Chapter 5

He returned to his book, as he did not want to disturb any of the other members of the household. He would wait until his wives returned. He was wondering where Jessica had got to, and called through to Sidra. She heard him, and wandered through.

“Sidra, where the heck has your mother got to? I haven’t seen her for ages.”

“Mum? Oh, she went out to see about something that had come to her attention. I have no idea what it was, but she said she would be some time before she was home.”

“Weird. This is not like Jessica; definitely not normal behaviour for her. Are you sure she is all right?”

“As far as I know. She seemed fine when she spoke to me. She did not appear to be troubled, or anything like that; more like excited.”

“No location for her? Did she take her phone with her?”

“No location, and I presume she took her phone; why wouldn’t she? Why are you worrying, Dad?”

Reg admitted, “Normally, I wouldn’t worry. This shock seems to make me worry about the slightest thing, as if I am losing control over my life.”

“Well, Dad, don’t worry. Mum will be fine, I tell you. She has become more and more independent with her new-found security, living with you. I can sympathise with her on that account. I am happier here, just as she is. She will be pursuing something that has caught her interest.”

“As long as she is safe, going out and about on her own. I prefer you ladies to go around in pairs, as that is much safer.”

“Dad, have you forgotten what she was like when she collected you from hospital? She tackled that man with the knife somewhat fierce. My mum was somewhat terrifying, all on her own, so I think she will be able to cope with whatever she encounters.”

“Perhaps, but that was in defence of me. She may not be so brave if it is just herself.”

“Dad, why don’t you just wait for her to return?” she demanded.

He sighed, theatrically. “I suppose so.”

Around the time he expected his wives from the university, he heard the front door open, and Jessica’s voice called, “It is just me, girls; I’m home again.”

He next heard Sidra’;s voice telling her mother, “You’d best report to Reg, Mum. Dad has been fretting with worry for you. He seems to think you are not safe on your own!”

Jessica padded through to the sitting room after hanging up her coat in the hall cupboard.

“Reg, darling? You were worried? What for? You know I have had self-defence training.”

“Sorry, Jessica. This shock; it makes me worry about little things all the time.”

“I don’t think I am a ‘little thing’, Reg my love. In fact, I am getting quite big in front!” she laughed. “What is your concern?”

“I was wondering where you had got to. This illness makes me think I have lost control of my life, and not knowing where you are is one of these concerns.”

“Darling boy! If I had known that was your worry, I would have told you before I went out. I was visiting the local Women’s Aid, to see if I could help them.”

“Oh. That sounds admirable. You want to give them the benefit of your experience?”

“Yes. They were delighted to see me. They get the occasional Pakistani or Indian wife and they don’t feel able to cope with them properly. They introduced me to a Pakistani woman who was quite fearful, and I was able to put her mind at rest. I spoke to her in Urdu, and she found that helpful. It made no difference to her that she was Muslim and I was Christian; we were both Pakistani women together, and both of us had had bad experiences. We hugged and kissed before I left, and I promised to come back to see what practical help we could give her.”

“We?”

“Reg, I know you, and you know me by now; so of course, WE. It is ‘we’ as a family. If cash is involved, it shouldn’t be much, and both you and I have some resources to be able to assist someone in need.”

Reg gave in at that point. “You are right, my darling. It is our Christian duty to help others, even if they are Muslim. It should make no difference. What do you think she needs?”

“She fled in a panic, when her husband lost the rag. She thinks he has become mentally unbalanced, and she doesn’t know what to do. A friend directed her to Women’s Aid, and she arrived there yesterday. Her English is not very good, but improving fast, so she had trouble explaining herself and had no idea how to seek help; even if it was to get her husband medical attention.”

“Does she not have someone at the local mosque that she can turn to?”

“The mosque more or less turfed out her husband for being disruptive, as they haven’t concluded he is mentally unbalanced. They thought he might be becoming radicalised towards terrorism, and they did not want to have anything to do with him as a result. So, she is caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“Any children?” Reg asked.

“Yes. She has a boy and two girls. She is not concerned for the boy: her husband wouldn’t harm him, she says, but her daughters are another matter. Girls are seen as of less value to a Muslim family. She would like to get her girls away from him.”

“Ages?” Reg demanded.

“Fourteen and sixteen. The boy is only ten. Her husband has been talking of marrying off the elder girl to a relative in Pakistan.”

Reg was not happy. “Oh – Oh. Not so good. You should get these girls out of their father’s hands as soon as possible.”

Reg now asked as a follow-up, “What does her husband do for a living?”

“He runs his own business. It is a small distribution business aimed at Pakistani retail shops. His staff are not going to complain about him, as long as he lets them get on with the business.”

“So the question is what sort of control the girls have over their movements.”

“How do you mean, Reg?”

“Does he go off to his business and leave the children to get themselves off to school? Presumably their mother dealt with that chore while she was there.”

“I don’t know; I’ll have to ask her; and Reg, before you go any further, getting the kids away from home means finding them a safe place to hide from their father. Sound familiar?”

“Ah, yes. You have that experience, as do I: I should have thought of that. Do we have enough space here for a refugee family?”

Jessica bent over to kiss him. “That’s my Reg! We will make room, if we have to, won’t we?”

Reg looked at her, and grimaced. “Provided Frances is happy with your plan; speak to her about it, for it is her father’s building. It is not for me to say.”

“I’ll go speak to her now. We need to have that arranged before I speak to Mrs Anwar about rescuing her children.”

She leapt to her feet and hurried out of the room. Reg hoped she had time to get that sorted before dinner. He was starting to feel peckish himself. Thinking about that, he noted that this was the first time in the last few days that he had felt hungry; a good sign, he told himself.

Dinner was up to the twins’ usual standard, and he thought to ask them about their outings with the Pringle brothers. He got an unexpected response.

“We are not happy with them, Reg. We found out from other girls that they have been seen dating girls who were more willing to ‘put out’, as they called it. We call it ‘having sex’ and we don’t like the idea of them catching V.D. - sexually transmitted disease - and possibly passing it on.”

“That is a pity. I thought they were nice lads, but if their gonads rule their heads, they are not worth bothering with in the long run. You need to find a man that you can depend on to be reliable in all things. These guys seem to have ruled themselves out. Would you say so, Frances?”

Frances, as the cousin of the twin girls, voiced her opinion.

“Reg is right, girls. A man worth keeping has to be a man who will devote himself to you, and not go seeking sex elsewhere.”

Carol stared at Frances and retorted with a challenge, “That is all very well, but Reg doesn’t keep himself to you alone, does he?”

“No, but that was not Reg’s choice. He has never actively sought women for sex, and the women who have attached themselves to him did it for love, and his devotion to us. The sex just followed on. That devotion is absolute; Reg never strays, not that he is short of sex anyway!”

“So your advice is based on the ideal?”

“If you like. Some girls might aim for sex with many partners, but that is not a good long-term strategy. If such a girl gets pregnant, there will be doubt as to the father, and she will be stuck with a child without any partner to provide long-term support for the child. Another concern would be catching a disease from one of the partners. Venereal disease is far too prevalent today: the more partners, the higher the risk of VD.

“You have to view relationships as either short-term or long-term. Long-term arrangements are essential for building a family, and we have ensured that is the case with this family. One man is the father of our children, and we are happy with him.

“You have to make up your own minds about your future, It is an important decision, girls.”

Carol informed her, “We’ll think about what you say, Frances. We don’t plan on any immediate decision, except that these two are now off our dating plans.”

“Grand. Take as much time as you need. You have a long life ahead of you, so you don’t want to mess it up.”

Reg made a point of staying silent. It seemed the best policy for now.

Jessica decided to change the subject.

“Frances, have you told Reg what we decided between us?”

“Oh, yes, your proposed rescue. Reg, we can accommodate the people Jessica is talking about, but we need to work on this plan together, so we cover every angle.”

“Sounds sensible, Frances. There are factors we may not be able to plan for in advance.”

Jemima interrupted.

“Reg, Frances: if you are bringing more people into the house, shouldn’t you consult your cook and housekeeper?”

Frances lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

“Jemima? Is this you expressing concern for other people?”

Jemima blushed. “Yes, I am, Frances. Carol and Holly are nice girls, and don’t need to have extra work thrown at them without warning.”

“That is a valid comment, Jemima. Thank you. We will work out what might happen, and consult Carol and Holly before we proceed. Can I ask if you and Hermione will be willing to assist them if there is pressure on their time?”

“Um, yes, I think.” She looked over to Hermione, who had been listening. Hermione nodded sombrely, so Jemima went on, “Yes, we will help, if needed.”

Frances looked at both Robson ladies. “Thank you, girls. Your offer is unexpected, but very welcome.”

Reg’s phone rang, and he answered.

“Mr Robertson, this is the police. Can we call in the next half-hour to take your witness statement?”

“Yes, that would be okay with me. I think you have my address: just come to the front door and someone will bring you to me.”

After this call, he explained to everyone that he had to give a statement to the police about witnessing the attempted burglary. They would be here under half an hour. Sidra and Elizabeth volunteered to be at the door to welcome them and take them to their father.

“We will warn them you are still not well, father, so that they won’t browbeat you,” promised Elizabeth.

Reg gave a short laugh. “I don’t think we should expect that, Elizabeth, but it is nice to know you girls will be there to protect me. The interview is private, though, so you can’t stay in the room when they are asking their questions.”

“Hmmmph!” Elizabeth was not best pleased at this news. “We will be right outside the door, Dad. Any problems, just call and we will be there in an instant.”

Reg stated solemnly, “Thank you, Elizabeth.”

The two girls collected a couple of chairs, and took them to the front door to wait for the visitors. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Sidra opened it.

Surprisingly, it was not the police, but the Reverend Professor from the university. Sidra blinked but recovered. “Can I help you, Professor?”

“Yes. I would like to talk with Reginald, if I may?”

“Well, ma’am, he is expecting the police, to interview him as a witness to a burglary attempt near here.”

“In that case, I am here at the right time. Show me through to Reginald, young lady.”

Sidra detailed Elizabeth to look after the front door, took the minister through, and announced her.

“The Reverend Professor to see you, Dad.” Sidra left them and returned to the front door.

Reg stared at the Professor in surprise.

“What brings you here, Professor?”

“I don’t know, Reginald. I suddenly got an idea that you needed me for support. That sort of thing almost never happens to me so I decided to act on it, and here I am. What help do you need?”

“I am expecting the police to arrive shortly to interview me as a witness to an attempted burglary. It should not be a problem, but I admit that I am feeling apprehensive about it. I am still affected by shock from discovering unexploded bombs on a local farm, so I am not a happy bunny. Your assistance will be welcome, Professor.”

“Very well, before the police arrive, briefly tell me your tale, so I am au fait with it when they start asking questions.”

Reg gave her the outline of the story, and she nodded but said nothing.

A few minutes afterwards, the police arrived, and this time it was Elizabeth who brought them.

“Dad, this is Constable Wright and Constable Wong, to take your statement. I have warned them you are not well, and if they upset you, they will answer to me!”

Reg suppressed a smile, and said, “Thank you, Elizabeth. I will take it from here.”

She smiled at Reg, and glowered at the two policemen before leaving the room. The policemen looked at Reg and raised a question with an eyebrow. Reg told them, “My recently adopted daughter, gentlemen. She is fiercely protective of me as her new father. Beware!”

Constable Wong smiled in return. “We will be very careful, Mr Robertson. Who is the lady with you? Your lawyer?”

“No. This is the Reverend Professor ... Uh, ma’am, I have never asked your name, sorry. I always spoke to you as Reverend Professor!”

“My name is Jane Protheroe, gentlemen. I am on the staff at the local university as Professor of Religion, and I am here as Mr Robertson’s friend, due to his current illness. I believe your rules allow for that?”

“They do, ma’am”, said Constable Wright. “Constable Wong has noted your presence here at this interview.”

These preliminaries over, Constable Wright asked if Constable Wong was ready. He had his notebook out for writing his notes, and had his personal recorder also set for recording the interview.

“Ready, Constable Wright.”

The Constable started by stating the time and place of the interview; naming himself and his colleague, the Reverend Professor as friend of the witness, and Reginald Robertson as the witness.

“Now, Mr Robertson, can you tell me in your own words what happened, when and where; how you happened to be there, and what drew your attention to the men’s activity?”

Reg explained how he was coping with shock, and so was not at university, and how he had decided to go for a walk to clear his head of worry and unease; how he had intended to make his walk a roundabout route using the streets as a square; how he had turned into this street – the policeman interrupted to get him to name the street – and what he saw as he walked along it. He explained what had at first seemed a little odd to him, and as the oddities mounted up he concluded that this was a crime in progress, and therefore crossed the street to the side opposite to the event, and surreptitiously phoned the police.

He recounted the instructions he had been given, and his amendment of position to suit catching the van registration numbers, and on until the police cornered the miscreants.

“Have I covered everything, do you think? I am not as mentally effective as usual.”

Constable Wright told him, “I think you covered the whole episode extremely well, sir. Unless the Reverend Professor has other ideas, we can conclude the interview here. We will prepare a written version of your statement for you to sign, Mr Robertson. It is part of our evidence trail for preparing the case for court.”

“I get you. I am feeling a lot better, now that I have that off my chest. Having the Reverend in support was a great help. I didn’t get the shakes even once during that interview!”

Constable Wright remarked with a grin, “So we can get away safely now, and not be accosted by your daughter, sir?”

“I think that may be the case. Let me tell her that you have not harmed me, before you leave.”

“Elizabeth! Are you there?”

The door opened, and Elizabeth stood there belligerently. “Yes, Dad? Do you need me?”

“Calm down, Elizabeth. The two nice policemen were very gentle with me, and so I think we can allow them to leave without being attacked, today.”

Elizabeth stepped aside, with a remark, “If you say so, Dad. I still think we should return to the posse comitatus to apprehend felons.”

Constable Wright’s head gave a jerk at hearing this teenager come out with a Latin term, and using it accurately as well. He remarked, “You appear to be well educated, young lady. Congratulations.”

She retorted, “I am being home educated, sir. That is why I am learning so much.”

The policeman nodded, adding “I still say, congratulations. Have you thought about a career in the police force? The constabulary could do with girls like you.”

“Really?” Elizabeth was astounded at the idea. “You think I could be a policewoman?”

“You have the aggression, combined with the self-discipline, and the brains to go with it, so yes.”

Elizabeth stood aside to let them get to the front door, where Sidra was waiting to let them out. Once they had gone, Elizabeth faced Reg and said with amazement, “Wow!”

Reg told her, “I keep telling you, Elizabeth. You are a clever girl with other abilities. You should seriously consider the police force as a career, but you need to do a degree in law enforcement, policing or criminology, all of which require you to get to university first. This is why you should sit all the school exams to get the required certificate passes. I am sure you have the capability to do that.”