Wonderful Dorchester (aka Bike) Part 614 by Angharad

“Are you alright?” asked a chap who’d drawn up beside us and helped us pick the bikes up.

The girls were howling and holding on to me. “I think so, although my shoulder hurts, I broke my collar bone a month or so ago and I don’t think this has helped it.”

“It’s a miracle you weren’t hurt, what was that bloke thinking about?”

“Murder, I think.”

“What? You think he meant it?”

“As it’s the second time in as many days, yes.”

“You must call the police, here, use my phone.” He handed me his mobile.

I dialled 999. “Hello, yes, police please. Thank you.” I was connected by the emergency operator. “Hello, my name is Cathy Watts, my address is…” Someone was obviously taking all this down at the other end, presumably on a computer screen. “What happened? Some one just tried to kill us in a car as we were cycling. No it wasn’t an accident, someone tried to run me down in Morrison’s car park yesterday. Yes, that Cathy Watts. Okay, we’ll wait for them to get here. No, I didn’t see the car too clearly, hang on I have a witness.”

I passed the phone back to it’s owner. “Well, I sort of saw it, it was one of those huge land cruiser things, silver in colour, no, I didn’t see the number. When? About five minutes ago. Yes towards Gosport. My name, John Dearlove, no, I live in Winchester. Okay, I’ll wait with them.” He switched off his mobile. “The boys in blue are on their way. Sadly, they’ll be too late.”

“What?” I gasped, and while we all looked at him, he pulled out a gun from under his jacket and went to switch off the safety. I pushed the girls to the floor and aimed a kick at him, catching him in the chest. The gun went sort of ‘phutt’ and slug ricocheted off the pavement as he staggered backwards straight in front of a passing truck.

I gasped as his body was whipped into the air and then under the wheels as the driver of the unfortunate truck struggled to control it. I ran to get the girls and face them away from the accident. There was blood everywhere. Moments later the sound of sirens filled the air.

The police called for reinforcements and Inspector Dodd was sent for. When the coppers attending realised we only lived down the road, they let me take the girls home rather than look at the gruesome picture of minced assassin.

A young copper walked me home, while another calmed down the lorry driver, who was having forty fits of hysterics. Compared to him, the girls were doing very well–mind you, I think he was French, which explained a few things.

The road was closed within minutes and police were crawling about like flies. I sat weeping in the dining room while Tom made tea for us, a woman PC was looking after the girls in the lounge.

After drinking the tea, I felt sick, so I rushed into the cloakroom and voided my stomach. So far so bad. Inspector Dodd arrived and with her was a plain clothes man, who it transpired was a detective superintendent.

I repeated my story for the umpteenth time. The DS asked why the man hadn’t just shot us? “I don’t know, unless he wanted to make sure it was me.”

“But to allow you to call us, that’s bizarre.”

“I appreciate that, Superintendent, but perhaps he needed to hear me speak about the incident yesterday at the supermarket.”

“Could be, this is a professional hit squad, who have you pissed off enough to involve organised crime?”

“No one as far as I know, I’m a biologist turned foster mum, I’m not a criminal. I don’t do drugs, I hardly even drink. Could this be about the bank?”

“Which bank, Miss Watts?”

“High Street Bank, my future father in law is the chairman and majority shareholder, and my fiancé works there too.”

“You’re marrying into the Camerons?”

“Yes, why?”

“Nothing, my dear, okay Irene, get someone to speak with the bank, see if anything is happening.”

“Shouldn’t we warn Henry and Simon, if someone is after me, what’s to stop them going after them?”

“Do you have numbers for them?”

“Um, no, they’re on my mobile, I never think about the numbers, press one for Simon and three for Henry.” He took my phone and went off into the hallway to make the calls.

“Can’t get hold of Simon, Henry is taking precautions. Right, I want you and your dad to pack enough clothes and toiletries for a fortnight, for you and the children.”

“Why?”

“We’re moving you to a safe house.”

“But my daughter starts school in just over a week.”

“If you tell us where we’ll speak to them.”

“That’s not the point, it’s her first school.” I burst into tears and felt a combination of hopelessness and anger. “Who’s the bastard who wants to kill me, and why? I haven’t done anything and my kids are innocents, why harm them?”

“It’s alright, Miss Watts, these scum bags don’t care about anything but their own ends, but rest assured, we’ll get ‘em.”

“Where are you taking us?”

“Somewhere safe and defendable.”

“I’ll go and pack. I don’t suppose I’ll need any bike gear?”

“I don’t think so.”

I ran upstairs and packed three huge suitcases and a sports bag, inside which I packed a large knife and my arrows. The bow went into the largest case along with armfuls of my clothing. I packed the girls a case each and grabbed shampoos and toothpaste, antiperspirant and perfumes. I threw in shoes and couple of towels, plus my oestrogen pills.

Two burly coppers carried the cases down as I helped Tom pack his case. He was in a daze and kept repeating to himself, “It’s a sair fecht.” I grabbed Kiki’s lead, her dish and her bean bag. We packed a shopping bag full of toys for each of the girls and my laptop.

Finally, we were loaded into a minibus, Tom cuddling Trish, while I held Meems. They were both upset, mind you so was Tom, and I was hardly happy. Kiki sat on the floor, and an armed copper climbed in with the driver. We were escorted by a police car fore and aft, a big BMW and Range Rover.

At a pre-arranged place we switched cars, getting into a dark Mercedes and it roared off into the night while the convoy went on another route, behind us was silver BMW, which contained our guards, two heavily armed police.

We headed north I think, then I dunno, I lost it and fell asleep with Meems cuddled into me and also asleep. I’d seen that Tom and Trish were similarly occupied before I nodded off.

I woke when the car seemed to stop. “Where are we?” I asked sleepily.

“A safe house, and a long way from Portsmouth.”

“Yeah, but where?”

“You’ll find out in the morning.”