(aka Bike) Part 1743 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad
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I couldn’t leave the place, I’d called the police and ambulance from my usual phone, so they’d know who it was. I mean I could hardly say I was out walking the cat when I heard gunshots, now could I? Well I could, but I’d get done for wasting police time or obstructing an investigation.
Mrs Stone, groaned and sat up. “You bitch,” she spat.
“Would you like me to hit you again?” I offered politely.
“Bitch,” she spa back but sat nursing her head. “Is he dead?”
“Not yet, the ambulance is on its way.”
Sirens could be heard in the distance.
Stone shuddered and stopped breathing. Reluctantly, I began to do CPR. I imagined the blue light coming down through me and into his inert body, stopping the bleeding and helping to start his heart again. At the same time, I knew I was wasting my time, I no longer had access to the blue stuff.
I kept trying and Stone’s eyes opened and he coughed up more water and blood. “What are you?” he said faintly in barely more than a whisper.
“Where’s my friend?”
“He’ll be dead by now.”
“Where is he?”
“At the quarry, in an old outhouse, it fills with water.”
“You left him to die?” I screamed at him.
“What else could I do?”
“How could you–you monster?” Why was I trying to save his life? So he could stand trial for his crimes?
He closed his eyes and I suspect blacked out, shock, blood loss, cold–I had no idea. He still had a pulse, so he wasn’t going to die anytime soon. I continued to work on him, pushing in the imaginary light.
He coughed again. “I’m sorry,” he said and passed out again. The pulse was weaker.
The sirens became very loud and a police car screamed to a halt and two armed police came rushing in demanding I put my hands in the air. Next two paramedics dashed in and I tried to explain what had happened to them before a policeman dragged me off and accused me of being Jack the Ripper or Captain Blood.
They quickly checked him over and loaded him onto a stretcher and off to their van which roared away with bells and whistles. I was back with the police. “You need to search the quarry he used to work, he left someone there in an outhouse which floods.”
“In the dark?”
“Let me do it then.”
“You’ll drown yourself.”
“At least I’ll have tried, which is more than you will.”
“She’s lying,” said the old lady. “She shot my son and now she’s trying to get away.”
“Oh did she now?” said the copper. “You–up,” he dragged me to my feet and handcuffed my hands behind me.
“Tests will show she fired the gun, not me. I was trying to disarm her.”
“She’s an old lady.”
“She’s a liar. Is that CCTV?” I nodded at a small box on the side of the house.
“Could be, ’ere, John, check out the place for CCTV, will ya?”
The other copper went towards the house and found a door open and disappeared inside. Ten long minutes later, he came back out and handcuffed Mrs Stone. “She’s telling the truth,” he nodded at me.
“Please, let me go to the quarry, I might yet save my friend?” I pleaded with him, he called up HQ on his radio.
“You sure about this?”
“That’s what he told me, he’s in an old outhouse which will flood, so if he doesn’t drown, he could get hypothermia.”
“Yes HQ, request emergency search of Stone’s old quarry, possible abductee there in an old outhouse which is supposed to be filling with water. Okay, I copy that.”
“They’re not prepared to do anything until daylight, it’s too dangerous–the water is very deep.”
“What if he’s alive now but not in three or so hours when you lot get there?”
“Sorry, that’s the best we can do.”
“Let me go then?”
“I need a statement.”
“I can’t do one now it’s too dangerous, you’ll have to wait until daylight.”
“Okay, we’ll wait,” he said calling my bluff.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?”
“Um, let me guess, Queen Victoria?”
“Very funny. Either charge me or release me.”
“You’re a material witness.”
“And you’re possibly allowing my friend to die.”
“Sorry, not my decision.”
“But the one not to release me is?”
“Yeah, that’s true, don’t want you running off now, do we?”
“You know where I live.”
“Do we, in trouble frequently are we?”
“No but you’re sinking deeper into it than a lead weight at sea.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No, but I do seem to have this habit of spoiling people’s pensions.”
“And how would you do that to me?”
“By suing you and the force for wrongful arrest and detention.”
“You’re at the scene of a shooting, where’s the gun anyway?”
“I kicked it under these bushes.” I nodded towards where the firearm lay.
“She shot my son, arrest the bitch,” shouted the older woman.
“Just stay calm, Mrs Stone, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
A different car arrived and out got a plain clothes policeman. He took one look at me and shook his head, “Lady Cameron, what a surprise.”
“Oh shit,” said the copper I’d been pleading with.
“Release her,” instructed the detective inspector.
“Inspector,” I pleaded, and explained what Stone had told me.
He picked up his mobile and made one call, “Get me a rescue inflatable and diving team at Stone’s quarry, now. Have the air ambulance on standby.”
The other copper showed him the video and he told them to take it as evidence, he also told them to take the old woman to the nick and to put a guard on the house.
Half an hour later we were on our way to the quarry where the rescue team were just getting ready. They’d managed to get a map of the quarry and some old aerial photos where it became fairly clear where the outhouse was.
Fifteen minutes later they were launching their boat, complete with searchlight, blankets and hot coffee and the motor hummed off into the darkness.
“Okay, Lady C, from the beginning, please explain how you’ve got yourself involved in this one?”
“Well, Inspector, it’s like this...”
“What are we going to do with you?”
“Let me plead insanity?” I suggested.
“Um–not this time.” The radio in his car peeped. “Come in, rescue one, over.”
“We’ve located the outbuilding–taking a look inside now, over.”
“Thank you, rescue one, advise please on anything you find, over.”
“Roger, rescue one out.”
“You get that?” the inspector asked me.
I nodded and shivered.
“We could sit in the car with the heater on.”
“No, I want to be here if they bring him in.”
“You like this guy?”
“I’m employing him, besides he’s a nice guy and yes, all of the family like him.”
“Let’s hope he’s okay then.”
“Yes, let’s.”
About twenty minutes later the radio beeped again. “Rescue one to control, have located missing man, pulse very weak–request you instruct air ambulance to scramble.”
“Roger, rescue one, wilco, well done boys–now get him here pronto.”
“Roger, control, on our way.”
The upshot was James and I got a lift in the air ambulance to QA and James was rushed into EMU with severe hypothermia. He didn’t regain consciousness on the trip.
Two hours later Simon came and found me asleep in the waiting room, wrapped in a blanket one of the nurses had brought me.
Comments
Thank you Angharad,
Wonder woman is a wimp compared to our Lady Cameron,
love the story Angha.
ALISON
And another one bites the dust
You'd think that all the local villains would see sense and say 'Nah, it's Lady C; give up now.' I wonder what happened to the fake brother?
Glad to see that the DI has some sense. Now, I suppose, it's 3 days of peace and quiet, then another adventure.
S.
Two helicopter rides in one night, Wow!
She's right about how well they glide, though. I've had two in my life, and neither ever flew again after failing the glide test, luckily, from low altitude. Everyone walked away both time, just shaken up and bruised.
I've never given any others that third time charm chance.
Holly
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
Where indeed is the missing 'brother?'
I don't think we will hear from him again. I doubt he knew who he was dealing with when he started gathering up James things, and won't connect the loss of the money to the Camerons. After all, he didn't refer to anyone except Tom and his daughter (Cathy) and didn't call either of them by name.
Next obvious question is why kill Gareth? Other than being engaged to Stella, he had no connections with the bank. Could it be something to do with endangered animals around the old quarry?
Veddy, Veddy Insterink, indeed.
Oh, yes, and what happened to Rebel?
++VOTE++ ++VOTE+++
Don't let someone else talk you out of your dreams. How can we have dreams come true, if we have no dreams?
Katrina Gayle "Stormy" Storm
Gareth...
Since those guys are into drugs, they might have feared that Gareth saw something he shouldn't, when checking the woodlands.
Motivation
There are two possible motives, which may be linked:
Back in 1735:
And in 1736:
Meanwhile, "Geraint" did leave a business card with his number - presumably if they intended the scam to continue beyond the meeting at Cathy's house, that phone number would be live, in which case "Geraint" could potentially be tracked down. Oh, and Maureen was due to visit at some point during this adventure...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Just re-reading Honor Harrington ...
Do you suppose that Cathy and Honor are genetically related? What a courageous woman. It is too bad that we are all not like our alter egos.
:)
Gwendolyn
Thanks Ang.
Nice conclusion to an exciting saga Ang.
Will I ever grow tired of Bike? No!
Still lovin' it.
Bev.
OXOXOX
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1743
How many plods have rued the day when they crossed swords with Cathy, now? Hope James is OK, and the mystery can be solved.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Interesting twists
Some interesting twists...
Guess the word's getting around that Lady Cammeron not good for retirement. Glad the Detective Inspector was willing to do something.
Glad folks survived (we can hope).
Thanks,
Annette
I seem to remember
reading recently that the British police had asked for frontline forces to be issued with taser guns , Lets hope that if that is the case the officers concerned have more brains than the ones Cathy seems to deal with... When i was young we were taught to respect the police, Sadly nowdays that seems to be a thing of the past but given how officious some policeman are is it any wonder that respect for them has all but disppeared, Which brings you back to the point about tasers surely the best and most effective way of policing would be for them to gain respect by their actions ... Not by tazing the first person who argues with them !
Kirri
1742 is missing
I hope I didn't miss much in that chapter