CHAPTER 21 The Attack at the House

 

As Jock was showing Mary the new buildings, Nan came out of her house along with Betty and Ewan. Jean was brushing and combing Whisky in the new stable which could be left open so that grazing would be available if the weather was clement.

“You're looking pleased with yourself,” were Nan's opening words. “The shed and the stable will be handy in the winter.”

Mary looked at Jock, “Will you tell her or will I?”

“Your privilege,” acknowledged Jock.

“I'm expecting a bairn in the spring,” announced Mary, “and we're going to celebrate in the Duke of Gordon tonight.”

“About bloody time!” came the reply. “It took you long enough! Of course I'll go to the Duke of Gordon.” Turning to Ewan and Betty, Nan continued, “Don't you two get any ideas about parenthood until you're married,” which made them blush profusely.

When they told Jean the first thing she asked was, “Will I get to hold it Mary?”

“Of course,” replied Mary, “you can even help me bath the baby.”

In the Duke of Gordon hotel, it was certainly a night of celebration. Mary and Jock weren’t taking alcohol but Nan seemed to be making up for them. In fact, she was quite inebriated when they got her into Ewan’s vehicle.

All day Saturday they worked on the croft, and conversation was all about pending parenthood. Rambo, whether he sensed the pregnancy or was hopeful of a treat, followed Mary all day, never leaving her side. Although she had never had a pet of any kind in her life before, Mary had always thought that to have a dog would be ideal.

It was late that evening and they were playing chess in front of the log burning stove in the living room. Mary was in her night attire and had just made a pot of herbal tea in the Thermos teapot when the outdoor bell rang, causing Rambo to run to the door to give the visitors a welcome, in the form of a meerkat pose.

“I’ll get it as it will probably be somebody wanting directions to the bothy,” grumbled Jock.

Opening the front door, he was confronted by three men, one was armed with a Lugar pistol, one with a sawn-off shotgun and the third with a bloodstained machete. It was then he saw Rambo lying in a pool of blood, having been decapitated.

“Get back in the house,” growled the man with the Lugar, prodding Jock with it as he spoke, “or you'll get the same as your dog.”

Slowly, Jock walked back into the house, his mind racing as how to cope with this confrontation. Mary looked up in horror as the three men and Jock came into the room.

“We are here to show you never to give evidence against Tommy Arthur.”

“Please don't hurt us,” pleaded Jock in a whining voice, “we will give you money if you leave us alone.”

“Listen to that for a poor excuse of a man.” The three men laughed. “I thought you Highlanders were tough. We’re going to take your money, trash your house and teach this red-headed bitch a lesson she'll never forget and show her what a real man can do. You get over there,” said the man with the Lugar, gesturing to Jock to stand beside the painting, “and watch how real men perform.”

Mary was petrified, thinking of what was going to happen, but thought that Jock was up to something so she planned to take her cue from him.

“Take that nightdress off or we will do it for you. You two can argue who will be second but I'll be first,” said the leader, in a leering voice.

“Please do it darling,” pleaded Jock in that whining voice.

 Mary undid the straps of her nightdress and let it fall to her feet, making her as naked as the day she was born, her early pregnancy enhancing her beauty.

The three men were momentarily distracted by Mary’s nudity. Jock took his chance and quickly seized the hanging Maori fighting-stick. In one movement he delivered a crashing blow across the hand that held the Lugar pistol. The man shrieked in pain. Jock followed through by kicking the man who was holding the machete in the groin, making him crumple to the floor. As this was taking place, Mary threw the boiling contents of the teapot at the third man, causing him to drop the shotgun and claw at his face, uttering vile threats. Jock continued his attack by striking each man over the head with the stick until all three were unconscious.

Mary wanted to cry but tears would not come. She looked at Jock and was shocked at what she saw. He was like a wild savage, full of anger.

“Get me some pillow slips and carpet tape, get dressed and phone the police and ambulance now,” commanded Jock, dragging the men unceremoniously outside into the garden. Mary got dressed, brought him the pillow slips and tape and told him that the telephone was out of order.

Jock put the pillow slips over the heads of the men and bound their hands with carpet tape. “The cell phones don't work in this blind spot, so drive to Nan’s, tell her what happened and phone the police and ambulance from there,” commanded Jock. “Hold on, there are three men here, there will be another nearby with their vehicle.”

Jock put on a black jersey and crawled around the house to the main road. Sure enough he could hear the purr of a vehicle's engine and see the red glow of someone smoking a cigarette.

After doing a panther crawl along the roadside ditch, Jock rose up and pulled a surprised driver from his seat. Forcing his head into a pool of muddy water, Jock asked him a barrage of questions which he gladly answered as he spluttered for breath. Forcing him to walk in a painful hold, Jock took him to the garden where he was prodded and taped like his friends.

When Mary came out of the house and saw the decapitated body of Rambo, her tears flowed in a sobbing cascade.

“Get a grip Mary,” growled Jock. “Tears can come later. Drive to Nan’s now and get help.”

Doing as he asked, Mary took her car to Nan's house, shocked at the train of events and the savage side of Jock that she had never known existed.

About fifteen minutes later a police car, with its blue lights flashing, came to a stop at Achlean and a police sergeant got out and introduced himself to Jock as Murdo MacLeod from Aviemore.

He told Jock that he had happened to be in Kincraig when he got the call and that his female colleague was talking to Mary at Nan Cameron’s house.

Jock showed him Rambo’s carcass in the garden, the four men lying moaning outside the house, the weapons in the living room and the Maori fighting stick.

“Do you know them?” asked the sergeant, “They seem to be in a bad condition, there are two ambulances on their way.”

 “I understand that the one with the Lugar pistol is called Slim Jim Arthur. The one with the machete, his nickname is Mack the Knife and the one with the sawn-off shotgun, he’s Paddy McKenna. The driver, who gave me the information, is Ian Greer. They appear to be a gang from Glasgow who have come here to take revenge on my wife for giving evidence against their boss, Tommy Arthur.”

“You’ve done a good job here,” continued the sergeant, “I’ve notified my senior CID officer in Inverness and the crime scene officer too, so just leave everything as it is now until they're finished.”

Just then two ambulances arrived and the situation was explained to the paramedics. Being from Kingussie and Newtonmore, they knew Jock through the shinty.

Little sympathy was given to the prisoners as they were given elementary First Aid before being carried into the ambulance. Just as they were ready to leave, another police car arrived and the police Chief Inspector got out. After an examination of the prisoners, he approached Jock and the sergeant. In a very pompous voice he said, “Sergeant, arrest this man for the use of unnecessary force to apprehend these men.”

Jock looked on in astonishment and snarled, “Are you insane? When was the last time you handled three violent men all on your own? Who are you to make this absurd statement?”

“I am Chief Inspector Alistair Walker” came the reply “and I came into the police from university, using my brain instead of brute force to do the job.”

“If you think I'm going into custody while my pregnant wife is in deep shock through the actions of these thugs, you can think again. I've had one fight tonight already and I’m just in the mood for another,” retorted Jock.

Just then the radio gave out a message. The sergeant answered and informed his superior that the Volvo car used by the thugs had been reported stolen in Glasgow early that morning. Seeing the confrontation developing between his senior officer and Jock, the sergeant ushered his boss to one side and told him in no uncertain terms that he was inflaming the situation and asked him to leave the crime scene. He added that he would deal with the arrival of the CID and crime scene officers himself. To avoid his superior losing face, he suggested that he should take Mrs Stewart to the cottage hospital in Kingussie as it was feared that she may have a miscarriage due to the shock of the attack.

Seeing a way to avoid a physical encounter with Jock, Chief Inspector Walker agreed to do it. When he was gone, Sergeant McLeod went into the house and took a full statement from Jock. They had just finished and Jock was about to pour them each a large dram of Glenlivet malt whisky when the CID arrived, followed a little later by the Crime Scene Officer.

Sergeant McLeod explained the situation and after several photographs, Jock was allowed to bury Rambo. Digging the hole on the far corner of the croft, where Rambo used to love lying in the sun, Jock shed so many tears that the front of his shirt was soaked by them.

The CID officers spoke to Jock as they sealed the weapons for evidence, telling him that the Glasgow Police and the National Crime Squad would be informed and that they would pay him a visit. It appealed to their sense of humour that armed criminals were completely routed by a crofter wielding a piece of wood.

Nan, Ewan, Betty and Jean came as the police were leaving, to see if Jock needed assistance. Jean was in tears when she found out about Rambo. Just then, Jock got a phone call from the cottage hospital to say that Mary was being kept in overnight for observation and he would be able to visit her in the morning.

Although it was late, Jock and his visitors had several nightcaps as he told them what had taken place.

“They got what they deserved,” was Nan’s verdict of the night’s events.

Next morning before going to church, Jock called in at the hospital with a huge bunch of flowers and all necessary items that Mary required, only to be informed that she would remain there for several days in case there were any complications.

All that week Jock worked his anger off by felling trees, so much so that the others could not keep up with him. He visited Mary every evening.

When Mary came out of hospital she took two weeks off on sick leave. The staff at the Glasgow office were horrified to hear of her escapade. Doug and Beth Campbell were equally horrified and full of sympathy for what had taken place but they were also excited about the baby and Doug was full of admiration for how Jock had handled the situation.

A few days after coming out of hospital, Mary was alone in the house and doing some work on the computer. She looked out of the window and saw a strange man on the croft. She telephoned the police and Nan, asking her to telephone Jock as Achlean was a dead area for a mobile phone. She locked the front door and watched the stranger, who had been joined by a second man carrying an expensive-looking camera.

Within ten minutes of making the phone call, an unmarked police car arrived and two police officers got out carrying firearms. They ran round the house and ordered the two men to lie on the ground before they were searched and arrested. Just then another police vehicle arrived, driven by Sergeant McLeod whom Mary recognised. Behind them came Jock’s pickup with Jock, Ewan, Alf and Bob. By this time, the two strangers were ashen-faced with fear. Questioned by the police, the strangers were identified as a reporter and photographer from a Glasgow newspaper.

Despite their protests of innocence, the two men were bundled into a police vehicle by Sergeant McLeod and charged with a breach of the peace. He informed them that they would be taken to Aviemore and placed in custody. Furthermore, their office would be notified of their actions and a serious complaint made to the Press Council.

Mary came out and was consoled by Jock but laughed when she was told who the strangers were. It appealed to her sense of humour and it suddenly dawned on her that it was the first time she had laughed out loud since that fateful night.

Nan appeared in her old Land Rover, curious about all the mystery and drama. The two miscreants were left sitting handcuffed in the rear of the police vehicle while all the police, Jock and his squad were served tea and cakes in the garden by Mary and Nan.

The armed police told Jock in confidence that they had been told to patrol the area just in case there were any reprisals from Tommy Arthur. They also told Jock that he was now a legend in the Glasgow police for his actions in dealing with the armed gang. Before they left, Jock gave them a tour of the croft and his workshop, getting compliments for his work and lifestyle.

Later that week Jock and Mary received a telephone call from the CID in Glasgow, asking if they could interview them in case they could glean any further information about Tommy Arthur. They came that weekend and enjoyed the hospitality. The only significant information was that Jock thought Ian Greer, the driver of the stolen car, would divulge information if bribed or threatened, giving them something to hope and work for.