Ann Purser [Lois Meade 08] Warning at One (v5.0) (pdf)

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take much, except old clothes and some grocery supplies. And
my pearls, which I mean to get back.
Looked good?
Pretty good, I d say. Could be quite fanciable, at a pinch.
John Smith threw back his large head and roared with
laughter. That ll be the day, he spluttered.
Thirty-Five
erek could shed no light on Lois s sudden enthusiasm
Dfor the past, but he was pleased. Apart from work and
snooping, when Derek had suggested she should look after
the front garden, she had spent a lot of time there, but now it
was bullied into shape, there was little to do. Weeds hardly
dared to show their heads. Perhaps history would be a chal-
lenge, and an inexhaustible one. There was no end to what
could be unearthed about Long Farnden, let alone Tresham
and further afield. Lois had always liked talking to old people
in the village, listening to their memories. She said it made
her feel part of the place. It took years, she said, to dig your-
self into a village. He did not agree with her that their house
did not really belong to them. It belonged to all those people
who had once owned it, she had said, and to those to come.
How d you work that out, me duck? he had asked her.
Stands to reason, Lois replied. We can t take any of this
with us when we die. Nothing, not even our dearest posses-
sions. So it can t be ours forever.
182 Ann Purser
But we can pass it on to our children, objected Derek.
Then it ll be theirs.
Exactly, Lois had said, ending the conversation.
Now they sat at the supper table talking about the WI
outing. Josie s coming, Gran said enthusiastically. Looks
like there ll be quite a decent crowd.
Are men allowed? Derek said, and without a pause Gran
said of course they were and she would put him on the list.
Lois changed the subject. We got a postcard from Jamie
today, she said. I just picked it up from behind the door
curtain. He s having a great time, he says. Usual couple of
lines, but he seems to be travelling around.
Where from this time? Gran said.
Thailand, Lois said. Here, have a look. She handed over
the card, and Derek leaned across to share it with Gran.
Jamie was the youngest Meade, and had become an up-
and-coming young musician of some repute. Gran remem-
bered when his first piano had been smuggled into the house
on Christmas Eve, and how his face had lit up when he saw it
the next morning. He d come a long way since then, and was
now on a round-the-world concert trip. Derek had never felt
he was on the same wavelength as his young son, but loved
him dearly and followed his career with pride.
Right, now then, Gran said, feeling that the silence
needed filling before they all began to be sad missing Jamie
and to wonder when he was coming home. I ll just get on to
Mrs. Pickering and give her the extra numbers.
Next morning, Andrew Young sat in his clean and tidy
flat, drawing up plans and details for Susie s house in Gordon
Street. He couldn t believe his luck. Fancy applying for a job
Warning at One 183
as a cleaner, his friends had laughed. Got your frilly apron,
Andy? they had teased. But here he was, doing exactly what
he d wanted to do, given a more or less free hand with interior
d�cor, and working for a sharp woman who was no fool and
seemed to welcome the addition to her business.
Well, one good turn deserves another, and he was deter-
mined to do a good job for her. He d enjoyed the cleaning ses-
sions he had done so far, and discovered that there was more
to New Brooms than dusters and spray polish. With some
of the clients it seemed to be mostly a social call. Old ladies
with nobody to talk to. One was a horsey woman up at the
Hall, a martinet Justice of the Peace who was accustomed to
servants, and herself such a fascinating relic of past days that
listening to her was better than the telly.
The telephone at his elbow rang, and he lifted the receiver.
Hello? Who s that? he said, but all he could hear was heavy
breathing. He was about to end the call, remembering with
a smile that a high-class hooker had had this flat before him.
Then a deep voice spoke.
Just a little warning, Andy boy. Keep yer nose out of num-
ber six, else you might ave to do wiv out it. An prob ly the use
of yer ands as well. That d put paid to your fancy decorations!
Who s that? Andrew said loudly. But the man had gone.
Andrew immediately dialled 1471, but the irritating voice
said that the caller had withheld their number. He sighed. One
of the jokers from the pub, no doubt. But it wasn t quite their
style. And why number six? He thought back to Gordon
Street, and Susie s house his first commission was number
seven. Douglas Meade was eight, and six was empty, wasn t [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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