by Molly Green
‘He seems to have settled now,’ Ronnie said, twiddling his ears. He gazed up at her with his usual adoring look.
‘We get along well enough,’ Simone said. ‘I make him behave. He is better that way.’
Rusty pricked up his ears and gave a loud bark. Then he rushed to the window, jumping up, his tail wagging madly.
‘What is it, boy?’ Ronnie said, going over to the window and pulling one side of the blackout curtains to expose an inch of the outside. It was already pitch-dark at only just gone four.
A figure stood on the doorstep but she couldn’t make out the face under the umbrella. Someone collecting for charity, she thought, as she went to the front door, Rusty at her heels. She opened it to see her sister with her hand raised to the doorbell.
‘Raine! How did you manage it?’
‘Let me in – it’s freezing out here.’ Raine grinned as she folded the umbrella, shook it and came into the hallway. She tossed it into the umbrella stand and shrugged off her wet coat. ‘You know, I think it’s trying to snow.’
Ronnie flung her arms around her sister who squeezed her tightly in return before letting her go. ‘How long have you got?’
Every moment was going to be precious.
‘Back tomorrow after lunch,’ Raine said, ‘but I thought it was better than nothing. I managed to swap a day with someone who owed me a favour.’ Rusty thrust his nose in her gloved hand. She peeled off her gloves and stuffed them in her coat pocket, then bent down, laughing, to pet him. ‘Yes, I know you’re there, Rusty. But just let me get myself sorted.’
‘Tell whoever the other pilot is that I love her,’ Ronnie beamed. ‘You go through. I’ll make some more tea. Maman’s in the front room.’ She dropped her voice. ‘I can’t believe this, Raine, but she’s finally taken to Rusty. She doesn’t want me to take him on the boat, though she won’t actually come out and say it.’
‘So what’s she said to make you think that?’ Raine laughed, patting the dog’s head.
It was at that moment Ronnie gave a gasp of surprise. For on the finger of her sister’s left hand was a ring she’d never seen before.
‘Raine, is that what I think it is?’
Raine gave her infectious laugh and looked down at her hand. ‘Probably. What do you think?’
‘I think it’s an engagement ring.’
‘You’re absolutely right, kiddo.’
‘Why didn’t you tell us?’
‘It only happened the night before last. Alec and I went out for dinner and he popped the question in the restaurant. It was all very romantic in the candlelight.’
It shouldn’t have been that unexpected, but somehow it sent the signal that her sister would one day leave the family to set up her own home with her husband. She was pleased for Raine but things wouldn’t ever be the same again. She bit the inside of her lip.
‘What did you say?’
‘I said yes, you idiot.’ Raine ruffled Ronnie’s curls. ‘And then I said, “Shall we have some champagne to celebrate?” So we did.’
Raine laughed, and even in the dim hallway Ronnie could see her sister’s face alight with happiness. She mustn’t ever let Raine know her own selfish thoughts. She must be happy for her. Goodness knew, Maman might not be that thrilled with her news. As though to verify the thought she heard her mother call.
‘Who is at the door, Véronique?’
‘Oh, just someone wanting to know an address,’ Ronnie said, giving her sister a wink.
‘There is a draught. Please shut the door.’
‘I already have.’
Ronnie followed Raine into the front room, the excited dog rushing between their feet. She forgot all about making tea, she was so curious to see Maman’s reaction to the engagement ring.
‘Hello, Maman.’
‘Lorraine, how nice to see you. We didn’t expect you. Why did you not telephone me?’
‘I didn’t know it myself until a few hours ago. But here I am.’
Still seated, Simone turned her cheek for her daughter’s kiss. Raine rolled her eyes towards Ronnie who had to bite her lip hard to stop a burst of laughter. Everything was wonderful now her sister was here and she was determined to make the most of it. They had something really lovely to celebrate in this interminable war.
Soon the three of them were drinking tea. Ronnie watched, amused to see Raine making sure her ring flashed under the weak light of the side table lamp.
‘Lorraine, do I see you are wearing a new ring?’
‘I am, Maman.’
‘Allow me to look, please.’
Raine walked over to her mother’s chair, holding out her left hand.
‘This is an engagement ring.’ Simone tilted her head to look up at her eldest daughter, then took Raine’s hand to inspect the stone more closely.
‘I suppose it must be,’ Raine said, staring at it as though for the first time.
‘Do not be sarcastic,’ Simone admonished. ‘It does not suit you.’
‘I wasn’t really.’ Raine gave a short laugh. ‘It’s only that you stated the obvious, seeing as it’s on the wedding ring finger.’
Simone peered down again. ‘It is very pretty,’ she said at last. ‘But you know that emeralds are unlucky.’
‘Not another one,’ Raine muttered. A slight frown crept between her eyebrows. ‘I love it. Don’t you think it the most beautiful green?’
‘It is – but diamonds are safer.’
‘I didn’t want safe diamonds,’ Raine said, her voice on edge as it often was with Maman. ‘Unless it’s one like Suzy’s gorgeous antique ring,’ she added quickly. ‘No, Maman, I wanted a risky emerald.’
‘And you chose this yourself?’ Simone asked.
‘Yes, Maman, I actually chose it myself. Alec said I could have whatever ring I wanted.’ Raine stared at Simone, challenging her to say more.
Ronnie’s stomach clenched. Raine and Maman didn’t get along that well at the best of times, but until now they seemed to have called a truce. Was it about to break? To defuse a possible argument, Ronnie was about to ask if anyone wanted more tea when the doorbell rang.
‘Who is that now at this time of night?’ Simone’s voice was sharp with irritation. ‘Send them away – whoever they are.’
‘I’ll get it,’ Raine said, springing up.
Ronnie heard the door open, then a man’s voice. It went on for a minute or two but she took little notice until Rusty started to growl. Perhaps she should go and see who it was. But before she could move she heard Raine say, ‘You’d better come in.’
The front room door opened and Raine stood there, her face strangely pale as she stared at Ronnie.
And then Ronnie saw who was behind her: two policemen followed her sister into the front room. They quickly glanced round. She recognised the shorter man – she’d forgotten his name, but he was the same sergeant who’d come with Michael when they’d searched the boats that time. The other one, a constable, was tall and thin with eager eyes.
What on earth were they doing here?
The sergeant looked straight at Simone.
‘Sorry to disturb you, madam, but we need to ask your daughter a few questions.’
Chapter Thirty-Two
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Simone demanded as her stare bounced off the two policemen, and then alighted on Raine. ‘I suppose I must ask you the same question, Lorraine.’
‘I think you’d better ask Ronnie, Maman,’ Raine said quietly.
‘Véronique? Is she in some sort of trouble?’ Simone’s voice rose. She stared at Ronnie.
‘That is what we must find out,’ the sergeant said, removing his cap. ‘I’m Sergeant Sandford and this is Constable Butler of the Grand Union Canal Police. I previously met your daughter when she was working on the canal boats.’
‘She still is,’ Raine put in. ‘So why do you think Ronnie has anything to say to the police?’ Before waiting for an answer, she carried on, ‘She’s only seventeen. What can she possibly have to say that wou
ld be of any use to you?’
‘Because we think she may be able to help us fill in some gaps in a case we’re investigating,’ Sergeant Sandford said. ‘May we sit down?’
‘I’ll fetch another chair,’ Ronnie said, jumping up, her mind racing. She grabbed a dining-room chair and carried it back to the front room, where the constable took it from her.
Don’t say another girl has had an accident.
After the two policemen were seated, the sergeant fixed his gaze on Ronnie.
‘I believe you know a William Drake?’
Ronnie’s stomach lurched sickeningly. So that was it.
‘Yes,’ she said in a low voice, then forced herself to look directly at him. ‘Has something happened to him? Has he had an accident?’
‘One thing at a time, miss.’
‘To whom is this person you are referring?’ Simone interrupted, half rising from her chair and fixing her eyes on Ronnie.
‘Just a boy I know.’
‘How well do you know him?’ asked Sergeant Sandford.
‘That is something I would also very much like to know,’ Simone interjected.
‘Only slightly,’ Ronnie said, the heat rising to her cheeks with Raine’s and her mother’s eyes upon her. ‘He came to my rescue a couple of times when I was working on the boats.’
‘Were they the only two occasions?’
Ronnie noticed the constable was scribbling in a notebook.
‘No. Maybe twice more. But I’ve only known him since I began working on the canals.’
‘And when was that?’
‘In November.’
‘The exact date?’
‘The end of November.’ In her nervousness she couldn’t remember the exact day.
‘And you work for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company – is that right?’
‘Yes.’
‘And your trainer is Dora Dummitt?’
‘Yes.’
‘My sister has a right to know why she’s being questioned like this,’ Raine interrupted, and to Ronnie’s surprise lit a cigarette. She wondered when Raine had started smoking again.
‘All in good time,’ the sergeant said firmly. ‘Now, where were we? Ah, yes. And when he came to your rescue’ – he emphasised the word – ‘did you happen to notice his motorbike?’
‘Of course,’ Ronnie said. ‘He gave me a lift on it and saved me from getting into trouble with Dora … I mean Miss Dummitt. I would’ve been late if it hadn’t been for Will,’ she added, hoping it would help him in whatever business the two policemen were here about. ‘Please tell me what’s the matter.’
‘It appears he may be in trouble.’
‘What sort of trouble?’
‘Black-marketeering … theft … fraud.’
For a few seconds she couldn’t say a word. Then she looked defiantly at the sergeant who was watching her closely. ‘I don’t think Will could be involved with anything like that at all,’ she said. ‘He’s always been very gentlemanly to me.’
She hadn’t forgotten the times he’d come to her rescue, and when he brought that box of food for them. Then the heat rushed to her cheeks as the memory of what had happened only minutes later flooded through her. He hadn’t behaved exactly gentlemanly towards her then and Jessica had given her a lecture afterwards about her mistrust of him, calling him ‘shady’, and making her promise never to be alone with him.
Sergeant Sandford opened his leather bag and pulled out an object.
‘Is this yours?’ he said, holding out a camera.
‘No,’ Ronnie said. ‘I don’t own a camera.’
‘And you’ve never seen this one before now? You’re saying it doesn’t belong to you?’
‘I told you I’ve never seen it before, so it can’t belong to me, can it?’ She put her hands to her cheeks, now burning. They were going to think she was guilty. She wished she was anywhere but here in the front room with Maman looking so dismayed and Raine frowning.
‘Do not be rude, Véronique,’ Simone said. ‘You have been brought up with good manners.’ Her gaze fell on the camera. ‘I can vouch for her. This is not my daughter’s. She does not own a camera.’
‘What made you think the camera belongs to my sister?’ Raine said, blowing out a stream of cigarette smoke.
‘Because we found it in her bicycle saddlebag.’
‘My daughter’s bicycle is here at home – safe and sound,’ Simone said triumphantly. ‘So you have made a mistake with her bicycle. The one you are talking about is not hers. If you do not believe then you may look in the shed. So the two things you accuse her of, you are wrong. You must interview others. It is obvious Véronique cannot be of any help with your investigations.’
‘I am not accusing anybody,’ the sergeant said. ‘Merely enquiring.’ He threw Ronnie a piercing look. ‘Does the bicycle on the butty belong to you, Miss Linfoot?’
‘Not exactly,’ Ronnie said. ‘It was Margaret’s.’
‘Margaret Webb – the young trainee you and Constable Scott found when she’d fallen in the canal?’
Ronnie’s heart turned a somersault at the mention of Michael’s name. She wished he was here instead of the tall thin one with a face devoid of expression.
‘Yes. She died of pneumonia.’
‘I heard about that.’ The sergeant cleared his throat. ‘Very bad business.’
It was more than that, Ronnie thought. Much more. But she couldn’t say how upset she still was to these two men. It was best to stick to the facts.
‘What happened to Margaret’s bicycle?’ Constable Butler asked.
Ronnie didn’t look at him but kept her eye on Sergeant Sandford.
‘Margaret’s parents came soon after she died to collect her belongings. They said as I was the one who’d found her I should have her bicycle. But I’ve never felt it was truly mine and always let anyone else use it if there’s a long walk to the next lock. And as far as the saddlebag is concerned, I’ve only ever kept a spare jumper in it.’
Something didn’t feel right in this conversation. She felt the constable’s eyes on her – as though he didn’t believe a word she said and was determined to catch her out.
‘What has all this to do with my daughter?’ Simone said.
‘Please allow your daughter to explain, Mrs Linfoot,’ Sergeant Sandford said curtly.
‘Why are you connecting Will Drake with the camera?’ Ronnie asked. ‘Anyone could have put it there.’
‘We found this with the camera.’ The constable handed her a creased piece of paper.
Ronnie opened it and read a scrawled message written in pencil.
To the boat wench who hert her head. Hope you like it. I put a film in so its reddy to use. W.D.
Ronnie’s chest tightened. Why would he have given her a camera? It didn’t make sense.
‘We need to check the initials, but Will Drake is an obvious place to start.’ Constable Butler’s eyes seemed to pierce right through her.
‘Let me look at that, Ronnie,’ Raine demanded, holding out her hand. She peered at the badly spelt note, frowning. ‘It doesn’t even mention Ronnie by name,’ she said, looking up, a triumphant expression in her eyes. ‘He could have written this note to any of the trainees. As Ronnie said, the bike isn’t officially hers anyway. All the girls borrow it. If the note is from this Will Drake, why aren’t you questioning him?’
‘We have to conduct our interviews in our own way,’ the sergeant said curtly. He looked at Ronnie. ‘I believe you had an accident and hit your head and had to go to the nurse. Is that correct?’
Ronnie didn’t dare look at Maman. She just nodded.
‘You have hurt your head and did not tell me?’ Simone made as though to inspect Ronnie’s head.
‘Maman, calm down,’ Raine said. ‘You can see Ronnie’s fine now.’
Simone shook her head, pursing her lips, but she sank back into her chair.
‘It’s an expensive camera,’ the sergeant went on, ‘and alerts us as to how
or where he got the money to come by such an item. Are you aware of what he does for a living?’
‘I don’t know,’ Ronnie said. ‘Something to do with the boats, I suppose.’
‘He rides an expensive motorbike – it might be an older model but it’s the top make. How could he afford that on a boater’s wages?’ He gazed round the room as though looking for someone to provide the answer.
‘Isn’t there some kind of serial number you can use to trace the camera to see if it’s part of stolen goods?’ Raine asked in a challenging tone, drawing a last puff of her cigarette, then stubbing it out viciously.
‘Yes, and that’s what we intend to do’ – Sergeant Sandford nodded to his colleague – ‘but we needed to know the background as to why it’s in your sister’s possession.’
‘I do not allow my daughters to accept expensive presents from boys,’ Simone said firmly. ‘And they know this rule. Véronique knows nothing about it. If this boy gave her this camera she will … would not accept it. I think I know my own daughter better than anyone.’ She glanced over to the two policemen, her eyes flashing.
‘My sister has never seen the camera before, as she’s told you.’ Raine sprang to her feet. ‘So if you’ll excuse us, I’m only on leave this evening and I’d like to spend it quietly with my mother and sister.’
‘Yes – well, that’ll be all … for the moment,’ Sergeant Sandford said, emphasising the last three words as he looked at Ronnie. He stood and jerked his head to the constable.
They weren’t going to let this go.
Ronnie was sure the two of them could hear the loud beating of her heart. Forcing herself not to show her alarm, and conscious of Maman’s eyes upon her, she said, ‘I’m sorry you had a wasted journey,’ she said, more confident now they were going.
‘Nothing is ever a waste,’ Sergeant Sandford returned. ‘Well, enjoy the rest of your time at home, though I expect you’ll be going back to the boats soon, won’t you?’
‘I expect so,’ she said. She wasn’t going to give him any clue as to when she’d be returning.
He nodded briefly. Well, as far as she was concerned they could damned well see themselves out. But Raine sprang up.
‘This way,’ Ronnie heard her sister say as she escorted the two policemen out of the front door.