A Fatal Deception

by P. F. Ford

  'I'm not trying to say you were wrong,' said Norman, hastily. 'I just want to make sure of the details.'

  'I'm sure it was a man,' she insisted.

  'So what did this man do?' asked Darling.

  'He had binoculars. He was looking at these windows, spying on us all.'

  'Did he see you?'

  'I think so because he suddenly ducked down out of sight.'

  'I don't suppose you noticed what he was wearing?' asked Norman.

  'No, I'm sorry. Like you say it's quite dark in amongst those trees.'

  'Okay, no problem,' said Norman. 'You said this was the first time you saw him. Does that mean you've seen him since?'

  'Sunday afternoon. It was just before dark. He did the same thing all over again, only this time he didn't see me. Perhaps he didn't look in my window because I didn't have any lights on.'

  'And you're sure it was the same person?' asked Darling.

  'It was about this time of day, and it was getting dark, so of course, I can't be sure,' said Sophie, impatiently. 'I assumed it was the same man. Is it normal to have a selection of them?'

  'Okay,' said Norman, 'I can see you're pretty upset about this, so we'll leave you in peace. It's getting too dark to see properly now, but tomorrow morning we can go up there and take a look around. If you spotted him that easily, he's probably not very good at hiding his tracks so we should be able to find some clues that will help us identify him.'

  'I promise you we'll do all we can to find this guy,' Darling assured Sophie. 'And if we can't sort it out we'll get the police down here to take a look around.'

  'Can you do one more thing for us?' asked Norman. 'If you could just let Naomi know what you've had stolen.'

  'Yes, sure,' she said.

  Norman made his way back to the reception area. Beamish looked up as he approached, and it was apparent he was wondering where Darling could be.

  'Thanks for your help,' said Norman as he approached the counter. 'I'm sorry if I was bit touchy earlier. It's been a bad day.'

  'That's okay,' said the guard. 'No offence taken. I'm not always at my best when things aren't going right. None of us are, are we?’

  'What's your name?' asked Norman.

  'Eric. Eric Beamish,' he said.

  'Right. Eric,' said Norman. 'I need your help.'

  'You do?'

  'I take it you have CCTV here. I'd like to see the footage from the student block from Friday, over the weekend, and up until today.'

  Beamish had gone pale, and suddenly he didn't seem to have much to say.

  'Is there some problem?' asked Norman.

  'I'm sure there won't be anything to see,' said Beamish, uncertainly.

  'How can you be so sure when you don't even know what I'm looking for?' said Norman. 'Or, perhaps you do know?'

  'Well, no, of course, I don't know,' admitted Beamish. 'Why don't you tell me? I might be able to save you wasting your time.'

  'One of the students says someone was watching her at the weekend, and then she had stuff stolen from her room on Monday. If a Peeping Tom is watching their rooms, maybe it's the same guy stealing stuff. We should be able to spot him.'

  Beamish shook his head. 'No way, mate. That Peeping Tom stuff is a load of old cobblers, and I've already checked the recording. There's no way some bloke walked in there. I would have seen him.'

  'And you haven't been in there yourself?' asked Norman.

  'No, I bloody well haven't,' said Beamish. 'You've got no right to suggest something like that! I'm not allowed into the female student block. It's the rules.'

  Norman thought the man sounded guilty about something.

  'Well, Eric,' he said. 'I apologise if I've offended you, but I'm just doing my job.'

  'I'm quite capable of managing the security around here,' said Beamish. 'I don't know why the Principal didn't save his money, and let me handle it.'

  Norman was tempted to tell Beamish what the Principal had said about his skills, but decided a little white lie might be a better option.

  'I think it's probably the case that with all these potential sponsors wandering about the place he wanted them to be able to see he takes security seriously,' he explained. 'If you're off investigating you're not going to be here, are you?'

  Beamish looked doubtful.

  'So, how can you be so sure about this Peeping Tom not existing?' asked Norman. 'You seem to dismiss it very easily.'

  'Alright, so there have been one or two complaints about somebody looking into the girls' bedroom windows,' admitted Beamish, reluctantly. 'There's some high ground at the back of the building. You can look down into some of the windows.'

  'You know this because you've been up there and had a look for yourself, have you?' suggested Norman.

  'The girls said they saw someone up there, so I went and had a look for myself on Monday, but I couldn't see anything to suggest anyone else had been up there.'

  'And has this been reported to the police?'

  'No.' Beamish was beginning to look distinctly uncomfortable now. 'The secretary seemed to think it was nothing to worry about.'

  'Nothing to worry about?' echoed Norman. 'Are you kidding me? There's some pervert watching teenage girls getting undressed, and the secretary thinks there's no need to worry? I think I need to speak to this secretary. Where can I find her?'

  'Look. I like my job,' said Beamish. 'You're not going to tell her I've been talking, are you?'

  'What are you, a man, or a mouse?' asked Norman. 'Aren't you here to look after these kids?'

  Beamish looked distinctly sheepish.

  'Well, yeah, of course, I am.'

  'Well, then, stop hiding behind that counter and bloody well do it,' snapped Norman. 'You can start by finding me that footage from the student block.'

  'Right. It'll be through here,' said Beamish, heading for a door to one side of the counter. 'We've only got footage of the entrance and, as I said, there's nothing to see.'

  'Just find it and let me take a look,' said Norman.

  'Alright, alright, keep your hair on,' said Beamish.

  'Is there just the one way in?' asked Norman, following him into the office.

  'Yeah. There are fire exits on each floor, but they can only be opened from the inside.'

  'Good,' said Norman. 'So, if someone did go inside, we should be able to see them going in.'

  'I'm telling you, all you're going to see is the girls that live there, but if you want to waste your time, Mister Clever Detective, be my guest,' said Beamish.

  Norman spent the next hour studying the CCTV footage, scrolling through at speed and slowing down when someone came into view. He was disappointed to find Beamish was right - there was nothing but girls going in and out of the door.

  'Any luck?' asked Darling when she joined him.

  'Nada,' said Norman. 'I was kinda hoping there might be an image of some guy with the word "TOM" inscribed on his back, but there are no guys at all.'

  'What? Not even one of the male students sneaking in for a bit of hanky-panky?' she asked.

  Norman sighed.

  'Not even that,' he said. 'Nothing but girls coming, and going, about their business. Did you get a description of the stuff Sophie had stolen?'

  'An iPod, a blue sweater, and some knickers,' said Darling, 'but she can't be sure what time they disappeared because she was in rehearsals all day.'

  She nodded at the monitor in front of Norman. 'You know what that means, don't you?' she asked.

  'It means if there is a Peeping Tom, he's not the one who stole Sophie's iPod,' said Norman.

  'And it means it has to be a girl doing the stealing,' said Darling, 'unless our man is invisible.'

  'Crap!' said Norman. 'That makes this CCTV a complete waste of time, then, because, with no idea what time it happened, and they're all coming and going during the day, it could have been any one of them, at any time.'

  'Why don't we call it a day and come back in the morning,' said Darling. 'We can star
t by searching up among the trees.'

  'Yeah, I guess that sounds like a plan,' said Norman.

  Chapter Six

  Wednesday 17th December

  Norman and Darling arrived at the College just after 08.30 next morning and made their way straight to the Principal's office, only to be intercepted a few yards short of their destination by Shirley Brant, the secretary. Everything about her made it quite clear how unwelcome they were.

  'I don't think you have an appointment,' she said.

  'Actually, we have,' said Norman. 'I called Dr Bartholomew at home last night, and he said he would see us before his first diary appointment at nine.'

  ‘You’re not in his diary.'

  'Well, we wouldn't be, would we?’ said Norman, 'unless he takes it home with him every night. Can you tell him we're here?'

  She pointed to the phone on her desk. A small red light was blinking to indicate the extension was in use.

  'He's on the telephone. I'll tell him when he's finished.'

  'Okay, we'll wait,' said Norman.

  'This is a crucial time for the College, you know,' she said, as she took her position behind her desk. 'People like you two, stirring up trouble, could bring this place down, and ruin Dr Bartholomew's reputation at the same time.'

  Norman wondered what she meant by that, but he didn’t want to be drawn into an argument this early in the morning.

  ‘I’m not going to argue with you,' he said, 'but I will ask you to remember it was Dr Bartholomew who actually called us in. We're only doing what he asked us to do.'

  'Yes,' said Mrs Brant. 'I still don't understand why he felt the need to do that.'

  'You'll have to ask him to explain that one,' said Norman.

  'He's been a wonderful steward for the College. He's dragged it from nothing to where it is now.'

  'He must be so happy to have someone like you watching his back,' said Norman.

  She glared at him, not exactly sure just how much sarcasm there was behind his remark.

  Norman pointed to the telephone. 'It looks like he's finished now. Can we go in?'

  'I have to tell you Mr Norman, I'm not best pleased,' said Dr Bartholomew. 'I didn't ask you to start interfering with our Christmas show. Sophie Dawson was playing one of the lead roles, and now she's decided to pull out and go home. If we can't persuade her to come back, I don't know what we're going to do.'

  'How come we get the blame for that?' asked Norman.

  'You seem to have convinced her it's not safe to stay here.'

  'Sophie Dawson saw a Peeping Tom watching her through a pair of binoculars, that's why she thinks it's not safe,' said Darling. 'Don't you think her safety is more important than some show?'

  'It's not just, "some show" Ms Darling,' he snapped. 'The Christmas show is our chance to demonstrate to all our sponsors that we are delivering the goods. Besides, Mrs Brant has assured me the girls are perfectly safe and secure.'

  'So you don't care that you have a Peeping Tom prowling around,' said Darling. 'That's not important as long as you get your sponsors to cough up, is that it?'

  'The Peeping Tom is just a rumour,' said Bartholomew, 'and I would ask you to stop perpetuating that rumour.'

  'You should call the police,' said Darling.

  'Over. My. Dead. Body,' said Bartholomew, sternly. He turned to Norman.

  'When I invited you here, Mr Norman, I thought I made it clear there was to be no police involvement, did I not?'

  'Yes, you did,' said Norman. 'But you told me we were investigating a bit of petty theft. You forgot to mention anything about a Peeping Tom. I also find it a bit of a coincidence you called me the day after that happened.'

  'That was pure coincidence. I'm afraid I don't believe anyone is spying on the girls,' said Bartholomew.

  'And I'm afraid I don't believe in coincidences,' said Norman.

  The two men stared at each other for a few seconds.

  'Tell me Mr Norman, did I mention just how influential I can be?'

  'Yes, you did,' said Norman.

  'So you'll understand that can be a positive blessing for you, or it can be a curse. I'm sure you understand what I'm saying.'

  'Ah, right, I get you,' said Norman.

  'So here's my offer,' said Bartholomew. 'Get on with the job I asked you to do. When you've solved that problem, I can tell all my associates how well you've done. Or, you can persist with this ridiculous, "spy up in the trees" idea, and I’ll have you thrown off site, and destroy your reputation. What do you think?'

  'I'll tell you what I think,' snarled Darling. 'I think you can stick--'

  'Stick our names down for two tickets to the Christmas show,' finished Norman. 'Naomi here loves a good musical. In the meantime, we'll get back to finding out who's got sticky fingers. Well, thank you for seeing us, and for clearing up this little misunderstanding. We'll be off now.'

  He took the furious Darling by the arm and bundled her through the door, then marched her out to the car park. She had a face like thunder, and he could see she was spitting feathers. When he finally stopped hustling her forward and let go of her arm, she wheeled around and slapped at his arm.

  'I can't believe you just did that,' she spat.

  'Can't believe I did what?'

  While they were talking to Bartholomew Norman had been hoping Darling would understand what he was doing, but he had also feared she would get hold of the wrong end of the stick. Boy, had he been right about that!

  'You sold out. You let that pompous idiot threaten you, and you just caved in. You forgot all your principles just because he knows a few people. You don't even know he's going to recommend you to anyone. It's probably all bullshit. And what about Sophie Dawson? How is ignoring what's happened going to help her? I can't tell you how disappointed I am.'

  Norman smiled to himself.

  'Everything's so black and white to you isn't it?' he asked.

  'Of course, it is,' she said. 'There's right, and there's wrong, that's all. And right now, you're definitely in the wrong.'

  'When you get a little older you'll understand there are also shades of grey.'

  Darling was so furious she was struggling to get her words out.

  'Oh, bollocks!' she snapped. 'Don't patronise me with that, "when you get older" crap!'

  'Okay,' said Norman. 'So, let's say we do it your way. What do you think would have happened if I had dug my heels in and refused to do what he wanted?'

  She was still seething and didn't reply, so he continued.

  'We would have been sacked, right there and then. How would that have helped Sophie or any of the girls?'

  'At least you would still have your pride,' she said. 'I don't know how you'll be able to live with yourself.'

  'Don't you worry about my pride,' he said. 'My pride is just fine, and I can assure you I will have no problem living with myself.'

  'I don't see how.'

  'You know, I love you to bits, Naomi, but sometimes you can be so narrow-minded it drives me mad!'

  'Narrow-minded? Me? How do you work that one out?'

  'Okay, as your self-righteous anger makes you so blind you can't see what I'm doing, let me explain,' he said. 'We both believe Sophie saw someone watching her, but we also know that if she makes a complaint to the police, the college will sweep it under the carpet, and make sure nothing is done about catching whoever is responsible, right?'

  'Exactly,' she agreed. 'But at least if we make a stand it would be better than backing down and aiding a cover-up.'

  'How is it better? If we get kicked off site, we can't solve anything, but if we're still around, we can keep our ears and eyes open. Sure, I've just said we'll be looking for a thief, but I didn't say we would stop looking for our man, Tom, did I?'

  Darling looked slightly embarrassed but said nothing. She didn't need to; Norman was on a roll.

  'You see, in my world, there are various shades of grey which means we can say one thing to keep the Principal happy, but do something q
uite different. By doing this, there may be a chance to catch the guy. In your black and white world, we take a principled stand, get thrown off site, and learn nothing. It would just be like it had never happened and whoever it is would get away with it. Do you want that?'

  'Err, well, no, I suppose not,' said Darling, sheepishly.

  'I understand this is probably the sort of case that means a lot to you,' he said, 'but you need to learn to step back, take a deep breath, and think. When you get too close, you lose sight of the bigger picture.'

  'Okay, I get the point,' she said, sullenly. 'You can stop the lecture now.'

  'I accept your apology,' said Norman.

  'I didn't apologise.'

  'But you were just going to, weren't you?' said Norman. 'I mean, if I had just questioned your principles, and been so comprehensively wrong, I think I might feel the need to eat just a teeny slice of humble pie.'

  'Okay. I was wrong, and I'm sorry.'

  Norman patted her arm gently.

  'So are we okay now?' he asked. 'Are you sure you don't still feel the need to punch me?'

  'I can't guarantee I won't if you're going to keep teasing me,' she warned him.

  'I'll try not to,' he said, 'but I can't promise.'

  'So what happens now?' she asked.

  'I think, now we're outside, we might just as well take a walk up the bank to those trees and see if we can find any evidence that'll show someone has actually been up there. If nothing else, it'll give you a chance to cool off.'

  Chapter Seven

  They made their way up the slope to the clump of trees at the top. The area under the trees was thick with undergrowth and had been neglected for some time.

  'There are more trees up here than I thought,' said Norman, 'and it's like a damned jungle.'

  'Yeah,' agreed Darling, 'and more trees and more undergrowth means more hiding places.'

  'You start here,' said Norman. 'It's so overgrown it should be easy enough to see if anyone's been here.' He pointed to a small brick building about twenty yards back. 'I'm going to take a look at that place.'