Tuesday 6 April 2021

Case 2 - Episode 27 - Felicity deals with Corinne's stalker

As Felicity expected, Sykes did not follow up with her, with any information on the boy that was following Corinne.  She had, for a few moments thought he might, but knowing his views on her involvement in matters concerning such people as the Blines and Florenz, perhaps he considered he was protecting her.

And if she took a step back and see things in the same light, she might have believed that.

But Felicity was not one to take a backward step in anything, perhaps one of her least admirable qualities in that it might get her into serious trouble one day.

She glared at her phone and considered calling Sykes, but, in the end, didn’t.  Her training had reached the point of disembarkation and she had to get off.

Ahead of her, Corinne and her friend Daisy were strolling as they had nowhere else to be, and for Felicity, it was frustrating because if anyone looked closely, they would see that she was following them.

Which she was.

And, at the same time, keeping an eye out for the boy who had been following her, the one who had been carrying her photograph in his back pocket.

It gave Felicity enough time to profile Daisy, her friend, and to note from the outset, it was an odd pairing.  Daisy was the complete opposite to Corinne who was at best prim and proper where Daisy looked, to put it bluntly, like a prostitute.  Perhaps that was her form of rebellion because Felicity had checked her out, and her parents were as wealthy as Corinne's, without the attached scandal.

Perhaps Corinne lived her vicarious side through Daisy.

It wasn’t until they were on the University grounds that Felicity finally saw the boy, and it looked like he hadn’t seen Corinne, possibly because he was with a classmate because there didn’t seem to be that air of friends about them.

The two girls headed for the cafeteria and that’s when the boy noticed her, spoke briefly to another boy, and then moved quickly towards the cafĂ© too.  Felicity hastened her pace too, managing to get to the door the same time Corinne and Daisy were walking away from the counter with cups of coffee.

They sat at a nearby table, and the boy decided against getting a coffee, sat further away, but close enough to keep an eye on them.

Felicity wandered over to his table and stood looking down at him.  “Mind if I sit down here?”

“There are other places.”

“You’re a rude fellow, aren’t you?”  She ignored him and sat down opposite him, putting herself between him and Corinne.

“Don’t you understand plain English?”

He went to stand when she said, “Sit down or I’ll scream, and then you’ll have to deal with the campus police.”

Half out of his seat, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.  Think you can handle a charge of sexual assault?”

He sat down.

“What’s your problem.  What did I do to you?”

“It’s what you’re doing to a friend of mine, that one you’ve been following.”  She took the photograph he had dropped and put it on the table in front of him.  “What did she do to you?”

“Who are you, her sister?”

“I work with her brother, who is a private detective.  I’ve already alerted the police to your interest in Corinne, so if you don’t want me to call the detective in charge of the case, you want to tell me what your interest is, and be damn quick about it.”

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“You’re following her.  I’m willing to be she doesn’t know you, that’s stalking, and an offense.”

“She’s in one of my classes.  I asked around and she comes from the upper west side, a girl far out of my league.”

“Well, I’ll tell you what.  I don’t believe you; I think you’re working for someone who wants to cause her trouble.  So, I’m going to be hereabouts watching you, some days you’ll see me, some says you won’t.  But if I see you doing anything, or anything untoward happens to her, you’re the first person the police are coming after.  As I said, I’ve told the appropriate people and they know who you are, so you want to hope nothing happens to her.”

She stood, and noticed Corinne and Daisy also leaving.

“You try and have a nice day.”



© Charles Heath 2020-2021