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Ian Be
“DS Cabbot,” she said, fishing for her warrant card.
“It’s all right,” said Be
She followed him into the small office.
“So this is what the well-dressed young policewoman is wearing these days,” he said, looking her up and down.
Under her navy-blue raincoat, which hung open, she was wearing boots, black tights, a short denim skirt and a white sweater, none of which she felt was particularly weird. What did he expect? A uniform? A twinset and pearls?
Be
“So this is what the well-dressed young yuppie-on-the-go is wearing to impress the girls these days,” she countered, aware as soon as she had done so that it wasn’t the best way to start an interview. Big problem, A
SecuTec had only a small office at Daleview, where Charlie Courage had spent his nights on guard duty. A
Be
A
Be
“When did he last work?”
“Sunday night. He was on the four-to-midnight shift.”
“Are you certain? Did you see him?”
“No, but he logged in. I mean, he has to log in with us so we know someone’s there.”
“How does he do this?”
Be
“Could someone else have done it? Pretended to be him?”
“I suppose it’s possible. But they’d have to know his user name and his password.”
“I see. Was this the shift he always worked?”
“No. Other days he worked from midnight till eight in the morning.”
“Was he the only night watchman?”
“No. It works like this. Every day the units are open, we have the other security guard, Colin Finch, work four to midnight and Mr. Courage work midnight till eight, when the units start opening in the morning. Then, when we get to Sunday, they alternate. Colin does four to midnight Saturday, Charlie does midnight to eight. Then Colin does eight to four, and so on.”
“I see,” said A
“Yes. I should think so.”
“Can you give me his address?”
“Of course.” Be
A
The question seemed to embarrass Be
“Surely a security firm like yours runs checks on potential employees?”
“Normally we do. Yes, of course. But this one… well… it seems he slipped between the cracks.”
“‘Slipped between the cracks’?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” A
“No. Nothing at all. As far as SecuTec is concerned, Mr. Courage seemed to be doing his job well.”
“Nothing gone missing?”
“Nothing.”
“The other tenants, are they all satisfied?”
“Yes. As I said, we’ve had no problems, no complaints at all. I don’t suppose it’s something you police ever consider, but have you thought at all that Mr. Courage might indeed have gone straight, as they say? I mean, just because a man makes a couple of mistakes, it doesn’t mean he’s marked forever, does it?”
A
He smiled. “I thought that’s what I was doing. I mean, I’ve told you there were no problems. I was only suggesting that it might indicate Mr. Courage had changed his ways. You do believe that criminals can change their ways, don’t you, Detective Constable Cabbot?”
“It’s detective sergeant,” A
Be
A
“He was supposed to walk around the park, check doors and everything once an hour. To be honest, though, it wasn’t much of a job; there wasn’t a lot for him to do.”
“I shouldn’t think so with all these modern security gizmos. Why bother hiring a night watchman at all, then?”
“It was a matter of appearances, really. The tenants like it. Believe it or not, no matter how many sophisticated alarm systems you put in place, people always feel a bit more confident if there’s human being around.”
“That’s comforting,” said A
“Sorry?”
“A joke. Never mind. Carry on.”
“Oh, I see. A copper with a sense of humor. Anyway, having someone on the premises discourages vandals, too.”
“What about a dog?”
“They can be effective, but you can’t just leave them alone. Besides, there’s the whole problem of lawsuits if they actually bite anyone.”
“How did Mr. Courage get the job?”
“He applied through normal cha
“The mark of a master criminal.”
“You’re joking again?” Be
A
“Actually, no. His wages were paid directly into his bank account.”
“Were there ever any cash bonuses?”
Be
“Cash in hand.”
“Certainly not. That’s not SecuTec’s policy.”
“And no money has ever been reported missing by any of the businesses operating out of this park during the period of Mr. Courage’s employment as night watchman?”