As he had let the cat out of the bag there now seemed no further harm could be done by, at least listening, after all he didn’t have to smile.

Anne arrived to call Jack for lunch but seeing him in close consultation with the two men she realised if he had taken time to stop and converse there was a good reason and so turned and left without calling him.

After about a quarter of an hour the three men parted shaking hands, Jack was in even more in a thinking cap mood digesting what he had been told, stranger than fiction he thought but worth looking into, after all he had nothing else.

Later that day Doris met with Al who finally agreed that Grace could attend the religious retreat in the hope that Kato, Doris brother could finally bring his loving daughter back to full physical and mental health.

With the training, he himself had undertaken he knew from that time onwards she would be confident and safe to go out into the world once again.

He had dealt with her rapists who would never trouble any woman again but there were always evil men just like them.  If she were trained, to his standard and seemingly that of Doris all would be well.

The following day Jack called Doris and announced he was now ready to return to the UK.  She informed him the plane and pilot were on standby.

This arranged all he had to do was to break the news to Anne that he was returning to the UK and would return immediately after completing his enquiries. He was surprised she took the news well.

So it was that the next day Doris and Jack were flying high above the real world.

Doris said, “I met with this Al, he seems a little like you Mr Richards a quiet man, what is the history between you?”

“Well just before I retired there was a string of revenge killings, wicked men I admit, committing atrocious crimes. The courts failed to deal with them, as they should have; you know the cries of do gooders and civil rights people. Some person or persons dealt with the villains they were either murdered or disappeared.

 Some were asking if the acts done were actually crimes or justice. I suspected this Al as being the vigilante. I was building a file on him. I don’t agree with one taking the law into one’s own hands, I suspect neither do you?”

She nodded in the affirmative but not with as much zeal as he appeared to have.

“My efforts were thwarted,” he continued, “when it was revealed Al was a very special member of the Special Forces serving also in the US army, his boss was General Western.”

 “The Sultan we have just visited has a son, my son Craig being his tutor.”

“The Prince Raja I think his name is, was abducted and Craig with him.”

“This Al was called in and to cut a long story short Al and some other men saved the day, rescued the Prince, saved Craig and dealt with the political intrigue that goes with such things.”

 “The Sultan was so pleased he awarded the UK all the oil rights of his state.”

Anne and I believed all hope for Craig was gone but eventually we learned that Al had carried out extraordinary acts of heroism to save Craig and the Prince.”

“I felt compromised so it was then I retired.”

“Al has a daughter she was gang raped, the offenders were horribly killed by a vigilante, say no more, but the girl was left in a wheel chair. I see she has improved and is now walking”.

“Yes so I see,” replied Doris, making no mention of her own involvement with the girl or Al.

“You ought to write a book on the affair,” said Doris

“I am actually, called A Crime or Justice,” said Jack.

“I was diverted on these unusual death cases. I may go back to it later.”

 It was late afternoon when their plane touched down in Manchester and after the drive in the same limousine; he was back home and ready for action.

From what he had learned in Daram he felt certain he would not now in fact have egg on his face,.

 If the events finally proved the cases were all natural causes, at least he could show that all possible enquiries had been made to satisfy all concerned or interested parties that the final result was the true cause and matters could finally be put to rest.

PART ELEVEN

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

The house seemed so quiet without Anne. A check of the deep freezer and refrigerator by lonesome Jack discovered an ample supply of items from which he was certain he could prepare sufficient make shift meals for some days.

Monday 8am, the sound of a car horn and a look through the lounge window revealed a car stationary outside. It took a second look to realise it was Doris, who having stopped, tooted the horn but having received no response she had left the vehicle and was walking down the path towards the front door.

It was the make and colour of the car a pink Ferrari that had put him off recognising who was waiting; one had to take more care since the axe affair.

He opened the door, as Doris was about to knock.

“Sorry” he said, “I hadn’t realised it was you, have you changed your car?”

“Yes” she replied, “It was my birthday whilst I was away, when I arrived back home Daddy had given me this new car”. There is worse, my brother; Edward has bought me a personalised number plate”.

“Oh, I see, what is it DORI5 for Doris?” He asked.

“I am afraid not, worse, I have one brother who is a monk and another who is a monkey, wait until you see what he has done to me, the boys at the nick including Sergeant Tom Striker will have a field day with me.”

Jack pressed the burglar alarm button to set the system then secured the front door and they walked off to the car which as he drew closer he could see was definitely a sports model, Ferrari.

“It was indeed a very nice and expensive car,” thought Jack, a ride of a lifetime he thought.

As they arrived at the vehicle, he looked and then frowned but she could see he had a sneaky smile at the index number it was PEN15 the five had been slightly altered so that the number read PENIS,

“You are correct in your assumption you will to quote a rather common phrase, get some stick”. He said.

They were seated and the car shot off, as it did so he could see the various heads turn from the Cheshire neighbours as the car drove by, worse, as they looked, it back fired with loud bangs.

 This caused them to jump out of their skins and he laughed and heaven forbid a loud breaking of wind, which nearly matched the similar noise made by the car.

“Christ" he thought, “What am I doing?”

 If Anne sees this lot my pension will be reverted to alimony payments?”

They arrived in Chester to the odd car horn blast, several thumbs up as car loads of yobs drove past, the reason being it was either because they were overtaking a Ferrari or the number plate attracted them.

Parking in the police station car park, they alighted and Jack lacking courage walked away at a brisk tempo directly into the museum, followed in close pursuit by Doris.  Several police cars were arriving, Doris realised it would not be long before the word was out.

Inside the police station Striker who was temporarily promoted to acting Inspector in the absence of the Chief Super who was now away on his Senior Command Course.

Jock Peters the Coroners officer arrived and on seeing Striker said.

“Have you seen the Ferrari in the yard and better still have you seen the number, not yours is it Acting Inspector?”

Striker looked up and replied, “Don’t come that Scotty or you will be beamed up, back to bloody Scotland where you came from”

 “It’s the idiot Ling; she was seen getting out of it”.

It didn’t take long for Striker full of jealousy to decide he would put a spanner in the works of dear Doris, what better than to botch this expensive car.