Which Door? (aka Bike) Part 628 by Angharad

Simon and Tom had a glass of wine together but I made myself some tea, I’d had enough alcohol. However, as I had some awkward questions for Simon, I didn’t want to get sleepy myself nor did I want him more than amenable to my interrogation.

I let them chat for a while. Tom brought Simon up to date on out recent activities. “You mean you actually shot someone with a bow and arrows?”

“Yes, I’m not exactly happy with the idea, but …”

“If she hadn’t, the children and we, would be rather dead,” interrupted Tom.

“I can see that, it’s just my little Cathy, barely more than a schoolgirl has turned into this avenging angel figure.”

“Lots of women aristocrats have used martial skills when the occasion demanded it,” said Tom, sipping his wine.

“I suppose they have, but it’s usually leadership rather than hands on killing.” Simon seemed to be having a problem with what I had done. I knew that I had a problem reconciling it, however, I’d hoped he would be supportive of me rather than bemused by it, which seemed to be the present case.

“I bashed another on the head, and firebombed someone too, then shot some up with a spare Kalashnikov.”

“Saving us again, not to mention twa young polis.”

“It’s like Modesty Blaise or Batgirl, not some young mother from Portsmouth. Had you added a scene with Rob Roy and claymores, I couldn’t be any more surprised.”

“You weren’t there, Simon. These people were intent on killing as many of the Camerons as they could. Cathy saved us on three or four occasions, like she did before when they attacked this hoose.”

“How many deaths did you sanction in Russia the first time?” I asked Simon, staring into his eyes and holding the gaze.

“I didn’t exactly sanction any killing.”

“Not even when they abducted Stella?” I asked.

“Not even then. I negotiated with the one group, asking how much they would need to stop the other lot attacking our interests. I didn’t say how.”

“You must have known they’d exterminate each other given the chance?”

“I tried not to think about it. When I did, when I realised how much we’d paid and how many of the bad guys died, I was horrified, except I knew we were safer as a consequence, especially Stella, who is still suffering from her abduction.”

“You must have known what would happen.” I rose from the table. Maybe I would have another glass of wine.

“What did you think about when you hit the bloke on the head?” he asked me.

“Trying not to make a noise, be sick, or shit myself while I was doing it. I was sick just after.”

“I don’t think I’d have the bottle to do that.”

“You might if you had to. I didn’t think I would, but when they were deciding who was going to kill my girls, I knew I had to do something. Sadly, as they were carrying guns, it seemed only some sort of violence would work.”

“How come you had a bow with you?”

“I knew we were under threat. I don’t have a gun nor want one. I would have taken the compound bow but it takes too long to put together once it’s packed down. I can assemble a recurve in two minutes. So that’s what I took. It also packs smaller, and forty pounds was quite enough power to do the job.”

“Robin Hood strikes again,” he said with a combination of incredulity and sarcasm.

“I suspect my accuracy was better with a recurve than his would have been with a long bow.”

“Geez, Cathy, you seem so calm about it all?”

“I try not to think about it. I need to be strong for the girls. Remember, in a few days, Trish starts her new school. She needs me to be there for her.”

“Yes, but…I mean, regular soldiers get problems after action in battle. Yet you seem relatively unaffected by it. I’m astonished, not to put too fine a point on it.”

“Like I said, I need to focus on the girls.”

“Yeah, I heard you.”

“I’m awa’ to my bed. Guid nicht,” Tom patted Simon on the shoulder as he made his way around the table for me to kiss him on the cheek. “I think ye did a grand job.”

“Thanks, Daddy.” He ran his hand across my back as he left.

“Want some more wine?”

“Okay, I have a question for you, seeing as we seem to having a confessional.”

“Yeah, fire away.”

“When you phoned me just before you had dinner a few days ago, who was the woman you were with?”

He looked at me in even greater surprise. “Woman, what woman?”

“She called you darling, and told you to come for dinner.”

“Did she?” He blushed but also seemed genuinely perplexed.

“Please tell me truthfully, are you seeing someone else?”

The sip of wine he’d taken was inhaled and he choked for the next couple of minutes.

“Why, are you going to kill me?” he said still coughing.

“Don’t be ridiculous–I just want to know where I stand. If you are, tell me and then leave. If you’re not, tell me who she was?”

“So you can kill her?”

“Simon, don’t you understand any thing about me? I didn’t kill out of revenge or anger. It was survival–them or us–nothing more. It sounds as if we’re through. I’d like you to leave first thing, before the girls are up. I’ll tell them you were called away to work.”

“Hang about, a minute.”

“No. You’ve indicated there was someone else. Here,” I handed him my engagement ring and tears ran down my cheeks.

“You’re making a mistake, Cathy.”

“No, Simon–I’ve made mistakes. It’s been a nice trip, but it’s over. It’s ironic that involvement with your family helped me become a woman. It also helped me become an executioner.”

“There is no other woman.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Cathy, cross my heart and hope to die, there is no other woman.”

“I heard her, Simon, she called you by name to go to dinner and stop talking on the phone. I heard it.”

“Oh shit!”

“Goodbye.” I got up to walk to the door.

“Cathy, you’re so wrong.”

“I was. Not any more. Goodbye.”