‘Are you in immediate danger, madam?’
‘Of course I am!’ said Karin, her voice rising. ‘There’s a pervert rapist stalking me and he’s sitting on the wall looking at me naked.’
‘The man is naked?’
‘NO!’ cried Karin. ‘I mean he was looking at me when I was changing.’
‘We’ll see if there’s a patrol car in the area. In the meantime, we would advise you do not leave the house.’
‘But I’m meeting my boyfriend at Boujis, I have to go!’
‘We really would advise you wait until the officers arrive.’
Karin sighed. ‘Oh, very well, but I shall expect a lift to the club afterwards.’
Adam put an arm protectively round Karin’s shoulder. ‘You’ll be okay, honey,’ he said, burying his nose in her hair.
She shrugged defiantly. ‘It’s fine, I’m just a bit shaken up, that’s all.’
She had telephoned him straight after ringing the police and she had been delighted that he had left his dinner with Claudia Falcon at once.
Adam turned to face her and she could see both admiration and concern. She felt a little flutter of excitement in her stomach. There was nothing like a little bit of jeopardy to test a person’s feelings. ‘We’ll get the security on your place tightened up,’ said Adam seriously, putting his strong hands on her shoulders. ‘I can get CCTV installed tomorrow. Fingerprint entry pads on every door. Everything.’
She took his hands and gripped them. She hated to show any weakness and she was not going to start now. ‘It’s okay, honey, really. I don’t want to become some paranoid freak. What do you always say about those rich guys that travel around in bulletproof cars? You become more of a target, don’t you? No, it’s sweet, but really I’m okay. He’s just a kid.’
A middle-aged policeman came across to speak to them, introducing himself as Sergeant Danners. ‘Do you want to go through what you saw, Miss Cavendish?’
‘I caught a pervert spying at me from the garden. He was probably there ages.’
She gave Sergeant Danners a description of the youth and accepted the cup of tea that Adam had made for her.
‘Is this the first time it’s happened?’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve noticed him several times before, just hanging around.’
‘Hanging around?’ said Danners.
Karin shuddered. ‘He doesn’t actually do anything, but I think he’s following me.’
‘Did you report any of these previous incidents?’
‘No. But I wish I had. I think I know who he is as well. I was driving by a house on Pelham Grove, just around the corner from here, about a week ago, and I saw him coming out of the big white house at the end of the street. I think he lives there.’
Adam stood to face the man. ‘So what’s going to happen now? You caught him red-handed, didn’t you – surely it’s an open-and-shut case? We know where he lives …’ ‘Stalking, voyeurism, lewd conduct in an open space,’ said Karin, shivering. ‘I give you full authority to press charges on any count you want.’
Danners smiled politely. Working in this part of London where wealth and self-importance went hand in hand, he was used to dealing with victims who felt they knew more about police procedure and criminal law than he did.
‘Well, this is possibly an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act,’ he said gently. ‘Obviously we need to identify who this man is. For us to start any sort of procedure against him, he needs to have done it at least twice.’
‘Of course he has! Haven’t you been listening to what I’ve just told you?’
‘Once identified, we can get a harassment order against him. However, there does seem to be a lack of tangible evidence that constitutes “harassment”. Letters, emails, CCTV footage.’
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nbsp; Karin rolled her eyes dramatically. ‘So he’s going to get off scotfree is what you’re telling me?’ cried Karin, her voice full of disbelief.
Danners shook his head patiently. ‘No, Mrs Cavendish, that’s not what I’m saying. We could start off with a police warning. That sometimes deters people, although not always. If the harassment then continues, it heightens our chances of a successful prosecution.’