“What d’you mean I can’t go and see my daughter because there is no one available to escort me?” I ranted down the phone.

“I’m afraid it’s the truth, what with budget cuts and cuts to personnel. D’you realise we’re having to use women officers to do men’s work, either that or community support officers. We are seriously underfunded.”

“It’s because of your incompetence she’s in hospital in the first place.”

“What d’you mean, our incompetence?”

“You let Cortez escape after the Menorcan police caught him for you.”

“We didn’t let him escape, he killed one of our officers and badly hurt two others when his gang sprang him from our holding cells before transferring him to the remand unit at Parkhurst, Mrs Cameron. So that’s three more officers we’re short.”

“I assume there is no reason I can’t just get in my car and drive there, all by myself.”

“Uh yes, you’d be arrested.”

“For what?”

“You’re effectively in protective custody.”

“I’m what?”

“I think you heard me, Mrs Cameron.”

“This is preposterous, I’ll call my counsel and get this removed immediately.”

“We could take you into custody if you’d prefer it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous; besides his thugs have already breached your security, we’d be like sitting ducks.”

“I’m trying to allow you to exercise your choice—as per modern policing, involve members of the public in making decisions.”

“Oh go and play with your handcuffs.” I felt like telling him to eat them, but that would abuse of police property.

“So?” asked Simon watching me from the doorway.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“A few seconds, why?”

“We’re effectively under house arrest due to budget cuts.”

“Oh. We could go to Scotland.”

“To your castle?”

“Our castle, babes.”

“You can have the castle, just let me keep the villa in Menorca.”

“You really took to it, didn’t you?”

“Like an Anatidaean to H2O.”

“Something to water—a duck perhaps?”

“Well figured out; however I feel there is a risk we could become some of the sitting variety.”

“You could be right, babes, but what can we do about it?”

“I’m working on that.”

“Good, the computers all went down a few minutes ago. I’ll go and see if it’s working again. I do miss Sammi.”

“I hope she’s all right in that hospital.”

“Why shouldn’t she be?”

“What if she wasn’t shot by accident.”

“You mean he meant to kill her?”

“If he knows she’s our computer buff, he might be wanting to embarrass High St Banks, or be cooking up some sort of plan to swindle them.”

“I thought he was a small time loan shark.”

Si, he’s been abroad for some time, he’s learned some new tricks.”

“But cybercrime, I mean, even without Sammi our systems are pretty watertight.”

“The ones she devised or upgraded for you, you mean?”

He blushed and nodded. “She’s good.”

“No, Si, she’s very good.”

“Okay.”

“Well go and check your puter...”

“Yes, boss.” He disappeared and I went to make some tea.

“The internet is down,” he announced returning.

“Phones?” I asked.

“Rather dodo like,” he said after picking up a handset.

I tried dialling out on my mobile, nothing happened. “I think our small time crook just graduated to the big time. Get the children together.”

“Where?”

“Upstairs.” I rushed out to warn the two police officers and couldn’t see them. “Mick, Ryan?” I shouted but there was no reply. I ran back to the house even more quickly than I’d left it, slamming the door closed and bolting it.

Tom was sitting in the kitchen drinking tea and loading cartridges into his shotgun.

“What are you doing, Daddy?”

“Helping tae protect ma family.”

“Reinforcements will be here soon, I’m sure.”

“I dinnae think sae, hen.”

“We’ve got the two special forces guys out there, we’ll be okay.”

“Aye, weel jest in case, I’ll stay an’ cover yer arses. Gang an’ bide wi’ yer bairns.”

“You take care, Daddy.”

“Aye,” he put his arm round my waist. “The papers ye’ll need are all in my filing cabinet.”

“We won’t need them.”

“Aye, weel that’s okay then.”

I kissed him on the top of his head, “I love you, Daddy, and I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble.”

“Aye, ye’re a real trouble maker, noo scoot.”

With tears in my eyes I dashed upstairs and into my bedroom. The DAB clock radio was off. They’d cut the power. I glanced outside, it would be dark in an hour. Opening my wardrobe I assembled my bow and belted the quiver of a dozen arrows around my waist. A compound bow is quite a useful weapon. Slow compared to modern firearms, but it’s quiet and has no muzzle flash. The weight of the bowstring is taken by two extra strings meaning it doesn’t tire you like an old fashioned bow. It also has telescopic sights and pretty accurate up to fifty yards. If Robin Hood had had one, there’d be no deer left in Sherwood forest. The sheriff would have needed more men as well. The bows they use in competition shooting these days are as close to a mediaeval long bow as a modern assault rifle is to a musket.

Simon and Jacquie had marshalled everyone together in the girls’ bedroom. I explained that they were to stay there if anything happened until the police or someone they knew came to get them. In the event of a fire they were to evacuate via the fire escape and to run to the orchard and hide. Simon bridled when I insisted he stay with the children.

“That’s your job, give me the bow.”

“You forget I’ve seen you shoot a bow.”

“But you’re better with children.”

“And a bow. If anything happens to me, you will remember me, won’t you?”

“How could I forget the most wonderful person I ever met?”

I pecked him on the cheek and told him to lock the door. After the various encounters with angry Siberians, we had the back and front doors reinforced with half inch sheet steel. We also got my study and the girls’ room doors modified—they’re almost bullet proof.

I checked the battery on my image intensifier, it was three quarters full. Time to play.