Dreaming Out Loud (26 page)

‘I did, because it was true. Oh, I know he’s my boss, and even when I spoke to him like that I thought I was risking the sack. But it was his fault that I was miserable and I thought he ought to know that.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He was taken aback, but he apologised.’

‘Thank goodness for that. Why are you smiling?’

‘Because the next thing he did was to take me in his arms and kiss me.’

‘What did you do?’

‘What do you think I did? I kissed him back, of course!’

Kay was shocked. ‘But how could you? I mean, he’s married, isn’t he?’

Shirley’s smile faded. ‘Julian’s a widower. His wife died ten years ago. He’s brought David up on his own.’

‘Then what was the problem?’ Kay asked. ‘Why did he blow hot and cold the way he did?’

‘Because of the age difference. Julian thought it wouldn’t be fair to me. I told him I didn’t care. I reminded him that Charlie Chaplin is thirty-six years older than his wife Oona, so what’s a mere twenty-five years’ difference?’

Shirley paused to fill up her cup, leaving Kay in suspense. ‘Don’t be infuriating,’ Kay said. ‘What happened next?’

Shirley grinned. ‘I asked him to marry me, of course.’

‘You didn’t!’

‘I think you said that earlier.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He said yes.’

‘Shirley, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you!’

And Kay realised it was true. No matter how miserable she was about her own situation, she wanted her friend to be happy.

‘Then he immediately apologised.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’ll have to leave Broadcasting House. You see, the BBC doesn’t like married couples to work together, nor even work in the same building, so I’ll have to go to Bush House and find a job in the World Service. I told him I didn’t mind. I’ll be more upset at leaving you.’

‘How do you mean, leaving me?’

‘When I get married.

‘Oh, of course.’

‘I’m really sorry, Kay. I’ll help you find a respectable replacement if you like. Two, if Jane never appears again.’

‘That’s all right. I’m not sure if I want to take in any more lodgers. Now that I have so much work coming in, I no longer need the rent.’

‘What about company?’

‘I’ll still have you as a friend, presumably?’

‘Of course.’

‘And there’s Moira.’ Kay collected the cups and saucers and took them to the sink.
And what about Tom?
she thought.
Can I count him as a friend?
Forcing herself to smile, she turned to face Shirley. ‘You know, I don’t feel like cooking tonight. How about fish and chips?’

‘You bet.’

‘I’ll go, you warm the plates.’

Kay got no further than the front door. When she opened it she found Moira standing there with her hand raised, ready to ring the bell. Kay’s welcoming smile died when she saw how distraught Moira was. ‘What is it?’ she asked.

‘Here,’ Moira said and she thrust a copy of the evening paper into Kay’s hands. ‘You’d better read this.’

Chapter Twenty-Four

CAUGHT AT LAST!

Murdering jewel thieves arrested in Victoria station as they were about to board the boat-train.

Remember the two killers who set fire to a manor house in Yorkshire, thus ending the life of the blameless old lady who lived there? One of them is thought to be a young woman who now calls herself Jane Mullen, but is suspected of having had several aliases, and is wanted for a string of petty crimes. She worked as housekeeper for Lady Charlesworth, and one night when her employer was visiting friends in the nearby village, she allowed her partner-in-crime, Maurice Snape, to enter the house. It is assumed that the pair of them stole Lady Charlesworth’s jewels and who knows what else, because as they fled with their loot they set fire to the place. No one knows why, but maybe it was to cover their tracks.

The heartless thieves must have known that Lady Charlesworth’s little dog was in the house but they left it to suffer a painful death. Even worse, Lady Charlesworth saw the fire from the village and hurried home in an attempt to rescue her beloved pet. She died in the fire. In the opinion of this newspaper, this makes the heartless pair murderers who should hang for their crimes.

After they fled, Snape and Mullen dropped out of sight, and it seemed as though they were going to get away with it. However, the police had traced Mullen almost as soon as she arrived in London. Unfortunately there was no sign of Snape. Scotland Yard decided to play a waiting game. They chose to let Mullen think she’d got away with it and kept watch on her in the hopes that eventually she would lead them to Snape, who had probably vanished into the London underworld, and would be trying to dispose of the loot. When he succeeded in this, the pair of them would almost certainly flee abroad.

A team of detectives, led by Sergeant Tom Masters, played a waiting game until today, when it looked as though Mullen was about to fly the nest. She was followed to Victoria station, and as soon as she met up with Snape, the pair of them were apprehended.

Apparently Mullen immediately offered to give King’s evidence in order to save her own neck – which proves there is no honour among thieves.

Sergeant Masters, who had been working undercover, refused to reveal where Mullen had been hiding out in order to protect the innocent.

Kay and Shirley sat next to each other at the kitchen table as they read the article. Shirley finished first. She sat back and waited until Kay looked up. For once, Shirley had nothing to say.

‘Did neither of you have any idea?’ Moira asked. She had joined them at the table but had kept quiet until they had finished reading.

‘How on earth could we have guessed that Jane was a thief who was on the run?’ Shirley said.

Kay kept silent.

‘Although I did think there was something fishy about her,’ Shirley continued. ‘But a thief and a murderess?’ She shook her head.

‘I don’t think she meant to murder anyone,’ Kay said.

‘Are you making excuses for her?’

‘No, Shirley, I’m not. But remember how the fire made her so nervous?’

‘Or guilty.’

‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘I feel as though I’ve let you down,’ Moira said.

‘Why do you say that?’ Kay asked.

‘When you decided to take lodgers I should have asked the girl for references.’

‘Huh!’ Shirley said. ‘She would probably have forged them.’

‘I suppose so. Kay, what are you going to do now?’

‘I’m going to try to forget what a fool I’ve been.’

‘You weren’t a fool,’ Shirley said. ‘Jane was very plausible.’

‘I didn’t mean Jane, I meant Tom. All these months I’ve welcomed him into this house, and I thought at the very least he wanted to be my friend, when all the time he was using me in order keep watch on Jane. You read what the paper said. Sergeant Masters was “working undercover”. Well, now that he’s done his job I don’t want to see him again for as long as I live.’

‘We can write you out of one or even two episodes, Kay, but you’ll have to be back for the Christmas special.’

‘Thanks, Julian. I won’t let you down.’

‘I can understand why you want a break. Shirley told me you’re pretty upset about Tom Masters pretending to be your friend when all the time he was keeping tabs on Jane. And it must be pretty distressing to discover what kind of woman you had living with you – a thief and a murderess!’

Kay’s smile was strained. ‘Shirley says I should write a book about it, and if I don’t, she will. She’ll change all the names and the location, of course. She said it wouldn’t do for the star of
Mulberry Court
to get the wrong kind of publicity.’

‘And Tom would never reveal anything, of course. You’ve got to give him credit for that.’

‘If you say so.’

Kay was silent and Julian took the hint. ‘OK, I’ll change the subject. So where are you going? Somewhere warm or some very expensive hotel?’

‘Neither. I’m off to a seaside resort on the windy north-east coast.’

Julian raised his eyebrows.

‘I’m going home.’

Tom hadn’t expected to be welcomed with open arms, but neither had he expected to be kept on the doorstep.

‘Kay isn’t in,’ Shirley said.

He turned his collar up in an effort to get some protection from the damp sleet. ‘Well, can’t you at least invite me in for a cup of tea?’

‘I don’t think so. You’ll need a warrant to get into this house.’

‘OK,’ he said. ‘Would you at least tell Kay that I want to see her?’

‘Why?’

‘To explain things, of course.’

‘I’ll tell her, but I don’t think she’ll listen. She doesn’t want to see you ever again. That’s what she said.’

‘Here,’ he took a card from his pocket, ‘this is my phone number.’

‘She already has it.’

‘No, not the flat. I’ve given that up now.’

‘Oh, of course. That was all part of the deception, wasn’t it?’

‘I didn’t mean to deceive Kay.’

‘Didn’t you? You certainly didn’t tell her the truth, did you?’

‘You know I couldn’t.’

‘In other words, you didn’t trust her.’

‘It wasn’t a matter of trust. I had no idea if Maurice Snape knew where Jane was staying. Any false move might have put Kay’s life in danger. And I would never have forgiven myself if that had happened.’

‘And what about
my
life?’

Tom saw Shirley’s faint smile and was encouraged. ‘Yours too, of course. Listen, Shirley, give Kay my card. That’s my direct line at the Yard. Tell her to phone me.’

‘It’s no use, Tom. Kay’s going away for a while.’

‘Where’s she going?’

Shirley laughed. ‘As if I’d tell you. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s bloody freezing and I’m going to close the door.’

‘Shirley . . .’

The door slammed in his face.

Shirley remained where she was. For a puzzling few seconds she was undecided whether she should open the door again and call him back.
Get a grip, girl
, she told herself. She set off resolutely for the kitchen but it was a moment or two before she could banish the image of the pure misery on Tom’s face.

‘Who was that?’ Moira was sitting by the fire.

‘Tom.’

‘You didn’t invite him in?’

‘Are you crazy?’

‘Don’t you feel the slightest bit sorry for him?’

‘No, I don’t. Not after what he did.’

‘He was doing his duty.’

‘He led Kay on.’

‘I suppose he did, but it was only because he couldn’t tell her the truth. I’ve seen them together, and you know what I think? I think he’s genuinely in love with her.’

‘Then why didn’t he tell her that?’

‘He couldn’t, could he? Not while he was undercover.’

Shirley scowled. ‘You’re talking as if you actually like the guy.’

‘I do. And furthermore, Shirley, don’t you think you sometimes make your mind up about people too quickly? And once you’ve done so, you’re determined not to admit that you might be wrong?’

‘Is that what you think about me, Moira?’

‘I’m sorry, Shirley, but I’m afraid it is.’

They were silent for a moment. Shirley stared into the fire but the only picture she could see was Tom’s unhappy face. She looked at Moira and smiled wryly. ‘It sounds like a cheap novel, doesn’t it? Cops and robbers, a maiden betrayed, and a broken-hearted policeman. I shall have to buy myself a typewriter.’

Moira smiled, her criticism of Shirley forgotten. Or at least put aside. ‘Are you really going to write a book?’

‘Yes, I think I am. Once the wedding is over.’

Something was wrong with the heating, and by the time the train reached Newcastle Kay was shivering with cold. She dragged her case from the overhead rack and stepped out on to the platform. Someone was calling her name, and she turned to see Tony hurrying along the platform towards her, smiling broadly.

‘Kay!’ he said and gave her an enthusiastic hug. ‘Let me take your case. My, that’s not very heavy.’

‘I’m not staying long. I have to be back at work in time for the Christmas special of
Mulberry Court
.’

‘Julie will be disappointed. But let’s get to the car. The wind blowing down this platform has come straight from Siberia.’

Tony cupped her elbow and hurried her out of the station. ‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to meet the train,’ Kay said. ‘I told Julie I would get a taxi.’

‘You might have known your sister wouldn’t stand for that. In fact, she would have been here herself if Kathleen hadn’t arrived a little sooner than expected.’

‘
What?
You mean she’s had her baby?’

They had reached the car and Tony opened the back door and almost threw Kay’s case in, then he turned and hugged Kay enthusiastically. ‘Yes, Kathleen Chalmers, your new niece, was born two days ago. Oh, Kay, she’s beautiful!’

‘That’s marvellous!’ Kay said. ‘Congratulations! But why didn’t you phone me?’

‘Julie wanted it to be a nice surprise.’

Kay couldn’t help thinking it would have been more of a nice surprise if she hadn’t found out about Kathleen until she walked in and saw Julie and her daughter together. She wondered uneasily if Tony had wanted to break the news himself because he imagined that she still had feelings for him and might have been upset, or whether he was just too excited to wait. She was prepared to believe it was the latter.

‘It’s a wonderful surprise,’ Kay said. ‘I can’t wait to see my new niece.’

On the way home Tony could hardly stop talking, and every now and then Kay glanced sideways at his smiling face. On one such occasion Tony glanced round and saw her surprised expression. His smile vanished.

‘Listen, Kay,’ he said. ‘I know I haven’t treated Julie as well as I should have, and I’m guessing that she’s confided in you. And I don’t blame her. But, you know, I was pretty shaken up when you ditched me, and it was all too easy to settle for someone who had never hidden her admiration of me.’

‘Is that what you wanted? Admiration?’

Tony looked embarrassed. ‘Only because my pride was dented, and Julie is very beautiful, of course.’

‘Do you love her?’

‘I didn’t think I did at first. In fact, I thought that I might have made a mistake.’

‘Oh Tony, don’t say that!’

‘No, it’s all right, Kay. The moment I saw Julie holding Kathleen in her arms I was overcome with love for both of them. My wife and my daughter. I saw the way Julie looked down at the baby she was cradling. She’s so sweet and so loving. I was ashamed that I’d never seen that before. Julie is right for me in a way you never were.’

Kay caught her breath. Despite the fact that she knew he was right, she couldn’t help remembering the happy times they’d had together.

Tony looked at her ruefully. ‘I’m sorry. Is that hurtful? I don’t mean to be. It’s just that we were never really right for each other, were we? If we had been, you would never have gone off to London the way you did. And now it’s all for the best, isn’t it? I’m in love with my wife, we have a beautiful child, and you have your career. You made the right choice, Kay, and I hope you’ll be as happy as we are.’

After leaving Kay’s coat and suitcase in the hall, Tony deposited her in the bedroom with Julie, then, picking up a list from the bedside table, he dashed off to do some shopping.
How domesticated
, Kay thought, but his delight at new fatherhood seemed genuine.

Julie was sitting up in bed cradling her daughter in her arms. The baby was asleep, but Julie looked as though she didn’t want to relinquish her. Kay was at a loss. She would have liked to hug her sister but she didn’t want to wake Kathleen.

Looking pink and rosy and delightfully dishevelled, Julie reluctantly held her daughter up towards Kay. ‘Here you are. Would you mind putting your niece in her crib?’

‘Oh, but . . .’

‘Don’t worry. She won’t break. And she won’t wake up, not after the feed she’s just had.’

Kay took the swaddled bundle and held her close. She was taken unawares by a surge of emotion. ‘She’s lovely,’ she said.

Julie laughed softly. ‘It’s conventional to say that, but in this case it’s perfectly true.’ The sisters exchanged smiles, then, ‘Go on. Put her down,’ Julie said. ‘And sit down on the bed and we can talk. Why are you looking worried?’

‘Are you sure it’s all right for me to stay here?’ Kay said.

‘Of course it is. That was the plan, wasn’t it?’

‘But that was before the baby arrived. You’ve got your hands full now.’ Kay thought Julie had never looked so happy, but she also looked tired, and she proved the point by yawning deeply before she answered.

‘There’s no need to worry about that. Mum and Tony’s mother are here all the time. Apart from feeding Kathleen, I don’t have much to do.’

‘Will Mum be coming this evening?’

‘No, luckily.’

‘Why luckily?’

‘Because she doesn’t know you’re here yet.’

‘Oh, Julie, why not?’

‘Well, the plan was we should go round together, wasn’t it? But then things started happening and, forgive me, Kay, everything else went out of my mind.’ Julie paused and looked at Kay seriously. ‘So, if you don’t mind, I think you should go round after we’ve had tea. We’ll be eating about five.’