The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3358 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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The next morning I asked Sister Maria if there was anything in her notes of a history of any abuse in her notes. "I can't tell you if there is, you know that."

"It was her uncle, over a period of years. Was he prosecuted?"

I don't know without looking it up and even if he was, we won't necessarily have a note of it."

"I wonder what his name was, we may be able to trace him from it."

"You aren't going to ask her, I'm not risking her stability to find out."

"What are her parents' names? I can possibly source it from there."

"I'm sorry Cathy, but I can't even tell you that. It's against the law for me to reveal anything from her records."

"I understand, okay I'll see what I can discover by an indirect source."

"I'm sorry, Cathy" She looked embarrassed.

Just then who should appear but Linda with my Hannah and they were chatting like two old chums. "Oh, hi Mum," said Hannah.

"Hello, sweetheart, and who is this?"

"This is my friend, Linda," she replied.

"Hello Linda," I said to the girl, "you look familiar, do I know your mum?"

"I don't think so, she's Belinda Cavendish."

"She doesn't work at the university, does she?"

"No, she runs a couple of shops, dress shops in Portsmouth."

"Oh, maybe that's where I've seen you?"

"I never go there, it's not my scene at all."

"Oh, well, it must have been someone else then. I'm always embarrassing Hannah, aren't I sweetheart?"

The girls walked on and in a stage whisper Hannah said," She's the original professor, no, that might be my grandpa." The two of them laughed and walked on.

"Nice to know what your kids think of you," said Maria and with that, disappeared into her office.

I walked back to my Jaguar and called Andy Bond. He cautioned me to be careful, " Her mother has a chain of dress shops but her husband Charles is something big in finance. He's quite an important so-and-so."

"Is he Cavendish, too?"

"Yes, have you never heard of Charles Cavendish?"

"No, so he can't be that important, I hope you haven't doffed your cap just mentioning his name?"

"No, Cathy, we reserve that for mention of the Camerons alone," he said with only a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, well it's good that you know your place," I said as I rang off. It was good to be able to share a joke with a copper, now and again.

I drove to my office and after some banter with Diane and a cup of tea, I had a meeting with Human Resources about recruitment. What a name for a department it sounds as if they supply snacks for cannibals. The only good thing was that MIss Saunders likes Earl Grey, so we were able to have a cuppa to keep us awake.

"God, that woman could bore for England," I shared with Diane after our personnel manager had left.

"I thought she was quite charming if a little old-fashioned."

"Eh?" was my elaborate response.

Diane's face crinkled and she burst out laughing. "If you could see your face?" she teased me.

"She might be charming but she gives new meaning to tedium and I don't mean anything to do with Simeon, oh that was the Nunc Dimittis,wasn't it?"

"Who?". she asked.

"Oh nothing, it is in the Book of Common Prayer, I think"

"Whit is?" asked my father who had walked in while we were talking.

"The Nunc Dimittis," I said.

"Aye, it is," he confirmed, "may I ask why ye were discussing it?"

"Oh, Diane's doing the Alpha Course," I said and shot into my office.

"Are ye?" I heard him say to Diane while I was busy laughing my socks off and trying not to wee in my pants, it gives new meaning to multitasking.

A few moments later he stormed into my office, "Alpha Course be buggered," he said, "Whit for did ye tell me a lie?"

"It was a joke, Diane is more likely to take an A-level in bricklaying than a load of fundamentalist crap like the Alpha Course, why?"

"Och, I was jest checkin' how d'ye know it's crap?"

"All religion is , it's all a con trick, you know that." I actually felt myself blushing, it was no pleasure to tell my dad that he believed in rubbish.

"Ye ken this aboot thae Alpha Course?"

"I have seen the syllabus, it's all about teaching fundamentalist stuff, especially evangelical under the guise of a scripture class, creating a new generation of bigots full of self-righteous rubbish."

"Aye, so are ye comin' fa lunch?"

"It's about time I paid isn't it?"

"Aye, but it's ma treat tae ye."

"Oh well, I tried," I muttered to myself as I picked up my coat and handbag.

During lunch he asked how come we had been discussing the Nunc Dimittis. I explained that in being overly clever I had confused it with the Te Deum, which I had attributed via tedium to Miss Saunders from Human Resources. He actually laughed at that, "Aye, she is a wee bit of an acquired taste," he added and I chuckled at that.

"Daddy, do you know Charles Cavendish?"

"Aye, an' his brother, James, why?"

"I suspect his daughter was abused by the brother."

He looked shocked, "Ye ken who yer talking aboot?"

"No, I don't, please tell me," so he did. The brothers Cavendish are something big in the city and have endowed the university with hundreds of thousands of pounds, as well as local charities.

"I don't care if it's millions, if he abused that girl, I want him to pay. He will deny it, of course, but I saw into that girl's soul and he was as guilty as they come."

"Look Cathy, be awful careful whit ye dae, he could wipe ye oot and embarrass Simon an' Henry."

"He is as guilty as sin and he is going to pay."

"Aye, weel afore ye gang aft cack handed, like ye usually dae, be warned yer playin' wi' fire."

"I think the army have fireproof knickers, I'll be sure to get some," I offered this as a parting shot before we went back to the university.

I admit I didn't earn my money that afternoon because I spent half of it talking to Simon and then to Henry, neither of them endorsed my crusade, Simon thinking he was a lovely chap and Henry telling me to take care as James Cavendish could cut up rough and I wouldn't want him as an enemy.

I tried to explain what I saw in the girl's psyche and while Henry didn't doubt me at all, knowing that I was capable of the most weird things, he was very careful to advise me against such things. It was a shame that a nasty perpetrator got away with it but that was better than me becoming another victim. I'd have preferred it if he had named the bank as being a potential victim if people started talking lawsuits and if the shares lost value we could be open to hostile bids.

I sat and had a think and decided that any retribution had to be of a surreptitious nature which would prevent the truth coming out which could affect the girl or any other victims but then half a loaf was better than no bread at all. I called Jim it sounded like something he would enjoy.

We arranged to meet after dinner, he was too busy to come for the feast of whatever David was creating, but he came and we talked in my office unaware that Trish and Hannah were in my library and heard every word.

Jim went off to do what gumshoes do and his first report was that James Cavendish was squeaky clean. His next report was just as bare, "This guy's so clean there isn't even a report of an overdue library book. Are you sure you got the right brother?"

"There's only the two, isn't there?"

"Yep, but it's like his records were dipped in Persil or something, they are whiter than white unlike Charles, now he was a bit of a lad."

" Any mention of sex abuse there?"

"Now but James could make the pope look dirty."

"Have they been amended?"

"It's highly possible but it would be difficult to prove and expensive."

"Just find me some evidence, I'll pay what is required."

It went very quiet for a few days and as I was dressing I was listening to the Today programme on Radio 4 when I was visibly shocked. "News is just coming in of a serious accident in Germany thought to involve British financier James Cavendish.

I sat on the bed doing up my bra as I listened but there were no further details. In work, I tried various news services but there was nothing other than he was seriously hurt but still alive. It was so frustrating.

A few days later Jim rang me and told me that retribution had been served,I asked him how he could say that and he told me he had got a friend to hack the German hospital's computer and he learned that James had had his wedding tackle removed by a surgeon because it had been very badly damaged in the accident. It seemed quite amazing that just that had been damaged and the rest of his body was fine, almost like a surgical strike. It amused me to think he'd have to sit to wee like I did and no woman was likely to be abused by him again. I felt quite good for Linda and even said a little prayer to the goddess telling her it couldn't happen to a nicer person.

I actually voiced this at the dinner table that night and Trish and Hannah asked to be excused before they had finished their meals. I hurried through mine and caught them in the library Trish was waving about her 'poppet' about and they were both laughing and joking. I heard enough before I confronted them.

"I thought you had learned enough of such things before," I addressed Trish.

"What 'appened?" asked Hannah.

"Someone died."

"Oh." was all she said looking at the floor.

"I don't know if it was me last time and we asked for his life to be spared, just never be able to hurt another girl or woman."

"I don't like you paying with black magic, you don't know where it's going to lead."

"I didn't do black magic, I asked the golden lady who comes to you to help."

"You did what?"I shouted.

"I asked her to stop him hurting anyone else."

"You called up the Shekina to punish him?"

"Well, we didn't want you to do anything and get into trouble did we Han?"

"Why did you think I would get into trouble?"

They were both crying now and hugging me," We heard you talking to Jim and we didn't want you do anything where they put you in prison or Jim."

"But I hadn't decided what I was going to do?"

" We didn't want you to do anythin' in case they caught you, I'm sorry, Mummy"

"I'm sorry two," sobbed Hannah.

"You abused the power of the Shekina, do you realise that? You only had it because you were deemed worthy and you have just demonstrated you weren't. I don't know what to think."

"I'll never do it again, Mummy."

"That's what you said last time," I replied.

"I mean it, Mummy."

"Both of you, go to bed, now."

"But I 'aven't finished my 'omework yet," said Hannah.

"I've got some reading to do for the uni," said Trish.

I sent them off to finish it and then to go to bed. I needed time to think about what they had done. Had they invoked the goddess? If they had would she respond to a poppet? I didn't know and I slipped wearily into my bed and fell asleep.

I was in the marble hall with the glaring light and just knelt where I was and rested my head on the floor. I was there some moments before I sensed a presence and the room resonated to her voice. Tell me, Catherine, why have to come to us?"

"I have come to apologise and beg forgiveness for my daughters."

"Why? What have they done?"

"They abused the power you gave them by asking for a punishment for someone that they had no right to ask for."

"Did they now?"

"I believe so, your Ladyship."

"So you believe I respond to children playing, do you?"

"I am not able to comment on what you may or may not do, that is not my business, your ladyship." She laughed and the floor shook under me.

"Well, that is an improvement in your usual arrogance."

I just kept quiet as I thought any comment would be unseemly.

"For once neither you nor your girls were involved, we responded to the cries for help from another of our handmaidens who had suffered from the disgusting behaviour of this animal. He was punished accordingly as it seemed his position and money made him virtually untouchable to you mortals. To a goddess, such baubles are meaningless and we dealt with him. He will no longer be able be able to abuse my servants and every effort he tries to repair the damage will fail, we shall ensure that.

"The girl he hurt has our essence in her, help her to develop the power for good and we approve of your little trick to ease her pain. Well done, Catherine, you are proceeding as you should. Rest now and feel refreshed on the morrow."

I awoke the next day feeling absolutely wonderful, if humans could fly, I'd be looping some loops. I remembered I had some lovely dreams but I couldn't say what they were about. Funny that...