The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2165 by Angharad Copyright © 2013 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

The rest of the day went relatively quietly and I managed to sleep better than I expected. The Sunday morning was overcast but it was threatened to brighten up later. It didn’t. However, Danni came down looking a bit better than she had before she went to bed. Amazingly, Trish had slept on an inflatable mattress on the floor in Danni’s room. I was astonished at her dedication to her big brother/sister. She also looked okay, so I hoped hadn’t been healing Danni all night.

At breakfast, no one said a word about the events of the day before and it wasn’t until Jason phoned that I spoke to anyone about it. He told me his complaint to the children’s protection society had resulted in a long phone call from the chairman who’d instructed the manager to suspend Curry with a view to instigate dismissal proceedings as soon as sufficient evidence was collected. Jason offered evidence once the court was finished with it. He’d been unable to contact the school but he’d used Jim to investigate the teacher. It seemed Swithinbank had some dubious qualifications, one of which was from a university in the US who ‘sold’ degrees.

He’d put this evidence to the headmaster at the earliest opportunity. Jim had also potentially discovered a connection between the two abusers. It appeared they both went to a radical chapel called, ‘The Children of God.’ I’d never heard of it, but apparently there was a thriving community of zealots on Hayling Island. Perhaps things were beginning to make sense.

I looked up the internet and found several reports on this curious sect including their utmost opposition to same sex relationships or marriage; they disliked transsexuals — you can’t change sex only mutilate your body stuff. They were against abortion for any reason, the pregnancy should be subject to God’s will not some obstetrician.

Oh well, I haven’t had a scrap with fundies for a long time, so I sent Jim an email to keep digging. He replied that he’d gone to get a longer shovel.

Stephanie phoned and spoke to Danni and then to me. She was concerned that these two nutters had tried to upset Danni but pleased at how we’d all rallied around to help her. I reminded her we were a family and told her of my investigations into the two abusers.

“Family–yeah, like Da Godfadder.”

“Are you implying something, Dr Cauldwell?”

“Who me, Dr Watts?”

“Yes you, Dr Cauldwell.”

“If the cap fits wear it, I just hope you don’t find a dormouse’s head in bed.”

“I thought it was a horse’s head?”

“Yeah, but for you a dormouse’s head would be more appropriate.”

“I haven’t issued instructions for them to disappear yet.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“But there is some pesky psychiatrist...”

“Look here,” she said, “this pesky psychiatrist comes in handy from time to time and will start charging me if I wasn’t careful.”

I immediately pretended to back down and she sniggered. I threatened to send the boys round. Her reply, “You can’t they’re all girls now.”

“Alright already, I’ll send da girls round.”

I heard her doorbell ring and it transpired Jason had popped round to see her for some medical advice about the case. She rang off with, “Hey, he’s quite a looker, isn’t he?”

I put my handset down wondering if I could get Trish to reprogram a cruise missile to hit a certain chapel on Hayling island. Oh well, Jason is on the case and with Jim’s help will find loads of dirt on the two men who tried to intimidate Danni and the rest of my family. If there was enough evidence for the police to bring charges, the chapel might distance themselves from their two congregants, but more likely will rejoice in their apparent martyrdom. Oh well if they want martyrs, they can have martyrs–I’ll get Jason to wipe the floor with them. Very Christian–then I remembered I wasn’t, was I?

Trish came looking for me just before lunch. “Can Danni an’ me go out?”

“Where?”

“Just out, it’s getting stuffy in here.”

“Why?”

“Just want some fresh air.”

“Stay in the garden, then.”

“Yeah,” she said and rushed off as I shouted at her to put her coat on it was quite cold. I fancied some chocolate, and the stuff which was my favourite was one from one of the German discount stores, Lidl. So I told the girls that was where I was going and for a change none of them wanted to come with me.

I bought a few items, including five bars of the hazel nut chocolate, which I locked into the glove box on the dashboard, no sense in risking the others finding it. I drove back getting some more fuel as I did. I felt relaxed and thankfully, nothing happened.

The breeze started to rise and I hung the washing out and to my delight it dried–it smells so much nicer if it it’s been line dried. David produced a delicious lunch–home cooked ham which he sliced for salads with jacket potatoes. He then informed me he’d had to dump his car, the bills were too expensive. Seeing as he gets his accommodation free, which includes much of his food as well, I wondered what he did with his money. It’s a free country and he was entitled to spend it as he wished though I don’t always agree with him. If he came to me for a loan I’d have given him one–but he didn’t, so we had to put up with his whining more than usual.

Stella suggested he speak with Simon.

“Can’t do that, he’s got bigger fish to fry,” suggested our would be victim.

“I don’t think Simon’s ever so much as cooked a fish finger in his life, so that’s got to be an improvement,” crowed Stella.

“I meant it metaphorically,” sighed David.

“He’s never cooked a metaphorical one either.” Once Stella was on a mission it was almost impossible to distract her. I left them to it, as it was getting boring listening to them squabble. On the way to my study I found Danni on her own looking quite worried.

“They know where we live, don’t they?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m afraid they do, but if they turned up here again I’d set the cat on them.”

“Cat?”

“Well the dog would lick them to death, so would the cat but as her tongue is rougher, I think she’d do it quicker.”

Danni laughed and asked if she could help me. I got her to dust off the bookshelves in my study while I dealt with some emails. I wondered what would happen next, as it transpired, we didn’t have that long to find out.