I'll Get By (4 page)

‘There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I know what empty looks like.’ She lowered her voice. ‘And someone finished my crossword.’

‘Finished your crossword? Oh, come on, Meggie, if you’re trying to scare me, you’re succeeding.’

‘No . . . really. There was one clue left that I hadn’t got. It’s been written in, but the slope of the handwriting is opposite to mine, as though the person was left-handed.’

‘So now we have a left-handed ghost that does crosswords. That’s a bit too far-fetched.’

‘Not a ghost but a burglar. I’m suggesting that someone has been in the house while we were absent. Doing cryptic crosswords is addictive. An unsolved clue would have been almost irresistible to anyone who enjoys doing them.’

Her aunt took a rolling pin from the drawer. ‘We’d better have a look around the house before it gets totally dark. We’ll switch all the lights on.’

When Meggie picked up the carving knife her sister said, ‘Put that back in the drawer. It could kill somebody.’

‘So could the rolling pin.’

‘Not if I hit him on the knee or calf. Besides, you don’t like blood, and that thing will have us wallowing in it. Bring the wooden spoon instead, you can use that in self-defence if you have to, but avoid hitting anyone on the head.’ She didn’t mince words. ‘Crack him one in the groin instead, men are vulnerable there.’

‘The giggle Meggie gave was from nerves rather than anything else. I imagine he’ll be gone by now, but can’t we wait for Leo to come home?’

‘That’s not for two hours. Come on, Meggie, be brave. I’m pretty sure you’re right and he’s gone. But we have to make sure.’

Fully armed they headed out. The first thing they noticed was that the bolt on the door leading to the stairs down to the basement was unlocked. Her aunt shot the bolt across. ‘That’s always kept locked, but I’m not going down there to check on the door to the street in the dark. It’s full of creepy-crawlies.’

They crept cautiously from room to room, switching on lights. The house proved to be empty of strangers.

‘Should we call the police?’

‘Not until Leo arrives home and we’ve listed everything that’s been stolen; I think his gold cufflinks are gone.’

‘What about that policeman . . . Blessing? Perhaps I could telephone him.’

‘Later. We’ll let Leo handle it. Men take more notice of men. Let’s drink our tea then we’ll start on the vegetables.’

They were sipping their tea when her aunt placed her cup into the saucer, buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

Meggie went to where she sat and slid an arm round her shoulder. ‘Don’t let this upset you, Aunt Es.’ She placed a hand over her aunt’s. ‘At least you were wearing your wedding and engagement rings, so he didn’t get those. And I was wearing my silver locket.’

‘We had such a lovely day together, and now this. It’s horrid to think that a complete stranger has violated my home and rifled through my things. Everything in the drawers was in disarray. I feel so . . .
grubby.
’

‘He’s the grubby one, not you,’ Meggie said fiercely. ‘I wonder how he got in.’

‘The basement, I expect.’

‘He couldn’t have done. It was bolted from the inside. And you keep the door to the street bolted, too.’

They gazed at each other and Esmé said almost inaudibly, ‘He must have found the key in the pot plant.’

The sound of a key scraping in the lock made them both jump. Exchanging a look they picked up their weapons and headed for the hall at a run.

‘Leo, thank God it’s you.’

‘Yes . . . I managed to get off early.’ His vivid blue eyes sharpened when they took in Esmé’s face. His smile faded and he gazed at the rolling pin. ‘You look as though you’re about to flatten a cockroach. What’s happened, my lovely girl?’

‘We’ve been burgled. My jewellery box . . . money . . . your gold cuff links.’

‘I wondered why the house was lit up like a Christmas tree. I thought you’d turned them on to guide me home.’

When her aunt gave a bit of a sniffle Leo drew her close. ‘All right, Es, tell me about it.’

‘I think he was in the house before we caught the bus . . . I’d forgotten my purse you see, and we came back. I’m sure I left it on the dressing table but it was on the bed when we came back. I thought some money was missing, but I wasn’t certain. I could sense his presence too, and one of those shivery feelings . . . as though someone was watching me. I picked my nightgown up and put it back on the bed, and I closed the bedroom door when I left that second time. I rattled the handle to make sure it had latched. When we came back from shopping the nightgown was on the floor again, and the door had been opened and left open. It was as if he’d wanted to make sure I knew he’d been there. He could have been hidden under the bed or in the wardrobe that first time.’

Leo’s other arm came protectively round her when she shuddered. He pressed a kiss against her forehead, as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. Meggie hoped that one day a man would love her as much as Leo loved Esmé.

Leo’s gaze wandered her way, and he held out his arm and drew her into the circle. ‘How are you holding up, love . . . scared?’

‘Not any more, but I’m angry. The rotter stole the garnet ring Aunt Es gave me. I feel a bit safer now you’re home. Aunt Es thought it was a ghost at first,’ Meggie said with a shudder. ‘We were laughing about it all day . . . until we arrived home. We were just about to check and see if the spare key was still in the pot plant, in case he comes back.’

‘That was an invitation to come inside if ever I saw one. I’ll telephone a locksmith and have some new locks fitted to the front and back doors. They might have time to do it now.’

They promised to come the next morning.

By six o’clock the basement had been checked, the house secured and the spare key plucked from the pot. A list was made of the missing goods and the police informed.

A thin man verging on middle age and answering to the title of Constable Duffy arrived. He accepted a cup of tea and a couple of ginger biscuits to go with it.

‘There have been a few burglaries recently. Another house further up the road was robbed a couple of days ago, not long after the fog rolled in. Luckily there was a police sergeant at hand. He said somebody had reported seeing a man loitering. He checked the house for the owner while she waited on the pavement. The robber got away with a large amount of money. The police officer wasn’t one of our chaps.’

‘His name wasn’t Sergeant Benjamin Blessing, by any chance, was it?’ Esmé asked.

The constable offered her a sharp look. ‘That sounds familiar. Do you know him then?’

‘I’ve met him . . . on the same day you mentioned.’

Meggie chimed in. ‘He helped me find my way here that same afternoon in the fog. He told me he worked at the station round the corner.’

‘There’s nobody by that name working in our patch.’ The man took out his notebook and licked the end of his pencil. ‘Do you have a description of this man? Miss Elliot . . . Mrs Thornton?’

Meggie went first. ‘He was about six feet tall. His helmet was too big, it shaded his face.’

‘He was polite and his voice was quite . . . cultured, I suppose,’ Esmé offered.

‘And he did cryptic crosswords.’

Meggie was the recipient of a surprised look. She shrugged. ‘He completed the one in my bedroom.’

The man wrote it down. ‘Anything else?’

Meggie stole a glance at his sensible black boots and remembered. ‘Sergeant Blessing wore brown shoes with his uniform . . . brogues, I think. I thought it odd.’

‘Why did you think it odd?’

‘Perhaps I should have said a coincidence more than odd. My stepfather has a pair just like it.’ She hesitated, and then said. ‘No . . . I did mean odd. Daddy paid nearly eleven pounds for his, and grumbled about the price all the way home. I thought a policeman might not earn enough to be able to afford a pair of expensive shoes. I know that sounds snobbish, and he might be a well-off policeman for all I know about him. I suppose there are some.’

‘That might be true, but I’ve never come across one. Besides, he should have been wearing regulation uniform.’

‘Perhaps he won the money to buy the shoes with a bet on a horse.’

The constable licked his pencil again and gazed at her, his expression bland. ‘Do you have a description of the winning horse, miss?’

Uncertain, she gazed at her aunt who was in the process of exchanging a smile with Leo. She giggled. ‘I think you’re all perfectly horrid, including you, Constable Duffy.’

‘I’m sorry but I couldn’t resist it, young lady.’

‘Oh, I forgot. I think the burglar was left-handed. His writing sloped as if he was.’

Constable Duffy wrote it down and closed his notebook. ‘Actually, you’ve been most helpful, and observant. You’d make a good detective, were you a man.’

The lightning bolt Meggie sent his way bounced off him.

‘At least we have a definite suspect now. It’s possible your Sergeant Blessing is impersonating a police officer.’

‘You mean he might be the crook?’ Though he’d denied he was Jack the Ripper. ‘He’s coming to morning tea on Friday. You can come and meet him if you like.’

The constable smiled. ‘If he keeps the appointment telephone me.’ Finishing his tea, he stood, and picked up his helmet. Unless your goods happen to turn up, which is highly unlikely, you won’t hear from me again. Thank you for your hospitality, Doctor and Mrs Thornton. Miss Elliot. I never say no to a cup of tea.’

After he’d gone Leo gazed at his watch. ‘Get your coats and lipstick on ladies. As I’m not on call tonight I’m taking you both out to dine at a restaurant.’

‘What if the burglar comes back?’

‘He’s already taken anything that’s worth having, so he might as well have the rest of it?’

‘Don’t think this will let you off when it’s your turn to cook the dinner,’ Esmé told him as they scrambled off up the stairs.

Leo gave a martyred sigh. ‘As if I’d be so devious.’

‘As you once told me, there’s a first time for everything.’

‘So I did, Mrs Thornton, so I did. I remember the occasion clearly.’ He winked at her and consulted his watch, grinning when colour touched her cheeks. ‘You have exactly ten minutes.’

Sergeant Blessing failed to turn up for morning tea.

Meggie felt guilty for encouraging him into the house, and said so to Leo.

‘You couldn’t help getting lost in the fog, my angel. He certainly had his eye on the main chance. Two houses within sight of each other . . . I could almost admire him for his nerve.’

‘Do you think Aunt Es will be all right? She was really shaken up.’

‘She’ll be fine now the locks have been changed. My Es is made of strong stuff.’

Meggie slid him a look. ‘You really love her, don’t you?’

‘I’d walk a mile over hot coals if it made her happy. Luckily it wouldn’t.’ His smile lit his eyes. ‘Go and put your slacks on while I fetch Esmé’s leather flying gear for you to wear.’

Excitement filled her. ‘We’re definitely going flying then?’

‘With a vengeance, since I’ve got the plane booked. It’s a good day for it. I hope you’re ready for some excitement this time because I won’t be doddering about up there.’

‘I thought you just mentioned it because Aunt Es wasn’t keen on having that fake policeman in the house.’

He slid her a gaze. ‘You don’t miss much, do you? As it turned out, Es was right to distrust him.’

‘I feel such a fool. I practically invited him to rob us.’

‘Don’t beat yourself up over it. He was a con man, and they’re usually experts at what they do.’ He changed the subject. ‘How are your driving lessons coming along?’

‘Famously.’

‘Good . . . you can drive us to the airfield then, as long as you’re careful.’

Meggie smiled at the thought. She’d had six lessons, so was fairly confident. ‘I’ll be careful, I promise. You’ll have to tell me which streets to turn into.’

And she
was
careful. She’d never driven in a city before, and guided the car through the traffic, honking the horn to warn anyone when they got too close, or when they turned a corner.

When they were out of the traffic she sent a glance Leo’s way, looking for a word of praise. He’d put his flying helmet on and was hunched in his seat, holding the flying jackets bundled firmly against his chest with white-knuckled fists.

Her smile faded. ‘Was my driving that bad?’

‘Well, not bad for a female, I suppose. Luckily, every driver on the road was more experienced today. They must have been warned about you in advance. You can’t just honk at everyone and expect them to get out of your way.’

‘Why not? It worked.’

He began to laugh. ‘So it did. I’m of a mind to get a bit of my own back for that little ride. This is supposed to be my way of unwinding after a stressful week, and I’m as tight as a spring. I’m going to throw us about a bit when we get up there, but if you’re scared use the speaking tube and tell me.’

He was as good as his word. The plane was fuelled up and waiting for them. They spent the next hour or two zooming about in the clouds, and doing turns, so the sky and land rolled around them and at first Meggie’s stomach flattened against her spine, then they were upside down and she seemed to be hanging by her straps and heels like a trapeze artist. The air was cold against her cheeks, but the leather jacket she wore was lined with sheepskin, and quite cosy.

She had been up with Leo before, but this was different from the last sedate outing. It was exciting, and she squealed when he took her up as far as the plane could go. They fell in a slow banana roll before straightening up and coming down to earth, landing as gently as a gadfly. The front wheels touched down lightly, and when they’d slowed sufficiently they were followed a few moments later by the tail wheel. They coasted towards the hanger, the propeller ticking over until they came to a halt.

Four young men stood in a group, watching. They were cadets judging by their appearance. They clapped as Leo stepped out on to the wing walk and turned to help her out.

‘That was quite a show you put on. Well done, sir,’ one of them called out.