Aurora

by Karen Page

Part 1

Ashleigh is thrust into a remote, enigmatic scientific project shrouded in secrecy. As she navigates a team of brilliant but eccentric scientists, she discovers that her role goes beyond logistics—she must keep the team grounded while unravelling their ambitious, mysterious work. Amidst power struggles, old connections reignited, and the discovery of chilling secrets hidden in the shadows of the old Anchor pub, Ashleigh finds herself drawn into a world where the line between innovation and danger blurs. Will she rise to the challenge, or will the weight of past and present threaten to unravel everything?

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Part 1

The smell of the water had changed. The river had changed direction, and the sea water was pushing upstream leaving a salty scent in the air. For those not from the area, this might have seemed wrong. It wasn't, it was just one of the only tidal rivers in the country.

It was a Monday morning. The start of a new working week and for Ashleigh, the start of a new life.

"I love this time of day," smiled Evan as Ashleigh came out and joined him looking at the river.

"Why?" asked Ashleigh.

"The sea smell. It reminds me of my youth. My grandparents lived on the coast, and I used to spend some of my summer holidays there."

"I've been here a few hours now, but I've not seen anybody working. You're sat out here, looking across the river. Liam was playing the piano and I certainly don't want to guess what Henry was doing – it looked strange. I was told important work went on here but none of you seem to be doing anything."

"Just because we're scientists doesn't mean we spend all day in the lab. We need time to contemplate things and mull things over. I do that best looking out at the river. Henry does it while listening to 1970's punk rock."

"He was in some sort of harness hanging almost upside down inspecting some electronics. So why do you need me here? The admin isn't that complex, and Julie seems to have most of that under control."

"Henry is always in that harness. Nothing strange about that unless he's listening to Bach Toccata and Fugue. Then worry. We need you as you are the best person for purchasing. Some things we will need aren't easy to come by, and you have a reputation of not only sourcing the impossible but getting it quickly."

"Is there anybody else here?"

"Only Rebecca. She is the chief architect of the vehicle and chief coder for some of the systems. The rest of the team are at the factory about fifteen miles away."

"I thought you were the boss. Or that's what Laura said."

"Sort of. I was lumbered with that title. I'm the chief scientist, which doesn't mean much as we're planning on breaking new ground. How did you get the job?"

"It came out of the blue. I'd been working for Trinton Solutions for several years when Laura Taylor suddenly turns up at my house. She said she'd heard of my reputation. I'd no idea I had one. We chatted and she offered me this job. I was reluctant, but—"

Evan laughed. "She made you an offer you couldn't refuse?"

"Something like that. So, where's Rebecca?"

"Becky dropped her daughter off at school and went to the factory to check on things. She'll be back soon. You'll then have met all the important people on this project."

"It's certainly different here. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. I've lived my life in towns and cities. Here, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"True, though there are some locals around. You'll probably meet them at some stage."

"When I drove through last night, I don't think I saw more than a dozen houses. There wasn't a school, a shop or even a pub."

"This used to be the pub. There is a primary school in the next village. We all live near here."

"What else do you want me to do other than order things? Laura hinted there was something else."

"We need you to keep us alive," said Evan simply as if he'd said the sun rose each morning.

That wasn't something Ashleigh had expected. "Huh?" she eventually managed to utter, slightly surprised by his candour.

"Sometimes the problems we encounter are too interesting. We get so focused on a problem that it's all we do."

"And?"

Evan looked embarrassed. "It's all we focus on. We forget to eat. We forget to sleep. Miss Taylor said you would understand. Do you?"

"Yes," Ashleigh muttered, anger flaring suddenly. "Yes, I understand and yes, I can help."

"You seem angry?"

"Yes. I don't know how she knew. What happened was supposed to be confidential. I'm angry that someone blabbed."

"It wasn't me," he reassured.

The anger dissipated as quickly as it had surfaced. She laughed. "No, it wouldn't have been. Sorry about that."

"Manipulation," pondered Evan, suddenly lost in thought. "I wonder."

Ashleigh, having seen this behaviour at Trinton, wasn't concerned. She watched in fascination as an idea took shape and he contemplated its meaning. He wasn't upset. He wasn't in danger or a danger to anyone else.

A red car came into the car park, but they were too far away to see much more than that. About thirty minutes later, Evan jumped up and rushed into the old pub. He didn't notice Ashleigh at all. She just chuckled to herself and went back inside to continue her work.

Ashleigh was in the same office as Julie on the top floor of the building. She'd just unlocked her laptop to investigate the project more, when the raised voices filtered through.

"They get a bit noisy when they get excited," explained Julie. Then a bit more contemplative, "Or when they're frustrated."

"What deliveries come here?"

"None really. Unless it's something ordered for them. Post and other things get delivered directly to the factory. I might be moved there now you're here."

"Would you prefer it there?"

"I've no idea. It's kinda nice here. I don't get people banging on my door complaining."

"Just them discussing things."

"It's only occasionally. But it's good to know they're alive. Have you met them all now?"

"I've not met Rebecca yet."

"Oh yes, Becky was out this morning. You'll like her and Jenny, that's her daughter."

"Just the two of them?"

"Yes," said Julie sadly. "Becky's wife and their youngest Ryan died a few months ago."

"Oh, no."

"Ryan died a day after Hilda. So sad. When you go into their discussion room, look out for a Pudsey Bear on one of the shelves. It was Ryan's and Becky keeps it there as a remembrance."

The lights dimmed and the monitors went off.

"What the—" started Ashleigh and then caught herself.

"Oh, that's the other issue they have. Their power draw is a little high at times and causes other equipment to switch off."

"Is that being upgraded?"

Julie laughed. "Someone came out a while ago, but it seems the cables aren't up to it. They put in some balancer, so they get what they need, but our circuit gets reduced."

"Why on Earth are they here then? Why didn't they choose a different place?"

"Because it's one of the only places that gives them what they need. And before you ask, I've no idea what that is. The people at that small industrial unit at the other side of the road left when they couldn't get more electricity. I hear that the company sponsoring this project snapped it up."

"When did they move out?"

"Two weeks ago. Why?"

"Ring up the electric company. They should be able to take that feed and divert it to here."

"That'll take months to happen."

"Perhaps, but at least it's booked."

"Isn't that your job now?" Julie enquired. She went to one of the filing cabinets and having removed a file passed it to Ashleigh

"You're right. Why isn't this online?"

"It is, but I keep a paper file. We have no idea when the power will go off."

"I'm going to see about getting a small UPS for each of us. That way we can stay working."

"You can do that?" Julie asked with surprise.

Ashleigh didn't want to say how much autonomy she'd been given for purchases. If it was justified for the project, she'd been told to spend it. When she'd been told her upper spend limit, she'd almost choked on her drink. "If we don't ask, we don't get. Now, let me see what I can do about the power line."

Her time spent at previous companies wasn't wasted. She started making calls and talking with the electric distribution company. After finding someone helpful, this led to names in other companies that could assist. Julie looked across a few times but left her to it.

When the excited chatter had not been heard for a bit, Ashleigh made her way to the main discussion room. It was like some sort of disaster had taken place. The ordered room that she'd seen that morning was covered in papers. The whiteboard was full of scrawl and many smudges. She spotted the bear Julie had mentioned. It was on a shelf out of harm's way, but always visible. It had a big shipping tag on it saying "Ryan".

"Hi," said Ashleigh as she walked tentatively in. She knew scientists didn't like to be disturbed, but sometimes there was never a good time.

Four pairs of eyes moved to look at her. It was then that Ashleigh spotted Rebecca, and a look of mutual recognition passed between them.

"Yes?" asked Evan.

"I'm trying to get the electrical feed increased. With the last tenant moving out from the industrial unit, they might be able to feed across. I'm also trying to get an industrial battery pack. Would that be best placed over the road to not cause interference?"

"Yes," mused Evan. "Good thinking. Though make sure it's a small rent on the battery pack. I think we've made progress, so we might not need it after six months."

"Okay. Good to see you again, Becky."

"Likewise," said Rebecca cautiously. "It's a surprise to see you here. How are you? How is your family?"

"Tina's working as some type of investigator. She's married. Caroline is still into hockey. She's one of the coaches on the England squad."

"And your parents?"

"Retired. And they've chilled a lot since you knew them. They are very accepting about Tina, if that's what you're referring to."

Rebecca looked a bit hurt. Ashleigh felt a bit sorry for being bitchy before reminding herself that it was Rebecca that cut all ties.

"I've got a team of electricians coming in the morning. Besides this room and the lab, is there anywhere else off limits?"

"We'll be here and make sure they are shown what they need to see," said Evan.

"Okay," said Ashleigh and walked out.

As she was out of sight, she heard Henry ask, "How do you know her?"

"She was my first love. She is the one that named me Becky."

"Wow. What happened?"

"I was terrified to transition. I was frightened my parents wouldn't love me. I didn't want Ashleigh to have to make a choice between me or her parents. I think about that time a lot and in a lot of ways I wish I'd not made the choice I did. Yet then I wouldn't have met Hilda and had Jenny and Ryan. I wouldn't have been in this project."

"You can't live in regret," reassured Liam.

Ashleigh couldn't take more and quietly made her way back to the office. It was obvious that her three colleagues knew that Becky was trans and didn't care. Also, Becky remembered her. After all those years, she did remember.

* * *

"So, what's coming?" asked Evan the next morning.

They'd all arrived early, and a slight mist hung over the river. They all lived in houses within a short walk, so an early start wasn't a hardship. Even Jenny was there, sat on the wall looking out at the river flowing down towards the estuary.

"You might have noticed, but a lot of the electricity here comes from the low powered overhead lines. They go into the back of the industrial unit from across the field. Today, a team of electrical engineers are going to assess The Anchor and make sure things are rated for the new feeds. They will prepare for a new circuit for your labs.

"Tomorrow, a shipping container will be arriving. This one was used at a service station to provide a 2MWh battery for EV charging before the circuit got upgraded. This will be placed in the industrial unit and connected to the electric feed. If they can go overhead, they should be connecting The Anchor on Thursday. If it must go underground, then I'm told it will probably be early next week, depending on how quickly the council signs off the street works. I should know more later."

"That's a huge amount of electricity," stated Henry in awe.

"Yes, so don't use it all at once," said Evan. "It will take a while to charge those batteries."

"It should be arriving fully charged. Finally, I've ordered some new magnetic wipe boards for your discussion area. The walls are mostly bare, so they can be fitted along them. There is also a fancy glass one with a stand. So, it should look almost like a sci-fi film. Hopefully you're capable of fitting them yourselves. It should clean easier than the old board you have."

"But we'll be out of the lab?" moaned Evan. "We were just getting somewhere."

"You are all wearing the same clothes as yesterday," stated Ashleigh, waving her hand dramatically. "You worked all night on this. Now you have chance for a breather. I will take Jenny to school."

They stood there for a few seconds, stunned. Henry departed first with Evan and Liam following.

"If they are running electric cables between the two sites, will this be our conduit or the electric companies?" asked Rebecca.

"Ours I think, though I'll know more later."

"If it is, see if they can run some computer cables between the two sites. Then if we need to expand operations there, we can do. For instance, we could put the server in there that records the data. Then if something happens with a test, the data isn't next to it."

"I'll see what I can do," promised Ashleigh. "Now go get some rest."

"Jenny normally goes to the school breakfast club," informed Rebecca.

"Which starts?"

"Sorry?"

Ashleigh thought she'd been clear, but perhaps a lack of sleep was impacting her ex. "What time does the breakfast club start?"

"Oh, quarter to eight."

"Then we better get going."

"I don't think I fed her last night," Rebecca said shamefully.

"Jenny," called Ashleigh in a loud authoritative voice.

Jenny got off the wall and trotted across.

"What did you eat last night?" Ashleigh asked.

"Fishfingers, peas, carrots and a jacket potato."

"Where did you sleep last night?"

"In the special bedroom Mummy had set up above the lab."

"Good girl," said Ashleigh. "They all stayed up working hard last night, so are you okay me taking you to school?"

"Is that okay Ma?" she asked Rebecca.

"Of course. I've known Miss Thompson since we were little. She can be trusted."

"Where's your backpack? At home or here?"

"Here. Upstairs."

"Then go grab it. We'll be leaving in five minutes."

When Jenny left, Ashleigh said to Rebecca. "At five, you were still in deep discussions. Jenny was looking around the small kitchen upstairs. I presume it used to be a family area when it was a pub. I offered to cook, but she said that her Mum had been teaching her for a year. I kept an eye on her, and we talked while she cooked."

"But she's only seven," said Rebecca feeling bewildered.

"Yes, she is, but it seems Hilda knew she wasn't well, and made sure that Jenny could do some things herself."

"I didn't know."

"I suspected that, based on the way Jenny said what she did last night. I just don't know how I was brought on board."

Rebecca thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have a photo of Tina?"

"Sure," said Ashleigh, surprised. She got out her phone and showed Rebecca.

"Ah. She knew Hilda. Several young adults about Tina's age came and visited several times including just before she died. Tina was one of them."

"I've been stitched up by my own sister?" gasped Ashleigh.

"It seems so. Jenny's here. When you get back, I'll have a small nap before the electricians turn up."

"Okay Jenny. Let's get you to school. You can tell me all about it on the way."

"It isn't that far," she groused.

"Yes, but we have to walk to my car too."

"Is it that nice blue one?"

"How did you know that?"

"I saw it outside the house that had been empty. I thought it must be you."

'Observant', thought Ashleigh as they wandered to the car.

"So, what are you doing at school today?" she asked.

"The usual," sighed Jenny. "English. Maths. At least it's Tuesday, so we have a bit of French."

"You get bored?"

"Sometimes, though I have my Sudoku book if I have to wait too long."

"Who teaches you at home?"

"Mummy used to. Ma does too. Evan is a wiz though at teaching me how to make maths interesting. I like to watch them in the lab sometimes. If I hear something new, I look it up on the internet. I then get one of them to explain more based on that knowledge. They always seemed pleased that I ask."

"What about friends from school?"

"Kelly's my bestist friend. She lives at Willow Cottage, so it isn't far. I sometimes go there to play. She's so much better than me on the Xbox though."

"I don't think bestist is a word."

"Well, it should be," Jenny retorted. "Language evolves. It isn't stuck in an ivory tower hung with expensive works of art."

Ashleigh pulled into the school car park, feeling shocked what Jenny had just said. "Did you read the book that quote came from? Or did you get that quote from elsewhere?"

"I skipped the sexy bits. I found it in Mummy's pile of books."

"Relationships aren't like that book," Ashleigh thought she had to say.

"Well duh!"

"Time for some boundaries. I know your ma is super intelligent. I didn't know your mummy, but I bet she was too. So, it isn't a surprise that you are. But I don't like people being cheeky to me. Adults nor children."

"Yes, Miss Thompson."

In a gentler voice, Ashleigh asked, "Do you need collecting?"

"Mrs Brown drops me off. That's Kelly's mummy."

"Good, now run along and have a great day."

Jenny picked up her backpack from the foot well and ran to the building.

When Ashleigh got back, the four team members were sat outside at one of the picnic tables that remained from the time it was a pub. So much for them getting some rest. She went to the kitchen upstairs and after finding a pack of sausages, prepared four sausage sandwiches and four mugs of tea. Not knowing how they liked their tea, she added a jug of milk and cup of sugar to the tray.

"I can't make you sleep," Ashleigh said as she put the tray onto the picnic table. "But I can make sure you eat. Enjoy."

A phone call just before lunch disturbed her. The electrical engineers had been checking the feeds at both sites, and this had been keeping her and Julia busy. The team were still outside, continuing their discussions, oblivious to the work going on around them.

"Please hold for Laura Taylor," came a female voice.

A few seconds later, they were connected.

"Ashleigh. Laura Taylor. How's things going?"

"This is one heck of a job," Ashleigh responded. "You sure omitted a lot from the job spec."

"The job is what you make it. What do you think you should be doing?"

"It's not just ordering the impossible. It's an assistant to the team, and making sure that when, not if, they fall down the rabbit hole, they come out alive."

"Anything else?"

"Jenny is probably going to be part of my job too. Though I'll have to see how that one goes. I've no parenting skills but Becky won't always be there for her."

"Is it too much for you?"

"I'll let you know. Today we have electrical engineers surveying the industrial unit and The Anchor. I'm seeing if we can get the electrics routed across. I've also got a large battery pack arriving tomorrow, to cope with the extreme load they sometimes need."

"It seems your reputation wasn't overblown. Is there anything we can help with?"

"Do you have anybody that can handle the internal electrical work for the lab? Becky wants a computer line installed between the two sites. She wants to put the data recording server across the road in the old industrial unit. Just in case the experiment causes issues that destroys local data. That building is going to need to be made as secure as the project building."

"Let me make some calls. We have a team. Hopefully they will be there tomorrow."

"Fantastic. Let me know how many later and their names and I'll get them booked into a hotel for a few nights."

"Anything else?"

"Just one thing. Does my sister Tina work for you?"

"Yes, but a totally different division than you are in. Is that an issue?"

"No. I was just trying to work out where knowledge of me came from."

"Tina just confirmed what I'd heard from two other sources."

"Two?"

"Some CEOs like to brag about their staff. If there was any doubt about you, you wouldn't have been given the position you have. When I saw you the other week, I stressed how important this job was. You know there is more to the role than I stated, and I trust you will adapt it to what is needed for the team to get the job done. You have my direct dial, and I trust you know when to use it."

Ashleigh thought about that conversation and then realised that Laura had only mentioned one of the two people who'd mentioned her. The CEO was one, but who was the other?

The rest of the afternoon didn't go as well. There was a repeat of the morning's discussion on the location of the battery container and street works would be needed due to the amount of electricity being piped between the two sites.

Ashleigh was with the senior engineer, just outside the electrical cupboard, when the fuse for the Lab tripped. "Mmm, I think you need an electrical upgrade."

"The electricians doing the inside work will be arriving tomorrow. I hope you will be able to work well together."

"We normally do. I suggest whatever the load they are pulling is too much. I really think they should wait until it's upgraded."

When he'd gone, Ashleigh made her way to the lab. There was excited chatter. They'd had some type of success and were discussing what changes should be made for their next test.

"Hold it!" Ashleigh called.

The four team members stopped and looked at her in astonishment.

"No more tests until the electrics are upgraded," she said. "I was outside the electrical cabinet, and it didn't look good. Have you increased the load?"

"A little," said Henry sheepishly.

"You're the electrical expert. The circuit for the lab tripped."

"Shit."

"But you had success?"

All four of them started chatting excitedly.

"Good," she said loudly enough that they stopped. "Now here is the thing. You did an all-nighter last night. You have now had a success. I've seen you all contemplating the issues not rushing. You need to all go home. You can think about it in peace. Tomorrow morning, you can come back and each of you can say what you think worked well, what didn't go as expected. You then can see where you agree."

"But—" started Rebecca.

"And you need to see your daughter. She will be back from school in ten minutes."

"But—"

"In five minutes, I'm switching off all the circuits and taking the key with me. I will switch on the electrics at half-six tomorrow morning. Now move. I know you all have building keys, so I trust you to do this. I will see you early tomorrow."

She went out but hovered close by. It was Evan that broke the silence. "I think we should do as she said. She's worked hard on getting us the upgrades that nobody else seemed to be able to get."

"I'm just so pumped that we got a result," said Liam.

"So am I, "said Rebecca. "But I don't know what it means yet. It's a result but is it the correct result? Let's think about it and I will see you about seven tomorrow morning."

* * *

On Wednesday, when Ashleigh got to The Anchor, she half expected to see it unlocked and the team working. Instead, there was a group of four waiting that she didn't recognise.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Didn't you get the email?"

"No. Who are you?"

"I'm Stacy. We were sent to keep an eye out with all the extra people onsite. Two more are due in a minute."

She was true to her word, and a minute later another car pulled into the car park. Ashleigh recognised her sister, Tina, and rushed to give her a hug.

"Hi," Ashleigh said, as she put her sister down. "Do you vouch for these four?"

"Yes. The lady over there is Luke's sister. We are all expected."

Ashleigh went across to where the original four were waiting patiently. "I think Tina's word is good enough for me. I know who she works for."

She unlocked and switched off the alarm, before going to switch on the electrics, apart from the Lab circuit. She was pleased to see the alarm came up with the set time when she'd armed it the previous afternoon.

"This is Stacy, Andy, Helen and David," introduced Tina. "This is Ashleigh. One of my older sisters."

"Can you show us around?" asked Stacy.

"Sure. Do any of you want a drink?"

"After you've shown us around."

"Downstairs we have four main areas. The Lab, the discussion room, a few toilets and the attached outbuilding is used as a workshop. Upstairs is the office that Julie and I work in. A kitchenette, bathroom and two bedrooms. I think our office used to be an additional bedroom."

The physical tour didn't take long, and as they finished, the project team started to arrive. They looked refreshed and the men were clean shaven. Rebecca came into view, with Jenny skipping alongside.

"So, who are you?" asked Evan.

"We've been sent by the parent company to make sure only the internal electrical people come inside."

"You don't look like bouncers," laughed Liam.

Helen made sure that Jenny, who hadn't reached the building yet, would have her view blocked by Andy and Stacy. She then put Liam on the floor.

"Sorry," said Liam getting up and brushing himself down. "I shouldn't judge a book and all that."

Helen smiled and said sweetly, "Are you okay Dr Mann?"

"Yes, and here I'm Liam."

"Can you do that too, Tina?" asked Ashleigh, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and excitement.

"Of course."

"Do what?" came the small voice of Jenny.

"Speak Dutch."

"Wow, you speak Dutch? I can only speak French," said Jenny.

"Wrong," said Rebecca. "You also speak English."

"Oh yeah," responded Jenny.

"Well, something that resembles English," said Evan.

Jenny's bewildered face made them all laugh.

David, turned to Jenny and asked in French, "À quelle heure allez-vous à l'école?"

"Dans une demi-heure," she responded without thinking.

"Well done," praised Becky.

"That's not a beginner's reaction," said David. "Have you been practicing your French outside school?"

"Mummy used to talk to me in French. I can't read it very good yet."

"That's, 'not very well', not 'not very good'," pointed out her ma.

"We'll leave you to it," said Stacy. "We'll be around."

"You might want to move the cars," suggested Ashleigh. "With the digging later, you might not get out."

"I'll move mine later," said Helen. "I'll be Rebecca's driver today. So that includes taking them both to school."

"What's happened?" demanded Rebecca, pulling Jenny protectively to her side.

"With?"

"It sounds like protection. What's happened to cause this?"

"Miss T has contacts in unsavoury places. The word is that there had been some significant progress with some requests to find out what it was. Miss T thought some extra resources should be here."

"I'm not going to stay with Auntie Donna," said Jenny firmly.

Ashleigh almost raised her eyebrows on that comment. It sounded like there was an emergency plan for Jenny and that Jenny was fully aware of it. She thought it wasn't right for a seven-year-old, no matter how intelligent, to have that in their head.

"It's not got to that," reassured Stacy. "People are just being extra cautious, as there will be a lot of people around that we don't know."

"Where's the entrance to the basement?" asked Luke.

"What?"

"The cellar? This was an old-style pub. Wasn't the beer kept in the cellar?"

"I've never seen any stairs down," said Evan.

"Nor an entrance in the car park for deliveries of barrels," added Liam.

"If there is a cellar, it would be great for the electrical cable," said Henry.

"Okay, I'm going to take Jenny to school," said Rebecca. "Evan, Henry and Liam, since it's going to be noisy, why don't we meet at Evan's house. It's the furthest away from the noise. We can discuss last night there. Ashleigh, will you be staying here co-ordinating things?"

"That's the plan."

"Then when Julie arrives, get her to go to the factory for the next few days. She will get more work done there."

With that, they all started to move. Helen saddled up next to Rebecca and with Jenny they went towards one of the cars. Tina trotted behind. Luke went with the men towards Evan's. This left Ashleigh alone with Stacy, Andy and David.

"This is my third day working here," said Ashleigh. "I was told this was important, but nobody said it could get violent."

"What do you think you saw?" asked Stacy.

"I have a lot of thoughts but nothing solid."

"Try. I'm told you're quite observant."

"I'm thinking that Tina is staying at the school, just in case someone is trying to kidnap Jenny. Helen is there to protect Rebecca. Luke just went to Evan's, so I presume that's his job. What about you three?"

"It will be four when Helen has brought Becky back. We are here just in case. We aren't security but investigators. We will see what's happening. We don't know that there is any danger. But Miss T is cautious and wants to see if there is an issue before setting up landmines, barbwire fences and patrolling tanks."

Ashleigh knew Stacy was teasing. Well, she hoped she was.

"Aren't you being paranoid?"

"I was nearly shot at aged twelve, and was actually kidnapped when I was thirteen," said David. "I wouldn't wish that for anybody."

"I'll keep watch for the electricians," said Stacy to David and Andy. "Go make sure things are tidy, and then find it."

"Tidy up?" asked Ashleigh, her mind still trying to process why someone would want to shoot at or kidnap a child. And what were they to find.

"Making sure documents and papers are put in a secure box. That way things don't go missing in the work."

"But I thought they were internal electricians."

"They are. I'm not talking deliberate. Just if a window is open, paper might blow about."

"Oh."

"What happened last night? They ran the test and what? Where were you?"

"I was near the electric panel. The lights dimmed, which isn't unusual, but it tripped the fuse."

"Did the electrician leave?"

"Yes, before I went to see the team. The only other person here was Julie. She is normally in the office upstairs, but I can't confirm it."

"Great."

"I also can't confirm if the team discussed the findings from home. Are you thinking a bug?"

"It is something we're checking. Can Tina and Luke stop at your house? I believe it has a guest room."

"Sure," Ashleigh agreed. "I would love to have them stay."

Andy and David came running out. "We need to call the police. In the cellar there are human remains inside a large chest freezer."

"You have to be kidding!" cried Ashleigh.

"We don't kid about things like that," said David.

"I'll make the call," sighed Ashleigh, calming down. "This isn't going to help the timeline for getting the electrics in."

"At least the outside work can be done. Well, most of it," said David. "And the cellar looks a great place to put the feed. Its dry and will be out of the way."

"Andy. David," said Stacy, authoritatively. "You know the drill."

Silently, they took out their phones and handed them to Stacy. They then moved apart and stood still, not communicating with anybody.

Stacy took out her phone and made a call. "I've got a code 62. Both witnesses are separated, and the police will be called. Andy and David." She waited, listening to something at the other side before thanking them and terminating the call.

The sound of the workman digging up the road disturbed the peace, as Ashleigh made the call to the police.