(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2380 by Angharad Copyright© 2014 Angharad
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Daddy arrived a short time later and soon after that the boys in blue came. Actually, it was two women who came, a detective constable of about forty who stank of stale cigarettes and a young woman about Julie’s age.
“Is there anything missing?” asked the detective.
“Not that I can see.”
She pushed open the door with a pen, “Exam papers, would anyone want to steal them?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wouldn’t they be more likely to want to put one in.”
Talk about an epiphany, Daddy and I looked at each other and nodded. Someone who’d done a poor paper might like to rewrite their effort and swap it for the original—but who?
The detective examined the lock of my door and my filing cabinet and shook her head. “Are you sure you didn’t just forget to lock them?”
“I made absolutely sure I locked the papers away in the filing cabinet and also to lock my door afterwards.”
“Have you got the keys?” she held out her hand and I reached in my handbag. “Louis Vuitton, very nice.”
“My husband gave it to me.”
“He must love you then.”
“He does.” I surrendered my keys, which also had my car keys.
“Jaguar...”
“Yes it’s very nice too, can we just concentrate on the burglary.”
“At the moment Dr Watts, I can’t see any evidence for a break-in or any other sort of burglary.”
She tried my keys in the door and cabinet. “The locks still work so no one has forced or picked them. Are you sure you didn’t forget to lock them?”
“I remember locking them.”
“Or thought you did, anyone else have keys?”
“The caretaker and presumably the cleaning staff, the main reception does too, but nobody has a spare for the filing cabinet,” I protested.
“That’s a piece of piss,” said the detective woman making my flesh creep with her vulgarity. “See the number here?” She pointed to the lock on the cabinet. I nodded, I must have seen it a thousand times but not seen it. “Take that into a key cutting shop or ironmonger’s and they can order you one—they don’t even need to see the original.
“Unless I have more evidence that some sort of crime has taken place, I can’t help you.”
“What about finger prints?”
“Dr Watts, there are likely to be dozens of fingerprints on everything. It needs to be far more specific.”
“So that’s it then?”
“Unless you have more evidence I can’t justify any more time on this affair, besides cheating in an exam is not usually a criminal offence.”
“So you’d be quite happy to be treated in a hospital by someone who admitted he cheated in his finals.”
“That’s hardly the same is it?”
“Same offence.”
“Yeah, but no one is going to die if they cheated on a question about dormice, are they?”
“If dormice were being used as an indicator species for climate change, which they are, a sudden decline in numbers may prove very valuable in demonstrating climate change—which could kill dozens or even thousands of people—so yeah, no one dies...”
“Is that a real scenario?” she asked Daddy and he agreed it was.
“But it’s all theory, innit?”
“So was gravity at one time.”
“Yeah okay, but why would a climate change denier be in your office?”
“Swap exam papers?”
“That isn’t a criminal.”
“But a crime has taken place, someone broke into my office and stole or swapped an exam paper.”
“If one was taken, then I accept theft has taken place—but putting one in, you’re havin’ a laugh, inyah?”
“Isn’t it a crime to trespass on university property?”
“Only if you can prove they damaged something.”
“Intellectual theft?”
“You’d need to make a case first.”
She left and I felt like sitting down and weeping. I had locked the door but she didn’t believe me—no one was ever going to believe me.
Comments
Sorry
it's a bit short - have to be up very early tomorrow and need to get to bed.
Angharad
Take care of you first
As long as you are well, I don't even care if there is no new chapter. Take care of you first and we will all survive an short night's story lady. Hope all is well with you!
Dahlia
Thanks for this...
Thank you for this bit... It's far more than we deserve. Take care of yourself and have a great Saturday!
A
Yes Cathy, They Will Believe You Eventually
I think that solving the mystery will be satisfying enough. I don't think she will rub their nose in it. She might need to tell that constable that she has a stage 2 carcinoma in the upper right lobe of her lung. Smoking will do that.
Portia
I'm sure Tom believed her
Maybe get a sweep of the office, could have put in something other than an exam paper.
Or bring Trish in and tell her what the clues are....
As long as I worked in the
As long as I worked in the field of Law Enforcement (42 years), I never cared much for those who acted and talked to others in a condescending manner. Sadly, not only did they to that to 'outsiders'; they did it as well to their own fellow officers. This is what I feel this woman detective is doing with Cathy. At the very least, even if you the officer, do not believe there is a case per se; you can at least go through the motions, so as to settle the complainant or victim down.
A locksmith could have made a new key
New keys for the file cabinet could have been made but not for the office door. That would require an original to copy. The university probably has special keys.
Picking a lock does not destroy the lock or leave much trace except scratches on the tumblers. The detectives gave only half a try or less.
Let's see next what Cathy finds in her file cabinet, perhaps some papers out of order. Didn't she know how many she had done already?
Good show, Ang.
Much Love,
Valerie R
Over here...
Over here, the "fact" of breaking and entry would be considered a crime, even if nothing were touched... And, if they could prove a student added/removed/etc. a paper things can happen.
My wife experienced a case where a student 'took' someone else's paper, copied a bit, and shoved them both back into the pile. My wife saw it, as did six other students. The cheater was called on it and denied it... Long story short the State Supreme Court (yeah it got that far with the student denying all the way, despite seven witnesses) concurred that she'd cheated and with the ultimate punishment (Flunk of the course). Why fight? She wanted to go to Medical school. As Cathy said, do you really want your doctor to be someone who would cheat on tests? What else would he/she cheat on or skip? (Sad thing is, had the student admitted it, upon being caught she would have gotten a zero on that paper... Which amounted to 1% of her final grade.
I hope the perpetrator can be found and the reason for the action determined. It could be as bad/crazy as someone planting listening devices in the room and/or a keystroke capture device (to learn Cathy's login IDs / Passwords,etc... Oh, myyy.
Why do I think the cop wasn't interested in helping cause she was SURE Cathy wasn't an "honest" teacher what with expensive purses and a Jaguar to drive and all...
Thanks,
Annette
P.S. Wouldn't it be funny if one of the four (Emma or the Cross Dresser) that caused the trouble ended up being the person who helps solve this problem...