Principal spent his time more profitably trying to offset the, adverse publicity caused by the whole appalling business. ‘Well, yes it does. He’s one of our Liberal Studies lecturers. Why? Is there…’
‘If you don’t mind, sir, I’d just like a word with him. In private’
‘But Wilt’s a most inoffensive man,’ said the Vice-Principal. ‘I’m sure he couldn’t help you at all.’
‘Possibly not but all the same…’
‘You’re not suggesting for one moment that Henry Wilt had anything to do with…’ the Vice-Principal stopped and studied the expression on the Inspector’s face. It was ominously neutral.
‘I’d rather not go into details,’ said Inspector Flint, ‘and it’s best if we don’t jump to conclusions.’
The Vice-Principal picked up the phone. ‘Do you want him to come across to that…er…caravan?’ he asked.
Inspector Flint shook his head. ‘We like to be as inconspicuous as possible. If I could just have the use of an empty office.’
‘There’s an office next door. You can use that.’
Wilt was in the canteen having lunch with Peter Braintree when the Vice-Principal’s secretary came down with a message.
‘Can’t it wait?’ asked Wilt.
‘He said it was most urgent.’
‘It’s probably your Senior Lectureship come through at last,’ said Braintree brightly. Wilt swallowed the rest of his Scotch egg and got up.
‘I doubt that, ‘he said and went wanly out of the canteen and up the stairs. He had a horrid suspicion that promotion was the last thing the Vice-Principal wanted to see him about.
‘Now, sir.’ said the Inspector when they were seated in the office, ‘my name is Flint, Inspector Flint, CID, and you’re Mr Wilt? Mr Henry Wilt?’
‘Yes,’ said Wilt.
Now, Mr Wilt, as you may have gathered we are investigating the suspected murder of a woman whose body is believed to have been deposited at the bottom of one of the foundation holes for the new building. I daresay you know about it.’ Wilt nodded. ‘And naturally we are interested in anything that might be of assistance. I wonder if you would mind having a look at these notes.’
He handed Wilt a piece of paper. It was headed ‘Notes on Violence and the Break-Up of Family Life, and underneath were a number of sub-headings.
1. Increasing use of violence in public life to attain political ends. A) Bombings. B) Hijacking. C) Kidnapping. D) Assassination.
2. Ineffectuality of Police Methods in combating Violence. A) Negative approach. Police able only to react to crime after it has taken place. B) Use of violence by police themselves. C) Low level of intelligence of average policeman. D) Increasing use of sophisticated methods such as diversionary tactics by criminals.
3. Influence of media. TV brings crime techniques into the home.
There was more. Much more. Wilt looked down the list with a sense of doom.
‘You recognise the handwriting?’ asked the Inspector.
‘I do,’ said Wilt, adopting rather prematurely the elliptical language of the witness box.
‘You admit that you wrote those notes?’ The Inspector reached out a hand and took the notes back.
