‘We all know they won’t survive in their current positions.’
‘But surely that’s not enough to make anyone do all this?’
They sat in silence as Sarah thought through the implications. She didn’t need to be reminded that finding another post at senior level when all colleges were being forced into the same rationalization process would be very difficult. To judge from the large number of references she had been asked for, all three of the younger ones had made applications elsewhere. She had assumed that the person who wanted her out of the way had been trying to get a clear path to her job, but perhaps his motive was less ambitious. But how could anyone seriously believe she would deliberately attempt to use her position to influence the governors to force them out?
George’s frown deepened at he took of his spectacles and started to clean them. ‘Are you sure there is nothing else you saw that might help to identify him?’
Sarah shook her head.
‘No clues at all?’
‘Well, I was much too far away to recognise his features but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t wearing glasses.’
He looked up quickly. They exchanged sheepish grins. She could see the tension easing in his shoulders.
‘Who knows you’re here in the college at the moment?’ George asked, after a long pause.
‘Apart from you, only Lucy,’ she said, a twinge of apprehension tightening down her spine. ‘And Nathan.’
‘I take it you came up the back stairs rather than through Reception? You’re positive no one saw you come in?’
She nodded. ‘I parked in one of the side streets and walked in down the back footpath through the copse.’
‘In that case, if you’re still adamant about not going to the police, we’d better start the ball rolling.’
Chapter 37
‘Yes, Sir Richard, thank you.’ George put down the phone and turned back to Sarah. ‘He wasn’t very happy and he insists on being in at the end. He’s on his way to your flat right now.’
It had been George’s idea to inform Sir Richard. Sarah would have preferred to wait and see if the plan worked but George, cautious as ever, insisted that if things went wrong, Sir Richard carried the most clout if hasty backup was needed. She watched him take a deep breath and wet his lips. He was as apprehensive as she was. Now the moment had come, she felt suddenly cold.
‘Do you still want to do this?’ He looked across at her, his hand on the receiver.
She nodded. Her voice would falter if she tried to speak.
He picked up the phone and dialled.
‘Frank? It’s George. Can you come over to my office straightaway?’ She couldn’t hear the reply at the other end. ‘I appreciate you’ve been up to your eyes, but we have a crisis,’ he cut off the protests.
George continued to summon each of the senior staff. Sarah’s senses felt numb and George’s voice became a vague drone in the distance.
She was far from confident about the plan but there seemed no better strategy. Picturing Elizabeth, a tiny, helpless figure imprisoned in the Intensive Care Unit attended by silent, white-clad automatons, had stiffened Sarah’s resolve. It was no longer a case of protecting herself against the escalating violence. Letting this maniac go undetected now endangered the lives of the people she cared deeply about. For nearly two weeks, she had sifted evidence, scrutinised the actions of all possible suspects, but got no further forward.
‘I don’t care if he is in the classroom.’ George’s bark roused her from her reverie. ‘I want you to go in there now and take over. Tell Mr Ford that I need him in my office immediately.’
George got up and moved one of the chairs into the walk-in store cupboard in the corner of the room. ‘If I leave the door slightly ajar, you’ll be able to hear all that’s said.’
There was just room for her to be able to sit between the rows of stacked shelves. She very nearly changed her mind when the door was pulled to. She was not sure how long she would be able to stay silent in the dark windowless tomb but this was not the time to fall prey to petty phobias. She needed to listen to their responses – to judge their reactions for herself.
Dev and David arrived together. George had just put out the chairs in a circle in front of his desk. It would have been good to be able to see the expressions on each of their faces as they listened to what George had to tell them, but she could not risk them catching her spying on them through the narrow crack.
‘Is all this cloak and dagger stuff really necessary?’ She could hear Frank’s petulant demand as he threw open the door. ‘Oh, I didn’t realise we were all invited.’
Barry was the last to arrive. ‘What on earth is all this about?’ He sounded as truculent as Frank.
There was a shuffling of chairs as they got themselves settled.
‘It looks as though we are going to have the police descend on us again,’ George began. ‘They’re going to want statements from each of us, but it is obviously best for the college if we try to keep the whole thing as low key as possible. We don’t want all sorts of ridiculous rumours spreading through the student body.’
‘Why? What’s happened?’ They were all talking at once.
‘You all know that Mrs Harcourt’s friend was seriously injured, well it seems that it wasn’t an accident.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Tom sounded irritated.
‘Someone was seen throwing something at the windscreen.’
‘But what’s that got to do with us?’ Frank asked.
‘She was driving Mrs Harcourt’s car and so Sarah was probably the intended victim.’
‘Are you saying that someone deliberately tried to kill her? That’s bloody ridiculous. And why in God’s name should the police suspect someone here at the college?’ From the general outburst of protesting cries, it was evident that Tom was not alone in his assessment.
‘I presume it must be the usual procedure to interview the people she works with.’ George was doing an excellent job of implying that the police believed the story and were about to act upon it.
‘Was this witness able to give a description?’ It was David who asked the question, but there was no trace of apprehension in his voice.
‘I don’t know the details.’
‘Surely, Sarah’s friend should be able to identify him?’ Tom sounded rather bored by the whole thing.
‘That may be why the police have taken so long to get round to us. Mrs Edington was unconscious for several days and up until now, she has been too ill to give a proper statement. I understand her memory is coming back very slowly.’
‘If they’re looking for alibis, I’m in the clear,’ said Tom with a laugh. He obviously did not take the idea seriously. ‘I was on the golf course from nine thirty until the middle of the afternoon and I’ve a partner to prove it.’
‘And I was tucked up in bed with my wife reading the Sunday papers until lunch time,’ David added in the same spirit.
‘This is no joke, gentlemen!’ George cut in firmly.
‘Oh come on! This is obviously some ludicrous fantasy that Sarah has come up with. Surely, the police aren’t taking all this seriously are they? I know the old girl has been on a razor’s edge for a long time, but what with all the strain of Eunice’s death, the woman’s finally gone round the twist to make such absurd accusations. Why on earth should anyone want to get rid of her?’ A muted chorus of grunts of agreement indicated that most of the others shared Barry’s assessment. It was hardly flattering to discover that all her colleagues appeared to judge her totally irrational if not deranged.
‘It isn’t the first accident that someone has tried to engineer. There was an incident here in college on the night Eunice was killed.’ George’s emotionless insistence cut across the disparaging quips.
‘So what happened and why didn’t we hear about it?’ asked Dev.
‘The police were informed but the fact that they weren’t able to prove anything doesn’t mean that they dismissed the evidence
.’
‘If they’re looking for motives, you’d better watch out George. You’re the next in line for the boss’s job.’ Frank was still refusing to take the matter seriously. ‘What’s your alibi then?’
‘As it so happens, I was down in Dorset the whole weekend visiting my sister,’ George snapped primly.
‘So that leaves Frank, Dev and you, Barry? So what were you good people up to at the time of crime? Come on, spill the beans,’ teased Tom determined to turn the whole thing into a farce.
‘For goodness sake, stop trying to play bloody Poirot!’ snapped Barry.
‘Ooh! Who’s going to get caught out sneaking off for one of his naughty weekends?’
‘That’s enough, Frank!’ George snapped irritably. ‘I’ve called you all in here to warn you what’s going to happen. It’s important that we keep all this to ourselves. With any luck, it will be plain-clothes officers they send but, even so, a pack of official looking men descending on the college yet again and asking questions is going to provoke a lot of comment. We can’t afford to let wild rumours run riot so it’s up to us to keep things in check. I know Mrs Harcourt is very worried about the college’s reputation.’
‘Then she shouldn’t spread such bloody, stupid rumours,’ growled Frank. ‘And more fool the police for giving credence to her persecution fantasies.’
‘So where is our Lady Principal?’ asked Tom.
‘She’s seeing Sir Richard later on this morning. I get the impression she’s discovered something that will identify whoever has been doing all this. It’s obviously a very sensitive situation so she’s arranged to meet him at his office before they both go off to the station. I thought she was coming in first, but either she’s working at home until then or has gone straight there.’
From the scraping of chairs, Sarah judged that the meeting had come to a close. There was a good deal of muttering which convinced her that, doubts about her sanity aside, the prospect of an invasion by more officials to conduct yet another interrogation brought her popularity to an all-time low. She heard the sound of the door opening and closing a few times but from her hideaway in the cupboard, she could not tell how many had left the room. Eventually, the sound of George’s footsteps coming towards her cupboard told her they had all gone.
‘Did you catch all of that?’
She eased herself out grateful to be back in the light. ‘Most of it. So, the sooner I get back to the flat the better.’
‘Do you think he’ll turn up?’
‘He’s got to if he plans to stop me spilling the beans.’
‘You do realise he has nothing to lose now?’ A deep frown spread across George’s face. ‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No. Let’s stick to the plan. I won’t be alone. Nathan and Sir Richard will both be there.’
‘I’ll ring and let them know that you’re on your way. For goodness’ sake take care.’
Chapter 38
She and Nathan sat crouched on the floor of the half landing. For what seemed the hundredth time, Sarah cautiously raised her head to the sill and peered out of the window. The outlook was strictly limited, confined to only a short distance of road, but there was nowhere else that gave them a better view of anyone approaching the house without revealing what they were up to.
‘Nothing happening,’ she muttered and sank back down.
‘You’re shivering. Shall I get you a jacket or something?’
‘No. I’m not cold, just on tenterhooks.’ Nervous, even frightened, might have been a better word. The waiting was not making it any better. She glanced again at her watch. They had been squatting uncomfortably for nearly an hour. ‘Perhaps the plan hasn’t worked and he’s not coming.’
Nathan smiled and put a comforting arm around her that she did not repel. She let her head rest on his shoulder, but she found it impossible to sit still for long.
‘You don’t think he left his car out of sight somewhere and walked up. Perhaps we’ve missed him.’ She was up at the window again. ‘You can’t see much of the pavement from here.’ Even she could hear the rising panic in her voice.
‘Calm down. He has to come past the house to get round to the cellar. Even if we don’t spot him we’ll hear his footsteps.’
Nathan knelt up beside her and gently pulled her back down.
‘Ought we to check outside?’ She knew it would be foolish but she wanted to be doing something.
‘If he sees us, he’ll be off and all this will have been for nothing.’
Once more, they settled back against the wall occasionally shifting to ease the growing discomfort. The minutes ticked painfully by.
‘It should be me down there in the cellar, not Sir Richard. I should never have let him talk me out of it,’ she muttered.
‘He was right. It was too dangerous,’ Nathan said firmly.
‘But what’s the point? We need to catch whoever it is in the act of trying to harm me otherwise he’ll just plead innocence. There’ll be no evidence. You can’t assume he’ll own up to everything the moment he sees Sir Richard.’ Her voice was beginning to rise above the whispers that they had automatically adopted.
‘We’ve been all through this! What if he has a gun? He might take a pot shot at you before Sir Richard and I could get in to stop him. Then it would be too late. We can’t risk it.’
‘But…’
‘Listen!’ Nathan held up a warning hand.
Their petty squabble was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps outside. They stopped immediately below the window. Sarah and Nathan turned and looked at each other, wide-eyed.
The strident chime of the doorbell cut the silence making Sarah jump. Nathan seized her hands. She made to eased herself to the window but Nathan shook his head and mouthed, ‘He might look up.’
They waited until the footsteps went on, and then made their way down the final flight of stairs, trying to avoid any clatter that might give away their presence.
They paused by the front door, but all was silent. Nathan gently pulled it open and peered out. He beckoned her to follow and they both slid along the wall to its far end.
Nathan slowly eased his head around the corner. Turning back, he mouthed, ‘He’s going down the steps.’
‘Can you see who it is?’
He shook his head. ‘Wait here.’
Nathan sidled round the corner, bent low in case the man should glance back. Ignoring the command, she followed, but their visitor was already out of sight.
She heard him knock and call softly, ‘Saraah?’
At the sound of that breathy whisper, the blood suddenly drained to her shoes. Even here, with Nathan by her side, she couldn’t move. Had she been trapped in that black hole, alone, defenceless, she might well have been driven over the edge of reason. Her enemy knew just how far to push. She had to steel herself not to turn and flee.
The click of the key turning in the lock sounded unnaturally loud in the still air. There was a long pause before the door scraped open and they heard the shuffling as he manoeuvred around it to go inside.
Nathan slowly rose from his crouched position and in long, determined strides covered the twenty yards to the railing. Swallowing her terror, Sarah hurried in his wake. From the clumping inside, it was evident the man was having difficulty adjusting his eyes to the poor light.
As quickly as stealth would allow, Nathan went down the steps with Sarah close behind. They listened with held breath behind the half open door.
‘Sarah?’ Perhaps he already suspected that the figure crumpled in the far corner was not her.
‘Hello, Barry. Fancy meeting you here.’ There was a sudden beam of light. Sir Richard had switched on the torch.
After that, things moved quickly. Nathan wrenched open the door and from beneath his arm, Sarah could see a black silhouette caught in the glare, hands raised to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Then, as Sir Richard attempted to get to his feet, the figure moved, taking a savage backhand swipe at the half-recumben
t man. As Barry’s arm connected with the old man’s head, there was a sickening thud. Sir Richard fell backwards and the torch flew up, tumbling in a ridiculously slow arc, end over end, to land beneath the window, uselessly illuminating the row of half-empty paint tins lined up against the wall.
Nathan was already diving across the intervening space. Barry turned at the sudden commotion behind him. The two men collided and fought like demented small boys in the school playground who had lost all control.
‘Sir Richard!’ she shouted urgently above the grunts and ferocious clamour. There was a low groan but there was no way she could get to him past the punching, kicking figures crashing and rolling around oblivious of all else.
‘Are you all right, Sir Richard?’ she screamed again at the top of her voice.
A pile of large cardboard boxes toppled towards her and she had to jump back to avoid them. It was darker than ever. She struggled to push them aside but that did little to improve the light and the torch lay uselessly on the far side of the cellar.
Sarah could hear the old man coughing and she could just make out that he was pulling himself up into a sitting position. At least he was conscious. She turned her attention to the fight. There was nothing she could do to help. In all the flailing limbs, she’d no idea who was who. The fierce turmoil soon became less frenzied as the two men began to tire. A vicious right hook landed on a jaw sending its recipient sprawling across a pile of old newspapers. The upright figure stood, fists raised, but the other lay slumped, exhausted.
‘Nathan?’
She saw Nathan drop his guard and half turn wearily towards her, sagging like a toy that had lost half of its stuffing.
Suddenly, Barry sprang forward, cannoning into the unsuspecting Nathan. The head butt caught him full in the stomach lifting him from his feet. Sarah screamed as the rag doll body went flying. Barry was blundering towards the door.
All in the Mind Page 25
