Celine Ames was letting her mother Martha get her ready for the newcomers’ visiting day at Hope Academy. “Looks like we’re going to be at the same school after all, if you’re doing re-sits!” said Celine to her sister.
“Not if I can help it.”
“Have you still not got an offer of a place?” said Martha.
“No I haven’t. The last college said they would call me back if they turned up anything.”
“I thought that Track website run by UCAS was going to help get you a place?”
“They said they’d run out of courses like mine.”
“You should have got on it earlier, instead of messing around,” said Celine.
“Oh shut up, you!”
“What does she mean?” said Martha.
“Brooke’s got a boyfriend, Brooke’s got a boyfriend.”
“You will have a boyfriend if you get in that pervert’s class, you little freak!”
“Brooke! Don’t you talk to your sister like that!”
“Not if I can help it.”
“Have you still not got an offer of a place?” said Martha.
“No I haven’t. The last college said they would call me back if they turned up anything.”
“I thought that Track website run by UCAS was going to help get you a place?”
“They said they’d run out of courses like mine.”
“You should have got on it earlier, instead of messing around,” said Celine.
“Oh shut up, you!”
“What does she mean?” said Martha.
“Brooke’s got a boyfriend, Brooke’s got a boyfriend.”
“You will have a boyfriend if you get in that pervert’s class, you little freak!”
“Brooke! Don’t you talk to your sister like that!”
****
“What are you staring at?” Walter asked his wife Gladys. When she didn’t speak, he looked out of the window in the direction she was staring.
“There’s that Sammy Carter, coming home early from work again.” She said at last.
“What’s that got to do with you, you nosy old bag?”
“He’s always coming home early these days. I wonder if he’s not well. He doesn’t look too well. And there’s Martha, taking Brooke off to school.”
Walter looked again. “That’s not Brooke, that’s her younger sister, Celine.”
“Oh, of course. If she’s going to a new school, you’d think Dennis, the father, would be going to check it out.”
“And take a day off work? That’s a mother’s job. He’s more old-fashioned about that kind of thing than we are old.” Walter chuckled to himself. Gladys didn’t seem to hear him.
“There’s that Sammy Carter, coming home early from work again,” she said.
“There’s that Sammy Carter, coming home early from work again.” She said at last.
“What’s that got to do with you, you nosy old bag?”
“He’s always coming home early these days. I wonder if he’s not well. He doesn’t look too well. And there’s Martha, taking Brooke off to school.”
Walter looked again. “That’s not Brooke, that’s her younger sister, Celine.”
“Oh, of course. If she’s going to a new school, you’d think Dennis, the father, would be going to check it out.”
“And take a day off work? That’s a mother’s job. He’s more old-fashioned about that kind of thing than we are old.” Walter chuckled to himself. Gladys didn’t seem to hear him.
“There’s that Sammy Carter, coming home early from work again,” she said.
****
“Here’s that written description you wanted,” said Robert Farrah, handing over a slip of paper.
“Thanks,” said Buster. “But if this doesn’t work, I’ll have to make it official. Or drop it.”
“Whatever you think best,” said Robert. “Now I’ve got to and meet some of next year’s new pupils.”
He left Buster at the entrance to Hope Academy and went down to the corridor to the junior assembly hall where children about to join the school and their parents were gathering.
“Hello and welcome to you all from Hope Academy. I can see a lot of faces I’m going to get to know in the coming year,” he said, looking round, “and one or two that are familiar to me already.” He spotted Martha Ames with her daughter and smiled.
Celine screamed and ran out of the room before Martha could stop her.
“Whatever you think best,” said Robert. “Now I’ve got to and meet some of next year’s new pupils.”
He left Buster at the entrance to Hope Academy and went down to the corridor to the junior assembly hall where children about to join the school and their parents were gathering.
“Hello and welcome to you all from Hope Academy. I can see a lot of faces I’m going to get to know in the coming year,” he said, looking round, “and one or two that are familiar to me already.” He spotted Martha Ames with her daughter and smiled.
Celine screamed and ran out of the room before Martha could stop her.
****
“Mr Fairhurst?” Buster said, “Can I come in and have a word with you?”
“What about? And what’s he doing with you?” Benson indicated Douglas, who was standing, looking somewhat reluctant to be there, at Buster’s side.
“Let us in and I’ll explain.”
“Let us in and I’ll explain.”
Buster was sitting in the lounge of Benson Fairhurst’s house with a digital SLR camera in his lap and a slip of paper, with two unhappy looking men facing him.
“So – to me, this looks like the camera that went missing from number 23, Magnolia Close earlier this summer. Would you care to explain how you came to have it, Mr Fairhurst? You are aware that it is a criminal offence to receive stolen goods?”
“I – I bought it off him – Douglas Gormley. But it was in good faith. He told me he’d bought it from a business that was closing down.”
“That’s we he told me,” said Buster. “It didn’t strike you as odd that it didn’t come in a box? Mr Gormley,” he turned to Douglas, “where did you get this camera? Didn’t you steal it from Robert Farrah, as he was moving in? You were there that afternoon. I saw you myself.”
“No, honestly…” Douglas shook his head. “I found it.”
“So – to me, this looks like the camera that went missing from number 23, Magnolia Close earlier this summer. Would you care to explain how you came to have it, Mr Fairhurst? You are aware that it is a criminal offence to receive stolen goods?”
“I – I bought it off him – Douglas Gormley. But it was in good faith. He told me he’d bought it from a business that was closing down.”
“That’s we he told me,” said Buster. “It didn’t strike you as odd that it didn’t come in a box? Mr Gormley,” he turned to Douglas, “where did you get this camera? Didn’t you steal it from Robert Farrah, as he was moving in? You were there that afternoon. I saw you myself.”
“No, honestly…” Douglas shook his head. “I found it.”
****
“What was that all about?” said Martha to Celine when she finally caught up with her at home.
Celine, in floods of tears, was hardly able to speak, when Brooke came into the room. Suddenly, Celine pointed at her sister and through sobs yelled, “It’s all your fault, you big sod!”
“Celine!”
“Don’t you talk to me like that, you little creep,” said Brooke.
Celine turned to her mother. “She told me. She told me that new bloke at number 23 is a pervert and he’s going to be teaching at Hope.”
“Is this true?” said Martha.
“And the only reason,” Celine butted in again, “that she’s going to have to go back and do re-sits is because she didn’t get in touch with the University after she got her crap exam results. She didn’t get in on to Clearing because was fooling around with a boy!”
“Shut it, you little dirt-bag!”
“Boy?” What boy?” said Martha.
“Max. Maxie Fairhurst.”
Celine, in floods of tears, was hardly able to speak, when Brooke came into the room. Suddenly, Celine pointed at her sister and through sobs yelled, “It’s all your fault, you big sod!”
“Celine!”
“Don’t you talk to me like that, you little creep,” said Brooke.
Celine turned to her mother. “She told me. She told me that new bloke at number 23 is a pervert and he’s going to be teaching at Hope.”
“Is this true?” said Martha.
“And the only reason,” Celine butted in again, “that she’s going to have to go back and do re-sits is because she didn’t get in touch with the University after she got her crap exam results. She didn’t get in on to Clearing because was fooling around with a boy!”
“Shut it, you little dirt-bag!”
“Boy?” What boy?” said Martha.
“Max. Maxie Fairhurst.”
****
“You found it!” said Buster. “I cannot believe any crook is still using that daft excuse.”
“But it’s true, Mr Keaton, I swear. It was in a litter-bin. I even saw the bloke who threw it away.”
At that moment, Maxwell Fairhurst came into the room.
“What’s up, Dad?”
“That damn camera you wanted me to buy – it was stolen!”
“It wasn’t!” Douglas insisted. “I actually saw this bloke throw the camera into a bin. I thought, ‘waste not, want not’ so I took it.”
“What bloke?” said Buster. “Don’t give me that.”
“He could be telling the truth,” said Max. “Wait there a moment.”
“I’m going to jail over a damn camera,” said Benson to no-one in particular.
Max returned with his laptop computer. “Here,” he said to Buster and Douglas. “Look at these pictures. Mr Gormley, is that the bloke you saw throw the camera away?”
Douglas craned forward to look at the laptop’s screen. “Yeah, that’s him. He lives round here, doesn’t he?”
“That’s Sammy Carter!” said Buster. “But what the bloody hell is he doing in those pictures?”
“But it’s true, Mr Keaton, I swear. It was in a litter-bin. I even saw the bloke who threw it away.”
At that moment, Maxwell Fairhurst came into the room.
“What’s up, Dad?”
“That damn camera you wanted me to buy – it was stolen!”
“It wasn’t!” Douglas insisted. “I actually saw this bloke throw the camera into a bin. I thought, ‘waste not, want not’ so I took it.”
“What bloke?” said Buster. “Don’t give me that.”
“He could be telling the truth,” said Max. “Wait there a moment.”
“I’m going to jail over a damn camera,” said Benson to no-one in particular.
Max returned with his laptop computer. “Here,” he said to Buster and Douglas. “Look at these pictures. Mr Gormley, is that the bloke you saw throw the camera away?”
Douglas craned forward to look at the laptop’s screen. “Yeah, that’s him. He lives round here, doesn’t he?”
“That’s Sammy Carter!” said Buster. “But what the bloody hell is he doing in those pictures?”
END OF EPISODE 14
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