by Paul Kelly
“Thank you Cynthia and how is your Aunt today? I don’t see her in the shop.”
Cynthia was still counting the coins in confusion and nodding her head with every count, before she answered.
“Naw . . She’s no in.”
“I hope there is nothing wrong, Cynthia. I mean, I trust your Aunt Jane is not unwell?”
Cynthia stared at Evie and Danny with her mouth open as if she was making every effort to understand what Evie had just said to her.
“She’s no in . . that’s all I know. She might be sick. D’ye want any mair sweeties?”
Evie knew it would be useless to pursue her enquiries any further as she turned to face Danny.
“Is there anything else you would like, Danny?” she asked again with exaggerated lip movements and gesticulations of the hands, but Danny smiled and shook her head and from the way she looked at Evie, Evie knew she had said, ‘Thank you’
“We won’t need anything else, Cynthia, but please give your aunt Jane our best wishes. Good day.”
Cynthia grunted and watched the bell over the door as it pinged to exit the two women from her shop. She put out her tongue when she thought they weren’t looking.
“Fur coat an’ nae knickers, is that yin . .” she muttered and Evie spun round quickly.
“What was that you said?” she barked, but Cynthia glared blankly at her and popped a sugar sweet into her mouth.
“Nuthin’ “ she said and continued with her chew.
“People who have nothing to say, usually do it with their mouths closed.” added Evie and left the shop with Danny on her arm.
“We’d better get a cup of tea before I see you safely home, eh?” She said to Danny as they approached the little cafe at the end of the road, but Danny stopped suddenly and pulled away from Evie.
“What’s the matter Dear? A cup of tea won’t do you any harm.” she insisted but Danny kept tugging herself away from Evie’s arm and gabbling something incoherently as she pointed a nervous finger towards the house where old McPherson ruled the roost. She shook her head vigorously and her eyes were wide with fear.
“I won’t take you in when we get there Darling, I’ll leave you safely at the bottom of the lane and you can go in alone. I understand . . I understand, “ she repeated, but she was far from happy that she felt obliged to say that, as it was a matter that she very definitely did not and could not understand. She wanted to confront the old man, but she knew the consequences if she did and she was concerned for Danny.
They drank their tea and Evie watched the little girl as she sat beside her. She did indeed resemble a boy, with her hair cut short and her overlarge dungarees that strapped across an old faded blue shirt, with the crumpled neck open as the button was missing. She watched her hands as she ate and smiled as their eyes met.
“Do you like that cake, Dear? Would you like another one. Look! . That one there looks very nice. Go on . . Have it.”
Danny looked at the cake that Evie had shown her on the imitation crystal stand and nodded slowly as Evie quickly popped it onto her plate.
“There now . . That was easy, wasn’t it? I used to love cakes like that when I was a little girl, you know . . when I had a nice flower and lace dress and a matching ribbon in my hair.” She watched Danny’s eyes carefully as she described the way she had dressed as a child and elaborated slightly on the colour scheme. She so wanted to see Danny dressed as a little girl, if only for a little while and it seemed there was no way she was going to get her way there.
“When you have your dress on . . for Sundays, maybe . . what does it look like?”
Danny jumped up from the table and sent the cutlery and cakes flying as the table wobbled and she made for the door, but Evie ran after her, signalling to the waitress that she would return in a minute to pay the bill as she raced into the street and caught Danny by the arm.
“Darling . . Darling, what have I said? I’m sorry . . Really I’m sorry if I said something to upset you. Now come back with me for a moment and I’ll settle the bill before I drive you to the lane near your home.”
Danny calmed down after a few seconds but her eyes were wet as she wiped a tear from the corner of her lips with her grimy fingers. She swished her hand away from her dungarees as a way of telling Evie that she did not want to discuss her dress and Evie concluded that there was no Sunday dress . . nor any dress for any day, for that matter and she decided to leave the subject alone. However the picture she had formed of Danny as a sweet little girl, dressed as that same sweet little girl, would not leave her as she drove out towards old McPherson’s farm.
Chapter Fifteen
CHIEF FIRE OFFICER McKENZIE sat rigidly with his hat held firmly in his hand as he waited in the Reception area to see Wills. He looked around the walls at the various pictures of buildings and was about to study one in particular that caught his eye when a door opened and the Receptionist asked him to follow her into Mr. Slade’s office.
Wills jumped up from behind his desk and shook the fireman’s hand warmly.
“Tea . or coffee, perhaps?” he enquired as the fire officer was about to sit down.
“Oh! Coffee . . coffee, yes that would be fine, thank you Sir.”
Wills smiled and nodded towards the Receptionist and she withdrew from the room.
“Now . . Chief Officer . . er, is that how we usually address you?” Wills asked but the Fire officer grinned and his teeth flashed against his bronzed skin.
“McKenzie is usual Sir . . or Bill if you prefer.”
“Well Bill . . I’m a Bill also, although most people call me Wills . . as I was christened Willson, so please . . No ‘Sir O.K?”
“Sure . .that’s fine with me, Wills.”
“And you said on the telephone last night that you had something to discuss with me, about this dreadful fire. Do you think it was started deliberately?”
“Do you think it might have been . . Wills?” McKenzie asked outright, but Wills tapped a pen against the blotter on his desk and stuck his tongue in the side of his cheek.
“I don’t know . . I really don’t know, but as you are aware, I’m sure. I’m new here and I have to look at every angle when something like this happens.”
Bill McKenzie stood up as the Receptionist knocked and returned to the room with the coffee.
He waited until the young lady had gone and closed the door behind her before he sat down again and continued talking.
“We found something . . that could be something or nothing, Wills, but that is why I wanted to see you, before I made any report on this matter, as I am sure you will be able to throw more light on the subject than I could.”
Wills narrowed his eyes and stuck the end of the pen in his mouth.
“But you have a suspicion of course . . otherwise there would have been no reason for you to come her to see me so urgently, yes?”
Bill McKenzie nodded as he stirred some sugar into his coffee.
“As I have already said, Wills. It could be something or nothing, so I’ll tell you about it.”
Wills nodded and rested his head in his hands as he listened.
“It was nearly time for us to pack up and everything was safe as far as we were concerned, when just as I personally was about to leave the warehouse, I noticed something in the corner of one of the rooms. I think it might have been your storeroom.”
“Yes . . That could have been so.”
“Well . . It was rather alarming to me, as it isn’t something one usually finds at a fire . . in fact the last thing you would expect to find . . but. . .”
“Yes. Go on Bill. What was it you found?”
McKenzie put his cup down on a small table nearby and reached into his pocket to produce a small linen bag, tied at the top with a piece of thin string. He opened the bag and let the contents
slip out onto Wills’ desk.
“It was that, Wills . . . Do you know what it is?”
Wills nodded and took a little circular metal cap in his hand. He studied it for a few seconds and then held it to his nose.
“It’s the top of a cordite stick,” he answered slowly before he returned his gaze to the Fire Officer and McKenzie stared back at him as he waited for an explanation.
“This could well have been left over from a demolition job, Bill . . You know that don’t you?”
McKenzie nodded slowly and picked up his coffee.
“It could have been and that’s why I said, it could be something or nothing. I know you use this stuff in the building trade. I wasn’t particularly curious when I first saw it lying there near the door of that storeroom, but then I thought . . why would there be the circular top only? Wouldn’t that have been shot into the air or wherever it was meant to go, with the rest of the stick and . . .”
“Yes, Bill . . Go on.”
Bill McKenzie swallowed hard as he stared straight ahead at the wall behind Wills desk.
“It had a fresh smell of cordite. It wasn’t an old part of a cordite stick . . to my mind, but I have to be very careful in my report and I need your expert knowledge in this. That is why I wanted to see you.”
Wills pushed himself back in his chair and balanced on the back legs.
“Did you just find the one . . of these, I mean,” he asked as he twisted his tongue around his mouth.
“Yes, but then I didn’t think to look any further . . I mean, after I discovered that, I thought . .well, if it was evidence of some kind . . it was evidence and that’s that.”
“Not necessarily Bill . . I’m sorry to disagree, but this doesn’t mean very much, when we consider everything that’s happened. It could have been a stray bit of a gelignite stick and that could easily have got into the warehouse, you must realize that”
Bill McKenzie looked again at the little linen purse on Wills’ desk and ran his fingers lightly across his forehead.
“Well, yes . . If you put it that way. I suppose it could have done. Look I’m sorry if I have read more into this fire than perhaps I should have, but I have to write a report on each and every job we do and to my mind, this fact is important.”
Wills smiled.
“Of course you must write about your find in the report and I will look further into the incident from my angle, but there is one thing more I would like you to do, if you would, please?”
“Yes Wills . . What is that?”
“Well . . This information is yours and mine only, for starters, O.K? and I would be grateful if you could get the place searched again . . even more thoroughly this time before any of the staff get near the premises . . You know what I’m hoping to find, Bill . . Don’t you?”
“Sure. As good as done. I’ll get my boys onto it after lunch. We’ll make a thorough search and I’ll be able to let you know by this evening or at latest tomorrow morning. Will that be O.K?”
“That would be fine Bill and now . . would you like some more coffee . . or something stronger perhaps?”
“No thanks, Wills, I must be off now. My other half is waiting for me to do some shopping with her and that’s more important to the day than this report,” he giggled, “I’ll write it this evening.”
The two men laughed as Wills showed Bill McKenzie to the door, before he returned to his desk and pressed a button on his telephone, where the Receptionist came into his office.
“You rang. Mr. Slade?”
“Yes, Miss Richardson . . Can you tell me where we keep the inventory list?”
The Receptionist looked at him in surprise.
“Do you mean, the office furniture, Mr. Slade?”
Wills sat back in his chair and stuck his fingers into the top of his waistcoat.
“No, I don’t mean the office furniture, Miss Richardson. I mean, the stock . . The building materials . . Do we have such a record?”
“Oh! Yes, of course we have Sir. There is an inventory of plant hire and another of small materials, like hand tools and the likes.”
Wills folded his arms across his chest.
“Like gelignite?” he asked and Miss Richardson stared at him.
“Gelignite?”
“Yes, Gelignite . . Cordite . . Explosive devices and so on. You know what I mean, don’t you?”
“Why yes, of course. We use such things for demolition, but we don’t use it often.”
“Can you bring me the figures please?”
“Yes Sir. I’ll bring them to you right away. . . Oh! I think Miss Palmer would have that information Mr. Slade.”
Wills swung round in his chair.
“Miss Palmer? Who is she?”
“That’s the General Manager’s private secretary Sir. The large plant is dealt with in the general office, but something of the nature of explosives would be with Miss Palmer. I’ll tell her you would like to see the stock list Sir.”
***
Miss Palmer was a tall, blonde lady of considerable elegance as she stepped into Wills office with the information he had requested under her arm in a neat folder. She coughed lightly and touched her horn rimmed glasses nervously as Wills invited her to sit down. She did so, crossing her legs gracefully and touching her hair lightly with her fingers as she kept her eyes on the floor.
“You have the inventory of explosives, I understand, Miss Palmer. Is that correct?”
“Yes Mr. Slade . . but it is highly confidential and as a matter of fact it is very rarely used and I have never had such a request to see it before.”
Wills closed his eyes for a few seconds before he spoke again.
“I’d like to see it now, Miss Palmer, please?”
“Why of course . . I have it here, but as I have said . .”
“I know what you said Miss Palmer, but I would still like to see it please.”
The secretary placed the folder that she was carrying in front of Wills on his desk and her head shook slightly as if she had done something of intense importance, in a matter of great urgency. It appeared that she took her responsibilities very much to heart and Wills could not deny that he admired that attribute in her, even if her attitude was somewhat evasive. He scanned the folder and ran his fingers down the list of dates when the various explosives had been used and the sites on which they had been used.
“I see you have a final total of 310 sticks of dynamite and 400 gelignite? Is that correct?”
He pointed to the figure he saw in front of him and she leaned across his desk to verify what he was looking at. Her perfume lingered in his nostrils for a while and she held her hand carefully across her breast.
“If that’s what it says there, then that is correct. I have told you, these things are very rarely used and I myself have never had to make a withdrawal of explosives for quite some time and I would be required to sign . . It is my authority.”
Wills made a mental note of what he had seen and gave her back the folder.
“Are you the only one with a key to this stock, Miss Palmer?” he asked and she stared at him as if he distrusted her in her capacity of private secretary to the General Manager.
“Myself and Mr Capel-Morgan, The General Manager . . Nobody else would have the authority to see this file or to know what was in it. It is highly confidential. You should know that, Mr. Slade.”
Wills wondered why she went on so much about her authority until he looked at her again, more closely this time, where the pride and vanity shone clearly out from her eyes. She was obviously proud of her position and probably had worked hard to get where she was. He was about to ask her how long she had worked for the Company when she offered the information herself.
“I have worked for Mr. Capel-Morgan for many years, Mr. Slade .
. that was before . . when we were together at Weston’s before they were bought out. I am a trusted employee, I do assure you and . .”
“Miss Palmer,” he sighed, “ I do not deny your integrity nor your competence. I only wanted to see the figures in your file there . . That’s all and as you know, I am now appointed as General Manager in Mr. Capel-Morgan’s place . . for the time being . . . I do not want to make any unnecessary changes in staff and you are welcome to remain with Mr. Capel-Morgan until I have completed my enquiries. That is all.”
“But. Mr. Slade . . Mr. Capel-Morgan . . nor I can understand why this change has been made from London. Everything is fine here. We are doing very well and enjoy the respect of the building trade throughout the whole of Scotland.”
“I am sure that is so Miss Palmer and I appreciate that very much, now can you please tell me, who is dealing with Personnel?”
Miss Palmer blushed and coughed again.
“I am the Personnel Manager, Mr. Slade,” she said and raised her eyes with pride.
“Good . . Now can you get me a Secretary as soon as possible. I have a lot of notes I want copied and I must have someone who is efficient and trustworthy, Miss Palmer . . and I would prefer to have someone NEW . . Not someone who is already working here in the office.”
Miss Palmer’s mouth opened as if she was about to speak again, but Wills walked towards his office door and opened it for her to leave.
“Soon, Miss Palmer . . and you know what I require. I will send for you again if I need you.”
As she left the room, Wills made a mental note of the last date any explosives had been issued and he rubbed his forehead in confusion.
Chapter Sixteen
IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT DANNY WAS NERVOUS as Evie drove up the lane towards McPherson’s cottage. The child wriggled where she sat in the car and made funny noises with her lips as she twisted her fingers into her mouth. Evie stopped the car and took out her handkerchief.