The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3449 by Angharad Copyright© 2024 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 was anxious for Trish and for the moment I had done all I could. Toby was insistent that the police would handle it best, perhaps they would, after all they have the most resources. They had notified the police in Cambridge from where she was abducted and a forensic team had been dispatched to find what they could. In that respect the police were probably the best, assuming the service hadn't suffered too many cuts. The Tories had destroyed the public services and on those grounds alone should never be allowed into government again.

James reported to me from Cambridge as well. It so happened he knew a senior policeman there and he was satisfied that they were doing all they could. Leaving my other children to the care of David and Emily, Danni and I drove to Cambridge to Henry's house. I was met by a senior copper. Apparently, James had told them we were an important family and could create loads of trouble if things weren't right, so we received red carpet treatment. I discussed the state of play and the circumstances leading up to Trish's abduction. I accepted that they could be coincidental and the abduction could have been committed by an unrelated group for other reasons. In one of my more quiet moments I had considered that and my reaction was just as aggressive. If they harmed her and Simon didn't kill them, I would and I wanted it known that I would pursue them to hell and back if necessary. I would make Putin seem like an amateur in seeking revenge. I know I wasn't preaching much about love and fellowship, but to the abductors I felt anything but and wanted them convicted and jailed for a long time and then killed.

I genuinely respect those who can forgive others for killing their children, I wasn't one of them and I honestly didn't see my mood changing much. If I found out that the perps of this crime were TERFs, I would destroy them as a group and then individually if they were involved. I was building up a head of steam towards destroying whatever stood in my way, I was really so worried and angry about it.

Danni and I stayed in a hotel, leaving the police room to properly inspect the room, liaising with James as necessary. He was staying in the same hotel. I checked with him and he admitted he was carrying a concealed weapon, in his case a gun and in my case very sharp knife which was taped to my leg. It was one I'd bought years ago when we were trying to deal with Russian mafia types, and I'd also learned how to throw it. At that time I reckoned I could impale someone from about twenty feet. These days I was out of practice but I thought certainly at ten feet I could be very dangerous, perhaps even lethal. As it was strapped to my leg, in a thin sheath, I had to remember not to leave it behind if I did use it because I would have collected quite a bit of DNA which could be used against me were I prosecuted.

The next morning after breakfast, I wasn't hungry but ate to have something to do, plus if things happened it might be quite quickly and eating would not be a priority if they did. The police were very helpful and told us lots they wouldn't normally. They did advise me not to take the law into my own hands while at the same time appreciating my standpoint.

I managed to get an interview with the master of the college that has accepted Trish. They were equally shocked as was I, and shock number two, the master turned out to be a mistress. The title she explained was a tradition but she joked she was all woman. I actually believed her not that it was important. "I hear that you are an academic yourself?"

As I had given my card, a university one, it wasn't much of a deduction as I was named as, 'Professor, (the Lady Cameron) Catherine Watts PhD, MSc, BSc, Biologist/Ecologist.' "I am," I said, suppressing the urge to suggest she had actually read my card. "Though not of anything like a Cambridge college, just lowly Portsmouth Uni."

"Come now, your reputation precedes you, you've published over twenty papers, made two documentary films, written a couple of books apart from your crime-fighting activities, radio and television appearances and crusading for biodiversity. I would say you are probably better known than half my colleagues at this august institution and myself of course. You are also married to Simon Cameron the banker and son of Henry who has endowed universities at both Oxford and Cambridge.

"So Lady Cameron, how can this humble academic help you?"

"You have heard my daughter, Trish has been abducted?"

"Officially no, but the grapevine has been busy and with social media it is lightning quick. I'm sorry to hear of your trouble, especially as it affects one of my future students, so what can I do?"

"We have had problems with TERFs at Sussex and also Portsmouth. I thinking that this could be related, do you have much of a problem here?"

"Gosh, that's quite an assumption."

"I took a student last year to help diffuse the situation at Sussex; Professor Herbert is a friend of mine. The student is well connected family-wise but is also transgendered. We have had several bouts of problem with TERFs from Sussex who seemed to have stirred up the Portsmouth contingent, which until recently, I didn't even know existed. Investigations have shown they are funded by a mysterious Baptist church in the US, in Texas."

"Didn't a professor resign from Sussex a couple of years ago because of this?"

"She was being very anti-trans and she was forced out, but to my mind she was being a total bigot as many of these women are."

"And your history of previously being a transwoman yourself doesn't affect your situation?"

"Ah, you are well informed."

"Yes, I have an excellent pa."

"Good, I do as well, we all need someone to run our departments day to day."

"You have similar opinions to me, yes we do."

"As my daughter was abducted from Cambridge, from a house that Henry is letting her use, I need to try and elicit if you have enough of a TERF presence here to do such a thing."

"My dear Professor, this is Cambridge with thousand of female students who would be described as feminists, but none that I am aware of any being the bigoted activists you are seeking. They demonstrate if any sex crimes happen, they talk in loud voices against the predatory behaviour of some men, but as far as I know, they don't preach against transwomen. We, as I'm sure you also do, have strict rules about acceptance regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation and so on and that also includes transgender students or staff, however far along the road they are. We are against any form of bigotry such as misgendering and act accordingly. I'm sure you understand."

"Yes I do, but I wonder if I could speak with some of your lesbian students or staff in case they have heard rumblings or seen stuff on social media."

"I suspect the police have already been there."

"With due respect to the police, much of the time they couldn't find beer in a brewery."

She roared with laughter, that's the politest form of that description I've heard so far, you really are a lady aren't you, Lady Cameron?"

"I try to conduct myself gracefully."

"So I see, mind you if it were my daughter I think I might be more angry about it."

"I can assure you that I am having difficulty controlling the urge to rip someone's head off, but I have to allow the police to conduct their enquiries before I do anything."

"I take my hat off to you as a mother and academic," She pushed a button and called her p.a. in, a woman called Rachel Pervis. "Rachel, this is as you know is Lady Cathy Cameron, she wants to talk discreetly to Michelle O'Sullivan, could you arrange that asap?"

"I'll see what I can do, professor," she nodded at me," Professor Watts," and left the office. A second young woman knocked on her door and entered with a tray of biscuits and fresh brewed coffee which she laid on the professor's desk.

Professor Burgess asked me if I drank coffee and I nodded, she then poured out two cups handing one to me and taking one herself. It was the richest coffee I'd tasted for ages especially compared to what Tom usually drank. She told me it was her one indulgence and it was quite an expensive one. I could believe her.

We discussed what I had found out about the abduction and what it might mean. Just as we were finishing her intercom buzzed and in walked a young woman wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. "You wanted to see me, prof?"

"Yes, Michelle, this is Professor Watts, her daughter has been abducted and she would like to talk with you, if that's okay?"

"I'd heard something on the grapevine, isn't she something of a protégé?"

"Yes," I answered, "She's only sixteen but already has one PhD, she's here to do a second under Professor Burgess." The young woman nodded.

"How can I help I don't think I've even met her."

"Look this is embarrassing, but I need to ask someone like yourself a few rather personal questions. I'm not trying to embarrass you or criticise you or your lifestyle, but I need to ask you, I hope you'll bear with me."

The girl blushed but she was still here and she nodded at me. "I'm a professor at Portsmouth, and I have links with Sussex Uni and with my oppo there, Esmond Herbert. Now a while ago one of his students was targeted by some TERFs. She's transgendered and because I'd dealt with trans students before Esmond asked if I could help. I met the young woman and interviewed her and offered her a place to do an MSc. The next thing we had problems with TERFs at Portsmouth who were doing some pretty stupid things including assaulting me and two police officers. They threatened all sorts of things including at me personally. Now we have never had a problem with gay students or trans ones, in fact, our constitution protects all sorts of minority groups including sexual and gender ones. I discovered some of my students were involved and having pointed out before they acted that they were in breach of the contract they had signed with the university to uphold the constitution, they would have done so upon entry induction.

"I wrote to the students concerned suspending them for their behaviour and we are dealing with their appeals at present. Until recently, we have never had a problem like this and I thought everyone, if not happy, was at least upholding the constitution. So this came as a surprise and investigations found they were being funded by a far right Baptist church in America. I believe this could have occurred because of my actions to calm things down. I have to say personally, I have nothing against anyone's lifestyle or preferences provided other people aren't upset by it and I don't mean Daily Express readers. Have you heard anything that may lead to us recovering my daughter, in one piece as quickly as we can?"

"Wow, look I'm a lesbian and I'm a feminist but I have nothing against transwomen and I've known a couple since I've been at Cambridge. I try to treat everyone as they ask me to and as they treat me."

"I'm sure you do, most transwomen are feminists too."

"Yeah, some more than others but the enemy are predatory males not the nonsense Rowling and her ilk spout." I smiled and nodded at her. "I can't say anything definite but the grapevine had been rumbling about you and that you were a tranny lover and needed to be punished, by whom I don't know. Look, let me make some enquiries and see what I can find. That's all I can do but I hope you get your daughter back unharmed."

"Thank you, Michelle, that's all I'm asking." She nodded at me and left. I left Professor Burgess a few minutes later and returned to my hotel to see what James had discovered.

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