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Night Watch | |
Daisy had got up early that spring morning because she was working on a case in the nearby town. | |
She arrived at her office with a paper bag in her hand containing fresh cream buns at a quarter to eight and was dying for a cup of coffee. | |
As she put the key in the lock, a woman’s voice called out, "It’s open, Daisy." | |
It was Pam, the cleaner. | |
"How about some breakfast, Pam?" said Daisy with a smile and then noticed Pam had obviously been crying. | |
"Pam, whatever has happened? | |
Come on sit down and have some breakfast with me. | |
Please tell me what’s bothering you." | |
Pam was a hard-working woman with two children to bring up. | |
She did the cleaning for the whole building which meant seven offices. | |
"Jim has been on to me again about the children. | |
You know he has no legal right to see them and he really couldn’t care less about them, and never has." | |
"Let’s put the kettle on." | |
Daisy began preparing the instant coffee and offered Pam a bun, | |
"Now, why don’t you start from the beginning?" | |
Pam looked extremely troubled and went on: | |
"You see, when we got divorced he didn’t even ask to see his children. | |
Now he’s got no money, he’s trying to torture me into giving him some with the threat that otherwise he’ll get the children away from me." | |
"I don’t think he can do that easily, Pam," Daisy reasoned. | |
Pam accepted another bun. | |
"No Daisy, not easily, but he’s very vindictive and he’s threatened to make my life a hell." | |
"Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. | |
Look, if he gets violent all you have to do is call the police." | |
"I know Jim, if I don’t give him money he’ll be as good as his word." | |
Three days later Daisy got a telephone call. | |
"Daisy, it’s Pam. I’m going round the bend. | |
Jim’s been coming round to my house every night after the pubs close trying to see through my bedroom window and making strange noises. | |
He’s trying to get on my nerves so that I’ll give in and hand over all the money he asks for. | |
I haven’t slept for three days." | |
" Have you informed the police about it?" | |
"Jim telephoned me just now and said that if I call the police in, he’ll tell them I’m imagining things and hysterical and mentally ill and shouldn’t have his children in my custody. | |
What am I going to do Daisy? I feel desperate." | |
"All right Pam, tell me your address and I’ll see what I can do." | |
Daisy went round to Trends, her local television, radio and computer shop, and asked to speak to Mr. Ranjee, the owner of the shop. | |
"Mr. Ranjee, do you think you could lend me a camcorder for a couple of days?" | |
Daisy had found the thief who was stealing from the shop a few months’ ago | |
and Mr. Ranjee had always said that if ever she needed something, please to come and ask for it. | |
"Of course, Miss Hamilton. You say you want one that works in the dark. | |
Mm - take this. Do you know how to use it? Let me show you." | |
Mr. Ranjee spent the next half hour teaching Daisy some elementary camcorder tricks. | |
Daisy decided to go around to Pam’s house at about ten that evening armed with the camcorder and its rain-proof covering. | |
She also had a whistle in her pocket and a Mars bar to while away the time. | |
"Oh no! It’s beginning to rain," Daisy exclaimed to herself. | |
Whenever she had a job on at night it invariably rained. | |
Fortunately, this time, she had brought a plastic mac and hood with her. | |
At that time of night there were few people around. | |
Pam had explained that she lived in an old cottage, and that her bedroom was round the back facing the garden. | |
When Daisy arrived, she went to the back of the cottage, climbed over the low fence | |
and saw there was a tumble-down tool shed at the bottom of the garden. | |
"That’s where I’ll hide and wait for that monster. | |
How dare he try to hurt dear Pam," thought Daisy. | |
Once inside the shed Daisy heard something like a flower-pot fall to the ground outside | |
and crouched down so that she couldn’t be seen through the small dirty window. | |
Apparently it was a meeting-place for cats, for she heard miaowing. | |
"Certainly if Pam’s ex-husband wants to repeat his previous performance, I’d better get rid of those cats so he’s not scared off." | |
She opened the shed door warily and threw an old shoe she had found inside at the cats, who hastily vanished. | |
Now everything was quiet again. | |
Two hours later Daisy, very stiff from the damp and cold, got up from the ancient wicker chair she had been sitting on. | |
"I can’t stand it much longer" she moaned to herself. | |
Then she thought she heard the noise of Wellington boots sloshing through the damp foliage. | |
Someone was creeping towards the house. | |
Daisy’s arms ached because of the enforced inaction and she nearly dropped the camcorder. | |
She stepped out of her shoes and slipped out of the partially-open shed door. | |
At that very moment a car passed by with its lights fully on and Daisy could see quite clearly: | |
Pam’s husband was spying into her bedroom window. | |
Daisy managed to act quickly and turned the camcorder on. | |
It was only drizzling now. | |
Pam’s husband began shouting through the window at his ex-wife and threatening her. | |
Daisy was filming the scene and recording all the menacing words. | |
Suddenly the camcorder made a strange whirring sound. | |
"Maybe the tape’s blocked!" panicked Daisy. | |
She tried to turn it off but pushed the wrong button and the whirring sound increased. | |
At this point Pam’s ex-husband became aware of it and turned round furiously. | |
He realized someone was watching him and swore profusely. | |
Then he made towards Daisy as though to hit her. | |
Daisy’s first thought was to protect the camcorder with her body, she turned her back on him and started yelling. | |
It seemed to her that her yelling lasted an eternity. | |
Suddenly a strong torch light shone on both of them. | |
"What’s going on here?" | |
It was a police-woman, looking very determined. | |
"I saw you climbing over the fence," indicating the man with the light of her torch | |
"Come quietly, both of you. | |
I'm arresting you for trespassing and ..." | |
Just at this moment Pam appeared at her bedroom window, opened it and looked out. | |
"Officer, officer. That man is certainly trespassing, but the young lady is my friend." | |
Pam’s ex-husband was taken away as soon as the constable’s colleague appeared and Daisy was invited inside the cottage to clean up and have a hot cup of cocoa. | |
"Well, that was a bit of luck." said Daisy. | |
"To be able to film him looking in your window at night and have the whole scene witnessed by the police. | |
I don’t think you’ll be having any more trouble from Jim!" | |
Next morning at about eleven Daisy arrived in her office to find a fresh bunch of flowers in a vase, on her desk. | |
Nearby was a little note written in pencil. | |
"Thanks Daisy, thanks again. Pam. | |
P.S. I’ve put a pot of homemade greengage jam in your fridge." |