[CharlotteSometimes]

They're not 'scared' of him at all, but quite probably walking on eggshells a little at the moment. If they'd told him straight away that they'd removed the coat, it would be a different matter. But as they took it without even mentioning it to him, they had to handle things differently. They should've just called him to the diary room as soon as the Police contacted them, explained the situation, and allowed him to hand over the coat voluntarily.