Mystery of Holly Lane (12 page)

“Look here, if you want a job at window-cleaning, you come and be my mate,” said the man, at last. “You and I would get on fine. Don’t you worry about ladders and leathers — I’ll supply those if you like to come in with me. You go home and think about it, and let me know.”

“Right,” said Fatty. “That’s kind of you. I say, did you hear about that robbery at Hollies?”

“I should think I did!” said the man, taking up another boot to clean. “Why, I was cleaning the windows that very morning! Funny thing was, though I hadn’t cleaned them for a month they were as clean as could be! I told the old man that when I went in for my money. His granddaughter was there, ironing the curtains, and she seemed surprised to see me — said another window-cleaner had been along a day or two before, and hadn’t asked for any money at all.”

Fatty listened to this with great interest, hoping that Goon wouldn’t get suspicious if he heard about the other window-cleaner!

“Have the police asked you if you saw anything when you cleaned the windows that morning — anything unusual, I mean?” asked Fatty.

“No. I haven’t seen the police,” said the man. “I’ve got nothing to fear. I’ve been a window-cleaner for years and every one knows me. Anyway, I couldn’t have taken the money — the granddaughter was there all the time, ironing away!”

“Yes. That certainly rules you out,” said Fatty, thinking that the window-cleaner was another Suspect to cross off. “Well, I must go. Thanks very much for your help. If I decide to be your mate I’ll come right along and tell you.”

The window-cleaner waved a shoe-brush at Fatty, and the boy went round to the front, untied Buster from the fence and walked back home. He was thinking hard.

Why hadn’t Goon interviewed the window-cleaner? He had had time. Didn’t he know who the man was? Well, he was one up on Goon over that. Another Suspect gone!

Fatty arrived at Pip’s just after ten o’clock. The other four were sitting waiting for him in Pip’s playroom. Fatty was surprised to see such long faces.

“What’s up?” he said. “Bets, you look as if you’re going to burst into tears!”

“Fatty, something awful’s happened,” said Daisy. “Simply AWFUL! Goon found that window-leather Larry used, and it had our name on it — Daykin! Mother always marks all her household cloths.”

“Good gracious!” said Fatty. “If only I’d known that! I’d never have let that leather lie there so long.”

“Well, we’re in an awful fix now,” said Larry, “and really I can’t help saying again, Fatty, that it was a most idiotic idea of yours to tell me to go and clean windows. You see, Goon saw the name ‘Daykin’ on the leather, and he knows that my name is Larry Daykin, and he immediately leapt to the conclusion that one or other of us five had played the fool, and was the window-cleaner on the morning of the robbery!”

“Whew!” said Fatty, and sat down suddenly. “This is a blow!” He sat and stared at the serious faces of the others.

“Did he come up to your house with the leather?” asked Fatty.

“Of course he did,” said Larry. “And what’s more he took the leather away again, saying something about its being a ‘piece of evidence’ — whatever that may be. So Mother hasn’t got it back yet!”

“And he had us in, Larry and me, and asked us outright if we had cleaned the windows of Hollies two mornings ago,” said Daisy. “But fortunately we were able to say we hadn’t, because, as you know, it was a day or two before that that Larry cleaned them — not the morning of the robbery. But we felt AWFUL! We had to say it was Mother’s leather, of course, but we didn’t dare to say that Larry had cleaned the windows with it two days before the robbery — we just kept on saying that we didn’t clean the windows on the robbery morning.”

“And he kept on saying ‘Then how did this leather get into those bushes?’ ” said Larry. “He’s most awfully suspicious about it. It’s dreadful. I don’t know what will happen when Dad comes home and hears about it. I bet he’ll get out of Daisy or me that I was idiot enough to clean the windows two or three days before that robbery! He’ll think I’m stark staring mad!”

“I’ll go and see Goon,” said Fatty, getting up. “I can put things right, I think.”

“How?” asked Larry.

“Well, it so happens that I’ve been to see the actual window-cleaner who did clean the windows on the robbery morning,” said Fatty. “Man called Glass — good name for a window-cleaner!”

Nobody could raise even a smile.

“Well, anyway, this fellow says he did clean the windows that morning, and when he’d finished he went into the bungalow, and the granddaughter was there — ironing curtains or something, he said — and she paid him his money.”

“Oh, what a relief!” said Larry, looking more cheerful. “If Goon knows that, maybe he won’t keep on trying to make me say I was there cleaning windows that morning too. Honestly, Fatty, I began to feel that he thought I’d stolen the money!”

“I’m sorry to hear about this, Larry,” said Fatty. “I’ll go and see Goon now.”

He went off with Buster, leaving four slightly more cheerful children in Pip’s playroom. Daisy got up.

“Come on, let’s go out. I feel quite depressed. Let’s have some ice-creams — always a good cure for things that make us feel miserable!”

Fatty went straight to Mr. Goon’s. He saw the policeman’s bicycle outside and was thankful. Mrs. Mickle answered the door.

“Mr. Goon in?” asked Fatty. She nodded and showed him into the office. The skinny little Bert stood slyly in the hall. Fatty gave him a look.

“Hallo, Skinny! BEWAAAAAAARE!”

The “beware” seemed to come from behind Bert, and reminded him of those awful voices he had heard a day or two ago. He looked behind him, gave a yelp and disappeared.

No one was in the office — but, draped over a chair-seat, was Larry’s window-leather! Fatty’s eyes gleamed. He spoke softly to Buster.

“Buster! Look — what’s that? Fight it, then, fight it!”

And Buster leapt on the leather in delight, caught it in his teeth and dragged it round the room, shaking it and worrying it exactly as if it were a rat.

“Take it outside, Buster,” said Fatty, and Buster obediently ran into the front garden with it, growling most ferociously.

Mr. Goon walked into the room thirty seconds later, looking quite jubilant. Ha! He had got Larry and Daisy into a fine old fix. Larry was the window-cleaner, was he? Then he was one of the Suspects on the morning of the robbery. What would his father have to say to that?

But Fatty soon made him look a little less jubilant. “Oh, Mr. Goon,” he began, “I thought it might interest you to know that I have this morning interviewed the window-cleaner who cleaned the windows of Hollies on the morning of the robbery — a man called Glass, living at 62, North Street, Peterswood.”

“What?” said Goon, startled.

“He told me he cleaned the windows, then went into the bungalow for his money. The granddaughter of the old man was there, ironing, and she paid him. He couldn’t have stolen anything under the very eyes of the young woman, so I should think we needn’t consider the window-cleaner any further. What do you feel about it, Mr. Goon?”

Mr. Goon felt furious. He cast his eyes round for the window-leather — he would face Fatty with that and see what he would say! But where WAS the leather? He couldn’t see it anywhere.

“Are you looking for something, Mr. Goon?” asked Fatty, politely.

“That leather,” said Mr. Goon, beginning to be agitated. “Where’s it gone?”

“Oh, dear, I do hope Buster hasn’t got it,” said Fatty. “He’s out there growling like anything, Mr. Goon. Would you like to see what he’s got?”

Mr. Goon looked out of the window. Buster had torn the leather to pieces! Nobody would ever have known that it had once been a most respectable window-leather.

“That dog!” said Mr. Goon, in a tone of such fury that even Fatty was surprised.

“I’ll go and scold him,” said Fatty, and went out. “By the way, you didn’t thank me for coming to give you information about Mr. Glass the window-cleaner, Mr. Goon!”

Mr. Goon said the only thing he felt able to say — “Gah!”

A Talk in the Ice-Cream Shop.

Fatty went straight back to Pip’s house, but the others were not there. “I should think they’ve gone to have ice-creams,” said Mrs. Hilton. “I believe I heard somebody mention the word!”

“Right. Thank you,” said Fatty, wishing he had his bicycle. All this rushing about on foot would make him quite thin! “I’ll go and find them, Mrs. Hilton.”

He went off with Buster, who still proudly carried a small bit of the window-leather in his mouth. Fatty stopped at an ironmonger’s in the main street, and bought a magnificent leather. It cost him sixteen shillings. He stuffed it into his pocket, and went on to the dairy.

The other four were there, eating ice-creams. They were very pleased indeed to see Fatty’s cheerful face.

“Is it all right?” asked Bets, eagerly, and Fatty nodded. He ordered a round of ice-creams for every one, and two for himself, as he was one behind the others.

“I went to see Goon,” he said, “and I told him how I’d gone to see the real window-cleaner this morning. He was most annoyed.”

“I bet he was!” said Larry. “He was just too pleased for anything to think he’d got me pinned down as one of the Suspects. But what about the leather? He’s still got that. He’ll come and flourish it at Daddy tonight, and make an awful scene.”

“Buster, come here, sir,” said Fatty, and Buster came. From his mouth hung the last bit of the window-leather. He wagged his tail.

“Well, well, well, if Buster hasn’t taken it upon himself to remove that leather from Goon’s office, fight it and chew it to bits!” said Fatty, solemnly. “Is that the very last bit, Buster?”

“Wuff,” said Buster, and dropped it. Larry picked it up. “Yes,” he said, “look! There’s a bit of the name-marking on this corner — Dayk! Oh, Buster, you’re the cleverest, cheekiest, best dog in all the world!”

“And he deserves a double ice-cream!” said Daisy, thankfully. “Oh, Fatty, I don’t know how you do these things, but there’s simply nobody like you for putting things right — going straight for them….”

“Taking the bull by the horns, tackling the fury of the storm, putting the enemy to flight, and all the rest of it,” said Fatty, grinning. “No, but honestly, I was really upset Goon had something on us there; and you and Daisy could have got into a fearful row, Larry, all through my fault.”

“But now Mr. Goon can’t do anything, can he?” said Bets, happily. “He knows who the real window-cleaner was — you’ve told him — and he hasn’t got the leather any more.”

“And Mother’s the only one who has suffered,” said Larry. “She’s lost her window-leather for good now!”

“Oh, I forgot,” said Fatty, and pulled the brand-new leather from his pocket He tossed it across to Larry. “A present for your mother,” he said.

“Oh, thanks,” said Larry, delighted. “Mother will be so thrilled that she won’t say another word about Mr. Goon’s accusations.”

“Tell her he made a mistake,” said Fatty. “And a bad mistake it was for him!”

“Fatty! Pip and I saw the grocer’s boy when he came with the groceries last night,” said Bets, remembering.

“Good for you!” said Fatty. “What happened?”

“Well, Pip and I kept biking up and down the drive, waiting for him,” said Bets, “and he came at last, on his bicycle. Pip had let down his tyre so that it was a bit flat and he yelled out to the boy to ask if he’d lend him his pump.”

“Good idea,” said Fatty. “So, of course, you just fell into conversation. What did the boy say?”

“Not much,” said Bets. “Your turn now, Pip, you tell.”

“I asked him if he ever went to Hollies, where the robbery had been,” said Pip, “and he was simply thrilled to tell us all he knew. But it wasn’t much.”

“Tell me,” said Fatty. “Just in case there’s something.”

“Well, he went to the front door as usual,” said Pip. “He knocked, and shouted ‘Grocer.’ Some one called ‘Bring the things in,’ and in he went.”

“Who was there?” asked Fatty.

“The old man was there, with the radio on full strength,” said Pip. “and a young woman, the old man’s granddaughter. He said she called the old fellow ‘Grandad.’ She was very busy sewing something green. She told him to take all the things out of the basket and out them in the little larder. So he did.”

“And that was all,” said Bets. “He just stayed and listened to the wireless for a bit and then went”

“Yes. Mr. Henri said the boy was in the bungalow for quite a time,” said Fatty. “That explains it. Well, he couldn’t have taken the money either. The granddaughter was there all the time.”

“Perhaps she took it,” said Larry. “She had plenty of chance!”

“Yes. But why take it that morning when so many people seemed to be in and out?” said Fatty. “Anyway, we’ll know better when we see her. She sounds a good sort, I must say, going up and looking after old Grandad like that. Still, you never know!”

Fatty took out his notebook, and opened it at his page of Suspects. “We can cross quite a few off,” he said. He drew his pencil through “Grocer Boy.” Then he crossed out “Window-Cleaner.” He also crossed out “Lady with magazines.”

“Oh, have you found out about her too?” asked Pip, interested.

“Yes,” said Fatty, and told them. He also related how Goon had gone wrong, and had imagined that the lady with the papers, “in red coat, black hat with roses” must have been the funny old thing who had sold him Daisy’s ticket for the Sale, and had read his hand — and how Goon had gone to Fatty’s house to ask his mother if he might interview her!

Every one roared. “Oh! You had told him that you were staying with Mrs. Trotteville for three weeks, so he thought the woman must still be there!” giggled Bets. “Whatever did your mother say?”

“Oh, she soon put Goon in his place,” said Fatty. “Poor old Goon — he’s getting a bit muddled over all this! No, Buster, you can NOT have another ice-cream. That was a double one, in case you didn’t notice!”

“Good old Buster — eating up that leather!” said Larry, patting him. “I must say it was a very fine way of getting rid of — of — what is it I want to say, Fatty?”

“A fine way of getting rid of incriminating evidence,” said Fatty, promptly. “No, I’m not going to explain that, Bets. Use your brains.”