by P. F. Ford
'What is it?' asked Darling.
'Beats me,' he said, heading towards the building, 'maybe it's some sort of store. I'll be back in a couple of minutes.'
As Norman had said, it was easy to see someone had been walking around up there, and he followed a rough path towards the brick building. The wall facing him was barely ten feet wide, and he could see the sides were only about six feet deep. To the left side, he could see a rickety door and a small window. Surely it must be some sort of store.
He pushed the door, and it slowly creaked open to reveal an almost empty storeroom. It smelt old, but to his surprise, there was no trace of damp in the air. He stepped inside and took a look around. The floor was thick with old cardboard boxes folded flat to make a rough mattress. On top of that was a groundsheet, and rolled up on the groundsheet was a sleeping bag. They looked very familiar. Norman shook his head.
'Jesus, Millie,' he muttered to himself. 'Is this your safe place to sleep?'
He went back outside, carefully pulling the door closed behind him. He stopped and looked around. A path had been trampled through the undergrowth, and he followed it for a few yards until it became a proper path. He could see it led back through the trees, and he thought about going further, but then remembered Darling. She would have no idea where he had gone if he just wandered off. He decided to check in with her first.
'Have you found anything,' he asked when he found her.
She pointed to the largest of the trees. 'Someone's cleared a spot under that tree. You can see there's a rough path leading to it. There's a great view; you can see right inside nearly all of the rooms.'
'I don't suppose our friend, Tom, left any clues as to his real identity?'
'Not that I could see,' she said.
'I thought as much,' said Norman, 'but at least it proves the girls were right about seeing someone up here watching them.'
He looked back towards the brick shed. 'Am I right in thinking a path going out past that storeroom would lead us into town?'
Darling followed his gaze.
'Yeah,' she said, 'more or less. Why? Did you find something in the shed?'
'It's kinda weird,' he said. 'There was this girl in town on Monday. She said her name was Millie. She was singing, trying to make enough money to buy something to eat. She had a beautiful voice, and I thought she could do with a hand, so I bought her a coat and a couple of things to keep her warm. I told her about the church shelter in town, but she said she already had somewhere safe and dry to sleep.'
Darling looked across at the brick shed. 'What? In that old shed?'
'Go take a look,' he said.
He followed Darling across to the shed and waited as she pushed open the door and looked inside.
'I bought her the groundsheet and the sleeping bag.'
'She's a lucky girl, and you're an old softie,' said Darling, as she swung the door closed.
'I wouldn't call her lucky if she's sleeping in there,’ he said, quietly.
'Of course not, but she was lucky she bumped into you. Not many people would be willing to help out like that.'
'Yeah, well, she's just a kid,' said Norman. 'It was the least I could do.'
Darling sidled up alongside Norman and patted his back.
'And that's what I meant about her being lucky to meet you,' she said.
'How far is it to walk into town from here, d'you think?' he asked.
'Assuming that path runs fairly straight it's probably less than a mile,' she said. 'Not far at all, really.'
'Yeah, that's what I was thinking,' said Norman. 'So any old weirdo could come up here from town and spy on the college.'
'I guess so,' agreed Darling, 'which also means any old weirdo might stumble across a young girl sleeping in that shed.'
'Exactly what I was thinking,' said Norman. 'We need to find her, and explain the danger. Come on, let's go.'
He began to walk towards the path.
'Hang on a minute,' said Darling. 'She could be anywhere. It will be a lot quicker to look around if we take the car.'
'Good point,' said Norman, turning on the spot without breaking stride, and heading back towards the college. 'I'm glad to see you're getting the hang of how this all works now.'
'I am?' she asked, hurrying along behind him.
They parked the car in town and Norman led Darling to the same place he had found Millie before. They could hear her long before they saw her.
'Wow!' said Darling. 'You were right; that voice is amazing.'
Norman smiled
‘Beautiful, isn’t it?’ he agreed.
Millie was sitting on the floor in the same shop doorway as before, but this time she had a small audience of half a dozen, warmly wrapped, Christmas shoppers. As Norman and Darling joined the audience, he was pleased to see she was wearing the coat he had bought for her. As she finished her song, Norman couldn't stop himself from applauding, and two or three of the others joined in with him. They waited while the small crowd made their donations and then stepped forward.
'Hi Millie,' said Norman. 'How are you?'
She squinted up at him and smiled warmly. 'Hi, Norm. I'm okay. How about you?'
'Yeah, I'm fine,' he said. 'This is Naomi. I brought her along so she could hear that voice of yours.'
'You're lucky to have a friend like him,' Millie told Darling. 'He's a very generous man.'
Norman looked suitably embarrassed.
'Yeah, he's definitely one of a kind, there's no doubt about that,' agreed Darling.
'I'm glad you're here, Norm,' said Millie. 'I need a break, and I can afford to buy you that coffee now.'
'That won't be necessary,' said Norman.
Millie looked doubtful. 'I do like to pay my way, you know.'
'I'm not talking charity,' said Norman. 'We're working, and we think you can help us. The coffee will be on expenses, so no-one has to pay.'
'Come on,' said Darling, reaching a hand out to her, 'let me help you up.'
Millie took the hand and eased herself stiffly to her feet.
'Working?' she said. 'And you think I can help?'
She stretched her legs slowly. 'I've been sitting on that cold floor for too long,' she said.
'I told you before you should be singing in front of a proper audience, not singing from a freezing shop doorway,' said Norman, picking up her rucksack.
'Yeah,' agreed Millie, 'but we all know that's not likely to happen anytime soon, so I don't have much choice, do I? Anyway, never mind me, what work do you do that you think I can help you with?'
'Let's get inside a warm coffee shop, and we'll tell you,' said Norman.
'We were up at the college looking around, and we stumbled upon this shed in the woods,' explained Darling, once they were settled in the coffee shop. 'Norm recognised the groundsheet and the sleeping bag.'
'Ah, right,' said Millie, unzipping her coat. 'So there's not much point in me denying it.'
'None whatsoever,' Darling agreed.
'And now I suppose you've come to tell me the people at the college want you to evict me.'
'No, that's not why we're here,' said Norman.
'So, what do you want then?'
'We're detectives,' said Norman. 'We were called to the college to investigate some thefts, but then a couple of the girls told us they had seen someone up where you're sleeping. That building opposite is the accommodation block. Apparently, some guy is going up there, hiding in the trees and spying on them through their windows.'
Millie had been raising her coffee to take a sip, but now she paused halfway, her eyes fixed on Darling.
'It's pretty creepy, right?' suggested Darling.
'Err, yeah,' said Millie. 'Creepy, yeah.'
'The thing is,' continued Norman, 'if some guy is wandering around up there we thought perhaps you might have seen him.'
She shook her head. 'No, sorry, I haven't seen anyone up there.'
Norman hadn't really expected her to have seen anyone, but that wasn'
t actually his primary concern.
'To be honest, we thought it was unlikely,' he admitted. 'But what concerns me more is the fact you're sleeping up there. What if this guy comes up there and finds you asleep in the shed?’
'Has anyone actually seen him at night?' asked Millie.
'He's been spotted during the day, but then they wouldn't see him in the dark, would they?' said Darling.
'If he gets his kicks watching girls getting undressed he's going to be pretty feeble-minded, isn't he?' said Millie. 'I expect he's frightened of the dark, so I'll be safe enough.'
'I don't think you understand,' said Norman. 'You could be in real danger.'
She smiled sympathetically at him.
'It's kind of you to worry, Norm,' she said, 'but you can't survive for long on the street if you can't look after yourself. I'll be fine, honest. Besides, I like it up there.'
'Yeah, bu—’
'Look, I hear you, right? But I like being up there on my own. I'll be just fine,' she insisted. 'Now, why don't you tell me how you two come to be working as detectives.'
Ten minutes later she made her excuses. Norman carried her rucksack as she zipped up her coat, then he handed it to her as she reached the door.
'I see you're not using the iPod for backing music today.'
‘The battery's flat,' she said.
'Would you like me to take it home and charge it for you?'
'Oh, great, thanks. Are you sure you don't mind?'
'Of course not,' said Norman. 'I'll bring it back tomorrow. Will you be in the same place?'
'Yeah, probably,' she said. 'And I'll buy the coffees tomorrow.'
Norman smiled. 'Okay. You take care now, and please be careful up there in that shed.'
'I'll be fine, I promise,' she said.
Chapter Eight
Norman and Darling left the coffee shop a few minutes later and headed for their car.
'Can you charge this thing up tonight?' asked Norman, fishing the iPod from his pocket.
Darling took the iPod, turned it over and looked at the back of it. She stopped and looked at Norman.
'D'you know where she got this?'
'I have no idea,' he said. 'Why?'
'The one that was stolen from Sophie Dawson is exactly like this.'
'But they're as common as muck,' said Norman. 'I thought I was the only person who didn't have one.'
'Yeah, but think about it, Norm. What use is an iPod to someone who doesn't have an electricity supply?'
'Now wait a minute,' said Norman. 'What are you saying?'
'She was wearing a nice blue sweater, too,' said Darling.
Norman looked into the distance as if hoping he would find a good reason for Millie having an iPod and a blue sweater. He swore quietly.
'I'm sorry, Norm, but we're going to have to ask her the question.'
He sighed, and slowly nodded his head.
'Yeah, I suppose you're right.'
She slid an arm through his. 'Come on,' she said, 'let's go back right now. The longer we wait, the harder it will be.'
As he allowed her to lead him back to where they had last seen Millie, Norman glanced up at the steel grey sky. It didn't seem possible it could get any darker but, as if to match his mood, it did precisely that. And then it began to rain, or was it snow? He couldn't decide.
'I hate sleet,' muttered Darling, as she pulled the hood of her coat into place. 'It's Christmas, for goodness sake. Why can't we have snow, like we're supposed to?'
But Norman wasn't listening, he was thinking out loud.
'You know, I hate to say it, but this all starts to add up now,' he said, turning his collar up around his ears. 'I've been trying to figure out how some guy had managed to walk into the building unnoticed by the CCTV, but I couldn't see how it was possible.'
'Which is why we both thought it had to be one of the girls who lived in the building,' continued Darling.
'That's right,' agreed Norman. 'But now I can see exactly how it could be possible, and when you think about it, it should have been obvious. I mean, no man could walk into the girls block unnoticed, could he? He would stand out like a sore thumb, right? But, if it was a girl, well, all she would have to do is shield her face from the camera, and who would know she didn't belong there?'
Darling stopped and studied Norman's face for a moment.
'You don't want to believe this do you?'
'I can't ignore the evidence, can I?' he asked. 'But I'll admit I wish it could be anyone but her.'
'I don't know about you, but I think we should speak to her and see what she has to say before we condemn her.'
'I'm not condemning anyone, but do you really think she's going to have a plausible excuse?' asked Norman.
'I think she should be given the opportunity to explain. Is that a problem?'
'No way,' said Norman. 'I'm prepared to give her every chance we can, especially when it's just a few days before Christmas.'
'And so am I,' agreed Darling, as she started walking again. 'Talking about Christmas, what are your plans?'
He sighed. 'Plans? I don't have any plans.'
'Nor me. I think it's just gonna pass me by this year.'
Norman seemed to slump even lower into his shoulders, his head bowed.
'Yeah,' he agreed, gloomily. 'To be honest, the way things are right now, I can't wait for it to be over.'
Darling pulled a face. She couldn't recall Norman ever being this gloomy, and she was worried about him. She felt she had to try and do something about it, but she said nothing and left him to his thoughts.
Millie was back in her shop doorway when they found her.
'Twice in one day, Norm?' she said, smiling up at him. 'Are you my stalker?'
Norman held up the iPod and her smile vanished.
'You know why we're here, right?'
'Have you come to arrest me?' she asked.
'We're not the police, Millie,' said Darling.
'So, what happens now?'
'You know we're gonna have to take this stolen stuff back, don't you?' asked Norman.
Millie sighed a huge sigh.
'Yes, I know. It just seems so unfair. All those girls have got loads of everything, and I've got nothing. I mean, that girl has got three iPods! Why does she need three?'
'Did you take the sweater from the same room?' asked Darling.
Millie looked down at the ground. She let out a huge sob, and slowly nodded her head. 'Yeah. I've never seen so many clothes. I didn't think she'd miss it.'
Darling knelt down by the sobbing girl, put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close.
'Come on,' she said, softly. 'It's not the end of the world. We all make mistakes. It's what happens next that matters.'
Norman would have preferred to have been anywhere, other than here, watching Millie, right now.
'Hey, look,' he said. 'I'm guessing Millie hasn't had anything to eat in hours. Why don't we go somewhere we can have some lunch and talk? I'm sure we can sort this out.'
They were sitting at a quiet table for four, Norman one side and the two girls opposite him. They'd had their meal, and now Millie was telling them her story.
'So your mother was only sixteen when you were born?' asked Norman.
Millie smiled, shyly.
'Yeah, she was all on her own, and she was far too young. I don't think I could have coped, and I'm eighteen!'
'And who was this guy she hooked up with?'
'His name was Marvin. He was okay, really. At least he seemed to care about her, and he was good with me. In fact, he could be really nice, when he was clean, but he was an addict, you know? He was never strong enough to stay clean for long, and he soon got mum hooked as well. I often used to come home from school and find the two of them out of their heads.'
'Bloody hell,' said Darling. 'That's no way for anyone to grow up. How come you didn't end up in care?'
'They tried to take me away,' said Millie, 'but I wouldn't leave her. She was
my mum. No-one else gave a rat's arse about her or Marvin, so I had to. It's a funny thing; you read about these celebrity's with their drug habits, and they get sympathy and rehab like they have an illness. When you're poor like we were, you get sod all in the way of sympathy, and you get treated like you're some low-life criminal.'
Norman had come across his fair share of drug addicts, and he knew she was right.
'And you managed to get through school with all that going on?' he asked.
'Oh, yeah. Mum always went without to make sure I had enough, and I did quite well. I suppose my voice was the gift to make up for everything else. I was told to apply for a scholarship at the fancy college here in Tinton.'
'Is that why you're here?' asked Darling.
'I thought I'd come and see what I was missing.'
'You mean you got the scholarship?'
'I dunno, I never heard back, but it doesn't matter now anyway.'
'So if you're here now, where's your mum?' asked Norman.
Millie studied the top of the table and fiddled with an empty glass.
'Marvin died first,' she said, matter-of-factly, 'and mum never really got over him. She just sort of faded away. They said she died of heart failure, but I think she died of a broken heart.'
There was a little gasp from Darling, and an involuntary hand was suddenly covering her mouth. Norman could see her eyes filling with tears. He felt he should have seen what was coming, and wished he could take the question back and somehow re-run the conversation.
'Jeez, I'm sorry, Millie. I had no idea,' he said.
She gave him a quick, mirthless smile, and a little shrug of her shoulders then returned her vacant stare to the empty glass. 'It's okay. How could you know?'
'When was this?'
Millie hesitated for a moment before she spoke, very quietly. 'December 24th, last year,' she said.
'Shit,' muttered Norman, and now he could feel his own eyes filling with tears.
Millie looked up at him and gave another mirthless smile. 'Yeah, that was a merry Christmas, I can tell you.'
The tears were coursing down Darling's cheeks now, and she put an arm around Millie's shoulders.
'It wasn't your fault,' she said.
