Frances knitted the final row and sighed. The switchboard blinked again and again, lighting up like a Christmas tree. ‘But this is the last time, all right? I can’t always beg him for a favour for you.’
‘You’re a star, Frances. I knew you’d do this for me.’ Pauline blew her a kiss and made for the door.
‘Pauline?’ Frances said, with a wicked grin. ‘One last thing. Your lipstick’s on crooked.’
23
Jack leant against the bonnet of the Rover as Frances walked out on to the street. His hat was pulled down to his brows, to shade his eyes from the glaring sun. He gave her a small salute.
She waved back and hurried over to him.
‘Hello kiddo,’ he said. ‘There’s no need to rush.’
‘But you said we’ll go and see Marie and the baby.’ She pulled the bootees out of her handbag. Lacking wrapping paper, she’d bludged an old handkerchief of Uncle Sal’s and tied the bootees up in it, like a miniature swag.
‘We still don’t have to rush. They won’t be going anywhere soon.’
∞∞∞∞
The baby was hairless, Frances had to admit, as she said hello to little Sally Fitzpatrick.
Marie looked exhausted but happy as she swayed back and forth in the rocking chair Bluey had put on the back porch. Bobby doodled with crayon stubs on paper scraps, and Bluey bustled about, tending to his wife. Before Frances could as much as ask after Marie’s well-being, he’d already wrapped her in an old paisley shawl, put a knee-rug over her legs and swathed Sally in another baby blanket, because he’d felt a chill just now, when the sun clouded over.
Marie’s smile became a trifle strained as she tried to get a word in.
Jack said to Bluey,’ Come on and let the girls have a chin-wag while we have a quick word.’
Marie expelled her breath as the men went inside. ‘Bless his heart, but the poor lamb is driving me crazy. Jack’ll sort him out, though.’
‘Is Bluey always this clucky?’ It was impossible to be shy around Marie.
‘Good heavens, no, I couldn’t stand it. It’s only for the first couple of days that he decides the baby and I are made of china.’ She cradled Sally in the crook of her arm. ‘Bluey’s mum lost two, so I don’t blame him.’ A dimple appeared in her left cheek. ‘It’s better than having a useless article on your hands who couldn’t tell one end of a bairn from the other.’
Frances nestled her gift out of her bag.
‘Now look at these bootees.’ Marie gave her a swift hug with her free arm. ‘They’re lovely. Bluey!’
The men rushed back. Marie said, ‘See what Frances made for the baby.’
A slow grin split Bluey’s face. ‘Sweet,’ he said. ‘But don’t you think you need a bit of a nap, love, while I get tea on?’
‘Lovely.’ Marie’s lids drooped. ‘Let me feed Miss Sally first. Sorry I’m not better company, Frances. We’ll have a good old chat the next time.’
‘I’m so glad I could see you and the baby,’ she said. ‘My sister-in-law didn’t feel up to visitors for a whole fortnight after my nephew was born.’
‘Not me, I’m strong as a cart-horse. Mind, Len’s wife was the same.’ She shook her head in resignation. ‘Plain daft, throwing away the best job he’d ever find. It’s not as if he’d pilfered a bob or two from the petty cash, is it? I feel sorry for the wife and the kids, though.’
She dropped a kiss on Sally’s forehead. The baby began to make snuffling noises.
Jack raised an eyebrow. He motioned Bluey closer, whispering in his ear and receiving a nod in return.
∞∞∞∞
‘What was that all about?’ Frances waited until they sat in the Rover. Jack pressed the pedal down.
‘A hunch,’ he said. ‘And a bit of a change of heart. Nothing like a happy family to appeal to your better self.’
She pursed her lips. If Jack wanted to talk in riddles, let him do so.
‘You’re quiet,’ he said. ‘Still scared?’
‘No; not with you around. But I had a busy day.’ She glanced at him. His features were blank, and his hands rested lightly to the steering-wheel.
‘Can I ask you something? Hypothetically?’
‘Ask away.’
‘It’s about Pauline. Again.’
‘What has she done now?’
She poured out the story. Jack listened with something approaching mirth. Then his lips began to move, until he broke into a laugh. ‘Tell her, as long as Dolores wants her, she’ll have a job. Even if it’s for entertainment purposes alone.’
‘Very funny.’
‘Come on, kiddo, you could barely keep a straight face yourself. We deserve a bit of a laugh after all this drama lately.’
Jack stopped to let a young woman cross the road. With one hand she dragged a toddler, with the other she clutched a bawling baby that sat on her hip as she stumbled headlong without so much as a glance at the traffic.
The woman couldn’t be much older than Frances, but she already had a defeated air. Frances nodded at the retreating threesome. ‘Can you blame Pauline for not wanting to rush into marriage and motherhood?’
‘No,’ Jack said. ‘But the last I remember she was teary-eyed because she wanted to settle down.’
There was some truth in that, but she leaped to Pauline’s defense. ‘There is a difference between wanting to get married straight away and plain being sure it’s going to happen one day.’
‘True,’ Jack said, ‘but enough said about Pauline.’
She played with the clasp of her handbag. ‘Except that it is very nice of you to offer Tony the chance of a job.’
‘I wouldn’t, if I didn’t need someone with experience to look after our property. Some of the houses need repairs or don’t have indoor plumbing yet which needs to be fixed.’ He gave her a slanted grin. ‘I’m not doing it out of charity, kiddo. I’m a businessman, which reminds me, I’ll need to replace Len. That shouldn’t be too hard. Most of his shifts he worked the cloakroom and the door.’
‘What’s going to happen to his family? I know you’ve put them up, to get them away from him. But what if he comes back?’
‘He already has.’ Jack’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. ‘Bluey’s heard from the wife. He’s going to pay them a visit as soon as Ginny comes to sit with Marie for a while.’
‘You’re not going to kick them out!’ She stared at his impassive profile.
‘I won’t have to. Len knows it’s no use pushing his luck. They’ll probably return to their old lodgings and hope for the best.’
‘But how can Len pay the rent? That fiver you gave him won’t last forever.’
‘Which is why Bluey’s going to see them and have a little chat. If Len plays his cards right, he might find himself back on the straight and narrow again instead of heading for jail.’ Jack’s expression darkened. ‘I’d hate to see that family of his ending up in a tin humpy somewhere while he’s serving time. Mind you, he would have had it coming a long time.’
Her head began to spin. ‘You’re going to take him back after all?’
‘Like hell I am!’ He gave her a quick glance. ‘Sorry. But, no. If Len as much as sets one foot in the Top Note he’ll find himself singing the whole scale of regret.’ His voice calmed down. ‘There’s a job going at an abattoir that’s managed by one of our old mates. The stink and filth should be right up his street.’
∞∞∞∞
Jack parked the car a block away from the movie theatre. The show was not due to start for another half hour, but people were already flocking to the entrance, happy to escape their dreary existence for a few hours. Everybody was penny-pinched, but the movie theatres were always full.
A Raggedy Ann leant against the wall of a shop building, about thirty yards from the movie theatre, playing her violin soft enough not to risk being called a nuisance. Her eyes were closed, and she swayed gently; not in rhythm with the music, but like someone faint with hunger.
Frances fished for a penny. Ja
ck took a five-shilling note, folded it and waited for the music to stop. The Raggedy Ann opened her eyes and lowered the bow. Jack pressed the money into her hands, inclining his head an inch before he strode on without looking back.
∞∞∞∞
They were shown to a row of seats up a flight of stairs covered in plush, pale blue wool carpet. Frances’ shoes sank into the thick material. It looked wonderful, but she couldn’t imagine how the staff cleaned it, when so many muddy boots dragged over it and refreshments tended to be spilt.
This whole upper part of the theatre was much roomier than the cheaper seats below that Frances was used to. Jack led her to two seats that could be curtained off. At the other end of the row, someone had already done that, and the giggling behind the curtain hinted at a lover’s tryst. To her own embarrassment, her cheeks began to burn.
Jack leant back into his seat, crossing his legs. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘I thought we could do with some privacy to talk during the newsreel and the Three Stooges. It’s the same one we saw last time, so we won’t miss out on anything.’
‘Good.’ She did not intend to let anything distract her during the main act, a comedy called Young Man of Manhattan, with Claudette Colbert, one of her favourite actresses.
Thinking of the enchanting Miss Colbert made her think of Dolores. She put her hand on Jack’s sleeve as the lights went out. ‘What is going to happen when Dolores hears that you went to Petty’s to buy her a present? Can you turn up empty-handed without having to tell her the truth? Because she will hear of it, believe you me.’
‘I’ll tell her I was sent by a friend who wants to stay anonymous, and that he plans it to be a surprise for his best girl.’ His features softened. ‘Dolores has got a weakness for lovers, as you’ve seen.’
‘I hope she’ll find happiness again.’ Especially if it was with someone like Phil.
‘Now you’re getting sentimental.’ He crossed his legs and dug his thumbs into his vest pocket. ‘She loved Simon dearly, but I’ve always asked myself if part of the allure is that they never had to deal with the small nuisances of married life. No fight over bills, or being late for supper.’
‘That doesn’t sound very nice.’
‘But it’s true.’ He gave her an odd look. ‘My old man used to annoy the heck out of my mother with his drinking and gambling, until he finally jumped a rattler and rode off into the night when I was eight. She divorced him for desertion after the appropriate amount of time, mightily relieved that Australia offered her at least that luxury.’
‘Your poor mum!’
‘On the contrary, she was happy to be shot of him. She’d have left him if she’d been able to put her hands on the money for a second-class cabin for us on a steamer back to England.’ He stroked his chin. ‘No steerage berth for my darling mother. Her motto is, do things in style or don’t do them at all.’
He drummed a tattoo on his right thigh. ‘Mind you, when she went back to Blighty, with my stepfather, a few years ago she knew that the party was over. Times are bad in England, but she’s been toughing it out ever since.’
‘She must have felt awful about Rachel,’ she said before she could help herself.
His fingers dug into his thigh. ‘No. I never told her the whole sorry story. There was no need to upset her. All my mother knows is, that Rachel went to New Zealand for a change of scenery.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She tried to shrink into her seat.
His fingers relaxed. ‘It’s all right. As I said, it’ll all come right again in the end.’
The Three Stooges came on, provoking gales of laughter with their slapstick routine.
Frances fidgeted in her seat. It was good to know that Jack didn’t mind her blunder, but it didn’t ease her apprehension.
It had nothing to do with him or his family, though. She felt like she’d overlooked something, and it had to do with Ella-Mae Petty and Randolph Walker.
She let her mind trail back. She had to hand it to Ella-Mae; the pretty widow had certainly known how to get Jack’s attention. Mr Walker hadn’t seemed to mind her using her charms though, at least not in the beginning.
She furrowed her brows. When did his behaviour change? He had introduced them, put down the trays and then he’d stepped back, watching from afar. Ella-Mae had put on the snake bangle, and the atmosphere had changed.
She sat up in her seat. The snake necklace and bangle hadn’t been on one of the trays that Walker had carried; they’d been on the one Ella-Mae had produced. Maybe he’d suspected her of stealing jewellery her late husband kept at home, and the snake necklace and bangle confirmed his suspicions?
No. That was ridiculous. But there was something going on, if only she could figure it out.
One of the Three Stooges slipped on a bar of soap, provoking an uproar in the audience.
She pulled on Jack’s sleeve.
‘Yes?’ he said, but she had to guess with all the noise.
She waited until there was a lull before she tried again and whispered into his ear, ‘Maybe I’m fanciful, but I think there’s something seriously wrong going on at Petty’s.’
‘There is,’ he said. He pushed back his sleeve, tapping his finger on the glass of his watch. ‘Look at this.’
‘I can’t see anything. It’s too dark.’
‘That’s the point, there is nothing to see,’ he said. ‘Not a scratch from when I scraped it badly over the diamond encrusted back of Ella-Mae’s snake bracelet.’ He let the sleeve fall over his wrist again. ‘In case you don’t know, diamonds have the distinction of being hard enough to cut through glass – which in this case they haven’t.’
Her pulse quickened. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It’s paste. What Ella-Mae was showing me were excellent pieces of jewellery, but they were fakes.’
‘No wonder she was twitchy, trying to sell them to you.’
‘I don’t think so. Did you see her face as she put those pieces on? She lusted after them with a passion I can’t imagine her having for imitation diamonds. Which means, she didn’t know what they were.’
Frances nibbled her cheek as she digested this information. She still didn’t see clear, unless … ‘He did. Mr Walker knew. That’s why he glared at her like that.’ Frances shivered. ‘She must have decided she’d take the jewellery out simply to be able to wear it for a little while.’
24
The Three Stooges finished to thundering applause. The screen went black. Downstairs, a queue formed in front of the refreshment stand. This way the young men could treat their girls without spending more than a few pennies. Some of these girls might never have been taken out for frog cakes at Balfours’ or illicit champagne in a night club, because the nice boys couldn’t afford it and the ones who could usually weren’t nice.
How easily one got used to the good life, Frances thought with something resembling regret. She’d miss being driven around town and taken for nice meals once Michael Petty’s murderer had been found. She rested her chin on her knuckles, propping her elbows up on her knees. Most of all she’d miss Jack, even though she knew she wasn’t anyone special for him; unfortunately, he treated her almost the same way as Pauline, or Marie.
He touched her shoulder. ‘Would you like a refreshment before the main picture begins?’
‘No, thanks. I hate it when people rustle with wrapping paper or suck boiled sweets when I’m watching,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t too bad with silent pictures, but sometimes you can’t hear what’s being said for all the noise. But if you want to have something, I don’t mind.’
He shook his head. The big screen flickered to life again, and Frances became enthralled with the story of best friends Ann and Puff, who tried everything to get their reporter boyfriends to pay them attention in fast-paced Manhattan.
She drank it all in. The skyscrapers, the neon lights, the hustle and bustle in the streets, and of course clever, clever Ann played by the luminous Miss Colbert. To admire the hats and dresses was a treat.
It must be wonderful to live in a place like New York.
A loud cough came from the curtained off box, and broke the spell. When she cast a swift glance around under her lashes, she saw Jack look at her with an inscrutable expression. She sank deeper into her seat, concentrating on Ann’s adventures again.
∞∞∞∞
They were among the last to stroll out into the night. The streetlamps threw passing people into bright relief. The leafy trees that lined many of Adelaide’s wide streets were painted with golden stripes from the lamps, making the dark spaces in between even darker.
A man barrelled out of a house. He smelt of unwashed skin and booze. Jack pulled Frances closer, but the man bumped hard into her shoulder, making her stumble. She winced as her ankle twisted with a crunching noise.
‘Hey, watch it, mate,’ Jack called out to the retreating man, at the same time putting an arm around Frances’ shoulder to support her as she touched her ankle. ‘Are you all right, kiddo?’
‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘I can move the foot, but it hurts.’
‘At least it’s not broken, but we don’t want to do any more damage. Shall I carry you or would you rather stay here while I fetch the car?’
‘I’ll wait here.’ Frances grimaced as she put her weight onto the sore foot, but the pain was bearable. If only the heel hadn’t come lose. She’d ruin her new stockings if she had to take off her shoes.
‘I’ll do a bit of window shopping while you’re gone,’ she said, with more conviction than she felt. ‘The light’s still on in the shop, so nothing can happen.’
‘Good girl.’ Jack brushed her cheek before he hurried away.
Frances hobbled over to The China Gift Store. She peered into the window. The shop was owned by a Chinese lady, and it stocked the most luxurious kimonos and silk undergarments as well as household linens, crockery, and spiderweb-thin lace as trimming that could transform an old sacking into a blouse fit for a ball.
A Matter of Love and Death Page 21