Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2208

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The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike, est. 2007)
Part 2208
by Angharad

Copyright © 2013 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
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“Thank you for a nice lunch,” I said kissing Simon. He’d had a couple of glasses of wine so I got to drive back. I didn’t buy anything nor see anything I wanted to buy, so it was a wasted day, save for the fact it was just the two of us together for a day out, not something we do very often.

It was just getting dark as we arrived home to a much depleted household. Phoebe and Julie were not back from the salon, The girls weren’t back from the hotel and according to Stella, Jacquie had taken Cate and Lizzie out for some fresh air.

“It’s getting cold, when did they go out?” I asked my sister in law who was busy switching on the kettle for tea.

“What time is it now, four o’clock, must be two hours ago.”

“Two hours? What the hell is she doing out for two hours with little ones? It’s getting cold out there.”

“I don’t know, do I?”

“Did she tell you where she was going?”

“No.”

“Did she take any stale bread with her?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

“Okay. I’m going to change.” I rushed upstairs and five minutes later I was down again getting my thick duffel coat off the coat rack.

“I’ve just made tea.”

“I’m going looking for them.”

“Want me to come?” asked Simon.

“Might be an idea.”

“Okay let me grab a sweater.”

“Want to take the car?”

“Not really, we could cover more ground but if she was on foot, it might be easier to find her if we do the same.”

“Okay,” he replied shoving his hands into his pockets, “Damn, it’s colder than I thought.”

I was trying to tune into Jacquie but I wasn’t having much success. We got to the end of the drive. “Which way, kemosabe?” asked my intrepid companion.

“I don’t know.” I pulled out my little torch and shone it along the ground.

“Six men on horseback pass this way two days ago,” offered my stand in Tonto.

“This way,” I said pointing towards town.

“How d’you know that?”

“Because instead of making silly comments I was looking for clues.”

“Did you find any?”

“Yes, fresh tracks of the pram heading this way.”

“Well done you, you’re a regular girl guide, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m a biologist, though it’s generally easier tracking mammals in the countryside than town.”

“What with all those trees in the way?”

“C’mon, we’re wasting time.”

“Lead on Macduff.”

“It’s actually, ‘Lay on Macduff,’ why does everyone get the quotation wrong?”

“They’re not as punctilious as you.”

“Perhaps.”

We walked for maybe three hundred yards when I saw signs of where the pram had pushed over a grass verge and down towards a field.

“Why are we going down here?”

“Because this is where the pram came.”

“You’re joking?”

“No. Have you got your mobile with you?”

“Yeah, in my pocket, why?”

“Because I forgot mine. Call Jacquie will you?”

“If I can get a signal.”

“You should.”

I heard his phone pipping as it dialled. “She’s not answering.”

“Okay, we go for a little way longer and we call the police. Call Stella will you and tell her to let you know if they turn up at home.”

He did as I asked. “They haven’t so far.”

“There’s something not right here, isn’t there?” I remarked. We’d passed a patch of soft ground and the tracks hadn’t shown up nor were there any in the grass, yet our feet were leaving tracks.

“What do we do now?” asked Simon, clutching his phone.

“I don’t know, go back I suppose and get the experts out.”

“The police?”

“Yes, if she’s in a field somewhere the helicopter should find her.”

“You getting a bad feeling about this?” he asked putting his arm through mine.

“I’m not getting any feeling, that’s even more frightening.”

“Let’s get home.” We practically ran home and Stella once more switched on the kettle, I got the cordless phone and called the police.

Within half an hour we had a car in the drive and I heard the helicopter overhead. It was both frightening and reassuring at the same time.

The policewoman took details of when we’d last seen her and so on, I found a picture of Cate and Jacquie but didn’t have one of Lizzie. In the back of my mind was that something had happened to all three of them. But what?

A dog handler arrived and I found clothing from Jacquie’s room, from Cate’s and from the baby’s. The dogs sniffed them and off they went noses to the ground.

“You say this youngest one is the daughter of a Neal Allen, he couldn’t have come to get her, could he?”

“The last time I saw him he couldn’t find his way to the bathroom on his own let alone to Portsmouth.”

“I’ve called the clinic, he’s still there and not very well,” reported Simon.

“Could they have been abducted?” Stella asked the young copper.

“Given your position, they could have been.”

“For a ransom?”

She shrugged.

“But two of them are only babies,” I protested.

“People who do that sort of thing don’t necessarily worry about such things.”

“What about this Jacquie, is she safe with the kids?”

I blushed and dared either of Stella or Simon to say anything. “She’s taken them out dozens of times. She’s unofficially adopted by us, so she’s family. I’m sure she’d do her best to avoid them coming to harm.” I wished I felt as confident as I sounded.

I made and drank more tea, as did the two coppers. Headlights appeared in the drive. It was Henry. “How’s it going?”

“Still nothing,” I said, “Thanks for keeping the others with you at the hotel.”

“I came for some extra clothes.”

I went upstairs with him and between us we packed four sets of clothing. He took the two cases downstairs with him. “I’m sure it’ll be okay, let me know when they find them–if I can help meanwhile–you have my number.”

I gave him a huge hug and burst into tears.

“Hey, you’ve got to be strong. They’ll be alright, you’ll see.”

“So where are they?”

“I don’t know, Cathy. I wish I did.”

“If anyone harms them, Henry...”

“Let’s keep positive, shall we?”

“Okay,” I sniffed. “Take care of the others, won’t you?”

“With my life.” He pecked me on the cheek and left.

“D’you leave them often with Jacquie?”

“When I’m working I do.”

“Where’s that?”

“The university.”

“What d’you do there?”

“I teach.”

She nodded. “All these children yours?”

“They’re all adopted–I can’t have my own.”

She nodded.

More lights in the drive indicated the arrival of Julie and Phoebe. “What’s happening, Mummy?” asked Julie seeing the police.

“Jacquie went out with Cate and Lizzie, at about two o’clock, she hasn’t come back yet?”

“What? It’s six o’clock and freezing out there.”

“They’ve got Lizzie?” gasped Phoebe.

“We don’t know what has happened, only that they’re missing at the moment. The police are out looking for them.”

“The helicopter,” said Julie, “that’s why it’s flitting about here?”

“Yes, it can cover much more area than anything else. There’s also two police dogs out looking for them.”

“If they want to form a search party, we’ll come,” said Julie and Phoebe agreed.

“Let’s hope they find them soon,” I said and hugged the two girls.

“What about food?” asked Stella.

“God, I couldn’t eat at a time like this,” said Julie and Phoebe nodded. My own sense of appetite had diminished to zilch as well. Even Simon shook his head.

“Might be a good idea, Lady Cameron, gives you something to do and you might need it, it’s going to be a long night.”

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Comments

Bike 2208

Another Angy Cliff Hanger!!

Richard

Why would anyone want to kidnap the babies

Is there someone in Jacquie's past that may be after her?
I am worried that Cathy can't get a signal. I hope they are all okay.
Needless to say I won't need to clip my nails for a bit after this nail biting episode.

Jackie

Pretty certain...

thliwent's picture

That our hero is a great example of how you can't have silver linings without the clouds.

Prolly went to a Movie.

She probably went to a movie, or was arrested by the plod for kidnapping, or forgot the time sitting in a chippy.

G

Maybe they just got

lost, But's its really strange that the helicopters have not spotted anything, Especially as most police helicopters are fitted with Infra-red cameras that also use technology to spot body heat.... Worrying times indeed...

Kirri