Chapter 5: The Man Across the Road
His name was Raj.
His shop was called Raj's News & Convenience, and it had a Facebook page with 214 followers and a phone number listed at the top.
I called at ten past ten.
I expected voicemail.
He picked up on the third ring.
"Sorry to call so late," I said.
"My name is Claire.
My daughter goes to Northfield Primary — the school across from your shop."
"I know the school." His voice was cautious but not unfriendly.
"Is everything all right?"
"I'm not sure yet.
I'm trying to find out if you may have witnessed something last week.
There's a man named Walter who sits near your shop most mornings—"
"Walter." His tone changed immediately.
"Yes, I know Walter.
Good man.
Quiet.
Never any trouble."
"Last week, a woman came out of the school and spoke to him.
We believe she's a member of staff.
I'm wondering if you saw that conversation."
A pause.
"What day?"
"We think Thursday.
Possibly Wednesday."
Another pause, longer this time.
"Thursday," he said.
"Yes.
I was putting out the morning papers.
A woman in a dark blazer came through the school gate.
She crouched down in front of Walter.
I couldn't hear what was said, but I could see her face."
My hand tightened on the phone.
"What did her face look like?"
"She wasn't asking him something," Raj said carefully.
"She was telling him.
You can see the difference.
Walter had his head down by the end of it.
When she walked away, he didn't move for a long time."
"Raj, would you be willing to write down what you saw?
A simple statement — date, time, what you observed?"
A long silence.
"Is this going somewhere official?"
"It might.
I want to go to the school first.
But if they don't respond the way they should, yes — it may need to go further."
"She works at that school," he said.
"I have to live across the road from them."
"I understand.
And I won't use your name without asking you first.
But I want you to know what you saw matters.
A woman used her authority to frighten a child and intimidate a vulnerable man.
And she did it in the open, in front of your shop, because she assumed no one who mattered was watching."
The silence stretched.
Then: "I have a security camera above the door.
It covers the pavement.
It might have picked up some of it."
I sat down on the bottom stair.
"Raj," I said, "please don't delete that footage."
"I won't," he said.
"I'll check it tonight and call you in the morning."
I gave him my number.
We said goodnight.
I sat on the stair for a moment after the call ended, the phone still warm in my hand.
Daniel appeared from the kitchen with two mugs of tea.
He handed one to me and sat down on the step beside me.
"Well?" he said.
"He saw her.
And he has a camera."
Daniel wrapped both hands around his mug.
"Then we go to the school tomorrow with everything."
"Not everything," I said.
"Not yet.
I want to hear what Crane says when she thinks we have nothing.
I want to hear how she explains herself when she believes she's safe."
Daniel looked at me.
"And then?"
"Then we show her she isn't."
He was quiet for a moment.
"You know she's going to deny it."
May you like
"Of course she is." I sipped my tea.
"Let her."
