The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3365 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

---

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.
~~~~~~~~~
The next morning my phone rang and I answered it and a gruff voice told me, "You think you're so bloody clever don't you?"

"I have a PhD, what about you?" I answered back.

"You scum had better stay away from me and mine," he threatened.

"Or what?" I asked wondering whether he would be stupid enough to say something I could either sue him for saying or just annoy him although that could cause consequences.

"You do'n wanna know."

"Actually I do," I said though it was debatable that I did.

"Just be warned, no one messes about with the Davidsons."

"Mr Davidson, I am not messing about, in fact, I am doing nothing, it's you who is threatening to attack my daughter. The fact, that your daughter seems to like mine is nothing to do with me. I don't wish to encourage her, Danni, that is, but I won't interfere with her freedom to see who she wishes, that you can't tends to indicate it's you who has a problem."

"If she doesn't leave my Francesca alone, she'll have a definite problem. No wonder they don't want her for England, bloody lezzy."

"She'll be in good company then because half the team is gay."

"They're not are they?"

"Mr Davidson, maybe you should get out a bit more, the First World War ended over a hundred years ago.

"Bitch," he snarled at me.

"Motorways weren't invented then so how would you dispose of rivals?"

"You ain't the only one with brains you know?"

"I am well aware of my place in the world, I'm a professor, remember."

"Bits of paper won't protect you."

"You are a spiteful man aren't you, I'll bet you were a playground bully as well. I am protected by the angels and the Hampshire constabulary, you've met the one and if you remember you weren't all that comfortable with him unless you'd like to meet him again or the constabulary I'd keep well away from me and mine."

"Bitch you're gonna pay."

"Will you provide an invoice so I can claim against tax, oh, I forgot you don't like the HMRC do you, I wonder why?". It was getting boring so I rang off after saying goodbye.

I wondered what he might try with Danni, so I sent for her. "Davidson has been on the phone threatening to hurt you unless you stay away from his daughter. I'm not threatening you but common sense tells me it might be a good idea and also to take special care to not make yourself vulnerable to attack."

"He wouldn't dare if you are about."

"Danielle, I am not always about and some of my engagements are easily discovered if they want to."

"So you're abandoning me?"

"I didn't say that, I just want you to be aware of what you are doing and what the consequences are."

"Why don't you say you don't like Fran 'cos she isn't good enough to mix with your family?"

"I have been called many things but superior isn't one of them, nor is a snob, so I resent that last accusation of yours."

"Well, you don't do you?"

"I don't want any association with Davidson or his clan. We know what he's capable of doing to people he doesn't like and I suspect he carries a grudge forever. I have nothing against Francesca other that she is his daughter and she allows him to treat he like a six-year-old."

"I know her better than you and she's a nice kid."

"Danni you are nearly an adult and you just described her as, 'a nice kid.' Maybe you should listen to yourself and also decide if you're gay or straight, I don't care which but you need to know and how you're going to deal with it. I don't mean for our sakes because will love you regardless but others may not, especially, one George Davidson."

"She's getting ready to leave him."

"When? Sometime never, like my decision to transition? If Stella hadn't knocked me off my bike I may still be thinking about it. She is worse than me and she is either too frightened of him or has no intention of disrupting the status quo.

"I'll get her to come next week," she smiled at me with some determination.

"Not to our house you won't, There are nearly a dozen other people to think of living there and the last thing I need is a reason for him to visit again. Azreal may not protect us again."

"What are you on about, Mum, you zapped him with the energy, you can do the same again."

"Look, darling, much as I'd like to zap him good and proper, it isn't guaranteed and he may not be stoppable next time. It was luck and my ranting several biblical names at him. He may be a little superstitious but he isn't stupid. So say goodbye to Francesca and all will be well."

"I can't, Mum, I've asked her to marry me."

"You've done WHAT?" I yelled at her.

"I don't want to lose her, Mum."

"Well, he isn't going to send her away, so I'll have to do it to you. I think we'll see if Mr Dunstan could do with some help at Stanebury."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Is she worth dying for?"

"Nobody's gonna die."

"I wonder how long she remembers your memory and what you did for her and will she still be under the control of her dad and how upset I'll be and your sisters."

"No one is gonna die, Mum. I'll elope with her."

"Danni, I wish you hear what you're saying. Father Christmas doesn't exist you know and you won't beat George Davidson. That man is pure evil. If he can kill people for money, what chance someone he really dislikes?"

"I've faced overwhelming odds before and come through it."

"You have never faced someone with the ability to kill before."

"What's the difference?"

"You could say a matter of life and death."

"I'm going," she suddenly announced and left. I didn't know what to do. I rang Simon but he was out visiting clients.
Then I had a good idea and rang James. He agreed to follow Danni and try and stop any form of tryst happening. He was especially charged with keeping Danni away from George Davidson. He was pleased that the police had some DNA from the killer of the headless construction worker and that it might be the same as Davidson. He had all his fingers and toes crossed.

As I left to collect the school contingent, Danni, Sarah, and Trish all had lessons until at least five o'clock, I expected to see James sitting in his car waiting for them to leave. There was no sign of him anywhere but I knew James knew how to do his job. I duly collected, Meems, Hannah, Livvie, and Cate and took them home.

At six o'clock Daddy came home along with Trish and Sarah. "Where's Danni?" I asked wanting to serve dinner or for David to.

"Dunno, haven't seen her since this morning," replied Trish.

I immediately told David to serve and I went and phoned Jim. "Where's Danni, she wasn't with the others?"

"Um. she's in Davidson's house, I'm trying to watch out for Georgie boy to keep them apart."

"Get her out, I'm coming straight over," I switched off the phone and throwing on my coat I ran out to car ignoring protests from the kitchen. Ten minutes later I arrived at the Davidson house.

"Is she still in there?"

"Put it this way I haven't seen her come out."

"Shit, that's his car," I said pointing to a car in the drive.

"That was there before we got here," said James, and I went cold, if he'd hurt so much as a hair on her head, I would not be answerable for my actions, I'd just go ape shit.

We passed through the gate and the immaculate front garden and marched up to the front door. The police would not be pleased with me but I was trying to prevent injury unless of course, I was handing it out. I was just about to ring the bell when a shot rang out. For a moment my blood ran cold then James tried to kick down the door. It was lined with steel and didn't move one iota. I dashed to the rear of the property and threw myself over a fence I didn't think I could climb. James appeared a moment later calling the police as he came. He reported the gunshot. The police told us to stay where we were but they didn't have a daughter in there.

Jim managed to force the back door and we scrambled through the rooms only to find Davidson's body lying in the lounge with his daughter standing over him and holding a smoking gun. She had shot him in the head and he was obviously dead. Danni was lying groaning a couple of yards away, trying to pick herself up off the floor.

James opened the front door for the police to enter and I took the gun out of Francesca's hands, and into a towel I found in the kitchen. Once the gun was secured I went to help Danni to stand up, she was badly beaten. I looked at James and glowered.

The police arrived and took charge. We left the central police station four hours later. They accepted my statement which was corroborated by Jim. Francesca was shocked and subsequently collapsed when she realised what she had done.

Apparently, she and Danni had decided to elope and had gone to her place to get some of her stuff. Davidson had arrived while she was packing. He picked on Danni who put up a fight before his superior size and strength began to tell. He had just knocked Danni flying when Francesca screamed at him to stop. He didn't and so she shot him. Where the gun came from, we didn't know. Her prints were all over it and the test they do for proving you fired a gun was positive.

Danni was checked over in the hospital and discharged, she had been badly beaten but at least she had survived, George didn't. We took her home and she barely made it up the stairs, she really wasn't well. The next morning, we heard on the radio that Francesca had been charged with murder. I immediately phoned Simon who seemed puzzled that I wanted a good defence lawyer for her.

by lunchtime, the charge was replaced to manslaughter with elements of self-defence. Davidson had continued to hit Danni even after she had fallen down. Francesca asked him to stop and he didn't. She knew where the gun was kept and she was hoping just to stop him from hurting her. She screamed at him to stop, but he wouldn't so she blew his brains out.

Of course the shooting enabled Davidson's affairs to be thoroughly inspected and they found a match for the DNA of our killer and in a secret cache they discovered all sorts of evidence tying him to the murder of his partner, the money he owed the bank - which they now hoped to reclaim, his interests in people trafficking and import of various hard drugs and ownership of a house he hadn't declared from which he ran his prostitution and drug empire. Several eastern European girls were arrested but later deported.

Danni was in bed for a week and Trish healed on her every night, the bruises began to fade and her girlfriend pleaded guilty to killing her father and I was glad she did, Danni protested believing she acted in sef-defence. If she hadn't stopped the beating of my daughter James or I could have been involved and if he had really hurt her or killed her, I might have done the same to him or James might and he's trained to fight by the Royal Marines. In him versus George Davidson, I think he'd have won hands down. If I'd fought him, I might have won, I was just so mad I possibly would have killed him, instead his daughter did. For the first time, I respected her for saving my daughter.

Danni of course, was distraught for days but although I now had new feelings for Francesca, I hoped that the separation of a couple of years or more might mean an end to the relationship, it was to be seen if I got my way. When discussing it with Simon a few nights later I told him that Azreal possessed Davidson's soul and once he'd appeared there was no escape.

"But he hadn't appeared, just you, wasn't it?"

I just smiled enigmatically.