Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2370

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike, est. 2007)
Part 2370
by Angharad

Copyright© 2014 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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“You know who hired it?” I said stating the obvious.

Trish rolled her eyes, “Duh,” and handed me a sheet of paper with the letter heading of a well known car hire company.

“You hacked their system?”

“That’s the easy part making it look like it came from someone else’s is the tricky bit.”

“So they could be accused of hacking? Trish that isn’t fair, someone could end up in prison for something they didn’t do.”

“Doubt it.”

“You know whose computer it was, then?”

“Natch.”

“Well whose was it?”

“That bloke from the big house in London.”

“Gramps?” gasped Danni.

“No, the one with the copper on the door, can’t remember his name.”

“The policeman or the man in the house?”

“The resident of the house.”

“And you can’t remember his name?” I asked knowing damn well she was winding us up.

“I know it’s something familiar.”

“What is?” asked Danielle.

“The geezer’s name.”

“What geezer?”

“The one with the big house.”

“You lost me already,” Danni went back to her X-box or whatever she was doing before.

“What’s she on about, Watts? Hey we could call you Megawatt and her Miniwatt.”

Stella’s humour didn’t improve with keeping.

“If what she said is correct, she hacked the car hire computer via one at Number Ten.”

“Ten what?” Stella seemed unlikely to be considered as a genius unlike her niece.

“Number ten, Downing Street.”

“She hacked Cameron’s computer?” gasped Stella.

“That’s the geezer’s name, knew I’d heard it before.” Trish had difficulty keeping a straight face.

“So what name have you got? I interrupted the silliness.

“William Hastings,” I read off the sheet together with a home address and telephone number.

The others fell about laughing. Trish stood there unaware of the connection between the names. On asking what was so funny, Livvie mentioned Willian the Conqueror and the battle of Hastings. Trish chuckled for a moment having got the joke. I suppose sometimes it’s not easy having a brain the size a planet.

I looked at the address again, it was one in Aldershot. So was this the man who spoke to me? Was it a co conspirator? Who was taking the photos and were any of them, this person, whose name I had on the sheet, or was it a fake driving licence? They paid by card for the car, so unless that was faked as well it was unlikely. I checked the dates, it was on hire for yesterday, today and tomorrow. Do I expect any further incidents tomorrow.

I adjourned to my study and called Jim, he answered on the second ring. “Your wish is my command,” he said, “plus twenty per cent vat.”

Explaining my situation I asked for his take on it. “It could be coincidence but it does look a little suspicious.” I gave him the name and address together with the number of the car. “I’ll get back to you. If he’s journalist he may well be registered with the NUJ, I might also be able to see if I can find an occupation from the name and address.”

I thanked him and left him to it. He loves digging up dirt. At bed time, I still had no response from him so assumed he hadn’t found anything. I told Simon who checked his customer database but it seemed Mr Hastings didn’t use High St Bank. That reduced our bargaining position.

The next morning I awoke to reports on the radio of an attack on Karachi airport by the Taliban. There were also reports of Ofsted suggesting some schools in this country, in Birmingham, in particular, had been infiltrated by Islamic fundamentalists and were pushing a dangerous agenda. Those two reports reinforced my own prejudice that religion was the cause of much of human suffering and misery.

After showering and dressing I roused the girls and another wonderful day began. At nine o’clock I collected fifty exam papers from Pippa and took them down to my office. I was second marking these, to check the original marker had adhered to the scheme of which there was an enclosure. These were final year scripts so gradings and passes depended upon the marks accrued. If my final mark differed by more than ten from the first marker, they had to be seen by a third person. I’d be lucky to finish by tea time but Stella was only working that morning so agreed to collect the girls if necessary.

I made a coffee and got out my pencil—I always mark in pencil. About an hour into my ordeal of death by boredom—at least I hadn’t failed anyone yet—my mobile rang. I ummed and ahhed about answering it but did so.

“He’s not the only one who can take photos,” announced Jim’s voice. I switched on my iPad and he’d sent me some pictures of Mr Hastings. He looked familiar but wasn’t the man who’d come to my room. Another photo showed him with a second person who was the visitor, they were entering a beauty salon, then there was a photo of Hastings with a dark haired woman—the one who visited me was wearing a skirt and a dark wig. What was going on?

“Want me to keep up the tail?”

“Please, Jim.”

“I’ll let you know if they head your way.”

I thanked him and tried to get back to my marking, the fizzing in my mind didn’t help my concentration.

“They know your car, they’ve checked it out twice since lunch.”

“What am I supposed to do, walk home?”

“Up to you—less fit people might catch a bus or use a cab.”

Or even a bike. I was now certain some sort of sting was going on with me as the target and the so called, transgender man as the trap. Was it going to be a written piece or film?

I texted Stella and she said she’d collect the girls. I went back to marking papers after telling Tom and Pippa what we knew about a possible ambush. Pippa came down with a sandwich for me and a mug of coffee. I was on number twenty seven, twenty three more to go.

It was nearly six when I finished the marking, sealed the papers in the envelope provided and took them back to the office. Pippa had gone so I locked them in her filing cabinet and went back to my office to lock up. I don’t have much there; there isn’t room; but what I do have I intend to keep. I have a lockable cupboard in there with overflow stuff from the labs, image intensifiers and so on.

It was nearly time for me to leave when my Blackberry rang, or I should say buzzed as it was on silent ring. “They’re here, dunno where she went but could be in the building.” My tummy did backflips, why had this man dressed up in a skirt to come and see me? Was he coming to see me? Were they going to film it and why?

I shut my office door and locked it sitting at my desk like a deer caught in the headlights, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Suddenly, there was a rap on the door and I jumped off the seat

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Comments

On this side of the pond.

I would question the wisdom of trying to ambush a testy nervous mama bear in her den.. Your side of the pond you may prefer Lioness. I how ever go for the critter with the larger throw weight, the bear.

Who ever this is they better be able to talk well and fast before something heavy falls on there life.

As always your story keeps me coming back for more.

Huggles

Michele

With those with open eyes the world reads like a book

celtgirl_0.gif

Excitement!!

Dahlia's picture

Oh goody! some new butt for Cathy to kick. As if I don't wait with baited breath for the next installment each day now. LOL. So love this story. Thanks!!

Kidnap?

Are they somehow planning to Kidnap her? That is a jolly well dangerous or fatal thing to try. I wonder if the perpetrators realize they have been clocked?

Carry on.

Gwen

Cathy is a bit more dangerous

than these people might imagine. She's also got a lot more resources at her disposal. I'd suggest ambush the ambushers in the act. Whatever is going on these criminals are on the college campus under false pretenses with evil intent. Beside a professor, Cathy is a bank officer and a prominent member of the community.... beside being rather rich. She has RESOURCES!

Yes how'd they get in again, if it be them at the door?

Podracer's picture

It seems a bit of a lax way of securing a building these days, especially after hours.
However, Cathy at least has backup lurking. Presumably hanging on the same cliff.

"Reach for the sun."

If I were Cathy, I would put

If I were Cathy, I would put her camera video and voice on, so she can film and capture what is being said. Not necessarily telling them she is doing so. Trish running her hacking through Number 10 Downing is a hoot. At least she goes really big time when she does hacking. If your are going to do time, might as well do it for something big, rather than for some little really minor item.

Suddenly there was a rap...

on the door, Sounds so much like those late night horror films i used to watch, Judging by Cathys reaction so did she, At least she does have the benefit of surprise if she she chooses not to answer the door....With a possible two to one advantage she might just need that!!

Kirri

I don't think I quite agree

that religion was the cause of much of human suffering and misery. I would go one further, with a qualifier, and say that Organized religion is the cause of the majority of human suffering and misery. If one wants to believe and worship said being on their own, and not try and stuff it down someone else's throat, that could be considered their religion and that wouldn't be causing anyone other than themselves misery, if that.