The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2561 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad

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“Daddy, I need a copy of the constitution and rules of the University Council.”

“Aye, when fa’ d’ye need it?”

“Now.”

“Aye, I’ll get Pippa straight on it.”

“I’m going to have to speak to the police at some point, there’s something not quite right going on here.”

He nodded but went off to his office as I went to mine. “Delia, I need everything we’ve got on the University Council, and who called the meeting yesterday, plus who attended.”

“What about your meetings and tutorials?”

“Cancel them, this is more important.”

“Shall I reschedule them?”

“Better not for the moment, I’m playing with fire here but trying to avoid a conflagration.”

“Very good, professor, tea or coffee?”

“Tea please.”

For the next two hours I tried to get hold of the University Constitution and more particularly that of the Council, its governing body. Delia did manage a copy of the minutes of a meeting which had taken place the day before. The full council had thirty members, only five attended the meeting, but without its rules or constitution especially what gave it a quorum, it wasn’t an awful lot of help.

In the end I phoned the university library, they had a copy. I told them it was imperative I saw a copy of it and for them to show it to no one else. The librarian was amused by this as she said no one had ever requested to see it before. I told her to keep it for me as the future of the university could depend upon it. She laughed thinking I was crazy, but agreed to it. I asked her to tell anyone else who came looking for it, to say it was out. She laughed again.

Although we’re on the same campus, the Guildhall one, the university has been looking to move us out to Langstone Campus, overlooking the harbour. Part of me would be happy to move, we’d be with Marine Biology department. However, they would want to merge the two and lose one of the chairs. It makes sense managerially, but that’s about it. I’m not sure I want to be under their prof anymore than they’d want to be under my department. We’d also have to give up one of our technicians, so I oppose it as did Tom before me. If we hadn’t got the mammal survey, we’d have been absorbed by Marine Biology. However, we did get the survey and that makes us bigger and currently more important. If we merged now, especially with High St supporting several projects, we’d absorb the marine department—love and hugs all round—I doubt it. Academics can sulk like no other group.

I scurried across the campus wishing I’d worn trousers and flat shoes instead of four inch heels and a tight skirt. They looked good, but would be no use on a bicycle. My shoes clattered on the marble tiled corridor and finally I was at the library.

I found Mitzi Goldman, the person I’d spoken to, who laughingly said, “You know, it’s a good job you reserved it because someone came and requested it just after you phoned.”

“Have you still got it?”

“Uh yes, it’s here somewhere,” she poked about under the desk, then amongst piles of books on a shelf behind her. “It’s got to be here, I put it here myself.” She searched for five minutes and it became obvious it wasn’t there. “Sorry about this, be right back.” She walked off to consult with her colleague, a moment later she returned looking flustered. “She said someone came saying they were collecting it for you, so she let them borrow it.”

“Is there another one?” I asked.

“I doubt it. There’d been no call for the other one until today.”

“Is there likely to be another copy anywhere?”

“Upstairs in Admin?”

I thanked her and went upstairs. They had one but someone appeared to have borrowed it. If synchronicity is meaningful coincidence, this could be it, or more likely as I suspected, a conspiracy. Quite what was going on I had no idea yet, but it looked as if some sort of illegality had or was occurring, and someone was trying to cover it up. Usually, it’s more incompetence than criminality, so what was going on?

I went back to my office, “The dean rang.”

“I’ll call him straight back,” I said as I almost dived into my office. Tom had a copy of the document, he’d send it over. I told him to hang on to it and I’d come and get it. As soon as I put down the phone I set off to get the precious document. Once it was safe in my hands, I shared my concerns with Daddy.

“Ye ken Gasgoine wisnae at yer meeting, he’s still off sick.”

“Oh well, it doesn’t necessarily eliminate him but it looks as if he’s not involved. Who chaired it?”

“The vice chairman.”

“Dr Long?”

“Aye.”

“Isn’t he related to Tony Long, our finance manager?”

“He is, he’s his dad.”

“Do we call the fraud squad?”

He shrugged, “It’s jest supposition at the minute, we need some sort of evidence before we involve thae polis.”

“By which time they’ll have disposed of the evidence.”

“Mebbe.”

“Oh c’mon, Daddy, if I did something like that I’d be destroying the evidence.”

“Mebbe.”

“I suspect someone is trying to stop us declaring the council meeting yesterday as inquorate. They had one of these in the library and I asked them to keep it for me. While I was walking to collect it someone got there first and took it.”

“It’s hardly bedtime readin’,” he offered.

I flicked through the council rules and my suspicion was right. They needed a chair, secretary and ten members to be quorate they were missing five or six members. I checked the rules, unless quorate, any rules passed by the council would be null and void.

I hoped I had them, now all I needed to do was find out who they were and why?