a different man. She was beginning to distrust him. Something she had not imagined she could ever feel. Not for Mr McKay. But to let somebody walk free like that! It was encouraging crime. If word got around there would be thieves flocking to Goodmans from all over the place. She felt aggrieved. Her work was difficult enough as it was, without the manager making it worse.
She had barely returned downstairs again, when she saw a woman acting suspiciously. Just my luck, she thought. Another woman, of course. Men would say when they were caught, ‘Fair cop.’ Women tried to run or fight back. However, the woman saw her and recognised her and decided not to try anything. She left the store empty-handed.
No sooner had that happened than she spied a man putting on a camel coat in the menswear department and calmly leaving the department still wearing the coat. She followed him, stopped him outside and escorted him back inside the store. There he said he needed the bathroom. He was desperate, he said.
‘OK, the security guard will take you upstairs to the toilet.’ Then to the security guard, ‘Take him up to the toilet and stay with him.’
But the security guard stood outside the door. As soon as she saw him standing there, she called out, ‘I told you to stay with him!’
‘He can’t get out unless he passes me. We’re three flights up.’
Nevertheless, she pushed her way past the guard and into the toilet. The toilet window was open and the man had gone. She looked out the window to the lane below, and saw him writhing in agony on the ground. There were drainpipes all around the building and grease was always put on the pipes to prevent people getting up them at night. Obviously, when the man had got on to the pipe to climb down, he slid down unexpectedly, and rapidly.
‘By the looks of him,’ she told the security guard, ‘he’s got a broken leg. Phone for an ambulance, as well as the police.’
She waited with the man, trying to make him as comfortable as possible until the ambulance came. Then she followed the usual procedure and went with him to the hospital. She was never nasty, never used unnecessary violence. She always treated the thieves as human beings. She supposed that was why most of them respected her and even became quite friendly. If they saw her in the street, they’d call out, ‘Hello there, hen.’
After returning to her office and filling in the necessary reports, she told Mr McKay that she was going off duty. Then she thankfully went for the train. It was good to get home and put her feet up and have a cup of tea and a read of the evening newspaper. She never ate much at night. She enjoyed a good meal at the staff canteen at lunchtime. It was store policy that she didn’t sit with any of the staff or become too familiar with them. This was a bit difficult at times, but it was a rule that had to be adhered to. Sometimes she had to deal with staff dishonesty. Spot checks on staff handbags had to be made. Sometimes she had to depend on information from staff, but even that had to be on a businesslike level.
It meant, of course, that she often felt a bit isolated and lonely, especially when she had to sit alone at home as well. Thoughts of a dating agency came into her mind again. In the paper tonight there was a page with a list of people seeking friends or partners. This wasn’t an agency, just people like herself needing a bit of company, she supposed. Some of the adverts were from men wanting to meet men. One she noticed said, ‘Gentleman aged sixty. Loyal, sincere. Hobbies – walking, swimming. Would like to meet similar gentleman for friendship, holiday. Can travel.’ And a box number was given.
One from a woman said, ‘Woman graduate seeks gentleman to share interests. Classical music, ballet, theatre.’
What could she say if she put in an advert? She didn’t think it would be a good idea to say that she was a detective. That would put a lot of men off. Unless the man was
She had barely returned downstairs again, when she saw a woman acting suspiciously. Just my luck, she thought. Another woman, of course. Men would say when they were caught, ‘Fair cop.’ Women tried to run or fight back. However, the woman saw her and recognised her and decided not to try anything. She left the store empty-handed.
No sooner had that happened than she spied a man putting on a camel coat in the menswear department and calmly leaving the department still wearing the coat. She followed him, stopped him outside and escorted him back inside the store. There he said he needed the bathroom. He was desperate, he said.
‘OK, the security guard will take you upstairs to the toilet.’ Then to the security guard, ‘Take him up to the toilet and stay with him.’
But the security guard stood outside the door. As soon as she saw him standing there, she called out, ‘I told you to stay with him!’
‘He can’t get out unless he passes me. We’re three flights up.’
Nevertheless, she pushed her way past the guard and into the toilet. The toilet window was open and the man had gone. She looked out the window to the lane below, and saw him writhing in agony on the ground. There were drainpipes all around the building and grease was always put on the pipes to prevent people getting up them at night. Obviously, when the man had got on to the pipe to climb down, he slid down unexpectedly, and rapidly.
‘By the looks of him,’ she told the security guard, ‘he’s got a broken leg. Phone for an ambulance, as well as the police.’
She waited with the man, trying to make him as comfortable as possible until the ambulance came. Then she followed the usual procedure and went with him to the hospital. She was never nasty, never used unnecessary violence. She always treated the thieves as human beings. She supposed that was why most of them respected her and even became quite friendly. If they saw her in the street, they’d call out, ‘Hello there, hen.’
After returning to her office and filling in the necessary reports, she told Mr McKay that she was going off duty. Then she thankfully went for the train. It was good to get home and put her feet up and have a cup of tea and a read of the evening newspaper. She never ate much at night. She enjoyed a good meal at the staff canteen at lunchtime. It was store policy that she didn’t sit with any of the staff or become too familiar with them. This was a bit difficult at times, but it was a rule that had to be adhered to. Sometimes she had to deal with staff dishonesty. Spot checks on staff handbags had to be made. Sometimes she had to depend on information from staff, but even that had to be on a businesslike level.
It meant, of course, that she often felt a bit isolated and lonely, especially when she had to sit alone at home as well. Thoughts of a dating agency came into her mind again. In the paper tonight there was a page with a list of people seeking friends or partners. This wasn’t an agency, just people like herself needing a bit of company, she supposed. Some of the adverts were from men wanting to meet men. One she noticed said, ‘Gentleman aged sixty. Loyal, sincere. Hobbies – walking, swimming. Would like to meet similar gentleman for friendship, holiday. Can travel.’ And a box number was given.
One from a woman said, ‘Woman graduate seeks gentleman to share interests. Classical music, ballet, theatre.’
What could she say if she put in an advert? She didn’t think it would be a good idea to say that she was a detective. That would put a lot of men off. Unless the man was
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