CHAPTER 7 : THE CIRCLE WIDENS

Thursday evening, Arthur had joined Merlin and Toby in the Dining Hall for supper. Toby had work to do, so Arthur went upstairs to Merlin's room. Arthur decided that this would be the optimum time to have a serious chat with Merlin. He'd been thinking about it in the light of what had recently happened and decided that Merlin deserved to hear about his and Laurence's first year in the Waynflete residence.

"I'm not telling you this to frighten you, but I think it might help explain a few things which have subsequently happened.

"It happened four years ago when Laurence and I were in Waynflete, at first we hung around together and then made other friends so that we had a group of people to go out with on weekends and partying. It was a cohesive group and we formed a strong bond with some of the others.

"There was a fresher from Yorkshire, brilliant chap called Kevin. I remember most that he was very generous with his time and used to help people who were having difficulties with their work. It seemed as if all subjects came easily to him. He didn't drink but he joined our group and I remember that he had a great repertoire of jokes and was well travelled. He was, however picked on by some of the other residents. Kevin was small and scrawny, his voice was a pitch higher than ours and you always knew when he was around as you could easily pick out not only his voice but his mop of red hair.

"I guess he became the mascot of our group and we were thrilled when he received extra credit for his reports, that is we were…but not everyone.

"There was a small group of students that were difficult from the start. They lorded it over everyone and were obnoxious to those who had no friends. They disrupted mealtimes with their annoying loud comments. Of course, I couldn't keep my mouth shut and had challenged the leader of the group, when he had two girls in tears one evening after supper. He'd insinuated that they were not of the calibre to graduate from Oxford and that they were wasting his and their tutor's time. I realised later that unfortunately they were in some of the same tutorials as the bully

"I said to him, 'Leave them alone! As they were accepted here, they are well capable of following their courses.' Of course, Laurence and a few of the others also chimed in with non-flattering comments. The bully stared me through and said quietly with a sneer, 'Pendragon, right?' then added as he walked away, 'I won't soon forget that name!'

"Our group never did anything about it, such as reporting it or anything and the Big Mouth and his followers made life in Waynflete difficult for certain people. At the time, we hadn't noticed that he had chosen Kevin as his scapegoat…well, not until Kevin began to miss tutorials and kept himself in his room instead of going out with us on the weekends.

"Looking back, we must have been blind. It was a perfect case of bullying and we all stood by and did nothing.

"One day, our paths crossed on the stairs, the bully pushed into me. My fencing training came to the fore as I took a step back to get him off balance and then I lunged at him, sending him down a few stairs as he clung to the bannister. I had the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in surprise or what I had hoped, was pain.

"I walked up two stairs turned and said slowly, 'Shame you hurt yourself falling on the stairs!' before adding with more emphasis, 'However, touch me like that again and I'll see you in court!'

"I figured that I would live to regret it as I knew that I would now have an enemy for the remainder of the year. However, I must have called his bluff as he kept out of my way after that."

He smiled almost apologetically as he explained to Merlin that the reference to court had been spontaneous as he ofter heard it used when he was around his father.

"We got through two terms and kept an eye out for any victims. Kevin seemed to have found himself again and although he was much quieter he did remain on the periphery of our group, eating with us and sometimes going out with us on weekends. Then during Trinity, he went missing. He was there on Monday and gone by Tuesday. The porters had no record of him leaving the building.

"The leader of the group was swaggering around as if he had conquered the world and someone happened to hear Kevin's name mentioned by one of his group of followers and everyone smirked and someone else said quietly, 'He had it coming, Stupid Bastard!'

"Laurence asked the Porters to check Kevin's room Thursday evening as he still hadn't been seen. Of course, security had to be involved and Laurence was present when Kevin's door was opened and curled up on the bed naked, with plastic ties around his ankles and his wrists was Kevin. The window had been left wide open and the room was cold. The porter who happened to be Dunn, grabbed a blanket and covered him up as he was shivering uncontrollably and Laurence stayed with him.

"Now, bruises on you wrists and ankles can heal quickly but to add insult to injury someone had shaved his head and his eyebrows…the hair was all over the pillow and his sheets.

"An ambulance was called and he was taken off to hospital. The news spread like wildfire and all hell broke loose in the residence; it was considered a secure building yet one of the students had been attacked in his own room.

"We got little information from the college but three of us were witnesses to the group leader's continual baiting and bullying of individuals. His friends were noted and spoken to by the police as there was an assault and battery charge.

"Someone from his group ratted on him and he was taken to the Dean of Discipline's office, there was also a follow up with the College Discipline council and the final outcome was that he was expelled.

"I then went to Bruxelles and Laurence a couple of years later mentioned in passing that Baxter was back. His parents fought for his return something to do with family ties to the actual Waynflete Family and the powers-that-be limited the expulsion to his first year which he never completed and one further year so he is now a junior with a new bunch of followers. He's a nasty bit of business but without concrete proof, all we could provide was considered hearsay.

"Kevin and his family did not press charges so Baxter's parents tried to attribute the attack to college pranks and high spirits, although none of the students saw it as such."

"What happened to Kevin?"

"He's still at Oxford but in Oriel. They were only too willing to accept him as he is exceptionally talented in his field and will be a credit to their college. He was allowed to make up the time missed and is now a postgraduate."

"You think this Baxter is the one causing trouble, don't you?"

Arthur shuffled his feet and finally looked at Merlin and nodded, "Did you keep any record of things which happened as I asked you?"

"Yes, but I still need to add Toby's pushing, my fall and the library chair episode."

"Would you let me see it?"

Merlin nodded and rolled back the rug on the floor and handed Arthur the stapled pages. "I figured it was safer here than on my computer or iPad."

Arthur smiled the old-fashioned way was maybe the best in this case. He glanced down the list and suddenly stopped, "You didn't tell me about the stairs incident."

"I thought at the time that it might have been accidental."

"Really Merlin? That could be considered inappropriate touching and the fact that you included it means you knew that…"

"I didn't want to worry you and then my room was trashed and I had other things on my mind." He sighed, "Someone has to believe us..."

"Security has not closed Kevin's case. So, please keep adding to this no matter how trivial it seems at the moment. He'll make a mistake, be found and you and Toby will be vindicated," Arthur insisted.

"You know that we see him in the Dining Hall everyday."

"Does he ever say anything to you?"

"No but if he can make eye contact he smirks."

Arthur was frustrated he knew that smirking was hardly a crime but it meant that Baxter had not given up.

-0-0-

On Friday, he got a call from Angus Quilley, "What is going on? Toby came home this weekend with some garbled story about Merlin having to go to hospital after he was pushed."

Arthur explained, "He was pushed but stepped aside and then slipped off the kerb into the road and wrenched his knee quite badly. He was on the phone coming back from seeing his friend to the station; I knew where he was and suddenly there was a noise and then his phone went dead. I raced over and another girl had also been hurt as Merlin had sidestepped the original thrust. Whoever pushed them got away."

"Toby confessed that he had been pushed into a lamppost last weekend when he was with Merlin and his friend. My wife noticed the bruises on his arms. Obviously, there is some bullying going on there. This is not what his mother or I expected when we allowed him to apply for Magdalen." He paused and then said, "Arthur, do you think that over the weekend, we could get together? How many other people are involved?"

"Well, apart from the Discipline Committee and the porters, security is also involved," Arthur mentioned Roger Maxwell, who had witnessed the library incident."

It was decided that they would meet Friday after supper at the Quilley's.

Arthur tried to make light of it but he knew that when he mentioned it to Merlin it would bring back everything he's gone through and possibly make him worry even more.

"Angus is a person with first hand experience in college life and he might be able to shed more light on the situation. You have to remember that when Toby's room was trashed his parents became involved." He smiled at Merlin and said, "Let's give it a go. I've already notified Roger and Laurence. Chances are when we get together, we might see something which we had previously missed.

"I've decided to tell Angus about Laurence's and my run-ins when we were freshers, I'm sure they are linked into this mess. Also he is at Oriel and maybe remember the gossip of Kevin's transferring from Magdalen to his college."

They sat quietly for a few seconds, before Merlin said, "Do you regret that I applied for Oxford and caused all this trouble?"

Arthur turned and looked at Merlin, he slipped his arm over his shoulders are drew him closer, "I'll never regret either my returning here or your being accepted. It should be the most exciting time of our lives!"

"Honestly, it is sometimes,…" Merlin paused before adding, "…but not when I am alone then I am always conscious that someone might do something. It seems as if troubled times happen more than good."

"I am determined to get it straightened out! Whoever is at the bottom of this, cannot go around threatening younger residents just because they have history with another student."

Merlin suddenly pulled away, "Do you think that this Baxter chap, is jealous of you or maybe he wanted you to pay attention to him?"

"Heaven's forbid! I have no tolerance for goons and I can assure you that there is nothing about him physically which would have attracted my attention to begin with."

Getting off track, Merlin asked, "What attracted you to me, was it purely physical or did even then, my intelligence, quick thinking and free spirit bowl you over?"

"Maybe it was your intelligence as Laurence kept going on about his brother's friend who seemed to have set him on the right path after countless teachers had been unable to accomplish much with him. I'd known Gawaine since he was a kid and apart from his wild spirit, I saw him as someone who was either going to make it or break it. Even then, he had his group of females fans who were enthralled with his every grin or smart-assed remark.

"And then one day, Laurence had suggested while we were in Ixelles that we take the ferry and meet up in Scarborough with his family and get a couple of free nights in hotel. You were all fooling in the pool and my eyes were drawn to you and that was it. Every boyfriend or girlfriend I had ever gone out with was wiped clean from my mind and I could only see you."

"So, my intelligence won out?"

"That and the fact that I knew your name which captivated me…and you body wasn't too bad either!"

Merlin thumped Arthur saying, "I guess we should be especially nice to Gawaine the next time we see him as he is the kingpin to our friendship!"

"Relationship, I believe is the correct term," Arthur said, ready to show Merlin what their 'friendship' meant for him

However, Merlin couldn't let it go and he said, "That's why Baxter made those comments to me about not looking for someone outside this residence isn't it?"

Arthur realised how involved in this vexing situation Merlin was, as it kept popping up at moments when he felt they might have been considering other ways to keep themselves busy. He was conscious that Merlin had suddenly frozen and put his finger to his lips.

Looking toward the door and involuntarily grabbing Arthur's hand, he'd whispered, "Someone's out there!"

Arthur stood up and crept to the door, he swung it open noticing something on the floor but more importantly a solid figure at a run disappearing around the corner presumably to reach the staircase.

He heard Merlin say, "No, Arthur!" grabbing his arm, but he shook himself loose and took off to catch whoever it was. He reached the stairs and stopped, he listened, fifty percent chance they had gone down. He stood perfectly still but could pick up no sound so he figured that the person must have hidden himself somewhere nearby. He walked along the other corridor but found nothing. He was pretty certain Merlin would never make it further than the corridor and finally wandered back to see what the lump had been at Merlin's door.

When he reached the corridor, Merlin was on his knees visibly upset. He turned to look at Arthur and said, quietly, "This has gone far enough, taking an innocent animal's life to make a point is unacceptable."

Arthur glanced down and quickly looked away from the mutilated body of a tabby cat.

Merlin's shudder was involuntary. The cat was not the victim of a road accident or a run in with a dog, the incisions were too clean and deliberate, almost like erratic stabbings. He had hoped that it was an animal from one of the anatomy labs and not a family pet. Nevertheless, the fresh blood told another story.

"Get back in the room now," Arthur told him. He grabbed Merlin's arm to drag him to safety, initially he refused and then followed Arthur willingly. He sat him on his bed and his nerves got the worst of him and he started to sob.

Knowing that reporting the event as soon as possible was paramount, Arthur left him there and phoned the Porter's Lodge, luckily Drake was on and got involved immediately. He agreed to phone security and maintenance to clean up.

"If you have a camera, it might be sensible to take a couple of photos so we have a record of the location of the body in reference to Mr Emrys's room. Are both of you all right?" Arthur explained that Merlin was really upset. "Someone will be up shortly," Drake said.

Arthur explained to Merlin what he was going to do and stepped out into the corridor. When he returned, Merlin covered his eyes saying, "I don't want to see the photos!" Arthur sat beside him on the bed and put his arm around him. "You won't have to as they're on my phone." Arthur left the door slightly ajar so that whoever came wouldn't have to knock.

"It was probably someone's pet."

Arthur tried to be helpful by suggesting that it might have been hit on the road and someone had brought it in as a joke. However, Merlin wasn't buying that as he knew it was a specific action against him.

"How did you know someone was outside your door?"

"Drake showed me how to recognise the sounds that the floorboards make when someone steps toward my door. It was the first time I used it but it works. There is a certain area where it squeaks when weight is put on it. I can also tell when Toby comes back as there is also one to the left of his door."

"A regular Sherlock our friend Drake!" Arthur said, filing away the floor information.

"Well, at least it allowed us to realise that someone was there."

Soon security arrived and checked if photos had been taken before telling a worker from maintenance to remove the body. She nodded at Arthur who said, "Sorry!"

The woman said, "Just part of the job!" She washed the area before leaving with her green bin bag.

Security wrote up a report from Arthur who explained he had seen a figure but had been unable to catch it. The senior security person present said, "The college prefers that the residents refrain from apprehending wrong doers, we will take care of the situation and no one will get hurt."

Merlin who was sitting next to Arthur said quietly, "Tell that to the cat!"

The security man nodded, "Well, if that is it. I should be getting back to the office. Thursday evenings are always busy, building up for Friday and the weekend."

Arthur saw him to the door and moved to sit on the sofa beside Merlin

Toby arrived back at his room later and seeing the patch of darker floor and the open door said as he walked into Merlin's room, "Saw Security on the stairs. Hey, Merlin, someone got caught out?"

Arthur shook his head and put his finger to his lips. However, Merlin seeing Toby looking confused gave him an abbreviated account of what had happened. "In our corridor…?" was all Toby said.

Before he left, Arthur said, "Toby, your father has invited us to your place tomorrow after supper and we will be discussing all the strange things which have been happening here."

"Merlin, will you be there too?"

"Yes, as I seem to be a catalyst in this mess."

"I'd best be on my way," Arthur said, "now promise me that you won't open your doors to any strangers. Phone each other if you are in doubt. Security said they would check this staircase more frequently tonight and, Merlin, I'm not a deep sleeper, so you can phone me anytime you want to hear a friendly voice," Arthur said laughing before adding, "you too, Toby!"

He hated leaving Merlin but he knew the rules. Tomorrow night after the Quilley's, he'd whisk Merlin back to the condo and if he was agreeable keep him there until early Sunday evening.

He was worried about the effect all these disturbances were having on his ability to concentrate on things college.