Fire on the Island by Stewart Giles

Author:Stewart Giles [Giles, Stewart]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: STILL Books
Published: 2024-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

“I hope my dad is alright,” Assumpta said.

She took a sip of her wine and winced.

“Where did you get this?”

“Supermarket,” DC Stone said. “It was on special offer.”

“I can see why. It tastes like it was created in a school science project.”

DC Stone held up the bottle. “It’s French.”

“Well it tastes horrible.”

“It cost me a tenner,” DC Stone said, and added. “Three bottles for a tenner.”

Assumpta shook her head and went to find something more palatable. She returned with a wine she knew and trusted.

“I’m sure Katie and your dad are fine,” DC Stone said. “They’re stuck on Herm – it’s hardly a desert island. What time did you tell Victoria?”

“Seven,” Assumpta said. “She should be here any minute.”

“Did I tell you about the demonstration outside the supermarket?”

“Demonstration?”

“A crowd of people were gathered there,” DC Stone said. “I asked one of them what was happening, and she said they were planning on marching through the streets of St Peter Port. The storm delayed them for a bit, but they’re going to march tonight.”

“What are they protesting about?”

“I don’t think it’s so much a protest, “DC Stone said. “The woman said it’s more of a show of strength. It’s to show the world that the people of Guernsey will not bow down to terrorists. I think it’s because of the drivel Fred Viking printed in The Island Herald. Those bombs had nothing to do with Albanian terrorists, and the ransom demand was a smokescreen for something else.”

Assumpta picked up her phone.

“Who are you calling?” DC Stone asked.

“Keith,” Assumpta said.

Keith Watson was a colleague of hers at the Guernsey Gazette.

“He’ll be happy to go out to get some footage of the march.”

“They’re marching for no reason,” DC Stone reminded her.

“It’s still a great story.”

She was right. After a brief conversation with Keith Watson the middle-aged reporter said he would go and check it out. Demonstration marches on the island were very rare and the Gazette would be foolish not to cover it.

Victoria Radcliffe arrived shortly afterwards. Assumpta invited her in and offered her a glass of wine.

“I’m not drinking,” Victoria said.

“Sorry,” Assumpta said. “I forgot. How are you feeling?”

“I feel great. The treatment has been successful, and the doctors are confident I’ll make a full recovery.”

“Are you not worried about O’Reilly?” DC Stone asked.

Victoria laughed. “I’m sure Liam will survive. He’s stuck in a cottage with two young women, so I don’t think he’ll be too inconvenienced. I passed a demonstration on my way here. Hundreds of people are marching through the streets.”

“I saw them earlier at the supermarket,” DC Stone said. “They’re marching to show the Albanian terrorists that the people of Guernsey are not scared of them.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Victoria said. “Marching at night. They were all wearing those strap-on headlights.”

“Hopefully Keith can get some good shots of it for tomorrow’s online edition,” Assumpta said.

The food was served, and everyone tucked in. Assumpta had made a Beef Wellington and judging by the empty plates, it seemed to go down well.

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