“GOT TWO more Peeping Tom reports,” John Maguire told Jesse.
Maguire was a fitness guy. He did martial arts. He lifted weights. And he looked it.
“Any pattern?” Jesse said.
“No,” Maguire said. “Not that I can see. One downtown, near the wharf. One up in the west end of town.”
“Maybe he’s making sure there is no pattern,” Jesse said.
“That’s sort of a pattern,” Maguire said.
“Doesn’t help us much,” Jesse said.
“Seems to be getting more active, though,” Maguire said.
“Or people are being more careful,” Jesse said.
“Pretty much everybody in town knows there’s a peeper on the loose,” Maguire said.
“Everybody’s looking out their window.”
“And reporting anybody they see,” Jesse said.
“So some of these may not really be the peeper,” Maguire said.
Jesse shrugged.
“Could even be a copycat,” he said.
“Or several,” Jesse said.
“Hell, we’ve practically got the cuffs on him,” Maguire said.
“Stay with it, Johnny,” Jesse said. “I got nobody to help you.”
“It’ll be luck,” Maguire said. “We’ll spot him by accident someplace. Or he’ll look in the wrong house and somebody’s husband will make a, ah, citizen’s arrest.”
“Be nice,” Jesse said.
“Anyway,” Maguire said. “All the women got to do is pull their shades.”
“So far,” Jesse said.
“I been reading up a little,” Maguire said. “Peepers don’t normally take it further.”
“Not usually,” Jesse said.
“On the Internet it says ‘rarely.’ ”
“Sure,” Jesse said.
“You’re saying ‘rarely’ doesn’t mean ‘never’?”
“I got a twelve-man force here, and I’ve got you on this full-time,” Jesse said.
“Because it’s possible,” Maguire said.
“Otherwise, he’s just a nuisance.”
“Yeah,” Maguire said. “I’ll keep on it.”
“You’ve interviewed all the victims,” Jesse said.
“Sure,” Maguire said, “and wrote it up.”
Jesse nodded.
“Interview them again,” he said.
“They’ll say the same thing,” Maguire said.
“Usually people don’t,” Jesse said. “Maybe there’s something they left out, forgot, dis-missed as irrelevant. Their stories are all we’ve got, Johnny. You may as well keep working them.”
“Okay, Jesse.”
“And be polite and friendly,” Jesse said. “We don’t want them to wish they’d never reported it.”
“I am always polite and friendly,” Maguire said.
“I know that,” Jesse said. “Course, there was that guy fell down the stairs while in your custody.”
“Accidents happen,” Maguire said. “Besides, he was beating on his wife and kids.”
Jesse nodded.
“And you would never throw somebody down a flight of stairs,” Jesse said.
“Absolutely not, Chief.”
Jesse nodded.
“That’s what I told the selectmen,” he said.
“Protect and serve,” Maguire said.
“Absolutely,” Jesse said. “I wonder if there are any people who’ve been peeped at and haven’t reported
