The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2446 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad All Rights Reserved.

“You look very nice, Mummy.”

“Why thank you, Danni.” I smiled at my newest daughter who was wearing more makeup than the rest of us put together and I was going out to face the public in that suit, the YSL one, with silk blouse and matching red shoes. I wore red lipstick which was slightly unusual for me, preferring a more subdued look. The facial bruising had disappeared overnight, probably courtesy of our local, neighbourhood genius.

When I explained where I was going Trish, nagged by Livvie, produced her phone and showed me three pictures of Cortez on the aircraft. The first was of him hitting the policeman; the second, him pushing me back into the toilet and the third of Simon dragging him out of the loo. I got her to transfer them to a memory stick and emailed them to Jason. I also took the stick plus my iPad to the meeting.

This time the gateway was clear and the short drive to Southsea uneventful except for the amount of traffic. Portsmouth is the most densely populated area in England, and except for places like Hong Kong, where people live more densely packed than sardines, it may well be one of the most populated islands, certainly in Europe. The only things denser than the traffic were the people driving the cars. If most of them had another brain cell they’d be dangerous.

I finally arrived at the hotel and one of the staff rushed out and escorted me in via a side door to avoid the press who were in some numbers in reception. Simon was already there looking dapper in his work suit, Sammi had come for moral support and looked really good in my Chanel suit.

We hugged and she said, “Ooh, red lipstick, the lady means business.”

I blushed but nodded and Simon chuckled. I showed him the photos Trish had taken and he rushed off to see if we had a projector we could use if Jason deemed it necessary. Sammi entertained me while we waited for him to return. “I’m buying a car.”

“Are you, darling, what sort?”

“A BMW Z4, it’s a two seater sports jobby.”

“I think I know the sort,” I replied, “What colour is it?”

“Black. Daddy knows the chap who’s selling it, so we got it for a bargain price, only done twenty thou.”

“So it’s only costing you a pound a mile is it?”

She blushed. “How did you guess that?”

“Dunno, just a guess, I guess.” We both looked at each other then laughed.

“It’s a convertible, the roof folds into the boot.”

“Would be nice this weather, then.”

“Yes, you watch it rain next week. I’ve got a couple of days off.”

“Oh I don’t know, I think it might be nicer than you think.”

“Never mind, Julie and I are going down to Nice for a few days.”

“In your new car?”

“’Course.”

“Make sure you have the right insurance, for your car—to go abroad, I mean.”

“Mummy, I work for a bank, they do insurance—it’s all been sorted.”

“Projector is ready, Jason has just arrived and is changing into a lounge suit.” Simon had returned. “Jason will run this thing. They know it was Cortez but they don’t know of your history with him, so just stick to the Menorca and aeroplane scenarios, okay?”

“Is that what Jason said?”

“Yes. The rest is sub judice, he’s to be tried for the offences so we have to avoid mention of them if we can to prevent his defence team suggesting any influence on the outcome of his trial.”

“Fine, I won’t say what a nasty little shit he is, then.” He scowled at me, I wasn’t going to say anything that could reduce the time he’d spend behind bars if I could possibly help it.

“Jason has asked some police to come just in case we have any unpleasantness.” When he saw my concerned expression, he added, “There shouldn’t be any but we know Cortez had some unsavoury friends, so it’s belt and braces stuff.”

“Will there be any firearms officers? I mean coppers with shooters?”

Simon simply shrugged. You all know what I think about guns, even in the hands of the forces of law and order. I tried not to think about it.

“When d’you get your new car?” I asked Sammi.

“Tonight, he’s bringing it round tonight.”

“You be careful, young lady.”

“I will, don’t you worry. It’s absolutely fabulous, Mummy. I can’t wait.”

I smiled my response, feeling concerned for her but glad that it was just what it was. Something like a Porsche 911 would have been even more dangerous. How they were going to get all their luggage in it remained to be seen, unless it had a rack on top of the boot like the old MGs and Jaguars did.

Somehow the sense of foreboding stayed with me, which I assumed was due to anxiety about the coming event. If we were talking about conservation or ecology or dormice, I’d happily deal with questions as long as they wanted to ask them. But talking about me, about my family and my encounters with Cortez—that was well outside my comfort zone. Next time I get attacked I’ll try and arrange it with a dormouse.

Jason arrived and he gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek. “You look even more beautiful than you did a couple of hours ago, Cathy.”

“It’s not me who’s buying a second hand car.”

“Eh?”

“Cut the flannel, Jason.”

“Flannel—I’m deeply wounded by your scorn, dear lady. I was going to say that they can’t improve on perfection, but in your case they did.”

Simon stood impassive but Sammi smirked and I just blushed.

“Are you ready?” asked our legal eagle and we nodded. “To battle then.”

We were led to the ballroom via some small corridors which led to the back entrance to the stage. Moments later we were on the stage and taking up positions behind a table which had been placed at the front with microphones on it. The assembled press corps were asked to allow a sound man to check the mics. They were apparently working well. It was then I realised we were being filmed by the BBC.

The conference began with Jason reading a report of the events during the holiday in Menorca. He explained that the assaults, abductions, and attempted murder attacks were due to events which had begun before the holiday but which were now about to go to criminal court, so they were sub judice and therefore off limits. Any attempt to get us to discuss that element would result in the conference being closed down. He asked if that was clear and a muttered agreement came back.

He’d seen the pictures Trish had taken and agreed they could be used if we got any awkward questions. Jason was just about to allow the first question when a senior police officer walked up behind him and handed him a folded piece of paper. He opened it, read it and then showed it to Simon who cursed under his breath. Finally, he showed it to me. ‘Cortez has escaped from custody killing one officer and injuring another. We urge caution at all times until he is apprehended. Hants Constabulary.’