Chapter 2: Camera Cone Comes Out Of Retirement

‘If you don’t have any success,’ Lewis told her, ‘Think of all the things you’ve always meant to do and go and join groups that do them. The more people you meet, either socially or at work, the better your chances. Previously you met them but didn’t notice them. Now you’ll not only be aware, but you’ll be confident too.’

‘Go from here now and make the most of the rest of your life. Stand up now.’ he told her. As soon as he stood up Janet threw her arms around him. ‘I’ll never ever forget today.’ she said happily. She gave him a long, long kiss.

‘There you go,’ Lewis said smiling at her, ‘You’d never have felt able to do that before.’ He showed her out, then washed the coffee cups before heading to Ellas for lunch.

MONDAY - LEWIS

Monday as he came out of school he got a call from Christopher. ‘I talked to Phil the security man about CCTV cameras today.’ he said. ‘He told me they were usually pretty reliable, but he did say that the one covering the back parking area seemed do go faulty regularly. I only recently realised,’ he told me, ‘That it happens every Tuesday evening. But it’s fine again when I come in the next day. He said it only seemed to happen after Harold or Mr Worth had relieved him for a break, which someone always did at five pm.

Lewis thanked him, then he cycled over to the garden centre. He went to the shed and spotted Lester working in the maze. He could see a big difference since his last visit. Lester spotted him and came out to see him.

After giving him a hug, he said, ‘Come and let me show you round.’ He gave him a tour and told him all about each of the different gardens they came to as the paths of the maze passed little openings into small garden areas. ‘It’s looking really good.’ Lewis told him, ‘It’s a brilliant idea.’

‘We hope to have it finished in another month,’ Lester told him. ‘Charles was hoping to get the mayor to come and open it, but apparently he’s resigned unexpectedly.’ ‘I’m sure the deputy mayor would do it for you.’ Lewis said. ‘Tell Charles to write in to the mayor’s secretary at the Town Hall. Any problems let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.’

‘Anyway,’ Lewis said, ‘I came to give you some news about Bill.’ Lester looked at his watch. ‘Can you hang on five minutes?’ he asked. ‘Peter will be here then. I’d like him to be with me whatever it is.’ ‘Sure.’ Lewis said pleased that they were clearly still so close.

Lester collected his tools and put them back in the shed. Lewis saw that there were now some folding seats in there. ‘We had our lunch in here on Saturday,’ Lester explained. ‘It was too cold to sit outside.’ He opened another chair ready.

A few minutes later Peter arrived wheeling his bike. He was delighted to see Lewis. As soon as he had put his bike down, he gave him a hug.

‘Let’s go and sit in the shed,’ Lester said, ‘Lewis has some news for me.’

They all sat down, and Lewis looked at Lester. ‘I have been doing some investigating into Bill,’ he told him. ‘He’s the one who raped me years ago,’ Lester reminded Peter.

Peter reached out and held Lesters hand as Lewis continued. ‘I asked a policeman friend to check up on him.’ Lewis told them. ‘Because it’s a different area and a different force it took a while for the information to come back. I think knowing what I discovered will help you.’

‘Apparently in his last year at school and his first year at work, Bill was working with his parents who had a chemist’s shop. He was planning on becoming a pharmacist, but he changed his mind and moved on elsewhere.’

‘But whilst he was there, he learned a lot about drugs and helped prepare prescriptions. He learned about different varieties of what are known as date rape drugs. He managed to acquire a supply of one and calculated a dose which, if added to even a small amount of alcohol, would render his victim unable to move or speak or even sometimes remember what had happened. He could then undress and rape them.’

‘Six months after he attacked you, Bill did the same to someone else. He and a colleague from work went away on a three-day course. On the last evening, they had a few drinks and Bill slipped some drugs into his drink.’

‘Later that evening he helped him into bed, then played with him and raped him. He expected that the next day, if he remembered it at all, he would just think it was a bad dream.’

‘What Bill hadn’t realised was that his colleague hadn’t drunk as much alcohol as he thought, so the drug wasn’t as effective. The victim was still unable to resist or speak at the time, but he was much more aware of what was happening. Because of that he was able to work out who was attacking him.’

‘The next morning, he remembered everything and attacked Bill. He knocked him out as well as breaking a few ribs. When Bill came round, he told him what he thought of him and said he was going to report him to the police.’

‘He felt very embarrassed about it, as you’ll both understand, so it took him a few days to think about it before he went to the police. However, when the police rang Bill to ask him to come in and be interviewed about it, they discovered that Bill had committed suicide two days earlier.

‘When he was told about it, his victim withdrew the charges so Bills parents never found out what he had done.’

‘That must have been awful for his parents even so.’ Lester said. ‘But at least he can’t do it to anyone else. Thanks for telling me.’ he said.

‘How are you two getting on together?’ Lewis asked. They smiled at each other. ‘Most Saturdays we stop over at mine or Lesters.’ Peter told him. ‘Then we go out somewhere together for the day on Sunday.’ Lester added. ‘Plus, several half days here we work together and most days we have lunch together,’ Peter told him. Then Lester added with a big beam, ‘School have told me that I can stay here until it’s time for me to leave.’

Lewis stood up to go. Lester put his arms around him, hugged him and gave him a kiss. He wondered if Lewis had found out anything about his brother Oliver. He didn’t ask because he knew Lewis wouldn’t reveal anything. But he felt sure that if he had, he’d have sorted it all out for him. ‘Thanks again for everything.’ he said giving him another kiss.

Then Peter did the same. Lewis cycled home and texted May.

‘Hi May,

You might get a letter or call from Charles at the garden centre for the mayor to open a maze. It’s a very special maze for children, worthy of support.

Love Lewis x’

TUESDAY - SUPERMARKET

Lewis went to the shop from school and helped Mike for half an hour. He told him he was being picked up to do some detective work. At five o’clock Christopher pulled up outside, so Lewis went out to him. They drove back to Christophers work.

Christopher had had a look around when he left that afternoon and spotted a parking spot that fitted in with what Lewis wanted. He parked up with the front of the car facing the parking area he used. They were several hundred yards away, but they could see the entrance and the parked vehicles.

Lewis had brought some binoculars with him. He studied the back of the building. Whilst they waited, he asked if Christopher knew anything about Mr Worth and Harolds home life.

‘I don’t know anything definite,’ he said. ‘I think I’ve heard it said that they are both married. That’s about all I know. Oh, Harolds surname is Jones and Mr Worths Christian name is Richard.’

They chatted for a while, then they saw a white van driving into the parking area. Lewis watched through his binoculars. He saw the driver open the back doors of the van and stand waiting.

A few moments later a man came out pulling a heavily loaded trolley. ‘Is that Harold?’ Lewis asked passing the binoculars to Christopher. ‘Yes.’ he replied, once he’d managed to focus them.

Lewis watched the two of them load the van, then the wan started moving. Christopher started his engine and Lewis set his phone to video. As the van came past them Lewis managed to get a picture of the van and its registration number as well as the face of the driver.

‘Ok,’ he said, ‘Follow it now, but keep as far back as you can. They followed it through the town. They thought they’d lost it at one stage when there were several white vans together at the traffic lights. They moved up a bit closer and checked the registration number then dropped back again.