Kate Makes a Big Decision: Part Two - A New Home by Ann Reader

 Kate sat on the train to Southampton and reflected on the changes she had already made and those she would have to make to perform her new undercover role. Being on the train was itself one of them.  She had been told that possession of a car would not be consistent so had given her car to Kiera. Kiera was more than delighted as she and Georgia had been sharing. Kate was confident that she would make enough doing this undercover work to afford a better car when she returned, after all she would not be able to spend most of what she earned till it was over. 

The two weeks spent at Hendon police college, being briefed on exactly what undercover work involved and the need to fully immerse herself in the new role had been interesting and challenging.  At the end of it she was told she had been selected for this role. Others on the course were chosen for roles in other operations.  Kate was delighted to be given another opportunity to tackle the importation of the vile substance that had killed her brother.

Next had been an intense course in bookkeeping and general clerical work.  Kate had found this quite fun. The work was well within her capabilities, so she had spent time practicing her new persona and fitting in with the other people on the course. Most were women much younger than herself.  The back story she was given was that she had been working as a live-in children’s nanny on very low pay. The children had now got old enough to go off to boarding school.  The family in recognition of the years she had given up to their children had agreed to pay for her training in office work. She tried this out on the others and found it was not questioned.  She had taken the precaution of having some intense conversations with Kiera and with her own mother so she did not appear as ignorant about the raising of children as she felt.  She also harvested a wealth of stories from them and from books to help her disguise. The course provided her with a certificate to present to her would be employers. 

She arrived in Southampton and decided to walk to her accommodation; her case was not heavy and it was not raining.  A taxi might undermine her broke persona if anyone was watching her arrival. She bought a map at the station and found she could indeed walk to St Mary’s.  Her bedsitter was on the top floor of a Victorian town house, clearly in the converted attic. The walls were thin and she was sure she would be able to hear everything that went on in the bedsit next door.  The ceiling was the roof and the only window was a skylight.  Kate hoped the work would be finished by the next winter as she could see it would be very difficult to heat. The bathroom was on the next floor down but at least she had a wash basin in the room. 

She unpacked her clothes, mainly new cheap office type clothes and shoes from Primark. She had been given a clothing allowance with strict instructions to buy only cheap clothing.  No designer labels.  She was also cautioned against taking any such with her. With reluctance she had locked her expensive walking clothes in the spare room of her flat along with all her other personal items.  The flat was to be let on a short-term basis through an agent.  She would stay with Kiera and Georgia on her very limited visits home. 

She found the nearest shops and bought a few basics to stock the bedsit’s tiny fridge. She walked along to the port office and was pleased to note that her new employer was within reasonable walking distance.  She was glad she had timed it though.  She was also pleased to find there was a regular bus service.  She would have to return the next day, Friday, for an interview then work would start on Monday . She was not sure how it had been arranged that she would be selected for the job but had been advised to present herself as if the interview was genuine. 

By the time she got back to the bedsit she was tired enough to settle down for an evening of familiarising herself with the street map and wider local area. She would have a whole weekend to explore. At least the phone they allowed her was not too basic and she had some Internet access. She had been forbidden to access her Facebook account and advised to delay setting up a new account in her new persona until she had got a feel for her new situation. 

Every care was taken to ensure there would be no connection between her new life and her old life. She would still be called Kate to ensure no suspicion could arise due to a delayed response to a new first name, but her surname would be Barker. It was felt that different initials would avoid accidental connection. 

Kate had allowed her hair to grow since she first started training for the new post. What had been a short bob was now at her shoulders.  She had bleached it and reminded herself that she would have to be diligent about continuing with that. She spent some time that first evening practicing applying the makeup that was to be a characteristic of her new persona. She had never bothered much with make except when on an occasional night out. The makeup specialist at Hendon had shown her how to subtly alter the shape of her face with makeup. She hoped that no-one looking at the air headed blonde she now appeared to be would connect her with the mousy haired somewhat serious and determined police officer that she was.