Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 12:11:43 +0100 (BST)
From: Steve Rose <cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Martin Roberts and the Murders at Greymount College 5

DISCLAIMER:
This is a story. None of the characters in the story
exist and the events that take place are purely
imaginary. This is a detective story with sexual
overtones and is a sequel to `Martin Roberts
Investigates'. I hope that you like this as a piece of
writing. It is a sequel to

WARNING:
Do not read this story if you are in any way offended
by acts of a homosexual nature.

Do not read this if you are under the legal age for
accessing adult sites.

Always indulge in safe sex.

Copyright Steven Rose 2003. Not to be reproduced
without the author's permission.

 MARTIN ROBERTS INVESTIGATES THE GREYMOUNT COLLEGE
MURDERS

Chapter 5

The day of the cricket match dawned brightly but there
were a few threatening clouds as Martin and Tom
prepared to leave for Greymount College. The children,
Harry and Simon, were both very excited and had been
up and about even earlier than usual and asking their
parents every few minutes how long it would be before
they left. Martin had finally got the boys to
understand that they would not be leaving until they
had all had a proper wash, eaten breakfast and got
themselves dressed in suitable clothes. Tom allowed
his lover to do the donkey work on the Sunday morning
and, as part of the reason for their attendance at the
cricket match was to do with Martin's work, he thought
that this was the least that Martin should do. Martin
and Tom had slept well after their lovemaking and the
older lover was feeling in particularly good form and
happy to accommodate his partner's wishes. Martin made
the breakfast for all four of them, a traditional
Sunday morning fry-up and then supervised Harry and
Simon as they washed and dressed, making sure that the
boys thoroughly cleaned their teeth. Tom took his time
getting ready, spending a long time in the bath and
only emerging a few minutes before they were scheduled
to leave. Harry had even had to be restrained from
going to tell his parent to hurry up. Eventually, all
was ready and Tom drove the four of them north from
their apartment towards Greymount College. Martin
navigated and they arrived in good time before the
start of the game.

The Principal of the College was on the look out and
saw the Superintendent arrive and the rest of his
party get out of the car. Alex Scott-Brown hastened
over to welcome his guests.

"Oh, good morning Superintendent, it's so good of you
to come. I see you've brought some of your family with
you today. Perhaps you'd like to all come in for a
drink before the match?"

Martin acknowledged the warmth of the greeting from
the Principal and replied,

"I'm sorry Mr Scott-Brown, allow me to introduce my
partner, Tom and these are out two children, Harry and
Simon. If there's a drink going I'm sure we'd all like
to refresh ourselves, thank you."

The look on the Principal's face was priceless as he
stuttered,

"He .. is .. your .. your partner. Very pleased to
meet you, er Tom! An honour indeed! I didn't realise..."

"That Martin is gay and that couples like us can have
children?" Tom interjected sharply.

"No, no, not at all. I just didn't realise that the
Superintendent had children", Alex tried to rescue
himself as best he could, "Come on in and meet my wife
and children and have a drink."

Martin followed the Principal into his house trying
hard not to look at Tom because he knew that one
glance would set them both off giggling
uncontrollably. Inside the house Lizzie Scott-Brown
was talking to Marianne Collinson when her husband
interrupted them and introduced Martin and Tom and
their children. Unlike Alex, Lizzie took it all in her
stride and quickly found drinks for both the grown-ups
and then ushered the two young boys off into the
garden to play with the other children that had
already arrived. To Harry's and Simon's
disappointment, David Jamieson was not yet among them
but this was soon forgotten as they joined in several
rowdy games most of which involved a fair degree of
rushing about.

The Principal's house began to fill up with new guests
and members of staff arriving at regular intervals.
Martin divided his time between small talk with other
guests, observation of the people in the room and
checking on Simon and Harry in the garden. Tom also
made regular checks to ensure that the boys were
keeping out of trouble and chatted to some of the
visitors and staff members. After a short while Mark
Jamieson and his wife and David arrived and on hearing
the noise from the garden the youngest member of the
Jamieson family rushed outside and was greeted with
loud whoops of joy from at least two of the children
out there. Tom made a move to check that all was well
but was intercepted by Lizzie who said,

"Don't worry, Mr Baxter. The children are fine out
there. There's no way out of the garden except through
the house. I've locked the back gate and there's not
much damage they can do out there, not even to
themselves. My own children play there all the time so
I know what not to leave out in the garden."

"Thanks for reassuring me, Mrs Scott-Brown, but please
call me Tom."

"Well, in that case, Tom, you must call me Lizzie."

Tom and Lizzie chatted for several moments before the
Collinsons walked over and joined them. Tom certainly
got the impression that relationships between the two
women were slightly strained and he and Raymond
Collinson had to struggle to keep the conversation
going. Matters did not seem to improve much with the
arrival of one of the younger members of the teaching
staff, Andy Stephens a friend of the dead teacher and,
if College gossip was to be believed, the boyfriend of
Anna Young, the College's Assistant Matron. Anna was
not with Andy as she was getting the only patient in
the sick bay, Johnny Price, ready to go to the
cricket. Johnny had spent a short time in hospital
after his severe asthma attack earlier in the week but
was determined to watch the cricket and Anna had
agreed to look after him during the afternoon, as he
was still not fully recovered. Martin joined the
rather desultory group and this seemed to bring some
relief to the strain. The conversation brightened
again although most of the College personnel were
trying desperately to avoid the most obvious questions
about the murder investigation. To everyone's relief,
at the moment when an awkward silence fell over the
group, the Principal clapped his hands and the rest of
the room also room fell silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, members
of the Board of Trustees and colleagues. This week has
been a difficult one in the life of our College. I
know the Police are working hard to conclude the
investigation into the sad death of one of our newest
but highly respected colleagues. Some of them will be
here today, one indeed is joining my team in the
cricket today. I think this is a fine example of
Police-Community relations and I thank Superintendent
Roberts over there for agreeing to his Sergeant
Rickwood playing today."

Several heads turned to look at Martin, who
acknowledged their appreciative gestures with a slight
bow. As heads turned back towards him, the Principal
continued,

"The match is due to start soon but before it does I
would like to invite you all to have a light lunch in
the marquee down by the cricket field. Everyone,
including children, is welcome but please ensure that
the youngsters are kept away from danger, we don't
want them to get hit by the cricket balls. Before I
conclude I want to wish both teams the very best of
luck today. After several years of trying, I believe
that the Principal's luck will turn today and I look
forward to a famous victory."

A loud burst of applause greeted the conclusion of the
Principal's remarks and then the large party of
teachers, visitors and guests began to make their way
down towards the cricket field and the large open
sided tent which had several tables laden with food.
Needless to say the children had run on ahead and
various parents had to make a considerable effort to
bring them under control before they demolished some
of the beautifully arranged tables. Martin and Tom
caught Harry and Simon just in time and together they
supervised the selection of food and the quantities
and then took the pair away to a quiet area where they
could eat.

In a somewhat smaller tented area the two teams were
sitting together eating a light meal before the game
began. Three long tables accommodated the two teams,
the scorer and the umpires in mixed groups. On Mike
Rickwood's table there was a balance of College
players and members of his own team and the talk was
of past triumphs and heroic deeds on the cricket
field. Outside, at the cricket field itself, a clear
majority of College students who had already eaten in
their dormitories was beginning to gather at strategic
points around the field. In less than half an hour the
match would begin and the two team captains prepared
for the toss. In a sense it made little difference as
the general convention was that College team always
batted first and the Principal's team last.
Nevertheless the ritual had to be gone through and
despite Paul Ferris losing the toss, he was asked to
bat while Geoff James organised his team for their
time in the field. The two captains had shaken hands
and wished each other luck and then all was ready for
the serious business of the cricket to begin.

A loud ripple of polite applause greeted the arrival
of the two umpires team as they appeared out of the
pavilion and walked onto the field. The umpires were
shortly followed by Principal's team who spread out
across the field to take up their allotted positions.
Finally there was a much louder roar as the two
opening batsmen for the College team appeared and
walked slowly out to the middle of the field. James
Robinson and Ali Hassan took their places and James
waited for the first delivery. Mike Rickwood had been
charged with bowling the first over and his first ball
was fast but rather off target and James was able to
leave it alone. Nevertheless the young batsman was
impressed by the speed and was even more impressed
when the next delivery beat him comprehensively and he
heard the telltale sound of his wicket being broken.
The sudden loss of one of the better batsmen created a
stir among the spectators and a stunned silence fell
over the College students. James began the slow and
sad walk back to the pavilion and was almost there
when a loud cheer went around the ground, Paul Ferris
had emerged from the changing rooms and was making his
way out to bat. James and Paul exchanged a few words
as they passed, Paul sympathising with his friend
James on his dismissal and James suggesting that Paul
would need to be on his best form against Mike
Rickwood. Paul nodded and went on his way.

The battle between Mike and Paul was one that all
enjoyed. For the experts it was a great trial of wits
and technique. Paul found it difficult to score off
Mike although he was scoring freely off the other
bowlers and the sergeant found it almost impossible to
break through the star batsman's defences. The same
was not true of either the batsmen or the bowlers at
the other end and the Principal's side began to chip
away at the wickets and Geoff James knew that if they
could just dismiss Paul then they really would be in
with a chance. Paul had other ideas and had already
scored over half his side's runs and seemed to be set
to get even more. In desperation, Geoff James called
Mike up to bowl his final couple of overs, somewhat
ahead of schedule. Geoff looked at Mike and said,

"He really hasn't been able to master you, Mike, if
you can dislodge him, we're in with a chance. Do your
best."

"OK Geoff I'll see what I can do", replied Mike
grimly.

The field was set carefully and the over began. Paul
found it more difficult than ever to score and wanted
to protect the other batsman from Mike's bowling. The
student managed to score a few runs including a
glorious shot that went straight to the boundary and
left Mike spellbound with admiration and only able to
applaud the talent. However, with the last ball of his
first over Mike produced a delivery which for most
average batsmen would have been unplayable but Paul
had sufficient ability to just edge the catch to the
fielder. It was the case that Paul was too good a
batsman to miss even this ball and the shout of
delight as the ball was caught went around the whole
of the Principal's team, only matched by the gasp of
surprise from the spectators. As Paul left the field
he was applauded all the way by the opposing team and
by his own teammates who crowded onto the pavilion
seating area. As Paul passed Mike who was applauding
as enthusiastically as everyone else, the bowler said
warmly to student,

"Well played, Paul, that was a great innings!!"

"Thanks, Mike, that really was a brilliant ball. You
really did get me in the end!!"

Paul met Tim Oakley his friend from Marston House
coming in to bat and they exchanged a few words. Tim
congratulated Paul on his innings and commiserated
with him on not getting the century he so richly
deserved. Paul told Tim to play his natural game and
build up the total as much as possible so that Bobby
and the other bowlers would have a good chance of
getting the Principal's side out for less. When he got
to the pavilion, Paul acknowledged the applause from
all around the ground and then disappeared into the
changing room. Bobby, his friend and vice-captain was
there as well getting ready to bat and Paul sat down
beside him. The young batsman sat quietly for a few
moments but a noise from outside disturbed him. Bobby
looked through the window and said to his friend,

"Oh, it's nothing much. It's just Johnny Price
arriving from the sick bay. They're clearing a space
for him right by the pavilion. Anna Young is with him
and so are several of his mates. Oops, there goes
another wicket but Tim's still there. I better get out
there I'm in next. Any instructions?"

"Get as many runs as you can, Bobby. I'm so sweaty I'm
going to have a shower and get changed into some fresh
cricket gear. I'll probably see you at tea!"

"Sure you don't want me to come and wash your back?"

"No, Bobby, tempting though that is. We haven't got
the time and anyway you'll be in soon. Plenty of time
for that sort of thing after the game!!"

Another shout from outside indicated the fall of
another wicket and Bobby had to hurry to be ready to
go out to bat. As he left the changing room he shouted
a quick `goodbye' to Paul who was already making his
way to the showers. There is nothing a crowd likes and
a fielding side hates than a spirited last wicket
stand and Tim and Bobby provided just such a
spectacle. The pair scrambled impossible runs and
equally unlikely shots until eventually their luck ran
out. The College team had scored a respectable total
of 164, of which the captain, Paul, had contributed
93. Mike had ended the innings with a haul of five
wickets, including the prize scalp of Paul. The
College team's score was challenging but the
Principal's team captain viewed it as attainable.
Coming off the field both sides had reasons to be
satisfied.

Tea was served in the interval between the innings and
the two sides except the wicketkeeper and the two last
batsmen who had to remove their pads and protective
gear in the changing room first, went straight to the
tea tent. It was not long before the other three
joined the group eating sandwiches and drinking tea.
Bobby had been the last man to leave the changing
rooms with Tim and they had heard the shower still
running and had called to Paul to urge him to hurry up
and join them. They got no reply but went off
expecting their friend to follow in a few minutes,
although it was not unusual for Paul to miss tea
altogether. Shortly before the tea break was due to
finish Geoff and another member of the Principal's
team disappeared into the pavilion so that they could
get ready to bat. Moments later, a rather anxious
looking Geoff reappeared and shouted,

"Come quickly, I think something terrible had
happened."

The members of the two teams followed the lead given
by Geoff and saw what he meant. At the back of the
pavilion but no longer in the showers was the body of
Paul Ferris floating face up in a bath full of water.
Once glance was enough to indicate that the talented
young batsman had played his last innings.

Mike Rickwood was one of the first people to arrive at
the scene and took immediate steps to try to prevent
any evidence from being contaminated. The Sergeant
also tried to ensure that everything remained as it
was when the body had first been discovered in case
the death of Paul Ferris had not been an accident.
What the Sergeant could not prevent was several
members of the student team entering the area at the
back of the pavilion and the air was shattered by a
scream of horror that came from Bobby Marsh when he
first saw his friend's body.

The commotion and the scream that came from the
direction of the pavilion was the first alert that
Martin and Mark had that something had gone badly
wrong. The two policemen and their partners and
children had spent a pleasant afternoon some distance
away from the pavilion near to the score box. The
grown-ups had chatted amiably about various matters
and the children had played contentedly in an area
that had been set up for just this purpose. The
roped-off area was close to the woods and not far from
the path that led to the tower. This route to the
woods had been also effectively sealed off to prevent
the youngsters from getting lost or worse still
getting into the unstable tower. It was possible for
parents to keep an eye on their offspring and still
enjoy watching the game or just chatting. From time to
time one of the boys would return to the adult group
and make some comment and then return to the rest of
the playing children. One such visitation had caused
much hilarity when Simon who was a rather serious
young man said very solemnly as he watched the
cricket,

"Isn't that Uncle Mike? Doesn't he run very, very
fast? No wonder he catches so many bad people!"

The adults had laughed indulgently at this observation
and Simon, rather nonplussed by the reaction of the
adults, had wandered off. At the time they heard the
scream, Martin and the others were in the process of
gathering their children together as it was intended
that visitors would take their teas after the teams
had finished and the Principal's side had begun to
bat. Martin and Mark exchanged a glance and so did Tom
and Ruth who immediately realised that their partners
would be required elsewhere. The two senior police
officers hurried across the playing field towards the
pavilion and were just going up the steps when they
met Andy Stephens and Anna Young, both slightly out of
breath. Anna said to Mark that she had come because
she had heard the scream and hoped that nothing had
happened to young Johnny Price, the young student she
had been looking after but had left in the charge of
one of the other senior students from his dormitory.
Anna seemed rather relieved to see young Johnny safe
and well and surrounded by a small crowd of students
also trying to discover what had happened. In
addition, the Principal and several senior staff were
also making their hurried way towards the pavilion,
equally concerned over the cause of the noise and
commotion. As the two police officers reached the top
of the steps into the changing rooms, they saw the
tall figure of Mike Rickwood who was trying
desperately to move the crowd back while someone was
comforting Bobby. The Sergeant saw Martin and Mark and
called out,

"Over here, sir. Make a path for the Superintendent
and Chief Inspector, please and give us all some
room!"

Martin and Mark pushed their way to the front of the
crowd and it did not take them long to assess the
situation. With as much authority as he could muster,
Martin ordered most of the people in the room to leave
and called for Anna Young to come into the room.
Having checked that an ambulance had been called, the
Superintendent asked the Assistant Matron to confirm
what everyone already knew, namely that Paul Ferris
was dead and that attempts at resuscitation would be
to no avail. Anna did not take long to make her
assessment and nodded quietly towards Martin to
confirm that the young student was beyond medical
attention. Moments later an ambulance arrived and the
paramedics confirmed the diagnosis. The room had
cleared and Mark had done a good job at checking out
the area around the bath where the body had been
found. His suspicion was aroused however because the
shower was also running. The Chief Inspector was not
convinced that Paul Ferris had drowned accidentally
and Mark suspected that Martin did not think so
either.

The Principal had become fully aware of what had
happened and was also trying to calm the crowd outside
down and sought the advice of the Superintendent.
Martin's advice was that Alex should make a short
statement about what had happened but to label it at
this stage as nothing more than a tragic mishap,
cancel the match and try to get the students to return
to their dormitories. Alex went outside and called for
quiet and then could be heard addressing the now
silent group in front of him,

"Please listen carefully, everyone. I have some very
bad news. We have just found Paul Ferris in the
bathroom area of the changing rooms. He appears to
have had an accident. We have summoned medical
assistance but I have to prepare you for the worst.
Paul appears to have drowned. Obviously a full
investigation into what had happened will take place
but in the circumstances I know you will agree that we
must also cancel the cricket match. I would ask all of
you to return to your dormitories and to our honoured
guests and friends playing in the game I would ask
that you also leave as soon as practical. I will
arrange for anyone who wishes to have help and support
at this time to have access to appropriate
counselling. Finally, I would ask all those of you who
wish to do so to pray for Paul and think about the sad
loss that his family have so grievously and suddenly
suffered. Thank you."

Slowly the tight group that had strained to hear the
Principal's words began to break up and many of the
students were visibly upset by the death of one of
their companions. Many students clung to each other in
gestures of mutual comfort, all thoughts that such
behaviour might call into question their manliness
lost in the overwhelming grief so many of them felt.
The Principal and the senior staff were equally
shocked at the death of their best student but they
knew that they had to try to hold themselves together
in order to be able to help those in their care. For
the Principal there was the additional worry that a
second sudden and possibly unnatural death at the
College could prove to be a blow from which he and the
college might not so easily recover.

Meanwhile back inside the pavilion the players had
also begun to disperse and began to change back into
their regular clothes in an atmosphere of shocked
silence. Martin had managed to find the cricket coach,
Dave Graham and together they had shepherded Bobby
Marsh away from the others and were sitting with their
arms around the whimpering teenager, attempting to
comfort him. Martin and Mark remained in the washroom
area along with the paramedics waiting for the arrival
of a doctor to issue the death certificate. Mark had
pointed out to martin that the shower was still
running and had found a means of roping off the area
in case there was any evidence to be found there. Both
men knew that the main question was why was Paul in
the bath when he could have been under the shower.
Martin summarised the position succinctly,

"I know it's going to be difficult but we need to talk
to the College team players to find out who saw Paul
last and where he was going and whether he said
anything to them about a shower or a bath."

"I know, sir. I think we can rule out most of the
Principal's team. The only one who went into the
changing rooms was the wicketkeeper and he was in here
with the last two batsmen Tim Oakley and Bobby Marsh.
So they probably alibi each other,"

"Ask around. See if anyone sitting outside on the
pavilion seating went inside."

"Will do, sir."

Mark returned with the news that the only people who
had entered the pavilion changing areas had been
members of the batting side. The last person to emerge
after Paul Ferris had gone inside after his dismissal
was Bobby Marsh. Mark looked at Martin and said,

"We've got to talk to Bobby, haven't we, sir?"

"Yes, Mark, we have, but I think I'm going to ask Mike
to do it. He has a good relationship of trust with
that boy. If anyone can find out anything, Mike will."


Mark acknowledged that the Superintendent's proposal
was a sound one. The doctor and some forensic officers
had arrived by this time and Martin went off to speak
to Mike Rickwood. The sergeant was still comforting
Bobby when the Superintendent found him and beckoned
him over. In a whisper Martin explained what was
needed,

"I need to find out who saw Paul last. We have
evidence it was Bobby. I don't think he's a suspect
but he was the last person to see him so I need to
know whether Paul said anything significant to him."

Mike went back and sat down by Bobby and started
talking quietly to him. The young and very distressed
student looked slightly more upset by what Mike had
said to him but gradually he regained his composure
and started to reply. Mike nodded as Bobby talked to
him and, after several more questions and answers, the
Sergeant got up again and reported back to Mark and
Martin,

"Bobby says that he spoke to Paul just before he went
out to bat and he saw him walking towards the showers.
Paul had told Bobby he was going to get out of his
sweaty cricket gear and put clean ones on and would
join him at tea. When he came back after being the
last man out, he, Tim and our wicketkeeper all heard
the shower running. Bobby and Tim had called to Paul
to say that they were going to tea and would see him
over there. They had not heard a reply and had assumed
that Paul was did not hear them because eof the noise
from his shower. All three of them left the pavilion
together and walked to the tea tent."

"Thanks, Mike, you did well even though the
information doesn't take us much further forward. We
need to know first if this is an accident and second,
if it isn't and is somehow linked to the killing of
Lawrence Miller, how did a killer get into the shower
area unseen and finally whether there is any link at
all between the two deaths? We know about Paul and
Lawrence's sexual relationship but did anyone else
know?"

"Or, sir, is there some other motive for these
killings that we haven't yet found," intervened Mark
thoughtfully.

"Yes, Mark, quite right, that's a real possibility we
may well need to investigate further."

During all the commotion near the pavilion, Tom and
Ruth had organised the children and ensured that they
were steered away from whatever unpleasantness was
going on the other side of the field. Ruth looked at
Tom and said,

"It looks as though Mark and Martin will be heavily
involved for some time. Would you like me to take
Harry and Simon back with David and me? They can stay
the night and you can pick them up tomorrow, heaven
knows when the other two will be ready to leave."

"That's really good of you Ruth. I know the boys would
like that and if it's not too much trouble I'd be very
happy to accept. I'll hang around for a while and se
if I can get a word with Martin and give you a call to
let you know what has happened."

Tom rounded up the three boys and told them what was
to happen and all three looked delighted. Then two
adults accompanied the boys to the car and loaded them
into Ruth's people carrier. Tom stood and waved as the
large vehicle drove away. Once the returning group had
disappeared from sight, Tom walked purposefully back
towards the pavilion. On his way Tom saw someone
running away from the pavilion at high speed and
coming straight towards him so he called out,

"Hey!! Look out!! Stop!! Let's talk and try to get to
the bottom of what is the matter."

Tom recognised the young man as the boy who had been
operating the score board and scoring for the College
team. The young teen looked very upset and distraught
and Tom decided he needed to spend some time
comforting him and trying to calm him down, so he
grabbed hold of the boy and stopped him from going any
further. Feeling himself caught, the youngster
wriggled but could not get away and began to shout,

"Paul's dead!! Paul's dead!!! And it's all my
fault!!!!"

Tom realised that the Paul in question was the highly
talented batsman they had seen playing so well earlier
but could not make any sense out of what the young man
he was holding was saying and said so,

"What do you mean? Even if this Paul is dead. You
couldn't have killed him. You were in the score box
all afternoon. I know because we were sat next to it
and we would have seen you if you left. Let's start at
the beginning. Tell me your name."

"It's Peter, sir", mumbled the still distraught boy,
"Peter Fowler."

"OK, Peter, calm down a moment and tell me what the
problem is", Tom said reassuringly, "You can't be
responsible directly for Paul's death, so what do you
mean."

"Well, sir, I'm afraid I'll get into trouble and be
blamed. It's like this Paul and I agreed what we would
tell the Police when we were interviewed. What we told
them was the truth but only part of it. We missed out
some of what happened."

"I see, Peter, and you think it's probably important,
do you? Why don't you try it out on me first?"

Peter agreed and gave Tom a full account of his
meeting with Paul in the score box the day of Lawrence
Miller's death. Tom listened intently and when the
teenager had finished, the older man smiled
encouragingly and then said,

"I certainly think that you need to tell the
investigation team what you've just told me. I'll come
with you and make sure they talk to you straight away
and in private. OK?"

Tom led Peter back across the playing field towards
the pavilion and, when they got reasonably close, told
the youngster to stay where he was and wait until he
returned. The older man told the PC guarding the
entrance to the pavilion his name and, after the
Constable had checked, Tom was allowed through. The
Superintendent saw his partner coming towards him and
came over to meet him. Tom explained what had occurred
and Martin told him to take the teenager to an area in
the main College building where he and Mark would join
them very shortly. They would be finished the search
of the shower area very soon and he was hoping that
the body could be removed for the post mortem
examination very quickly after that. Tom understood
and, following Martin's directions, rejoined Peter and
guided him discreetly to the room where the interview
would take place. The Superintendent indicated that he
was happy for the body to be removed and asked that
the small crowd of onlookers that remained should be
dispersed. Sergeant Rickwood and a small number of
local PCs undertook this duty. Once the area was
cleared a dark hearse drew up and the remains of Paul
Ferris were taken away to the mortuary.

Tom and Peter had only a short wait before the
Superintendent, accompanied by his Chief Inspector
friend Mark Jamieson and Sergeant Mike Rickwood joined
them in the room that was to be used for the
interview. Encouraged by the three policemen and by
Tom, Peter told his story and again expressed his
concern that his failure to tell everything might have
caused Paul's death. Martin tried to be as comforting
as possible, although he did feel that what Peter had
said was potentially a crucial piece of evidence. He
looked at the rather upset teenager and said as
quietly as he could,

"I will have to ask you a few questions about what
you've just told us. The first one is whether you can
tell us how long Paul was a way from the score box?"

Peter thought for a moment and then said,

"About five minutes, perhaps a little more."

"Do you know where he went?"

"Not exactly but I think he went towards the tower."

"OK and when he came back he said it wasn't safe and
there was someone he didn't recognise nearby."

"Yes. He told me this a few minutes after he got back
to the score box."

"Is it possible someone could have heard him talking
to you or recognised him even if he did not know who
they were?"

"The walls of the score box are quite thin. I suppose
that, if someone was walking by the score box at that
moment, they could have heard him talking. I guess if
it was someone from the College they would have
recognised him, he was pretty well known. Oh, I've
just thought of something else. After we had finished
in the score box we went back to College by different
routes to avoid arousing suspicion. Well I went the
route back towards the tower and then swung round to
walk behind the pavilion. On the way I found a loose
cricket stump, so I picked it up and took it back to
the storeroom by the pavilion. Is that important?"

Mark looked slightly annoyed but said as comfortingly
as he could,

"Yes, very important. Even more so if you could show
us exactly where you found it."

"Yes, sir, I can. But one final thing, does what Paul
and I did together in the score box, the sex I mean,
does that have to come out?"

"Not at this stage, Peter", Martin said encouragingly,
"Now can you show us exactly where you found the
cricket stump?"

Peter led the small party back towards the playing
filed and across to the pavilion and the walked back
round towards the score box. He found the spot he was
looking for and pointed it out. The three policemen
could see immediately that anyone coming along the
path from the tower could easily have tried to hide
the stump in the area. The problem was that the
forensic tests had proved negative for bloodstains and
fingerprints, meaning that the killer had probably
worn gloves and had use some means to clean the stump
before disposing of it. Peter looked at the three
policemen and Martin said,

"Thank you Peter this has been difficult for you I
know but you did well. Tom, here, will take you back
to your dormitory now. Please do not tell anyone about
what we discussed. I shall be issuing a general
warning to all of the College staff and students to be
on their guard. I hope we can find the killer soon but
in the meantime everyone must act sensibly."

Tom, accompanied by Mike walked back to Marston House
with Peter and Martin and Mark went off to find the
Principal. Alex Scott-Brown was sitting with his head
in his hands in the study of his house when the
Superintendent and Mark arrived. Martin explained that
he wanted the Principal to call a whole College
assembly in the Main Hall for thirty minutes time. At
that meeting, the Superintendent would explain what
precautions needed to be taken to try to ensure that
no more lives were lost. The Principal looked slightly
taken aback by this suggestion and Martin tried his
best to explain matters as calmly as he could,

"I'm sorry Mr Scott-Brown but we need to do this. I
will explain more tomorrow, but it is possible that
Paul Ferris died because he saw something or said
something that alarmed the murderer. It's also
possible that other students or staff may
inadvertently have heard or seen something as well. If
so, I need to be sure that everyone is forewarned."

"Do you mean you think the killer lives here in the
College. That it's one of us?"

"I think that could well be the case, yes, Mr
Scott-Brown."

"But won't your warning let the killer know you're
onto them?"

"Maybe so, but I can't risk not warning the innocent
members of the College staff and students of the
potential danger they face."

"I understand. I'll set the meeting up for immediately
before supper. Is that OK?"

"Thank you."

Martin left the Principal to get on with the
organisation of the emergency meeting, while he
arranged for a small contingent of local police to be
assigned to duty within the College. At the appointed
time, Martin and the Principal appeared together in
the Main Hall. The Principal again made a short but
moving speech expressing the horror and upset at the
events that had occurred and reflecting on how each
member of the College would have some memory or moment
that would trigger grief and sorrow. Arrangements
would be made for anyone to talk to counsellors and
other people if they needed support at this difficult
time. Alex Scott-Brown then handed over to Martin, who
added his own words of sympathy and understanding
before continuing,

"As you know, two people have died and we do not know
who is responsible. We hope we soon will do but in the
meantime there are some simple precautions you should
all take. What I am about to say applies equally to
staff as well as students. First, try never to be
alone in places where you might be vulnerable. Always
go to classes in the company of others. Second, stay
in your dormitories after dark and don't leave on your
own for any reason Thirdly, if someone asks to see
you, make sure someone else knows who you are going to
see, where you are going to see them and why you are
seeing them. Fourthly, I hope no one is in danger but
we can't be sure. I have arranged for the College to
be patrolled by local police tonight and for the
foreseeable future. If you are careful and obey these
instructions, annoying though they may seem, then no
one else need lose their life. Finally, may I again
ask that if anyone has any information, however
unimportant or trivial please talk to one of us on the
investigation team. Thank you."

After he had finished speaking, the College staff and
students left the Main Hall in silence. Martin hoped
that his warning would be heeded and that no further
deaths would occur. In the meantime, however, there
was a long night ahead of him and the rest of the
investigation team. Before they parted Tom told his
partner that the boys were with Mark's wife Ruth and
son David and that they would be able to stay the
night there. Tom and Martin telephoned Ruth and spoke
to the children who were delighted at the prospect of
staying over and Tom reassured Ruth that he would be
round first thing to collect Harry and Simon. At the
entrance to the College Martin embraced his lover and
thanked him for his assistance during the difficult
day. Martin then explained that he would not be able
to return home for some time. Tom already knew this
would be the case but indicated that he understood
and, after hugging Martin close to him for several
moments, slowly walked to his car and began the lonely
drive home.

If you have any comments or liked the story please let
me know cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk