At0micAndy

chapter 3 part 7 “No Daddy, stop. If there is no bad news about him, then anything good I want to find out for myself. If you had said that he was a bad guy, then I would have penned him as a con man and not contacted him again. I don’t want any more information, honestly dad, Okay?” “..From your mother” “Sorry Daddy, tell me.” “She has spoken with Mrs Wilkins from the counter and knows what happened in the Post Office this morning and has explained it to me. You are seemingly the talk of the town. I understand now how you can formally meet someone on a floor. Bye darling” and with a click he was gone, leaving her standing open mouthed. “Oh Golly.” Geraldine was quite taken aback by the news from her father and after a moments thought decided this was not the time to leave things and let fate take a hand. She would ring Edward now, and if he was not at home, well then, fate could go on holiday for all she cared; she would keep phoning Edward until he was at home and answe

chapter 3 part 6 Geraldine noticed that the clock on the cooker was flashing, indicating that there had been a power cut. Whilst they had happened a lot a couple of years before, the electricity had been very reliable of late. She reset her cooker from her watch and then checked that the other clocks in the Mews were showing the right time. Fortunately they had all survived the cut and had maintained the correct time. As she was about to think about lunch, the phone rang. It was her father. “Hi Geri. So an interesting man you’ve found.” “In what way Daddy? Should I walk a mile?” “As I said, Interesting, No bad news, no record or even information file darling, he has a totally clean file.” “Sorry Daddy, if clean why is that interesting?” “Yes dear. It would seem that our man has never ever put a foot wrong. No parking tickets or driving summons, not an issue anywhere I can find. That is slightly unusual these days. The only time I have come across a file like that in te

chapter 3 part 5 A few moments, that to Edward seemed an eternity, passed before the various data fields on the screen began to fill. The screen reformatted as more options were added as tabs on the bottom of the screen, some to cross references with other known entrants in the KPD and some with links to still and video picture footage. Edward quickly scanned the front page, eyes darting from field to field. It was all there. With no further need, he ignored the links and other options. Edward terminated his session and logged off. He had his information and his stomach churned as the acid of a conscience took its toll. He needed to make some phone calls. Plans had to be made, especially for Tuesday evening. The pager quietly hummed in his pocket once more. Suppressing the desire to tut he looked across the top of the newspaper at this wife sitting in the other armchair. He took a sip from his coffee and then excused himself. “Back in a moment my dear.” After entering the

chapter 3 part 4 Edward drove through the chicanes that lead to the gatehouse and showed his security pass to the Guard, amused as always at having to show a pass with your ID on to someone you were on first name terms with. He drove through the gate and barrier system and parked the car in his bay and headed into his office. At his desk at a weekend was an all too frequent requirement of his job, but he always enjoyed the peace and quiet a mostly empty weekend office bought. No heels clicking in corridors, no trilling phones or whirring photocopiers. No muted voices or assistants destroying moments of concentration with their eagerness to help. His part of the complex was empty, no distractions or disturbances, although he knew he would have to explain why he was here to the Colonel, but that was for the future. For now, there were no major alerts on and the office was thus empty, and he now had some important research to do. The events of the past few days, and particularly thi

chapter 3 part 3 There was a disturbing silence followed by the sound of a forced swallow from the other end of the phone. She realised what she had said must have sounded like to her father. “Oh Daddy, don’t think the worst. We met formally on the floor of the post office, after which we went to have breakfast at the coffee shop by the Abbey.” “On the floor? You know, I don’t think that I can imagine the scene. As well as I know you, this is one that has boggled my mind. I’ll ask your mother to see if she can shed any light on this conversation. Meanwhile, give me the details that you have and I will see what I can find out.” She read the details to her father from the card that Edward had given her and explained further that they just seemed to be continually bumping into each other lately. Geraldine thanked him, and after clearing the call went back into the kitchen and poured herself a coffee from the percolator. She sat on the bar stool in the kitchen, hands cupping the co

chapter 3 part 2 Geraldine dropped her keys on the kitchen work surface and decided coffee and then a phone call. She spooned grounds into the meshed cup of the percolator, filled it with water, and plugged in. As soon as she heard the bubbling sound she walked through to the lounge, picked up the portable phone and dialled. “Hi Daddy.” “Hello Geri. How are you darling, are you all right?” “Fine Daddy thank you, are you and Mummy in fine fettle?” “Yes thank dear, your mother is doing some washing at the moment. Gosh dear, this is a terrible line. What can I do for you?” “Yes it is Daddy; I guess that is why the phone men are outside working. I know it’s a bit of a cheek; I’m after a bit of a favour. I really need you to do a PNC check on someone for me.” “I see. What sort of check dear, how much do you want to know? “Oh not the full monty by any means. Just is he known? I just want to know that he is not a bad guy. I don’t want intimate details, if he is on the up, Da

3. Private Investigations prt 1 Geraldine realised with a shock as she pulled up in front of her garage that she had no recollection of her journey home or how she had driven there. She had to pull slightly over the road to get around a Telephone Company van that was pulled up on the side of the road. There was one of those stripy barriers up on the footpath, and a man sat working on some wires in the ground. He ignored her as he carried on testing the small wires in the large bundle that served the residences nearby. He didn’t know, and would not really have cared if he did, that the phone company van had jolted her back to the present. ‘Wow,’ she thought, ‘Edward is something else. That went even better than I could have hoped.’ She pressed the remote and after the garage door had opened, she eased her car into the garage, pressing the remote once more to secure the door behind her. Geraldine sat in her car thinking of the man with whom she had just had breakfast. Wh

Chapter 2 Part 7 “Oh Debbie, what am I going to do with you, grown up like a woman, yet so young.” “Auntie that is not nice. I am so grown up, I have my periods and my boobs have grown and my entire lady garden and I shave my legs, and I have kissed Timothy and we have done tongues.” “Yes dear, I am sure that you are quite a young lady, and yes I know that your body has grown up around you. All you have to do now is wait for the rest of you to catch up with it.” “Oh Auntie, I thought you would really understand, you sound just like Auntie Geraldine, and look at her, just working all the time, she’s just no fun at all. I hope I don’t get old like her.”

chapter 2 part 6 The stock taking done, it was time for a long glass of cold water. As she turned the tap on to let the water flow, she put her jug under the tap to catch the first, stale flow. Whilst it may not be for her, it was perfect for her potted and house plants, and water was a commodity she did not like to waste. As the jug neared full the phone trilled once more. She put the jug down into the sink and ran across to the desk, bent across and lifted the receiver. As she straightened the curled knot of wire lifted the base of the phone, causing it to swing and hit her right breast, eliciting a slight wince as yes answered. “Hello?” “Hello Auntie, how are you and how’s work?” “Oh hi Debbie, I’m just fine, and work is quite busy, and what about you?” “Great, look, can I ask you a favour, you know, this is a really big favour. I’m not sure that dad would go with it, you know what he is like about your job.” “Yes love, but I’m not really comfortable with going against

Chapter 2 - part 5 “You said that there was a potentially covert meet after the switch?” “Yes sir” “Seems odd to me, a switch followed straight away by a meet.” “Yes sir, one of the reasons for the call. All the signs are there but it could be a blind.” “Okay Natalie. Thank you for the call. I assume there is no suspicion by Trader that this was observed in any way?” “The observer and exerciser both say not sir. Both are unknown to Trader.” “Natalie, thank you. There is no need for further action unless matters progress. You may advise me if the identity of the source, when known, is cause for concern, otherwise I shall review developments on Monday.” “Thank you sir.” The call was finished and he sat there pondering the possibilities and the options. He could not afford to apply hope or wishes. He could only go on the facts, and so far there were only indications that could lead to compromise, there were no facts that concluded any wrong doing. If, in his opinion, t

chapter 2, part 4 “Go ahead Natalie; do I need to know who the observer was?” “No Sir, he is fully up to date with his appraisals and is fully SQEP for this. Both the exerciser and the observer witnessed the events unfold sir.” He looked at the leather bound clock on his desk. This conversation was already several minutes old, and still he was none the wiser as to who, never mind what. “Natalie, can we cut to the nub please.” “Yes sir, sorry sir. The situation occurred in the Royals and in the opinion of those present seemed a little contrived sir.” The Royals referred to Gloucestershire, a county favoured by the Royal Family and their associates for homes and weekend retreats. At any given moment in time the Royal Protection force were busier in that county than any other on the mainland. Thus the county became known through the various services as the Royals. “In what way contrived Natalie” “Well sir contact was made with one of our own, and to be quite

Chapter 2, part 3 “Yes sir. Sorry to bother you sir, but there is a little something that has cropped up. Purely by coincidence we think, but your instructions have always been explicit in this area.” “And this area being what exactly?” “Sir, at approximately 1033 hours this morning an encounter took place that was not expected and subsequently developed into a further meeting.” He sighed again and leant back into his chair. This looked as if it was going to be one of those reports that were officious and pernickety and would end up being nothing. They would only end up being nothing after an exhaustive and interrogative discussion with the Duty Manager who had seen fit to call him. Why these people couldn’t just get straight to the point and tell him what was up was a never ending source of annoyance. Duty Manager this morning was Natalie Turner, ferociously inquisitive, and able to connect dots in many directions to give a very early picture. Often the picture just ended

Chapter 2, part 2 This month it was their turn to host and they had decided to prepare a spicy lentil soup, a Chateau Briand as the main course, followed by a fruit pie and custard, with some fine cheeses and biscuits to conclude. The rolls for accompanying the soup were rolled, kneaded, prepared and sitting on the side of the kitchen, waiting for their turn in the oven. The lentils had soaked and were now marinating in the spices ready for their transformation into soup. The butcher had delivered the meat, and the cheeses were resting in the larder. As he expected, all preparations were going exactly to plan. He had not planned for the diversion in his pocket however. The pager vibrating quietly in his pocket could potentially ruin the evening. It would require his attention be diverted from assisting his wife, and his focus to be elsewhere. “Mary, sorry dear. Just something I have to pop into the study for. Back in a jiff.” “Well don’t be long, the pastry needs doing and you know th

Chapter 2 part 1  Covert Observations There was a soft vibration in his pocket. He sighed and looked across at his wife who was preparing fruit for the pudding later that evening. It was their turn as hosts in the dinner club and the guests would be arriving around eight for an evening of dining, wining and ‘bon homie’ expecting to conclude around midnight. The rules were simple, the hosts had to prepare all the food themselves, and also had to import the wines. No friends, servants, maids or other assistants were allowed, and it was expected that those hosts who employed such, would ensure that it was their night off and that they would be long gone before eight, naturally not returning until after the dinner concluded and guests had gone. A plate of snacks and light refreshments would also have to be provided for those of the guests that would, by necessity, be accompanied. Whilst not part of the dining ensemble, the accompanying extras could not allowed to be far away, usually ret

Chapter 1 - Part 9 “Sod, eating then?” “I thought so, seems a good safe option for you, we would be in the company of others which should help ease your mind, and I always found it easier to talk when stomachs weren’t rumbling. I never quite sussed the point of taking someone to the pictures as a date, I mean, you can’t talk or anything, so, food. Anything in particular you don’t like, or can’t eat? And will you be able to organise a sitter or are we having a third for dinner?” “Third? Oh, you must mean Debbie. No problem on that score. It will just be the two of us, and I can eat anything. I will phone you later to agree the arrangements. I really must get off just now; I do have some calls to make to see if I can be free. Thank you for a lovely time and here is my part of the bill.” Taking a five pound note from her purse, she passed it across to Edward. “I don’t think your money is any good here, and I shall not accept it either Geraldine. Put your money away. Thank you, the offer i

Chapter 1 part 8 Geraldine reached down into her handbag and pulled out a small diary, it had been free last year with a glossy magazine that showed how to spice up her life. The diary was to enable her to record her new and exciting life, now filled to overflowing having followed the guidelines in the magazine of course. She flicked through the pages, most pages indeed had an entry, but sadly for the magazines success ratings, most were entries like ‘Nothing doing’ or ‘Still Bored’. She hoped he could not read upside down. “Well Edward, I think I can fit you in for a social engagement. Would you like to let me know where and when?” Edward paused before replying. He needed some time to make any arrangements if they would prove necessary, and it would probably be in poor taste to seem too eager. However his composed and logical thought process was under attack from his inner and usually hidden self. That inner man simply wanted to see the woman again soon. “Tonight I have a prior

Chapter 1 Part 7 The waitress arrived with two plates of bacon sandwiches. Edward cast a critical eye over the sandwiches and was impressed with what he saw. Malted whole grain slices of bread, thickly cut and buttered and then filled almost to overflowing with thick cut bacon, and by the look of it, little in the way of fat or rind. The waitress returned with a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of brown spicy ‘parliament’ sauce. “Enjoy” she said as she turned and left them to enjoy their food and drinks. Edward slipped the cotton napkin on his lap, lifted the sandwich and took a bite. He chewed and then swallowed. “Okay. So I still don’t know why.” “What do you mean, ‘why’?” “Well as we arrived I looked through the windows at the empty chairs and thought, “How can this shoddy looking cafe survive?’, and now I have had a mouthful of sandwich, I can not understand why the place is not full and heaving with people. It is absolutely delicious.” “No idea. It’s a treasure thou

Chapter 1 part 6 The waitress returned with a tall mug, the double wall insulating type, of hot water for Geraldine to steep her herbal tea in, and a cafetière ready to plunge of roasted smelling coffee for him. Geraldine dropped her herbal tea bag into her mug and idly pulled at the string; swirling the bag through the water to try and accelerate the steeping process; as she watched Edward slowly but steadily plunge the cafetière. Edward did not miss the attention that she paid him; his own observations were, he hoped, a little more discrete. He smiled and looked directly at her as she spoke. “These teas always smell so divine, it is such a shame that the flavour does not live up to the promise of the aroma. But I have become accustomed to the weak flavour now, and honestly quite enjoy them. But they really are an acquired taste I think.” “I must admit the fragrance from your tea is very …, well, tantalizing. It is quite perfumed. I don’t drink tea as something in it always s

chapter 1, part 5 Edward smiled and nodded an acquiescing yes and took his few bits of paperwork out to the car. He looked at the tax disc and thought ‘Well I shall have a good reminder of Geraldine for the next year even if nothing comes of this, I have a paw print in the middle of my tax disk to look at every time I take out the car.’ He sat in his Vauxhall, idly working at the perforations around the disk as he waited for Geraldine to appear. He analysed what he had seen of her so far. She was wearing a beige sheepskin coat unfastened, over a revealing white blouse buttoned to reveal only a slight amount of cleavage. Nestled in her cleavage was a small gold locket. Her skirt was a dark brown and was at approximately knee length, stopping just above the high leg boots that covered her feet and calves. Her bra had been slightly discernable through the blouse and appeared to be a lacy affair. Did, he wondered, her other underwear match? It was not him to pick up women, which was

Chapter 1, part 4 Eventually he arrived at the counter and handed across the forms and after the counter clerk ascertained that everything was in order, Edward signed and proffered the cheque that paid for 12 months more road tax. He turned to leave and walked straight into the woman, dropping his documents and new car tax on the floor and knocking her shopping selection from her hands. “Oh, I’m so sorry” he said as he stooped to pick up her items, and then fell back flat onto his backside as their heads collided - she had bent down at the same time. As they sat there bemused and a little stunned, a Guide dog carefully picked its way past them, leading its owner safely to the post office counter, leaving a perfect damp paw mark in the centre of the newly dispensed car tax disk as it went by. “Stalking is one thing, but this amounts to assault” the auburn haired woman laughed as she looked around for her shopping, rubbing her head where it felt as if an egg was forming at the si

Chapter 1, part 3. The evening came and went and soon the days merged and a week was almost done. As Saturday morning arrived he gathered together the car tax form that had arrived in the post a few days before, his car insurance and ‘log book’ and headed off to the post office to tax his car. Some years before he had begun the habit of changing his car in the New Year, and now every January was either the excitement of new wheels, or the drudgery of the car tax renewal at the post office. As he stood in the inevitably long queue he saw the auburn haired woman again, without her child once more as she had been in the supermarket a few days before. He could not help but follow her with his eyes as she wandered around the store. She stopped and browsed through the cheap end-of-line bin, then moved on and looked through the children’s comics and magazines, before selecting one of the comic style history explained magazines aimed at children. More than once he had to avert his eyes

Chapter 1 part 2. The darkness of the night conceded ground to light as another winters’ day broke to reveal a sparkling carpet of raggedy edged white hoar frost. The weak January sun slowly climbed the brightening sky and warmed the cold still air; leaves on plants and tiles on roofs began to steam, their frosty frozen coating turning to a shimmering vapour. As Edward stood at home dressing, people hurried from home to work, some scurrying along paths to wait at bus stops or railway platforms, others stood scraping car windows, but all with breath puffing out of their mouths like steam from long gone and mostly forgotten trains. An ethereal mist floated, reflecting the red light of the early morning sun, softening the coldness of the frosty start. A fuzzy white line crossed the pure blue heaven growing wider and fainter as it headed west, the tell tale evidence of a fortunate few escaping the cold of an English winters day, heading for hotter climbs, perhaps Caribbean, perhaps not

1. First Encounters The soft click of the alarm was enough to take his attention away from his early morning dreaming. There was no morning disk jockey inanely greeting him to a wonderful day, no tuneless pop music to shake him from slumber. He had long ago learned that the clock radio with the sound turned down was enough. An almost inaudible click and he was awake, if not exactly ready to go just yet. Edward had been lying half dreaming and half watching a small spider spin a web in the corner of the bedroom. He leant across and took the remote and clicked on the TV. Sky News came up and he scanned the headlines – nothing really grabbed his attention. He flipped the sheet and duvet off and raised himself from the bed. His feet sank deep into the carpet, its pile caressing and embracing his toes as he walked to the ensuite. Edward turned the mixer tap on the hand wash basin to get the hottest of water ready for the morning ritual. He warmed his face with a towel held

Day 9 part 4 “Sir, it is an Avis rental, why the fuck is she driving mini bus to Bristol in a nurses uniform?” “Jase, if we knew the answer to that we would already have her. Find out from Avis which depot that is from.” Bones responded. “Already on it” Bentley called, “hang on, it’ll be through in a moment.” There was an air of expectancy in the room and they were clustering around the map to see where the depot was, all eyes to the north of the map, with full expectation that was were the mini bus would have been hired from. Bones turned to Gurpindar, “Gur, get onto Frenchey and the other Bristol hospitals. I want Hilt’s picture sent there now, and I want them on the look out. As before, no approaches direct to her, and our line is still that she is a victim, mentally unstable following a vicious assault.” “Sir,” Bentley called, “it came from Yate, sir. Looks like she is taking it back.” “Jones, get onto that depot right now, I want to know who it is signe

Day 9 part 3 Vanessa arrived back with a mini bus, not from the same supplier as before, she preferred to spread the risk. She also planned on visiting a different rehab centre, one a little further away. “Come on Eldred, we don’t have all day here.” She wished she had the voice and could just make him come and do her bidding, they way had made her do his, but as far as she could tell from his memories, it came with strength, and as a young Vampyre she did not yet have the strength, and she guessed he had only just regained it. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful he would become once fully restored, and she guessed that moment was only a feed or two a way. “Ah well,” she said to the emply hallway, “it won’t be that long before I am powerful too. Eldred! Hurry the fuck up.” Rebekah and Christine had been through the whole house top to bottom, and the garden side to side. “You know what?” Christine said. “Yeah,’ Rebekah answered, “for a nurse she s

Day 9 - part 2 Vanessa tied the tourniquet around her upper arm and tapped the vein in her elbow. She then inserted the needle and blood began to flow into the vial. Four vials later she relaxed the tourniquet and removed the needle, wiping the puncture mark with a little of her saliva. Almost as soon as the needle was out the small wound began to heal, not a drop of her blood was lost. She prepared four injections, each of her blood. The boy first. Vanessa was dressed in her nurses uniform, she felt it would help his subconscious accept the treatment. She went into his room. He lay naked and half awake on the bed. “Hello my lovely, I have your next treatment, if I could just have your arm.” She tied the tourniquet around his arm and as the vein grew proud in his elbow she inserted the needle and then relaxed the tourniquet. The vein was now pumping blood back to the heart for recirculation, she slowly mixed in the sample of her own blood, then wiped the injection site with a

Day Nine  part 1 Amanda was dozing in her bed, her mother calling her to come down for breakfast, there was a knock at the door. “Good morning madam, I am sorry to bother you, the house next but one.” “Yes, it’s empty, no one lived there for ages.” “We are just checking on empty properties, wonder if you have seen anyone coming and going the past few days. You know, perhaps someone new looking around, that sort of thing?” “Excuse me a minute officer,” Joyce Mills turned away from the door, “Amanda Mills will you get your but down these stairs now.” She turned back to the policeman. “Teenagers. Gone for hours on end and then comes home at all hours and sleeps for hours. Why are you asking about the house?” “Well, a few weeks a go there was a little spate of thefts from unattended properties, so we are just working our way round all the properties that we know are empty, check if they are still secure, asking the neighbours, just that sort of thing. I stress it

Day 8 Part 4 He pulled up the patrol car at the gate, which was unsurprisingly locked. There was a foot gate which was not. He looked around, he could see no way to contact the house, there was a small post box and a larger parcel shelter and that was it. Nothing that seemed to give any way to contact the house. If ‘Services had to park up and walk, he wasn’t surprised they didn’t bother often. He radio’d in. “391, at Silver residence. It looks to be a ten minute walk just to the front door. I will radio again before I knock.” Eldred and Vanessa looked at each other, they had sensed the approach. “Amanda my beautiful, go upstairs and sit with the girls, I will sit with the boy, Eldred, if you sit with the girls also. I will just have a little chat with out host to make sure he says the right thing, but we will listen, just in case, okay?” Amanda said ‘sure thing’ and went up stairs, unusually in her human form, but quite naked. Eldred went up as well to thrall th

Day 8 part 3 Mavis was a little dismayed, there were a number of key components to the spell that she did not have and she would have to spend another day sourcing the missing items. She had a hazel tree in the garden, pretty standard planting for a Wytch. She went to the garden and pulled a small plug out of the trunk, and inserted a small pointed stick, the rising sap would seep down the stick and fall into the foil cup taped to the end. The hazel sap would collect whilst she was out, that was the easy one. If it had been in the depths of winter when the sap was not rising she would have possibly had a problem. The others were a little more difficult and require some thought. The opium of the poppy for example. That was pretty common until relatively reason, but now, due to its illegality, getting hold of pure opium poppy seeds was not so easy. Many of the worts were not yet fully grown this season, and the two she needed didn’t grow naturally in this region any way. No