The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3469 by Angharad Copyright© 2024/2025 Angharad

---

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.
~~~~~~~~~

Danni was oblivious to the intruder as she pottered loading her bag into boot of the car, her Audi A3 and it was only when Jim pulled into the driveway and intruder was highlighted by his lights that he was seen by my daughter who jumped prepared to run or lock herself in the car. When the intruder broke cover and ran off with Jim jumping out of his Porsche to give chase. He gave up quite quickly as the stranger disappeared into the distance up behind the house and probably into the rough ground beside it. Jim checked she was alright and then came to tell me about the lurker he has just seen off. Without telling Daddy we borrowed Kiki and walked around the garden but our interloper seemed to have long gone.

We then shared our news. James thought it may have been this Shiner fellow or someone trying to steal Danni's car, unless they were trying to hurt her, which seemed somewhat unlikely, but then we thought that about Meems. Could there be someone after us again. I was highly tired of this and suggested that we notify the forces of law and order and demand that Shiner be caught. I was tempted to add a caveat, sort of dead or alive thing, but with my luck if he was after us, as soon as we killed him another would arrive that we didn't know about. So the best plan seemed to be to capture him alive and find out what we could.

Either that or wait for Meems to come to and tell us what she knew, which could be nothing. After a trauma, amnesia of the event is quite common. "I'd like a few minutes with him alone," said James and I told him that I would also like some time alone with Shiner, plus a baseball bat or pickaxe handle. He looked at me and said, "I'd only be after information, you'd probably kill him."

"True," I admitted, "but if he's after my girls, I'll do all I can as their mother, to neutralise that threat. The garden is big enough to hide a couple of bodies."

"Better not let the police hear you saying that, they take a dim view of killing people however justified it might be."

"It was just the one, unless they send a replacement and then we carry on until they run out of assassins."

"If that were the case how do you know they wouldn't send a group to rub you out and stop causing them trouble.?"

"I don't, I suppose."

"Well then, perhaps my idea is better, at least we don't accrue any murder charges."

"Wimp," I muttered under my breath.

"It may seem so to you, but I haven't done time yet and don't intend to."

"You also don't have any children, they make things different."

"I expect they do and it's very different if you're a parent, but I reckon you'd serve them better outside a prison" He had a point. I'd kill to save them but I hope that I wouldn't do it in any other case, otherwise you do become as bad as the guys you're trying to eliminate, minus the moral high ground, my natural ground.

I had been putting out a couple of kinds of seed for the birds, I saw that I had to refill it and grabbing a bag or seed began to walk up the garden. Jim immediately suggested he come with me and watch while I did the refilling. He thought it was a very good way of getting a jump on me as I'd be watching what I was doing and not looking for danger.

He had a point and I agreed to take more care as we didn't know who was involved and how nasty they could get. It looked as if Russians could be involved, not the whole nation, just a few who decided that I was bad news to them as I tended to block their progress and on of those ways was just to be in the way. As a window, I made a really good road block.

"These sound like real hardcore thugs."

"Yeah I can recognise them from your excellent description and remember these are not nice people a bit reminiscent of the Russian friends you made a year or two ago."

"As bad as them huh?"

"Yes and I'm not joking."

I thought about whoever tried to injure or kill Meems was probably pretty awful because nobody nice would try to. She isn't saint by any measure but she is usually pretty nice, giving them the benefit of the doubt and all that. She's far nicer than her mother, either her birth one or her replacement, neither of them are really good people so if they want to make something of it, I'd be willing to kill. Then thought about it. In protection of my kids I'd be prepared to kill but obviously preferred not to but not to being killed myself, as I'd find that rather irritating if not worse. It was good job I didn't tell this to Jim, he'd have been off to my father-in-law or husband, both of whom, probably all three, thought I was bonkers lots of the time, but I'm pretty good with dormice, so I'm told. Wonder if they can do references?

Danni returned from her training session phoning us as she approached in case she was likely to encounter any strange me. On being told no she parked in the drive and came in. "Who was that guy crawling around the place earlier?"

"We don't know," was the only reply we could give and that the police had been informed.

"Oh great, so when disaster is seconds away, the police are minutes off?" she offered.

"Got it in one," said James, "so be careful, I was going to say outside, but depending on who they are, be careful indoors as well."

"Why are they going to leave the heating on? In which case gramps will have them."That sounded as if my adoptive father was a tarter for turning the heating down. He isn't, he's a lovely old man and very precious to me. Perhaps I've mentioned it before.

"I think it's a bit more serious than that," added James.

"Look sweetheart, we don't know who these are yet, except we suspect they're probably organised crime people, which means either drug or people trafficking or money laundering or worse."

"Hey, with the new plastic notes, does that mean they can wash them easier?" Danni was still being playful so I imagined her training session had gone well. I asked her and she confirmed my suspicions and replied that she had to work at the weekend.

"Don't you mean play?"

"Yeah, whatever, except if I say play, everyone thinks I'm off having fun. They pay me and expect me to help them win, so it's work, just like teaching or investigating, just more intense."

"Isn't that getting the best of both worlds, doing something you love while being well paid for it?" James asked.

"You've never played professional sport, have you? It's pretty bloody, they try to squeeze every drop of talent and energy out of you, no matter how much you're giving they want more, want you to be fitter or more inventive, able to close down your opponents, more ruthless and so on. It isn't much fun sometimes, I just happen to be quite good at it." I told her I thought she was better than just good at it and that explained the car she drove to uni and her wardrobe. She was much better off than most of her peers despite her saving half of what she earned, she was still well off for her age. Perhaps that is something that applies across professional sport, loads of youngsters earning too much and driving fast cars or drinking too much, or taking leisure drugs and messing up their lives. we were lucky with her in that she did save much of her salary and lived a quiet life, devoting herself to her family and university course. We had some good kids and considering how we got them, it was a minor miracle.

"So what about this 'ere prowler?"

"What about him?" I asked.

"What are we doing about him?"

"Nothing, we leave it to the professionals."

"What you mean the police?"

"I do indeed." She convulsed with laughter. " They couldn't catch a cold."

"Actually the team that's on this case is pretty good," claimed James, "and they're not shutting me out of the investigation."

"Probably because we're paying you and you provide them with a free pair of hands." Danni probably summed things up and Jim shrugged, "Just be careful," he said and patted her on the shoulder. He thought a lot of her and I know he'd risk his life for her, I wonder if she did?

Danni had gone up to her room and Jim and I were discussing what we knew when the phone rang. "I'll answer it just in case," he said and I sat back down again. "It's for you, the hospital." He held out the phone and I felt my tummy turning somersaults. I walked there on legs that didn't want to move and took the handset.

"Hello, Cathy Cameron," I said into the machine, wondering if my legs would give way or would they bear me as I stood in the hall.

"Hello, Lady Catherine, I thought you'd be pleased to know that Jemimah has recovered consciousness and is asking for you."

I began crying and felt amazing, Jim came to my side and asked if I was all right. I nodded to him and was unable to speak for a moment I was so affected by the call. When I did I asked them to keep a guard on her because she was now at increased risk of being attacked. The nurse was naturally not expecting me to say this and reminded me that Jemimah was in hospital and therefore safe and wouldn't accept that she was under risk from more than MRSA.

"Look you silly woman, we've already had prowlers around our garden today, so you keep her safe or I'll sue the fucking hospital for every penny they have, and believe me I will."

"There is no need to be abusive," she replied.

"I need you to understand how vulnerable she is, these are very nasty people who put her in hospital, they tried to kill her."

"Lady Cameron, we don't know that..."

"Yes we do, these people are drug traffickers, people traffickers and money launderers, they are killers and I don't want Meems at risk again, please keep an eye on her all the time, please put her in a private room and lock it and only let medical staff in. I'm sending someone to guard her this evening." By the time I put the phone down Jim was loading a gun and slipping it into his jacket.

"I'll be off then." he called as he went towards the door.

"Wait, I'm coming too, I'll take my own car, you'll need yours to come back and I want to see her anyway."

Five minutes later were leaving Danni was pulling on a jacket and coming with me. I arranged for Emily to watch the others while we were out, she was delighted to hear Meems had woken up, as she put it. I was genuinely afraid that she was now extra-vulnerable and I wanted to be with her.