Creatures of Habit

Creatures of Habit

When Inspector North arrived at the station at a quarter to nine he
found Sergeant Cooper in a flurry of activity. The young detective was
perched over his desk, his arms in frantic array as he rummaged through
a mountain of paper.
"What's all the to-do?" asked North.
"Got a new witness in the Perry case. Some crook we picked up last
night wants to do a deal," answered the young man, without looking up.
Files he had cast aside were starting to slide off the desk and onto
the floor.
"Serious, is it?" said North.
"If what D.I. Johnson says is true, then it'll be enough to put Perry
away for a long time." North remarked that his young colleague's hands
trembled with that mixture of excitement and nervousness that young
officers experienced when things looked well in an important case. Then
he smiled inwardly, perhaps more experienced police officers like
himself just managed to hide their feelings better as they got
older.
"Got it!" Cooper held up a yellow manila file in triumph and then
hastily set about putting on his leather jacket.
"Are you picking him up then?"
"We'll give him time to get to his garage and arrest him there," he
said.
"Good news all round," said North.
"Got anything going yourself, sir?" asked the young man.
North hummed. "Nothing much. Just a bit of shopping."
"Shopping, sir?" repeated Cooper.
North hung up his coat on an old-fashioned style coat stand. When he
finally turned round and replied his answer went straight to the wall.
The young man had already disappeared.
North sighed and looked at his watch. It was ten to nine, much too
early for his little shopping trip. The supermarket would surely be
open. Not only did they seem to open earlier and earlier these days but
some of them never even closed any more. And this was what they called
progress!
In any case, his rendezvous was not with the supermarket itself. If all
went well and his assumptions were correct then he was due to meet up
with the owner of a small pale blue family car, somewhere in the
supermarket car park and sometime between ten and eleven o'clock this
morning.
An outing of this sort would usually be a job for one of the pc's.
North had only got wind of the case when he'd overheard a constable
telling a fellow officer about it in the canteen. But his curiosity had
been aroused. He'd asked for the case file. After studying it an idea
had formed in his mind. He could simply have told the constable
involved what was on his mind but as it would only cost him an hour or
two of his day, he'd decided to check it out himself. It could also be
said that he was reticent about sending a constable out on a sort of
wild goose chase, especially considering that if it really did turn out
to be a wild goose chase the whole station would know about it and for
a while he would be the subject of particularly cruel kind of humour.
That was two days ago. He looked once more at his watch. It was now
nine o'clock.
That left him with a good hour to get some paperwork done. He sat down
at his desk and called on his two faithful assistants to help him; Earl
Grey and Schubert. At ten to ten North laid his pen to rest, filed the
last of his reports, drained the remaining tea in his mug and switched
off the c.d. player. The office was quiet and he slipped away without
being seen. It was only a ten minute drive to the supermarket. It was a
road he knew well and depending on the traffic and road works there
were three or four alternative routes he could take just in case. Town
was starting to get busy. The supermarket car park was filling up. He
pulled into a free space and got out to begin his search without delay.
There were probably several hundred cars in the car park with a good
proportion coming and going all the time. It was not a cold day. The
sky was a clear blue but there was a steady breeze. He would feel the
chill if he didn't keep on the move. Armed with his notebook he began
his rounds of the car park. He made two complete rounds in less than
forty minutes but he saw nothing resembling the car he was hoping to
find. On his third stroll round the car park he was accosted by a
security guard. North had apparently brought attention to himself and
several shoppers had signaled his strange behavior.
"Do I really look like a car thief?" asked North with genuine surprise,
once he'd shown the guard his warrant card.
The security guard was a middle-aged, bald-headed man with tattoos on
both his hands. His square build also suggested that he'd probably
spent a good half of his life in the gym.
"Not necessarily a car thief," he replied, almost apologetically, "but
we get all sorts looking for trouble and, er, misbehaving. You'd be
surprised."
North was about to ask what kind of mischief but then decided he
preferred not to know, he might somehow find the guard's answer
offensive.
All the same, he informed the security guard of the purpose of his
visit.
"If I see something I'll let you know," said the guard and went on his
way.
North smiled appreciatively. However, he had only come on the basis of
a hunch, an idea based on a psychological reasoning that he was
beginning to lose faith in. Perhaps he had been wrong. It certainly
wouldn't be the first time he'd tried to see simple patterns in life's
complicated tapestries and had been mistaken. In any case, he suddenly
made up his mind he wasn't going to spend much longer standing around
in the cold. On top of a frozen nose, he was beginning to get sore
feet. He resolved himself to make one last tour of the car park.
Ten minutes later he was back in his car with the engine running and
the heater on full blast. He wondered if, after all, it shouldn't have
been an errand for the constable.
North steered towards the exit, at the same time trying to avoid
shoppers whose heavily-laden trolleys seemed to have a mind of their
own and progressed in anything but straight lines. He saw the security
guard again and waved to him as he drove past. The guard was occupied
with a group of young lads and, by the sorry look on their faces,
appeared to be them giving a good talking to. Fortunately North glanced
in his rear view mirror before turning out of the car park, otherwise
he wouldn't have seen the guard waving to him. North stopped and let
the guard catch up with him.
"It's strange," began the guard, angling his head through the open
window, "I would have sworn it was the car you were looking for."
"Which car?" said North, who hadn't seen anything.
"It came in about ten minutes ago. Right size, colour, child in the
back and all."
North raised his eyebrows.
"It went down there to park," said the guard, indicating the direction
with his finger.
North thanked him, turned his car round and drove back into the car
park. He couldn't quite explain why but he had good faith in the guard
and he approached the south end of the car park with a growing sense of
excitement. He saw it exactly where the guard said it would be. From
his car he could see nothing to indicate it wasn't the vehicle he was
looking for. The description was a close match. Without delay, he
parked nearby and got out to have a closer look.
He walked round the car, paying particular attention to the left wing
and headlamp. There was no doubt. There were traces of some kind of
collision on the left side and the front left headlamp was new. It was
possible he had found the car he was looking for. Furthermore, the
infant seat on the back seat was even on the right side. All he had to
do now was wait for the owner. He sighed to himself. The guard had said
the owner had arrived not more than ten minutes earlier. North,
himself, had been to this part of the car park not more than twenty
minutes ago and he had not seen the car. He shuddered at the thought of
a long wait while the person did their shopping.
A short while later the security guard strolled over.
"Is that the car you're looking for?" he asked.
"It might be, there are some similarities," answered North. "And thanks
for your help."
"No problem." The guard could see that North was not comfortable
standing in the breeze.
"I could hurry things up if you like," said the guard.
"Really?" replied North.
"I could get them to announce in the supermarket that the owner is
required to return to his vehicle straight away," he suggested.
North thought about it. The offer was tempting. However, he
declined.
"Much appreciated," he said, "but perhaps better not. I can't say for
sure if this is the car I'm looking for."
"Fair enough," replied the guard. He bid North a good morning and went
on his duties.
"Good chap," thought North, watching the receding figure of the guard,
"make a good policeman."
There were plenty of shoppers returning to cars in the vicinity of the
south corner. North had a fair description of the person he was waiting
for and so his hopes were not raised until a good twenty minutes later
when he saw advancing towards him a blond-haired lady in about her
middle thirties. She was pushing a trolley laden with plastic bags and
a small child perched in the toddler"s seat.
The lady spotted North hovering near her car several yards before she
reached it. She eyed him nervously at first but must have decided the
best course of action would be to ignore him. However, she soon
realized the man was not an innocent bystander.
"Do you want something?" she spoke up, a little aggressively.
North showed the lady his card and introduced himself.
"You are Mrs. Theresa Roberts?" asked North the lady.
The lady appeared quite set back that North knew her name. There was no
mystery behind it. He'd simply called in the car registration
number.
"Yes?" Her tone had softened and her initial annoyance was replaced by
a hint of nervousness. It was a normal reaction so North paid no
special attention to it.
"Are you the owner of this vehicle?" he asked, for confirmation.
"Is there something wrong with it?"
"The vehicle? No, not that I'm aware of," said North.
As the detective did not seem to be in a hurry to divulge the purpose
of his enquiry the lady carried on her usual routine.
After unlocking the car, she first transferred her toddler from the
trolley to the baby seat. She fastened him in with incredible
swiftness, North remarked. Then she opened the boot and began loading
her shopping.
"I'm investigating an accident that took place a week ago," North spoke
up.
The lady slowed her movements for a second as North spoke but said
nothing.
"A collision between a motorist and a motorbike," he continued.
The lady still said nothing. Furthermore, far from letting the
detective's presence distract her from the task of transferring her
shopping from the trolley to the car, she even appeared to hurry
herself. North watched her with interest. When he saw her place some
bags on the back seat next to the toddler he nodded discreetly to
himself.
Then he sighed heavily. He had somehow known it wasn't going to be
easy.
"The accident happened on Sefton Road," said North.
"What's that got to do with me?" said the lady.
"Well, we have a description of a car which fits your car," he
said.
"A description?" repeated the lady. "There must be thousands of cars
that fit the same description."
"But you yourself have had an accident recently," said North.
The lady stared at him defiantly.
"Your left wing has been recently damaged and your left headlamp looks
new," continued North
The lady hesitated. "It's true. I did have an accident but it's not
what you think. I scraped a lamppost."
"A lamppost?" repeated North.
The lady remained silent.
North shook his head. "There aren't any red lampposts to my knowledge.
No, I'm afraid there are clear traces of red paint," said North
pointing to the damaged area at the side of the car. "There's no point
in denying it. You do realize that we can trace paint marks these days
quite easily."
If what North said was true, the reality was another story. The police
now had at their disposal a huge arsenal of scientific means which was
getting bigger and more sophisticated all the time. The underside of
the issue was they didn't really have the time or manpower to
investigate every offence as thoroughly as they possibly could. And
they were hardly likely to roll out the forensic carpet for a minor car
accident.
The lady began to get agitated. She quickly finished putting the last
of the shopping in the boot and closed it with a bang.
"I've got to get back home. It'll be time for the little one's feed
soon."
"That'll be King's Crescent?"
The lady said nothing. If she ignored the detective he might just go
away.
"I told you the accident took place in Sefton Road. That's quite near
King's Crescent."
She took a deep breath. "Listen," she said. The word seemed to cost her
a lot in energy and courage. "It wasn't me. O.K.?" She turned towards
North and looked up at him, face to face. Yet, she couldn't quite
manage to meet him eye to eye. Rather hurriedly, she opened the
driver's door and took position behind the wheel.
North sighed.
"Fleeing a scene of accident is a serious crime," he told her.
The lady's hands began to tremble. There was a look of fear on her
face. North couldn't tell if it was a fear of the law or a fear of
something else. She reached out to close the door but North was in the
way.
"Do we have to do this the hard way?" he said to her, almost
regretfully.
North had no intention of moving and the lady couldn't just push him
out the way. What would be the point, anyway?
The lady sighed heavily and let her head drop down.
North waited for the lady to answer. Behind her the happy gargling
sounds of her young child could be heard.
"Was he hurt?" she eventually mumbled from behind her hands.
"The motorcyclist? No, just shook up. His bike's ruined though."
North thought for a moment that she was about to burst into tears. Yet
when she looked up her face was expressionless. It was like her face
was merely an inanimate barrier to a different face beneath, where her
real feelings showed. North wondered where he'd seen this type of mask
before.
"Stupid bugger came out of nowhere. Didn't see him, did I? Not until it
was too late."
"I'll bet he caused you quite a fright," said North.
"I reckon I never screamed so loud."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Don't know myself. I saw him get up and then I guess I panicked. I
drove off."
"It's a pity you didn't hang around. You'd have found out that the
man's brakes weren't working. The accident wasn't your fault."
She merely shrugged her shoulders as if it hardly mattered.
"Can you tell me why you drove away like that?"
She didn't answer. North knew that it wasn't a question of not having
insurance because he'd checked the window sticker. It was up to
date.
North had to admit that he was rather puzzled.
"Were you frightened?" he asked her.
The lady let out a small wretched laugh. North was for a second taken
aback. He thought he caught a glimpse of the truth in her pathetic
sigh. If he was right it would explain her odd behavior.
"Has this got anything to do with your husband?" he asked.
The way she let her shoulders drop made the answer clear.
"He's going to find out about this, isn't he?" She sat shaking her
head, the sign of a tired resignation to some bleak future.
North knew from experience that you had to look for the signs in order
to be able to see them. Now that his suspicions has been aroused, he
could observe a faint shadow around her left eye, which her heavy make
up had not managed to hide completely.
"Are you sure he doesn't already know?"
"I told him I hit a lamppost. If he knew I'd knocked someone over,
he'd, well," she didn't finish her sentence.
North began to feel uneasy.
"You had the lamp fixed pretty quickly."
"He did that himself. He's a mechanic."
Being aware of the reality, North perceived her differently . She
didn't seem to be upset on the outside but he knew that underneath she
must be a wreck.
"What will happen to me?"
"That will be for the judge to decide."
"Can I ask you how you found me?"
"The rider. He gave a description of the car and driver. He noticed the
child in the back seat."
"You found me with that?"
"No. He also noticed the shopping on the back seat. I assumed you'd
just done your weekly shopping. Some people have a special day for
their weekly shopping. I thought I'd come down here the following week
at about the time the accident happened to see if you would be here, to
see if I could see your car, I mean."
The lady was dumbfounded.
It was not quite the victory he'd expected. He didn't feel quite as
satisfied as he normally would have. He'd been waiting for two days to
check up on his idea and now, in the light of the matter, it seemed
rather ridiculous. Someone had committed a crime and had been found
out. But things were never so cut and dry. He was concerned, if not a
little worried, about what the lady had told him concerning her
husband. Would she really be in danger? He could not undo what he had
done but he felt partly responsible for what would happen to her. He
looked at the toddler in the chair on the back seat and his heart
winced.
"If you don't mind I'll come home with you and have a chat with you
husband."
"And what good will that do?" snorted the lady.
"The accident wasn't your fault."
"Won't make any difference to him."
North thought silently for a few seconds.
"If you like I can.."
"No!" interrupted the lady. "Don't even say it. Others have tried. I've
had social on at me for years trying to convince me. Just don't even
bother."
She glanced at her little one in the mirror and said, "I couldn't even
if I wanted to."
North had dealt with few such cases but they were surprisingly similar.
At least, he thought, the desire was there. But the next step was the
most difficult, the most dangerous. He knew it was hard, verging on the
impossible.
"I'd like to meet your husband anyway," he said. "Is he at home?"
"No, he's at his garage."
"His garage? He owns the garage then, does he?"
The lady nodded.
North knew quite a lot of the garages in the area. He searched through
his memory for the name Roberts. His mind came up blank.
"Which garage does your husband own?" asked North.
The lady laughed. North couldn't see the joke.
"He's not my husband, not in the legal sense."
North understood the irony. They may not be legally tied but that
didn't change the situation she was in.
"So what's his name, then?" asked North.
"Perry."
"Sorry?" exclaimed North.
"Perry," the lady said again.
"Perry?" repeated North once more, although he'd heard correctly the
first time.
"Yeah, as in Perry's carshop. The second hand dealer and scrap yard on
the industrial estate." There was a decided absence of pride in her
voice.
North's mouth dropped open as his brief conversation with Cooper that
morning came back to him.
"What's up?" said the lady, noticing his surprise.
It was North's turn to remain silent.
"What is it?" repeated the lady.
"If you don't mind I think I will come home with you."
"Please yourself, he won't be there anyway."
"No," said North. "I doubt he is and you won't find him at his garage
either."
The lady cast him a blank look.
"Let's get going," said North. "You can put the kettle on and I'll let
you into a little secret."