The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2784 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 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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Episode 232 dozen – The Larch. The Larch.

I left a message for Diane that I’d be in as soon as I could, who could say how long this meeting could last. I had to be there for nine-thirty, which meant sitting in the car creasing my suit while doing some work on my iPad. At nine twenty, I switched it off and shoved it in my computer bag, which I then put in the boot of the Jaguar. Mine is an estate car with the lid over the boot coming from the back of the back seat. I made sure it was all secure and then pressed the lock symbol on the key. Hopefully, it was all secure—it should be, it has toughened glass windows after some were shot out by that lunatic farmer a while back. It also has an immobiliser, alarm and tracking device which alerts the police that it has been stolen. Mind you if they’re like the numpty I was going to be meeting in a short time, it’s probably not worth the bother.

My heels clicked as I walked down the corridor and in the relative quiet, I was aware of the swish of the silk and wool mixture skirt against the nylon covering my legs. The suit was a designer one and the blouse cost several hundred, as did my shoes and bag. I reached the secretary’s office, who greeted me by name and told me the headmistress would be ready in a moment or two. It was now twenty-eight minutes past eight. I sat and checked my watch, I was punctual. Literally seconds after this a tall balding man with a harassed looking woman in tow burst into the office saying they had a meeting with the headmistress and was she going to keep them waiting long.

The secretary looked him up and down and quietly but firmly said, “This lady is also waiting for a meeting with Sister Maria.”

He looked at me with a degree of surprise, what did he think I was there for—collecting for Poppy Day? “I hope her meeting isn’t going to take too long,” he said curtly, “I’ve had to take time off work for this and the force doesn’t like it too much.”

“I think you’ll find I’ve had to take time off as well, Mr Lomax.”

“That’s Detective Sergeant Lomax, how d’you know my name?” If he was going to be this bumptious throughout the meeting, the fireworks would start later when I went to complain to his boss. If he played ball, his daughter would be the one who got the trouble instead.

“We’re here for the same meeting.” His wife now looked embarrassed and harassed. She had on a jumper and trousers against my designer outfit. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, mine was up, piled on my head with a mass of tendrils around it. She had no makeup on, mine was discreet as was the expensive perfume I wore. Watching him try to work out who I was made it all worthwhile, but I’m sure he didn’t know I was Hannah’s guardian, probably thought I was a silk or expensive solicitor.

Before anything else could be said Sister Maria opened her door and seeing the other parents welcomed them and then welcomed me by name. I’m sure I saw him stiffen slightly when he heard the name Cameron mentioned. This was getting more interesting by the minute.

We all sat around a table in the headmistress’ office and I could see he was itching to ask why I was there. He thought he would be dealing with Ingrid—oh dear. Sister Maria made the introductions and then said she hoped we could deal with this incident today.

“With all due respect,” said our friendly? neighbourhood, plainclothes plod, “but why is Mrs Cameron here?” Obviously, his hearing is defective or selective.

“Sorry, Mr Lomax, I thought you knew, being a policeman and all,” she made a dig at his professional snottiness, “Lady Cameron is Hannah’s guardian and is acting in loco parentis, which means...”

“I know what it means, why wasn’t I told this before?”

“Why should you?” I interrupted.

“Because I like to know all the facts before I get involved in anything.”

“Sadly, Mr Lomax, you tend to ignore facts that don’t suit your purpose.”

“How dare you?” he stood up looking flushed and angry.

“I’m daring you because you don’t appear to realise what an obnoxious little toad your daughter is...”

“How dare you?” he looked even redder, carry on at this rate and he’d have a stroke or coronary.

“We will show you some evidence in a moment.” I’d now taken over the conversation from Sister Maria.

“What? This is all nonsense.”

“Sit down, Frank,” said his wife, the first time she’d spoken he looked at her with fury but controlled himself and sat down again.

“Could we all try and stay calm?” said Sister Maria and went over the events as she understood them. Three times he was going to say something but his wife stopped him. She was increasing in my opinion of her.

He protested about the camera claiming illegal filming and so on and once again his wife told him to shut up and wait. However, he needed to see the film before he could criticise it and it shocked him. He couldn’t believe how his daughter had acted and the dignity of Hannah in dealing with the abuse. Of course, she knew it was being recorded but did nothing to provoke Cecily. Sister Maria told him that no one had access to the computer but her, so the film was untouched. There were tears in his eyes and his wife seemed to take over their side of the negotiations.

I agreed that if Cecily apologised to Hannah and he investigated how she knew about Ingrid and stopped her access to information, plus they made efforts to stop her bullying other girls, then the matter would end here.

“And if we don’t agree, your filming was illegal?”

“My lawyer would probably turn that inside out,” I said, “you might know him,” I mentioned Jason’s name and he went white. “The other thing is that you probably be suspended for misconduct as your daughter came by that information somehow. If it wasn’t overhearing you talking then she had to see it somewhere else either files or a computer record.”

“You’d do that, destroy my career?”

“Not personally, but Jason would and we’d probably go for costs as well.”

“Jesus, how the other half lives.”

“Mr Lomax, I didn’t come here to destroy you, I came here to stop your daughter bullying and slandering my foster child, who has enough troubles dealing with what her biological mother has done in the past. I’m here to protect her and to give her a chance to reach her potential. She’s a lovely child and I think she should have the same chance as anyone else.”

“My daughter’s been suspended if you remember?”

“I’m well aware of that, but just as I believe Hannah shouldn’t be condemned by the behaviour of her biological mother, I think Cecily should have a chance to change hers. I’m therefore requesting that Cecily be reinstated if she apologises and stops bullying other girls.”

“And if we or she refuse?”

“You’ll both have to take the consequences.”

“Aren’t you just bullying us?” he accused me.

“No, I’m exercising my right to protect my children, I leave the bullying to my barrister, he’s a trained psychopath.”

Sister Maria snorted at this and even Mrs Lomax smiled fleetingly.

“You have us over a barrel. You have money and power which we can’t respond to except to give in.”

“Detective Sergeant, you were quite prepared to use your authority and position to protect your daughter, erroneously as it turned out, I’ve done the same but brought an aircraft carrier to deal with your minesweeper. I want to sort this out with both girls getting on with their lives. I don’t want to fight you, but if I do, you will regret it, I don’t take prisoners.”

He looked at his wife. “You were wrong, Frank, stop while you’re ahead because you can’t win this one. Cecily let us down, she won’t do it again because I’ll make sure she doesn’t. Lady Cameron, we accept the outcome of this meeting—or he will when he smoothes his feathers. Me and Cecily are going to have a few words, if the headmistress is agreeable, we’ll bring her in on Monday and she’ll apologise to your girl and the headmistress for lying. I hope that will be enough.”

I looked at Maria and she said it was fine with her, I nodded as well.

“Could we have a copy of that film to show her, so she can’t deny it.”

“I’ll email it to you, if Lady Cameron is agreeable.”

I was.

Detective sergeant Lomax is probably telling his wife what he thinks of her as they drive home, but I get a feeling she’ll give as good as she gets from now on. The silver lining from the proverbial black cloud, perhaps. I’ll deal with Hannah so she knows what’s happening and doesn’t act triumphally despite her entitlement to do so. She’s the foster daughter of an aristocrat and we do things differently.