts on Sunday the eight, just over a week from now, but I'm planning to travel down a few days earlier and I'll stop over in Edinburgh for a few days. It's forty or so minutes by train to Berwick from there, easy to do on the Sunday morning."

"What's on in Edinburgh?"

"There's a film festival, several arts festivals, loads of live music, cinemas, and a couple of big fireworks displays. It has everything that Thurso doesn't have."

"I won't know what I'm doing until Wednesday, Helen."

"I'm leaving that morning, when's your appointment?"

"Two o'clock."

"No good, you wouldn't get into Edinburgh before nine or ten that night. I plan on being there by four, and I'd appreciate the company."

"Oh well, maybe you'll have to go on your own?"

"No, move your appointment to the previous day."

"Why should I?"

"If you don't, I'm sure Elsie could change it and I know you wouldn't argue with her."

Tammy rarely had a reason to disagree with Elsie, but interference on this level was different. She declined to answer Helen verbally so took her iPod out of her bag, plugged earphones into her head and closed her eyes as Dvořák's New World Symphony started.

Louise was sat next to the driver, watching the road closely, especially the unmarked police vehicles fore and aft.

They arrived at the crematorium with twenty or so minutes spare. Louise was first off but left an instruction for everyone else to remain seated. Tammy could see her check the area then speak to the occupant of a car parked close by. After a minute she returned and asked everyone to walk over to the crematorium's waiting room. Tammy scanned the room as they entered.

"Are we safe, Louise?"

"That's a relative word, Tammy, there are risks around us all of the time and most we can manage, some we can't."

"Okay, are we in imminent danger?"

"Again, unless we knew what any potential aggressor is thinking, we can't be certain about anything or anyone."

"You're not making me feel very good, right now."

"As I understand it, you've had a substantial amount of training recently that normal members of the public simply wouldn't get."

"It can't prepare you for every eventuality."

"Nothing in life can, but we adapt."

Tammy took another look around the waiting room as others had arrived, she recognised a few faces from Cathy and David's wedding, the previous November, and assumed they were Stewarts. Another couple looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't put a name to them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, could I have your attention?"

One of the undertakers had walked in from the chapel.

"The police have requested we vacate the building for a few minutes whilst some security checks are being made."

"Louise, are you aware of any checks?"

"They were being done before we arrived, the previous funeral was cancelled so there was a good gap."

The gathered throng was moving towards the exit and Tammy was being pulled along with them.

"Louise, what do we do? I'm scared."