The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2564 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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I went with the two policemen to the central police station in Portsmouth. As I was escorted into an interview room, the station sergeant on the desk said to one of the detectives, “You know who that is don’t you?”

“Yeah, a bent professor.”

“That’s the pension killer.”

“Oh is it now, well she’s toast.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

The door closed and I was asked to surrender my handbag. Daddy, I hoped had called Simon and he in turn I hoped would call Jason. I knew I had been set up, surely even a traffic warden could see that, let alone two experienced detectives.

I told them I was innocent and had in fact called them in, would I do that if I was guilty? The DCI’s response, “Some people think they’re above the law or believe they’re too clever to be caught. Just admit it, Lady Cameron, it’s a fair cop.”

“While I’m in here, the guilty party is getting away.”

“That’s what they all say, we only stick the innocent in prison if you listen to them.”

“I’m not saying anything more until my counsel arrives.”

“That’s your right, but why not just plead guilty and save us all time and money.”

“The only thing I’m admitting is that I didn’t see this set up coming.”

“Oh set up was it, made you two million, some set up.”

There was a knock on the door and moments later Kit Mitten arrived. I was allowed half an hour to brief him before they brought in the sandbags and thumbscrews. He made a couple of phone calls, including one to Simon. Then announced we were ready to ask for bail.

“What?”

“Are you charging Lady Cameron?”

“Not yet, I can hold her for a couple of days without charge.”

“If you do, I’ll be back here with a court order for her release.”

“Oh threats is it?” challenged the DCI.

“Chief Inspector, I’m trying to save you a large amount of face. In about an hour I will have the evidence required to prove that she is not in any way associated with this fictional company, and that if the bank bought this land, it was unaware of the circumstances. It would certainly not have purchased land from one of its own directors and if you suggest Lord Cameron bought it from his own wife without being aware if she were the owner, I suspect I’d have to think you rather less intelligent than your rank usually requires.”

“Yeah, so ’er ’usband was in on it too, ’ardly rocket science is it?”

“I think my suspicions are beginning to coalesce.”

“Yeah, well so are mine—you just play for time while they invent new evidence to escape justice.”

“I can assure you that Lady Cameron is of the highest integrity.”

“That’s what they always say. Don’t Dormouse Developments say it all, she’s even got one on her jacket.”

Kit looked at my Chanel jacket, I was besporting my gold and diamond brooch, the one Simon had made for me. I was impressed he recognised it, most people have no idea. I wonder if he saw my film?

The police insisted on questioning me and I agreed to answer their questions with Kit monitoring very closely what was said. I explained once again what was happening at the university and how I’d tried to stop what was against the rules and constitution of the council. I suspected that something was going on in the background but didn’t know what, hence the audit. That showed up the land deal which I reported to the council and asked the auditors to inform the police. I was then arrested.

It came as no surprise that an enquiry to Companies House in Cardiff and the financial authorities had no record of Dormouse Developments. Furthermore, High St bank had no record of the transaction. They hadn’t bought anything in Hampshire this year.

However, the police thought that the Land Registry did have a record. When this was examined, it was found to have been hacked and a fake record inserted. It seemed the case was falling apart and in a further half an hour I was being escorted home by Kit. Tom drove my car home and then went back to collect his own.

I was glad to see Simon and Sammi who came home early. Apparently, she didn’t consider the hacking job that difficult and there would be dozens of geeks who could do it. We talked after dinner wondering what was going to happen next. To me it felt like an onion, someone who was obviously quite clever was playing a game of multi-dimensional chess but only referring the moves when they wanted to. All we could was react.

My prejudice wanted the mastermind to be Gasgoine but he was genuinely very ill. I decided I would go and see him the next day and see if I could help. It didn’t feel as if the blue energy was that interested yet he was purportedly in a hospice. That sort of situation would tend to suggest he was very poorly. I sent him absent healing but wasn’t sure how much help it would be.

Something was going on below our noses and these distractions were preventing us seeing them. Depending upon how well our Vice Chancellor was would determine how much help he could be in discovering the actual problem. No one had seen any sign of the Longs for a day. They seemed to have gone away or simply vanished, and even the police had no idea where they were. The bank had paid out one hundred thousand pounds of my money for some land which wasn’t for sale. They realised it was a scam but were too late to stop the cash disappearing abroad. My account was reimbursed so I wasn’t the loser, but I couldn’t see how such a small amount of money would be worth such risks. Then we discovered, the bank had also paid two million for the same property. It wasn’t Simon’s department so he was in the clear, but even that wasn’t very much to risk prosecution and a jail sentence not for people with good jobs as the Longs had.

We were missing something fundamental. I dropped the girls off at school and went off to St Margaret’s Hospice and taking some fruit, I asked to see our ailing vice chancellor. They made me wait while they decided if he was well enough and he apparently insisted he saw me.

I knew they wouldn’t let me stay for long. I shook hands and his energies felt very dark—it didn’t feel very good at all. Instead of asking him questions I sat there and poured the blue stuff into him. I left exhausted but considered he’d feel better tomorrow. I hoped I would too.

I had calls from the other council members but none of us had a clue what was going on. Simon told me to get Jim on the case. Once he offered to pay, I made the call and our favourite investigator was off his bum and on the case. He promised to come down the next day to see me. Meanwhile, Sammi, came down with a beaming smile on her lovely face.

“I know who hacked the Land Registry,” she said.