Crossing The Line Chapter 2 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

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(title picture Andrea Piacquadio)

“How long before we can go home?” Jenny asked the tall detective.

“Your daughter, Mrs Peters and Madeleine are all witnesses to the death of a young man. They have all given us statements, but the Coroner has asked that they appear at the inquest. He likes to hear people’s evidence while it’s fairly fresh. He will probably adjourn the proceedings after one or two days.”

“What does that mean?”

“It enables us to continue our investigations.”

“You mean, catch that Meadows man?”

“To apprehend the driver of the vehicle involved. We are not certain who it was, nor are we sure it wasn’t just an unfortunate accident.”

“Inspector Shaw, you must have seen the film of it by now. It was deliberate. He intended to kill my child. The bastard had tried before.”

“We don’t know that for certain, and until we do, we shall continue our investigations. I understand how you feel, but how it looks on TV and what it looks like when you are there, could be different. In my job, the more sure I am, the more chance of a conviction. If it was deliberate, then we could have a case of murder on our hands and that is a very serious matter.”

“That is what I am trying to tell you. This is serious because it was pure, cold-blooded murder. Whether he got the wrong person is another matter, but you must catch him.”

“We are doing our best Mrs Bond, you can rest assured on that score.”

Inside Jenny was seething. How hard can it be to catch one man? Why wasn’t every copper in the country on the case, instead of this rather ordinary one who stood before her. She was sure Inspector Morse, would have got him by now.

The tall detective left the cottage, and Jenny went to speak with Dave. As she passed the phone rang; she stopped and picked up the handset. “Hello.”

“Hi, this is Matt Davis from South Coast Bikes.”

“Hello, Matt, it’s Jenny Bond,” she wondered what he was ringing about.

“Would it be possible to meet in the next day or two?”

“I don’t know, I hope you’re not going to pressure us about a contract for Gaby.”

“No, that’s nothing to do with me. However, there is a lot of pressure from the local press and TV to hear that Gaby is okay, and they are clamouring to hear her side of things. They have sort of taken her to heart…”

“It’s all sub judice, as it could prove to be a murder enquiry, none of us can say anything.”

“I understand that, however, I promised Gaby the wheelset from the bike. I’ve checked them out and they’re okay. If she brings the other bike down, we’ll put them on her Dolce.”

“That’s very kind of you Matt, but I’m keeping her away from bikes for a few days.”

“I understand, but the offer is there. If not let us know where to send the wheelset and I’ll organise it.”

“Thanks, Matt, we’ll be in touch.”

“Give my best wishes to everyone there, won’t you?”

“Of course, goodbye, Matt.” She put the phone down, “Huh, the nerve of some people,” she said out loud, to no one in particular.

“Who was it?” the questioner was Drew.

Jenny nearly told a fib, but then decided she could only expect truth if she told it herself, “It was Matt.”

“From the bike shop?”

“Is there another?” snapped Jenny.

“Why did he phone, are they cross about me busting that bike?”

“No Sweetheart, he was offering to put the wheels from it on the Dolce.”

“Oh wow Mum, when can they do that?”

“Hang on a minute, with all the things that are happening at the moment, some new race wheels are hardly a priority, are they?” said Jenny.

“No, but they would be nice, they’re Campags.”

“You’ve got a set of Campags on your race bike already, I sent them to you.”

“I know, but it would be nice to have a spare set, and Dad couldn’t do it.”

“I suppose he would struggle with the gear changers, but you could always take it to the bike shop back home.”

“Yeah, I s’pose I could, but then we’ve gotta pay for it to be done, when Matt will do it for nothing,” piped Drew, thinking he’d found a way into changing his mother’s mind.”

“Compared to having you walking the streets with that madman still about, it might be cheap at twice the price.”

“Dad could take me down, he’s brought the bike rack. No one’s going to hurt me with Dad around.”

I don’t know kiddo…”

“I can ask him.”

“Ask him what?” said Dave walking out of the lounge.

“Dad can we take my Dolce down to Matt’s shop, they want to change the wheelset for me.”

“They want to what?” asked Dave looking puzzled, with that Drew began the long story of how Matt had promised him the Campag set if he did well in the race, and as he won it, well...”

Dave, who had been prowling about since breakfast, was looking for something to do. He hoped to get a trip to Maiden Castle out of this visit, and he began to think he might just work it in with a trip to the shop. “I suppose I could take you if there’s nothing your mother wants me to do.”

Jenny was taken aback by his amenability, “No, I have nothing I need you to do. Carol and I are going food shopping in about an hour, you could take the kids with you unless they want to visit Tesco.”

Groans emitting from the lounge tended to suggest they didn’t.

“Okay girls, ready to leave in twenty minutes, be ready,” called Dave to Maddy and Juliette; he then went out with Drew to fix the bike on the rack on his car. “You’re going out like that?” he said to Drew.

Drew who was wearing a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, looked down at his clothes and said, “Why, is there anything wrong with this?”

“No, but it might be nice if you combed your hair and things. Compared to the other two, you look a little unkempt. Go on, off you go, I can manage here,” Drew stood for a second open-mouthed, then thought he’d better comply with the instruction. As he went up to his now shared room, he suddenly recalled his earlier flirt with Matt. He chuckled as he went up, “Okay dad, you asked for it,” then, laughed some more.

“Where is Dre..Gaby?” asked Dave, of Jules and Maddy, both of whom were standing by the car,

“Dunno.” Was the common response.

“Didn’t I see her go upstairs?” said Maddy.

“In which case, she’s probably gone back to bed,” offered Jules.

“Can one of you go and see?” pleaded Dave. Maddy and Jules looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then both set off, shouting ‘Gabs, where are you?’. Dave shook his head, he muttered to himself, “Some days, I really do not know, why I bother.”

Moments later, accompanied by loud tittering, Gaby emerged from the house. Attracted by the noise Dave glanced in the rearview mirror of the car. “Oh my God…” He looked again, in case he’d momentarily hallucinated. No, he wasn’t, his eyes were working.

He got out of the car, he looked at Jules in jeans and tee shirt, Maddy in shorts and top and Drew. Drew was wearing a suit, his hair was up and he was wearing noticeable makeup. “He’s taking the piss,” muttered Dave to himself. “Okay,” he said to himself, “don’t take the bait, just stay cool.”

He opened the rear door of the car, “If madam would care to take a seat, I shall try to convey her safely to her meeting.”

Trying to keep a straight face, Drew simply answered, “Very good, Mr Bond, thank you.” He then carefully eased his way into the car and sat elegantly behind the driver’s seat. Maddy and Jules were still tittering but were impressed. They jumped in via the other doors, Maddy sitting in the back with Drew, and Jules, upfront with her father.

“If your ladyship would care to direct me, I’ll take her to the velocipede emporium,” said Dave, tongue in cheek. The two girls cracked up. Drew, however, maintained the poker face. This was partly because he was trying to work out what an emporium was. He had heard the term velocipede, before.

Despite sitting in the back, he managed to direct his father to the ‘velocipede emporium’, waiting in the car until someone opened the door for him. “We have arrived, Princess Gaby,” quipped Maddy, as she held open the door. Drew eased himself out as elegantly as he could.

Dave busied himself with lifting the bike off the rack while the three teens walked into the shop. “Hi Gaby, Maddy and who is this young lady?” said Matt.

“My sister Juliette,” said Drew with a sigh.

“Not another cycle champion?” said Matt, extending his hand.

Jules took it and gently shook it, “No, sorry. I leave that to the other two.”

“Don’t you mean three, including your brother?” corrected Matt.

“Sorry, yeah, course I did. I meant Drew and Gaby, it was Mum I left out,” said Jules blushing. The sooner her idiot sibling got his act together and stayed either as a boy or a girl, not kept mixing it, the easier her life would become.

Dave struggled in with the bike. “Hi, you must be Dave Bond?” greeted Matt.

“That’s me, Dogsbody Dave, servant to champions.”

“I’m Matt, good to meet you at last, both Gaby and Jenny speak about you all the time, and how they wouldn’t be where they are without you.”

Dave stopped in his tracks, “They do?”

“All the time,” repeated Matt, smiling. Drew and Maddy looked at each other and shared a common thought, it began with ‘B’ ended in ‘T’, had eight letters and is found in fields populated by male cattle.

However, Matt’s slight bending of the truth, made Dave feel much better. He shook hands with Matt, both men squeezing the others palm powerfully, and shaking the hand vigorously. “Funnily enough, both Jenny and Gaby have spoken well of you, too,” offered Dave.

After the male bonding session, which saw both men talking about bikes and women, and then women and bikes, Drew felt bored and wandered off to the workshop. Tim was assembling a new bike.

“Hello, Gaby, my, don’t you look smart! Off to a business meeting, are you?”

“Hi, Tim, no, I just felt like tidying myself up.”

“Well it has certainly worked, you look very smart.”

“Thank you,” said Drew, smiling warmly at the older man.

“Have you seen the photos?”

“No, which ones are these?” said Gaby.

“The race, beginning and end, before you know what.” He stopped what he was doing and walked into the shop, coming back with a folder. “I’ve done a set for you, and some of the Wimborne race, too.”

Drew grabbed the folder and started leafing through the pictures. “These are brill, Tim, way kewel,” he continued, his search through the dozen or more pictures, “Hey, this is me winning, kewel.” He leafed through some more. “These are, like, so good.”

“Take them, they’re yours.”

“Like, really?”

“Uh-huh,” said Tim nodding.

Drew was blushing. “Like, thanks Tim,” he rushed forward and hugged the man, who protested she’d get oil on her suit. Without any sense of self-consciousness, he kissed Tim on the cheek, “Can I show the others?”

“Of course.”

Drew scampered back to the shop, “Hey guys, look at these photos.” It took everyone’s attention, and there were many mutterings of approval and compliment to Tim for his skill.

“I hope you will allow us to display these in the shop, and one of Gaby and her mum would be nice too.”

“I’ll discuss that with Jenny, and get back to you,” said Dave, “They are super photos.” He then went and discussed cameras with Tim.

Drew looked around, Matt was talking to the two girls, this wasn’t supposed to be what happened. He stood holding the folder of pictures celebrating his triumphs, he was a potential champion and Matt and the girls were talking about some reality TV show. Why was no one talking to him?

He was about to slip out of the shop, when a young man walked in, wearing cycling clothes. “Hi Matt,” called the entrant.

“Steve,” Matt replied, “Be with you in a sec.”

“No hurry.” Replied Steve, who then nodded at Gaby, she nodded back. He looked again, doing a double take. “Was it you I saw on the telly? You won that race where the kid got killed?”

Drew nodded.

“By all accounts, that was some race.”

“It could have been,” said Drew wistfully.

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” allowed the young man. “Didn’t you have some superbike on test?”

“Yeah, I broke it for them, thousands of dollars…” Drew made a gesture of something being broken.

“It was hardly your fault, some tit in a truck hit you,” offered Steve.

Drew found this description amusing, very amusing. He began to laugh and Steve also began to laugh. “Hey, wanna see my bike, it’s not a super one but I like it.”

“Yeah, I’d love to,” said Gaby following him out of the shop.

“Here it is,” said Steve, showing the ‘S Works Tarmac’ to Gaby.

“That’s a nice bike.“

“Yeah, she’s a couple of years old, but she goes alright.”

“Campag wheelset?”

“Is there another?” asked Steve, at which Drew shook his head. “Oh, sorry, I’m Steve Cornish.”

“Gaby Bond.”

“Not related to Jenny Bond are you?”

“She’s my mum.”

“Geez, I think she’s amazing.”

“Yeah, so do I,” agreed Drew, adding, “I know the name Cornish from the comic. You race don’t you?”

“A bit.”

“I saw your name in the comic a few weeks ago, you won the Wessex Challenge.”

“I’m impressed,” said Steve smiling bashfully, “Beautiful and bright with it.”

“Good race was it?” asked Gaby, and before long they were in deep discussion about Steve’s latest triumph.

“I’ve got bits of it on DVD, I’ll do you a copy. I’ll send it via Matt if that’s okay?”

“Course, want to see these...?” asked Drew, holding the folder of photos. Of course, Steve did and was suitably impressed.

“I must go, it’s been really good talking to you,” said Steve mounting his bike.

“You didn’t get what you came for, did you?” asked Drew guiltily.

“Nah, it’s not important, I’m in here more often than Matt, besides, I’ve met Jenny Bond’s beautiful daughter,” with that, he slipped into the traffic and left Drew standing, holding his collection of photos and blushing.

The others eventually came out of the shop, and after a quick discussion, Dave steered them into agreeing he could go to Maiden Castle, if he bought them lunch in Tesco’s restaurant. Drew wasn’t at all sure about it, especially another wander around Maiden Castle dressed as he was, but that was his own fault.

The meal was adequate, and after visiting the toilets, they set off for the hillfort. Dave was beside himself with pleasure, the teens all trying to understand what a pile of mud with some ditches around, could possibly have to keep him so happy. At one point, they all sat down while he continued walking around on his own, oblivious to their absence.

He wandered back to them. “This is magic,” he said, to the astonishment of the three teenagers. “I first came here, must be nearly twenty years ago, as a student. I’d read up on all the stuff I could find, and thought I understood the place. Since then, I’ve read even more, and I think there is more uncertainty than ever.”

“What d’ya mean Dad?” asked Jules.

“Well, Wheeler’s work between the wars, he was a classicist.”

“A what?” said Drew.

“One who is trained in the classics, Greek and Roman texts, Plato and Tacitus, people like that.”

“Oh,” said Drew, not really understanding the point.

“So he regarded the British as barbarians.”

“We’re not barbarians!” said Jules, indignantly.

“Not us, our ancestors. Wheeler thought they were barbarians and it coloured his work. Since then, more enlightened investigations, have tended to show the opposite. For instance, a study of skeletons found up the eastern gate, which Wheeler said was a war cemetery, are now thought to be those of local champions who got killed fighting in competitions.”

“What about the guy, with the Roman spear thingy in his back, in Dorchester museum?” asked Drew.

“That is why everything is so uncertain. I suppose we shall never know any of it for sure.”

“Dad, if you get such a buzz out of digging about in the mud, why don’t you do it now?” the voice belonged to Jules.

“There were no jobs when I left uni, and I’ve sort of got in a rut.”

“But Mum is allowed to ride her stupid bike,” said Jules pouting.

“Come on Jules, we all agreed your mother could have one last crack at the big time, and she has done well.”

“But shouldn’t you have a chance to do what you’d like, too?”

“Maybe one day,” looking away he said, “Come on, it’s starting to get a bit chilly.”

They drove back with little conversation. Jules had hit a nerve, and Dave had effectively silenced her. He felt a sense of sadness he’d not experienced for a long time. She felt indignant that her mother always seemed to get her own way, and that he should stand up for himself. Maddy felt a degree of embarrassment, witnessing this atmosphere between father and daughter, and Drew fell asleep.

He was many miles away, racing with Steve. Only it was Gaby who was racing him, trying to catch him…only they weren’t on bikes, they were running through long grass. Suddenly they changed around and Steve was chasing after Gaby and she was giggling. She found that giggling and running do not go together, and she fell over his hand upon her leg…

“Come on Gabs,” said Maddy, shaking his leg.

“Oh Steve, be gent…” Drew sat up with shock, wondering where he was for a moment. “Hi Mad, did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah, who is Steve?” asked Maddy, with a funny look in her eye.

“Erm,” said Drew, blushing furiously.