‘Sarah!’
The call was faint and she was not sure if she’d imagined it.
‘Sarah.’ Closer now and more urgent.
She struggled to her knees. Nathan came round the corner just as she got to her feet. Her ran to her and enveloped her in his arms.
She lashed out in wild fury and, like some crazed animal, pounded his chest with her fists. ‘What the hell did you think you were doing locking me in? What bloody, stupid game were you playing at? How dare you terrify me like that?’
He grabbed her flailing arms and held her tightly to him, burying her face in the woollen sweater beneath the open trench coat.
‘Shush, shush. It’s all right. It’s all right.’
Upstairs, back in the flat, they sat facing each another; she curled in the protective depths of the armchair, Nathan squatting awkwardly on the stool pulled up close.
‘I saw your door was open so I knew you must be around somewhere.’ His voice was low and reassuring. ‘I’ve been searching everywhere. I had visions of you lying unconscious in the woods.’
The hysteria had gone and though she was prepared to believe that he had not been her jailer, she was not yet ready to trust him unconditionally.
‘What on earth made you think that it was me who locked you in?’ he asked with a pained, incredulous frown.
‘You’re the one who’s been stalking me all these weeks,’ she accused petulantly.
He stared at her for a moment then dropped his head, as though unable to look her in the eyes. ‘I was worried about you. When you mentioned those threatening phone calls, I could see that you were more upset than you were prepared to admit. You’re normally too self-composed to be affected by trifles. I only wanted to be sure that you were safe, especially after you’d been mugged. I did stop for a while after you nearly caught me in the pedestrian precinct that time. I was sure you’d recognised me. Then, when you said you were convinced that someone had deliberately caused Elizabeth’s accident, I couldn’t stop worrying. I’ve been desperately anxious about you.’
‘The police thought I’d imagined him.’
‘They don’t know you like I do,’ he said, firmly choosing to forget that he too had been sceptical when he had first heard her story.
It was difficult not to believe the earnest pleading in those eyes.
‘How did you know they’d taken us to the hospital?’ she fired at him suspiciously.
‘After the accident? They phoned me.’ He looked puzzled at her challenge.
‘I know I was confused when they first took me in but I couldn’t have given them your home number. I don’t even know it.’ He flinched at the harshness in her voice.
‘You must have given them my name and I suppose they looked it up in the phone book. What are you suggesting? Sarah, you don’t honestly believe it was me who tried to kill you, do you? Good God, why should I, of all people, want to do such a thing?’
She shook her head. ‘No. Not really.’ She suddenly felt very weary. ‘I kept going over everything in my mind right back to all that stuff that arrived through my letterbox.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Whoever did that knows me pretty well. Brochures for holidays in China, Egypt, Mexico and other places I’ve always wanted to go. The books were my favourite authors. It was all the sort of things I might have sent for. You know my tastes better than anyone.’
‘But why on earth should I want to persecute you like that? For God’s sake woman, I love you!’
How could she explain that she thought he might be trying to drive her over the edge to get shot of her for good so he could be free to marry his new girlfriend? It seemed ridiculous now in the cold light of day but, lying awake in the dark at three o’clock in the morning, logic had gone out of the window. Catholicism may have ruled out divorce as an option for her but there was nothing to stop him taking such action if that was what he had wanted. Far simpler and less troublesome.
‘Is that why you sent me away after I’d brought you back from the hospital?’
Sarah shook her head dismissively. ‘It was the aftershave’
He looked at her. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’
‘I recognised the smell. I knew there was something familiar about the man who grabbed my handbag but I couldn’t work out what it was until that morning when you came into the bedroom and I smelt it again.’
‘You don’t think . . .’
She put a finger on his lips. ‘It’s a common enough brand and I’ve just realised you’re not the only person I know who uses it.’
He took her hands in his. ‘We’ve got to report all this to the police,’ he said firmly.
‘They didn’t believe me before, why should they now?’
‘This is different. And I can confirm you were locked in down there. You can’t have imagined that!’
‘Actually you can’t. Think about it, Nathan. I’d already got out before you came round the corner. I could have engineered all that to make it look good. If senior officers didn’t believe me about the wire across the stairs, including one whom I thought was a friend and who ought to have known that I’m not just an hysterical, delusional woman, how do you think I’m going to get anyone else to take me seriously?’ she asked wearily.
‘What wire?’ he demanded in alarm.
As soon as he had heard the story, he was on his feet. ‘That settles it! We’re going straight to the Police Station.’
‘No!’ she snapped. ‘It won’t solve anything to have more policemen tramping about all over the college asking questions. There’s been enough of that for a lifetime.’
‘The reputation of the bloody college is immaterial. Sarah, your life is in danger! You could have starved to death in that cellar before anyone found you. He’s got to be stopped. And you know who it is, don’t you?’ His fierce indignation tailed off in a desperate plea.
‘Possibly, but I could be wrong. A whiff of aftershave isn’t enough to convince the police.’
The phone rang suddenly making them both jump.
‘That will be my secretary,’ she said. ‘Wondering if I’m all right.’
Nathan handed her the receiver and she nodded as she heard Lucy’s voice.
‘I’ve had a bit of a problem, but I’ll be there in half an hour or so. Has anyone been asking for me this morning? Good. See you soon.’ She put down the phone and smiled across at Nathan. ‘It seems I haven’t been missed so it’s time for me to go and play sleuth.’
‘I’m coming with you.’
‘No. That wouldn’t help at all.’ She got to her feet and started for the door.
‘Don’t push me out, Sarah.’ There was sharp edge to his voice that made her stop and look at him. This was no plea. It was an ultimatum. As they stared across at each other, they both knew that if she rejected him again, she would lose him forever.
‘I can’t say I have the plan worked out in detail yet but there might just be a way to flush him out,’ she said quietly. ‘I need someone to stay here as backup. Someone I can trust.’
As she tried to explain the vague idea that she had been formulating, it took on more shape. Although Nathan was far from enthusiastic about her strategy, it became more obvious that she would need someone she could rely on to be in the know.
Nathan’s frown deepened but, before he could protest, she tried to forestall him. ‘Give me an hour and if I haven’t rung to say it’s all going to plan, you can get on to the police. No. Better still, Sir Richard. You might have trouble persuading them, but they will listen to him. He has friends in high places.’
She looked up the chairman’s telephone number and wrote it down for him then went to get herself cleaned up and changed. When she came back into the living room, he was still wearing a frown and his normally carefree, healthy countenance looked pale and drawn. She could tell how hard he was fighting every instinct to persuade her to abandon her plans.
‘I’ll ring you, I promise.’
�
�I’ll be waiting. For God ’s sake, take care. Don’t do anything silly.’ They walked into the hall and stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs.
‘Won’t they be expecting you at work or don’t you have a job to go to?’ she asked lightly in an attempt to break the tension.
‘I’ve taken a few days’ holiday,’ he said looking rather guilty.
‘To keep a watch on me?’ She had to smile at his devotion.
He looked embarrassed and didn’t answer.
‘And what does Veronica think of that?’ she chided.
He looked back at her with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘What’s my cleaning lady got to do with anything?’
‘Absolutely nothing,’ she agreed as a rush of warmth filled every fibre of her body. He looked more bewildered than ever as he watched her try, not very successfully, to swallow the hysterical laughter threatening to bubble over. ‘Forget it. Right, I must go.’
As she turned on the middle landing, she stopped and looked up. Instinctively, she raced back, flung her arms around him and hugged him close. He kissed the top of her head. Then their lips sought each other hungrily.
For a woman who undoubtedly had someone out to get her at whatever cost, she felt surprisingly light-hearted as she ran quickly down the stairs. At long last, she thought, something in her life was going right.
Chapter 36
George was busily tapping away at his PC when she walked in. His face registered surprise but not shock when he looked up.
‘Good morning, Sarah. What can I do for you?’
‘What time did you get in this morning?’ she asked levelly as she sat in the chair in front of his desk. Best to appear casual.
‘Usual time. Just after eight.’ He looked puzzled at her question. ‘Why is there a problem?’
‘A personal one, but it could affect the college as a whole.’
‘Really? Can I help?’ The offer sounded genuine.
‘Were you aware that someone deliberately altered the faculty projection figures on the governors’ report?’
‘It hasn’t happened again?’ To do the man credit, he sounded angry.
‘No. But I find it interesting that you’ve heard about that,’ she paused. ‘As far as I know, it’s not public knowledge.’
‘I wouldn’t assume that if I were you,’ he answered grimly. ‘The governors weren’t exactly sworn to secrecy and these things get around. Plus, Sir Richard has made it his business to let all senior staff know that he has no reservations whatsoever about your competence or the directions in which you’re steering the college, and that all the rumours and attempts to blacken your reputation have to stop.’
‘Really?’ It was a surprise to know that Sir Richard’s support had extended to warning off the person who had engineered her apparent lapses of efficiency.
‘He has a great deal of respect for you. According to him, you are the only one with enough backbone to stand up to him. He admires that. Plus you have never been afraid to admit making mistakes. That’s why he refused to believe all the tittle-tattle. If you had been responsible for the cock-ups, he knew you would have had no qualms about owning up. Especially after being attacked in the street, no one would have criticised you for feeling under a strain.’
‘Someone seems intent on increasing it,’ she said grimly. ‘And he’s prepared to take more positive steps.’
George looked suitably stunned when he heard about the trap on the stairs.
‘Someone could have been killed.’
‘Possibly but it’s not quite so certain a method as staging a car accident.’
George looked puzzled. ‘Do you mean Eunice’s hit-and-run? But I thought you meant the wire was intended for you?’
‘I’m certain it was. I don’t exactly know how, but I’m pretty certain those two things are connected and not just because they happened one after the other, but that isn’t what I was referring to.’ As briefly as possible, she told him about the stone-throwing stranger responsible for putting Elizabeth in hospital.
‘Good God.’ He jerked back in his chair then sat shaking his head in disbelief. ‘So what are the police doing about it?’
‘Not a lot, by the looks of things. I’m not sure they believe me.’
‘But you really think someone is trying to kill you?’
‘I wouldn’t say that exactly, but they certainly want me out of the way.’ She paused and held his gaze as she said, emphasizing every word, ‘Somebody in this college.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘It has to be. Whoever it is knows all the routines and procedures and clearly has access. ‘It has to be the same person who spread the rumours and doctored my disk.’
They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. George had the ability, as well as the opportunity, to have altered her report but spreading gossip was not his style. If he had begun to act so out of character, she would have got to hear about it very quickly. ‘It has to be someone who knew I’d given the disk to Lucy to print off, or had the opportunity to read the details she put on the envelope.’
His eyes suddenly widened. ‘You don’t think it was me?’ His voice rose to a screech.
She smiled. ‘I’d hardly walk in here if you were still at the top of my list.’
His hands released their tight grip on the arms of his chair and he visibly relaxed.
‘Does that mean you know who has been doing all this?’
‘It has to be one of the senior staff. I have one or two suspicions but, as I haven’t a shred of evidence, I’m not prepared to share them just yet.’
‘So why tell me?’
‘Things have reached a point where I can no longer sit back and let things happen. The police won’t do anything and I’ve got to trust someone.’
George stared at her, his expression unreadable. Eventually he asked, ‘Is this a test?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’d like to think the two of us have a good working relationship now, but if we’re talking about someone wanting you out of the way, logic says I’m the one with the strongest motive. I can’t pretend I didn’t want the Principal’s job when it came up and when you were appointed, I resented it for a long time. But things have changed. I may have been Sir Richard’s choice before, but not any longer. Even if you were to leave, there is no way I could step into your shoes, as he is well aware. I realise now that not only could I never do the job, I no longer want to. I’m happy doing what I do now and content in the knowledge that I do it well. If you were to go, it wouldn’t be me that the governors would appoint. And I do know I don’t want to work for anyone else as Principal. We may never be friends, but our working relationship is based on mutual respect. I may not always agree with your decisions, but you’ve always listened to my point of view. I like my little niche. I don’t want anyone upsetting it.’
It had taken a great deal for him to bare his innermost feelings. ‘Thank you, George. That means a great deal to me. But you don’t have to convince me. I’m not here to accuse you. I need your help.’
‘What do you want me to do?’
‘I think the culprit’s last little effort, trying to lock me in the basement, has not only failed, but given me an opportunity to trap him.’ George looked far from happy with the plan she outlined.
‘You’re certain it’s one of the faculty heads?’
‘It has to be. And just lately, I seem to have managed to upset every one of them.’
‘That’s not difficult,’ he said with a snort, ‘but it’s hardly a motive. Which gives us five suspects unless you can rule anyone out. What about the night someone put the wire across the stairs? Who was still in the college?’
‘Frank was on duty, but even if the others had left earlier there was nothing to stop one of them coming back. He could have come in through the side door without being seen.’
‘Frank has the computer skills to have doctored your disk but I’m not sure that Tom or David has,’ he mused. ‘Or the guts,�
� he added as an afterthought.
‘And thinking about it, David wasn’t in the room when I mentioned about my neighbours being away and having to go out and look for the cat every morning,’ she reasoned.
George looked puzzled.
‘That story might have given whoever it was the idea,’ she said with shrug. ‘Perhaps when he was lying in wait for me, he saw the cat and came up with the plan to open the cellar door and push the cat in knowing I’d eventually come to try and find it.’
He stared into space for a few moments. ‘What about the person you saw throwing something at the car?’
She shook her head. ‘Too far away to tell anything. He was wearing an old duffel coat so it was impossible to judge his build and he’d the hood pulled up so I couldn’t even see the colour of his hair. It all happened so quickly I can’t even say how tall he was.’
‘What about your friend, Mrs Edington? Can’t she identify him?’
‘So far, she doesn’t remember anything about the accident at all. Even if she does eventually come up with something, I doubt she’ll be able give the police a good description. I’m pretty certain he had a scarf wrapped round the lower part of his face.’
‘Tom would like nothing better than to be offered early retirement so he doesn’t have the motive the other faculty directors have.’
‘Do they have a motive?’ she asked in surprise.
‘From the escalation of all this action, I’d say it’s clear that whoever it is, wants you out of the way before the faculty review.’
‘Why’s that relevant?’
‘They could find themselves without a job at the end it. There’s a real concern that the governors might favour scrapping that layer in the hierarchy altogether. It would save a fortune and several other colleges have done just that in the last year or so since the FEFC have cut back the funding.’
‘But that’s not an option I’ve supported!’ she said, aghast. ‘True Dev Sharma’s faculty is now too small to be viable and it’s obvious that we need to restructure, but no one is going to get thrown out. It’s odds on that Tom will be offered early retirement but, as you say, he’s made no secret that that’s what he wants. I suppose, if the governors want to take more drastic steps, they might even offer that option to Frank, but it’s not my place to discuss that with him. Surely none of the directors could think that I’m trying to make any one of them redundant?’
All in the Mind Page 24
