Rough Justice In Academia (The Ralph Chalmers Mysteries Book 2)

by P. J. Thurbin

  “But I spoke with Ted’s mother Alice, and she told me that there was a lot more than a bar bill at stake.”

  “Well there wasn’t, at least as far as I was concerned. But once Ted realised that he would have to face getting a job without a degree on his CV he got a bit upset. We had a row and I thought that Ted might go to the authorities with his story and possibly seek a re - sit. I told him that we’d both get thrown out if he did that. So to pacify him, and I suppose to ease my guilt, I said that I would send him a monthly cheque for 500 pounds, until he got a job that gave him an income to live off. I sent him a cheque every month for a couple of years, then they started to be returned as ‘unknown’. I think he had gone abroad or something, and I never heard from him again. So in all, it cost me about 12,000 pounds. But I didn’t renege on my promise to help him get back on his feet.”

  Ralph realised that Rainton was at heart a genuine person, even if he was prepared to occasionally bend the rules. He felt obliged to update him on the murder of Jack Royston and his fears that someone was seeking revenge for what had happened. When Ralph finished telling Rainton all he knew, he sat back.

  “Well thanks for putting me in the picture. Terrible to hear about Doctor Royston, but I’m afraid that I hardly knew him. I can understand that some people do seek revenge. If you look over to your right you’ll see that big chap sitting on his own. Well, he’s my minder, bodyguard, call it what you will.

  You see, I’ve made a lot of enemies in business over the years. There are one or two people who are objecting to how my company, and I suppose me, have handled the odd monies that pass hands with some of the Arab countries. When you’re doing a deal on a new hospital or something big, some people finish up as losers. Then there are the Russian mafias. Those chaps get pretty upset with my company when we beat them at their game and win a contract, or do a currency deal or succeed with a competitive takeover. So they send out the heavies. The Foreign Office feels that a diplomatic incident can be avoided if they keep me alive. Sir George Rainton getting stabbed by a KGB agent with a poisoned umbrella while waiting for a taxi in Mayfair might make a good headline, but the Government wants to avoid any 007 notoriety on my part,” he said with a grin. “So you see Ralph a threat from the Berick family, with all due respect, is not something that will keep me, or my minder, awake at nights.”

  By then the lunchtime crowd was thinning but Ralph still wondered what Rainton had done to become accepted as a member of the prestigious Travellers Club. Rainton was modest in his reply.

  “Well it’s a lot easier than in Victorian times. My parents move in some pretty grand circles. So when I returned from Harvard it was simply a matter of attending a Chairman’s Reception to meet members of the Election Committee. I’m afraid it’s the old adage Professor, ‘who you know, not what you know’. After my performance at Kingston that seems to have been my mantra, and so far it has worked,” he said with a laugh. They said their goodbyes and Ralph promised to keep Rainton updated with the preparations for the upcoming Conference.

  A few days later Ralph decided to pay a visit to his old colleague and friend Katie Eggerton. That tragic business at the University a couple of years back had resulted in her being sentenced and incarcerated. At the time of the incident she had been Professor of Education and had a brilliant career ahead of her. Now that was all finished and she faced a bleak future.

  Ralph drove his vintage Jaguar slowly through the rain swept streets of Islington in South London on his way to the notorious Holloway Women’s prison. Stuck in a traffic jam, he had time to reflect on how views on what was a fitting punishment for a crime had changed over the years. One of his own ancestors, a young woman, had been flogged and then locked up in a prison ship on the Thames, for five years. That was back in 1740 and all she had done was to steal a pillow case from a boarding house where she worked. Times had changed for the better, he thought.

  The place was known locally as Holloway Castle due to its foreboding architecture. It was opened in 1852 and from 1903 had been a women only institution. When Emily Pankhurst, the famous suffragette and her disciples had been imprisoned there, their imprisonment became notorious when they went on a hunger strike and had to be force fed. As recently as 1955 Ruth Ellis became the last women to be executed at the prison.

  A forbidding looking female warder brought Katie into the visitors’ area. Their only instructions were ‘no touching and no exchange of goods’.

  Katie, a native Australian, had lost none of her spirit. Although always athletic and trim, he noticed that now she looked a bit too thin.

  “Hi Ralph. You’re a sight for sore eyes. You look tired, must be the strain of doing the worrying for everyone else. But seriously, thanks for coming. I know it’s not your favourite hostel,” she said with a wry grin. Ralph could see that it was the same old Katie, going in with the frontal attack. He found that he looked forward to his visits with her in spite of the less than salubrious surroundings. He had visited Katie regularly since her trial and conviction for aggravated assault and was always amazed at her ability to maintain her levity in spite of her circumstances.

  “You look good, Katie. And thanks for the compliments. I see that prison life hasn’t affected your sense of humour.”

  “Well no file in a cake. I’m disappointed in you, Ralph. And here I thought you were my Lancelot come to free me from by bonds. Tell me what’s been happening on the old University front since your last visit. I want all the dope on everyone. Ralph smiled as he recalled all the laughs they had together when she teased him over his concern for the underdogs in life and ragged him unmercifully for accepting all the extra work that Granger piled on him.

  “No nothing much has changed. Peter and David send their regards and I suppose I’m still fighting for the rights of the downtrodden.”

  “Plenty of those inside here, Ralph. If you want in, it’s easy.” She said with a laugh.

  He told her about the changes that had taken place at the University and the murder of Jack Royston. He also told her that he had a few ideas of his own regarding who was behind the murder and that he had even spoken with Inspector Linham a couple of times about his theory.

  “I’m surprised Linham has let you past first base. You know how it is with the pros, Ralph, they aren’t that keen on amateur detectives trying to tell them how to do their jobs.

  “That is probably true,” Ralph admitted. “But evidently the pressure is really on from the higher ups in the Department and I think Linham is ready to accept any suggestions that might lead to a result. Besides, Royston was a really good guy and a good friend and colleague back in the old days, and it’s only natural that I would want to do my bit to find out who murdered him.”

  “I never knew him. He was a bit before my time. But I can see how it shook you lot out of your complacency. Things get pretty rough when you mix with villains. Surviving in this place is no joke. But hey, I’ve got only a couple of months left to serve if I behave myself. In the old days I’d have been put on a boat and shipped back to Australia with a bunch of convicts. Perhaps that’s how my ancestors got there in the first place?”

  Ralph could see that Katie was under a lot of stress, and glancing around it was easy to see why. The contrast from having a cozy office at Kenry House, a respected position as Professor of Education, and living in an expensive town house on the Thames at Chelsea, to this. He could see how it could break the strongest will. He knew Katie was strong, but he was relieved that she had only a few weeks left. He tried to strike a lighter note in spite of his concerns.

  “So have you managed to sort this lot out yet Katie? How’s the teaching going anyhow? I’ll bet your students are a lot more industrious here than they were at Kingston.”

  “Yes, motivation is pretty high. They know that if they attend regularly it could help when it’s time for reviews for early release. And now that the Open University runs programs in four of the local prisons, quite a few of the inmates take advantage of t
he free education rather than just sit twiddling their thumbs in their cells. They like the psychology subjects, and some even take the degree level courses using the University’s on-line system.”

  “How do you get to the other prisons? Not by taxi I don’t imagine.”

  “No chance. They use an outfit called Security something or other. A friendly driver and no handcuffs. They probably think that being a woman I’m not likely to make a break for it,” she laughed. “One student is a real old guy. Must be at least 70, and he’s doing the degree course. He’s always asking about Kingston, come to think about it. Seems that he knew Granger back years ago. Chap called Berick”.

  Ralph was stunned.

  “Berick is the chap that the police think was involved in the Jack Royston murder,” gasped Ralph.

  “Not surprising that they got that one wrong too. The bugger is locked up, so it must be a coincidence. The guy just wanted to chat about the old days. Old people do that you know, Ralph. Just like us,” she said, with a laugh. “Although Berick does seem to ask a lot of questions. He wanted to know where Granger lives and about all the other people who were around at that time. Strange guy. Stuck in some sort of time warp. It’s all a bit sad really.”

  “So what are you going to do, Katie? When you get out we’ll have to find you a job and get you back into the high life. Plenty of good looking chaps out there who would leap at the chance to take you out on the town.” As he said those words he realised his mistake. Katie turned away to hide her tears.

  “Still a bloody fool, Ralph,” she shouted. “Had you forgotten that my husband was killed by those swine in Somalia? Helped by the stupidity of those bastards at the Foreign Office who were supposed to get him released from the bloody terrorists?”

  Ralph could only apologise, but he could see that it was little consolation. At that point the warder stepped forward.

  “Let’s keep it down Eggerton. No point in getting wound up or we’ll have to get you back to your cell.”

  Katie was now back in control.

  “Okay Ralph, visiting time is just about up, so you’d better go now. And you’re right, I need to start thinking about my future. If you can face up to another visit, perhaps next time you can tell me how your investigations have progressed. And about how you are getting on with your archaeologist girlfriend. Jane isn’t it? Time you either made an honest woman of her or at least told the poor girl that you are a confirmed bachelor.”

  As Katie got up to leave, the warder came up to Ralph and gave him a package.

  “Appreciate it if you could drop this in the post box for me. It has the stamps already.”

  Katie winked at him inferring that it was the small favours that worked in prisons. He hoped that he wasn’t agreeing to take drugs out of one of Her Majesty’s Prisons, but it was too late to protest.

  Driving back to his art deco apartment in Surbiton he realised that Arthur Berick was now his prime suspect. When he got home he phoned Inspector Linham and told him about Berick’s apparent interest in Granger’s movements. As he drifted off to sleep he reflected on what Katie had said about Jane and decided that he must come to some decision about his relationship with her. Talking to Katie had made him realize that letting it slide along was not a fair option for either Jane or himself. When he awoke he remembered dreaming about sailing in the Mediterranean under blue skies and a warm breeze and being happy that he had finally found his soul-mate to share it with. What troubled him was that every time he tried to see who it was she had her back to him, but he was fairly sure that the woman in the dream wasn’t Jane.

  Chapter 7

  It was unusually crowded in the staff bar at Gypsy Hill. Joe Bullen had put on a buffet as a way of introducing himself and the new catering services and it seemed to be a success. Staff rarely met informally and most were gathered in small safe groups. Their tendency was to stay with the people they worked with. Circulation and the need to establish yourself with strangers was not a skill that one found prevalent with academics, partly due to their lack of exposure to the wider world and partly due to natural gravitation towards others with shared interests. Presenting in front of students where the authoritarian position and inferred status were taken for granted was easy. Putting yourself on the line without that safety net was more difficult. Those who had moved straight from school to university, stayed on to gain a PhD and gone straight into teaching formed the majority. The old hands such as Peter, David and Ralph relished the chance to talk with new blood and anyone who looked even remotely prepared to listen soon became their target.

  “A great idea, Joe. We should have done something like this years ago.” Ralph, sausage roll in one hand and a glass of wine in the other congratulated his host.

  “I thought it might give me a chance to meet some of the staff and let them know that there is a place for them to unwind after a day’s teaching that offers more than soggy sandwiches and a warm beer. And it’s also good for business in the long run,” Joe replied while moving on to make sure that his people were attending to the food and replenishing empty glasses.

  Ralph was pleased to see that Jean had managed to come along. He knew that she had been attending a conference on nursing in London all that day and was afraid she wouldn’t get back in time for the little soiree. He recalled how Rainton had described her as a stunner, or something like that, and he had to agree, but a bit on the young side for him.

  “Hi, Ralph.”

  She got no further as Lance Bains breezed up.

  “Hey, Ralph. So introduce me to your partner. You didn’t tell me you were married.”

  Ralph had known Lance for only a short while but recognized his joking style.

  “Actually I’m not,” Ralph replied. Let me introduce you to Jean Maitland. She’s our new Director of Nursing.

  “Well that’s even better,” Lance responded, smiling at Jean. Jean, you look like the kind of woman who appreciates the finer things in life. I’ve got two tickets for the New Zealand versus England Rugby match at Twickenham week after next, and afterwards we could try that new Indian restaurant in Richmond over by the Green. I hear they do a mean curry. Of course we don’t need to wait until next week to try out that restaurant. I’m free tomorrow night if you are.”

  Ralph smiled inwardly at Lance’s approach. Even in his wildest days at Cambridge he would never have been able to quite match it.

  “Pleased to accept, kind Sir. And perhaps after the curry you could even tell me your name?”

  “Sorry, Jean. May I introduce another new member of staff, Lance Bains who has just come here from New Zealand to join the marketing department.”

  They all laughed at the exchange. Ralph could see that Lance and Jean had hit it off, so he decided to move on and leave the couple together.

  Ralph spied Peter and David in deep conversation on the other side of the room so he made his way over in their direction.

  “How’s it going, Ralph? We saw you talking to the lovely Miss Jean Maitland,” said Peter. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know her a bit better myself if I hadn’t promised Marcia to stay clear of the femme fatales.

  “Enough of the comments about Jean. I think you’ve played that one to death, Peter.”

  Ralph had noticed that Jim Stocker was standing on his own in the far corner of the room looking rather uncomfortable. Jim taught Economics with a mathematical bias. A couple of years earlier he had written an app for his I pad that he had used to win a lot of money in the casino at Monte Carlo. He had also been involved in the tragic business that had resulted in Katie being arrested. Even though he had refused to press charges, the Crown had called him as a witness, and he wasn’t in a position to refuse.

  “Peter, I know that you and Jim have a long standing feud, but don’t you think it’s time you two made it up?” asked Ralph.

  “I agree,” said David. “The poor bloke has had a rough time of it since all that business here a couple of years ago. Don’t you think he deserves a seco
nd chance?”

  “He also had an affair with my wife. Or do I forgive that as well?” Said Peter with a scowl.

  Ralph knew Peter was not one to hold a grudge.

  “Look, Peter,” said Ralph. “It’s not as though you were exactly the faithful husband yourself, and now that you’ve sorted it all out with Marcia, maybe it’s time to let bygones be bygones as far as Jim is concerned as well. I’m going to ask him to come over and join us.” Looking somewhat chastened, Peter finally shrugged as if to give the go ahead and Ralph went over to where Jim was standing on his own.

  “The chaps would like you to come and join us over there,” Ralph said, indicating where Peter and David were standing talking. After a couple of minutes they rejoined Peter and David, and after an awkward few minutes, they were soon sharing stories about Granger and the senior management. As usual, Peter was trying every angle to get away from classroom lecturing.