The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike) Part 1644 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“Thae polis were here lookin’ f’ Jacquie,” Tom told us as soon as we arrived.

“Yes we met them at the hotel.”

“Did they find her?”

“No, Daddy, they didn’t.”

“Guid, I’m glad tae hear it, I hope she’s safe?”

“I really wouldn’t know, she went off before the end of the meal–could have gone to visit family–at least that’s what Simon thought.” I stuck with the authorised version.

“I’d hae thocht that ye wuld ken better than most waur she wis.”

“She did say something but I was trying to talk with Julie, wasn’t I?” I asked my eldest daughter who nodded and muttered something incomprehensible.

We’d also briefed the younger kids that Jacquie had gone to see some friends or relatives in the midlands. Fortunately, Daddy didn’t ask so they weren’t drawn into some sort of web of deceit. I felt bad enough that I’d lied to him but the less he knew the less chance he had to leak the information, albeit accidentally.

“I also found out a few things about our visitor and about the trial that Jacquie faced.”

“Aye, an’ whit wis that?”

“Burford, the copper who called here, was on the original investigation team and there’s evidence he coached her, or one of his colleagues did.”

“Coached her?” queried Tom.

“Yes, Daddy, they told her what to say–and that was pretty damning. She told the police, she pushed him in the water and watched him struggle–it was good fun–then he stopped and she thought she’d better get some help.”

“An’ ye dinna think it’s true?”

“The statement? No, to start with the boy fell in and she stood and watched in horror, frozen to the spot, before being able to get help. She feels guilty about it–but there’s nothing one can do about the past to undo it, is there?”

“No, if there wis, I’d undae it m’sel’.”

I put the girls to bed and reminded them that we didn’t know where Jacquie went, but she’d gone away, probably to relatives.” I read them some more of a Gaby book, something about a big society wedding somewhere in Germany and she danced with Prince William–total nonsense but it reflects well on our recently married royal, so I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded.

If he was broad-minded enough to invite one of his ex-crew members who was transitioning from MtoF, I suspect he’d cope with mention in a transgender story. If not, include me as a subversive, too. I’ll bet he doesn’t call his brother, Hal, either.

Later in bed ourselves, Simon and I discussed what we did next. He had several ideas, which he wouldn’t share with me, but he knew we needed to see what Jason could find tomorrow. So far he’d done very well. So had Jim, whose info I shared with Simon. So far so good. Henry’s meeting with the Chief Constable could be seen as pivotal, because if we could get him on side or at least neutral, we could go after Burford. I know Jason would enjoy that–in the words of Monty Python, “I’ve known grown men pull off their own heads rather than see him.”

For once Simon, full of venison and mushroom pie, fell asleep before he could take advantage of me. I wasn’t sure if I felt pleased or irritated by it. However, it didn’t keep me awake and my tiredness caught up with me before very long.

The next morning, at six, there was the sound of cars pulling up in the drive–seeing as we had electric gates–that was a puzzle. I jumped from my bed and roused Simon–the police were back. Before they could break down the front or back doors, I opened the front and asked them what they wanted.

“You know what we’re after, Lady Cameron?”

“If it’s my housekeeper, she isn’t here.”

“I have a warrant for her arrest.”

“And I have a digital camera which will record anything you do, with which my counsel can take issue in court.”

He pushed past me and so did several of his colleagues, they seemed to run all over the house including before I could stop them, the girl’s bedroom–checking under the beds and in wardrobes–despite the screaming children.

I was really angry at that, they could have waited for me to come up with them. I photographed them in the girl’s room. I protested and was warned not to interfere or I’d be charged with obstruction.

Simon was in the shower when they rushed in, I think he might have done it deliberately. Of course they looked in the bathroom and he pretended to go ballistic. I know he was on the phone moments later to his dad and then to Jason–both were unimpressed.

It took much of the morning to calm the girls down–I had to keep them off school. One moment they were asleep, the next huge great policemen in protective body armour were poking about under their beds. I did get several photos before I shouted at them–one for the family album had Trish flinging a tumbler of water over the head of one of them. The plastic receptacle just bounced off his helmet, but the water found its mark.

He was about to raise his hand to her when his sergeant called him off. If he’d touched her, his body armour wouldn’t have saved him, I’d have kicked him through the window, then run downstairs to finish him off.

When I mentioned this to Simon, he was livid. He calmed down when I said he didn’t hit her, but my video on the camera, showed him about to hit her and his superior calling him off.

“It’s easy to see now, why I believe Jacquie, isn’t it?”

The dog had been terrified and hid in her basket until the police went. I complained to Daddy who simply laughed. “Aye, she’s no as dumb as ye think.”

“Some bloody guard dog,” Simon said echoing my sentiments, she didn’t even bark.

We eventually had breakfast and then got dressed. I’d called Maureen to come and fix the gates, the police had disabled them and forced them open. That was going to cost them.

During the late morning, Henry phoned to say that the Chief Constable was not impressed with what had happened and that he would be out to see us himself after lunch.

We had a snack for lunch and the house was clean and tidy before our head police honcho arrived. He was polite and listened to what I had to say. He was especially so when I told him he needed to call his wife–she had problem.

“I’ll do it when I get back to the office.”

“Ah, I think you need to do it now.”

“What d’you mean–how d’you know what’s happening to my wife?”

“Cathy sees things, Chief Constable,” explained Simon.

His wife had got herself trapped in their garage, the car had rolled forward as she went to get something from the workbench in front of it. He’d called her mobile, as I told him to, and she’d fortunately had it in her trouser pocket–only because she thought she might have to call him from the garage while looking for whatever it was she was after.

He thanked me and rushed off to rescue her, phoning ahead to some of his officers to get there quickly. I knew she wasn’t badly hurt–and before you accuse me–I had nothing to do with it (this is Bike not Bewitched) I just picked up on her energy when he was talking to me

He called later to thank me, and I explained what I’d seen and also what I’d seen with Jacquie. I repeated that his men had caused damage to our gates and frightened the girls. He reminded me that they were executing a warrant, but he would arrange for any damage to be rectified, and apologised to the girls. I half expected him to arrange a guided tour of the cells for them, or perhaps that would be more likely to be me.

Jason emailed to say, the warrant had been rescinded and that he was pursuing Burford very nicely. Which I think is lawyer speak for the fact he was being anything but nice–or was going to be.