DAISY
STORIES
by Crystal Jones
© 1995-2007
the nightwatch
Daisy had got up early that spring morning because she was
working on a case in the nearby town. She arrived at her office with a paper bag
in her hand containing fresh cream buns at a quarter to eight and was dying for
a cup of coffee. As she put the key in the lock, a woman’s voice called out,
“It’s open, Daisy.” It was Pam, the cleaner.
“How about some breakfast, Pam?” said Daisy with a smile and then
noticed Pam had obviously been crying.
“Pam, whatever has happened? Come on sit down and have some
breakfast with me. Please tell me what’s bothering you.”
Pam was a hard-working woman with two children to bring up. She
did the cleaning for the whole building which meant seven offices. “Jim has been
on to me again about the children. You know he has no legal right to see them
and he really couldn’t care less about them, and never has.”
“Let’s put the kettle on.” Daisy began preparing the instant
coffee and offered Pam a bun, “Now, why don’t you start from the beginning?”
Pam looked extremely troubled and went on:”You see, when we got divorced he
didn’t even ask to see his children. Now he’s got no money, he’s trying to
torture me into giving him some with the threat that otherwise he’ll get the
children away from me.”
“I don’t think he can do that easily, Pam,” Daisy reasoned.
Pam accepted another bun.
“No Daisy, not easily, but he’s very vindictive and he’s
threatened to make my life a hell.”
“Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Look, if he gets violent
all you have to do is call the police.”
“I know Jim, if I don’t give him money he’ll be as good as his
word.”
Three days later Daisy got a telephone call. “Daisy, it’s Pam.
I’m going round the bend. Jim’s been coming round to my house every night after
the pubs close trying to see through my bedroom window and making strange
noises. He’s trying to get on my nerves so that I’ll give in and hand over all
the money he asks for. I haven’t slept for three days.”
“ Have you informed the police about it?”
“Jim telephoned me just now and said that if I call the police
in, he’ll tell them I’m imagining things and hysterical and mentally ill and
shouldn’t have his children in my custody. What am I going to do Daisy? I feel
desperate.”
“All right Pam, tell me your address and I’ll see what I can do.”
Daisy went round to Trends, her local television, radio and
computer shop, and asked to speak to Mr. Ranjee, the owner of the shop.
”Mr. Ranjee, do you think you could lend me a camcorder for a
couple of days?” Daisy had found the thief who was stealing from the shop a few
months’ ago and Mr. Ranjee had always said that if ever she needed something,
please to come and ask for it.
“Of course, Miss Hamilton. You say you want one that works in the
dark. Mm - take this. Do you know how to use it? Let me show you.” Mr. Ranjee
spent the next half hour teaching Daisy some elementary camcorder tricks.
Daisy decided to go around to Pam’s house at about ten that
evening armed with the camcorder and its rain-proof covering. She also had a
whistle in her pocket and a Mars bar to while away the time. “Oh no! It’s
beginning to rain,” Daisy exclaimed to herself. Whenever she had a job on at
night it invariably rained. Fortunately, this time, she had brought a plastic
mac and hood with her.
At that time of night there were few people around. Pam had
explained that she lived in an old cottage, and that her bedroom was round the
back facing the garden.
When Daisy arrived she went to the back of the cottage, climbed
over the low fence and saw there was a tumble-down tool shed at the bottom of
the garden. “That’s where I’ll hide and wait for that monster. How dare he try
to hurt dear Pam,” thought Daisy.
Once inside the shed Daisy heard something like a flower-pot fall
to the ground outside and crouched down so that she couldn’t be seen through the
small dirty window. Apparently it was a meeting-place for cats, for she heard
miaowing. “Certainly if Pam’s ex-husband wants to repeat his previous
performance, I’d better get rid of those cats so he’s not scared off.” She
opened the shed door warily and threw an old shoe she had found inside at the
cats, who hastily vanished. Now everything was quiet again.
Two hours later Daisy, very stiff from the damp and cold, got up
from the ancient wicker chair she had been sitting on. “I can’t stand it much
longer” she moaned to herself. Then she thought she heard the noise of
Wellington boots sloshing through the damp foliage. Someone was creeping towards
the house.
Daisy’s arms ached because of the enforced inaction and she
nearly dropped the camcorder. She stepped out of her shoes and slipped out of
the partially-open shed door. At that very moment a car passed by with its
lights fully on and Daisy could see quite clearly: Pam’s husband was spying into
her bedroom window.
Daisy managed to act quickly and turned the camcorder on. It was
only drizzling now. Pam’s husband began shouting through the window at his
ex-wife and threatening her. Daisy was filming the scene and recording all the
menacing words. Suddenly the camcorder made a strange whirring sound. “Maybe the
tape’s blocked!” panicked Daisy. She tried to turn it off but pushed the wrong
button and the whirring sound increased. At this point Pam’s ex-husband became
aware of it and turned round furiously. He realized someone was watching him and
swore profusely. Then he made towards Daisy as though to hit her.
Daisy’s first thought was to protect the camcorder with her body,
she turned her back on him and started yelling. It seemed to her that her
yelling lasted an eternity. Suddenly a strong torch light shone on both of them.
“What’s going on here?”
It was a police-woman, looking very determined. “I saw you
climbing over the fence,” indicating the man with the light of her torch “Come
quietly, both of you”. “I’m arresting you for trespassing and ...”
Just at this moment Pam appeared at her bedroom window, opened it
and looked out. “Officer, officer. That man is certainly trespassing, but the
young lady is my friend.”
Pam’s ex-husband was taken away as soon as the constable’s
colleague appeared and Daisy was invited inside the cottage to clean up and have
a hot cup of cocoa.
“Well, that was a bit of luck.” said Daisy. “To be able to film
him looking in your window at night and have the whole scene witnessed by the
police. I don’t think you’ll be having any more trouble from Jim!”
Next morning at about eleven Daisy arrived in her office to find
a fresh bunch of flowers in a vase, on her desk. Nearby was a little note
written in pencil. “Thanks Daisy, thanks again. Pam. P.S. I’ve put a pot of
homemade greengage jam in your fridge.” |
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