The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3074 by Angharad Copyright© 2016 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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I spoke to Esmond Herbert at Sussex very briefly and asked for an introduction to their marine biology department. “I can do better than that, Cathy, come to lunch and I’ll invite them too; whatever scheme you have in mind will go better over a meal.”

“Providing you aren’t running one yourself and hoping to soften me up.”

“Oh Catherine, you cut me to the quick, how could you imagine me so cynical?”

“I studied under you for three years if you recall.”

“If only you had, dear lady, instead we had that scruffy long haired not-sure-what-I am.”

I could have taken offence at his remark but I think it was intended as a form of compliment, so I let it pass. We needed to find a partner with a research ship or boat and I was pretty sure Sussex had one. I therefore needed him on side until I worked out the feasibility of sending students up to Brighton or wherever they kept it and whether or not we could strike up some form of deal.

I dealt with my two meetings, the one about the boat and I told them I was looking elsewhere for a shared use of a boat and they left with simply a promise to do my best to find another partner university. The geophysicist meeting was far more interesting to me as an ecologist, though the facts about damage to the two poles was even more disconcerting than I had first thought. The Arctic is in deep trouble with rising temperatures and disappearing sea ice. The Antarctic is also showing climate change, the ice is thinner and lakes are appearing on top of the ice.

Basically, the meeting was about my agreement to allow one of my post graduate students to go to the Arctic to study ecological changes there for his master’s degree. It meant we had to pay something towards him being there but that was minimal because he’d managed to get sponsorship from a local charity. That he’d studied ursine ecology in the Alps beforehand probably helped. I had little difficulty in agreeing to the request.

Back home with a car load of noisy mouseketeers, I began to wish I were back in my office, then I remembered James was coming to dinner, so it would be an entertaining evening and we’d be able to swap a few more insults, which we both enjoyed. Let’s face it, if we didn’t we wouldn’t be there and he certainly would not have warned me about Danni’s birth mother.

The evening was great fun and Stella and Julie joined in the badinage as well, sadly Simon couldn’t make it, but we managed without his scintillating rapier like wit. After dinner, when most of the children had departed the table to do homework, we began to talk business. Danni was invited to stay but she decided she’d sleep better if she didn’t. I think we all agreed with that sentiment and her decision arising from it.

With my agreement, James had put out a feeler for how secure Danni’s paper trail was. It was early days but he thought things were looking quite good. Or it was until dinner when his phone peeped and someone had bitten—they claimed to have knowledge where Daniel Maiden was and for the right amount of money would share it. I gave him carte blanch up to a thousand pounds. He thought that would be enough.

The evening was cut short by his dashing off to meet the person who’d called him. I asked him if he wanted company but he reminded me of his preference to work alone. I get a report as soon as he had something. He was doubtful of this contact, it was too soon unless it was either a try on or the real punter getting someone to suss him out first before revealing their information. Apparently, It’s a common ploy. Sounds more like MI5 than an informant, though if they’re employed by either the civil service or an adoption agency, their job and possibly a prosecution could ensue, so they were taking great risks—for what—bloody money. No one should need it that badly that they find it necessary to compromise a child’s future—that is beyond mere money.

I spent an evening on tenterhooks wondering if the contact was genuine and Danielle was pacing about the place like a penned racehorse. She was caught in the dilemma of not wanting to know but also unable to avoid knowing what was happening.

In the end she and I played tennis on Livvie’s Wii game consul thing. We had just sat ourselves down when the phone rang. I was still hot bothered and panting which of course James took full advantage of to tease me. When I pressed him for how his meeting had gone the other guy didn’t show up, which might have shown he was a timewaster, or that he wanted to see who he was dealing with before showing himself or his hand.

As we talked so his phone peeped. “Hello,” he said, “looks like they want to try again tomorrow night, somewhere different.”

“Does that sound encouraging?” I asked.

“Could be, I’ll let you know tomorrow what if anything transpires.”

“So what does that mean?” asked Danielle.

“I don’t know, but I’m doing all I can. As much as anything, I want to know why she’s become interested now—when did you last see her?”

“I was six and a half, it was after you know what.”

“So why has she been quiet for the past eight years?”

“Perhaps she’s come into some money.”

“Or learnt you were telling the truth all along and wants to make it up to you.”

“No way, there is nothing on this earth she could give me to make up for the hurt she caused me. I have a mother who loves me now, not one who chose to believe lying strangers over her child.”

She burst into tears and settled herself on my lap where we both fell asleep for an hour. When I woke up I was stiff and sore and my eyelids were all stuck together. Danielle flickered her eyelids before opening them and then yawned and snuggled into me again.

“C’mon, Missy, you’ve got school tomorrow, so up to bed with you.”

“Is that wise if I’ve got a private eye looking for me?”

“He’s not looking for you, he’s looking for a boy called Maiden not a maiden called Cameron.” She looked at me while she processed what I’d said before shrugging and stumbling up the stairs.

“Cuppa?” asked Julie.

“Please but I must shower first, why didn’t you wake us?”

“You were both dead to the world so I felt you must need the sleep.”

“I won’t sleep tonight now.”

After showering I changed into my nightdress and housecoat and seated myself at my desk while Julie sipped her tea while sitting on one of the sofas in my study.

“So what did Sherlock have to say for himself?”

“The other party didn’t show.”

“So playing silly buggers are they?”

“Possibly, they suggested another meeting tomorrow.”

“Oh well, I’m sure he’ll do his best.”

“For what we pay him, I expect more than that.”

She looked at me then chuckled as she left saying, “No wonder you’re disappointed so often.”