Missing Person

by Mary Jane Staples

  ‘I’m sure you are,’ said Sammy.

  ‘But I don’t want everyone in the fam’ly to have to worry, I don’t want anyone to know about this except you and Boots.’

  ‘Em’ly knows, of course,’ said Sammy, deciding not to mention Polly and Rosie at this point. ‘It beats me where Dad could’ve got to, but I’ve got a confident feelin’ things will sort themselves out and that he’ll suddenly pop up.’

  ‘Pop up?’ said Chinese Lady, agitation making her take umbrage. ‘Kindly don’t make your stepdad sound like a Jack-in-the-box, he’s always been a conservative gentleman. Still, I’m not saying it wasn’t thoughtful of you to telephone me, and it’s a consolation knowin’ Boots is on ’is way. I hope at his age, I can rely on him to find out what’s happened to your stepfather.’

  ‘You sit tight, Ma, Boots’ll sort it out. Wait a tick, has the car disappeared as well?’

  ‘No, it’s still here,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘which makes it more worryin’.’

  ‘Well, wait for Boots to arrive, he’ll go to work on it, Ma.’ Sammy spoke with more reassurance than he felt. ‘Tell him to phone me at home later. Good luck, and keep your pecker up. So long now.’

  ‘Goodbye, Sammy.’

  Sammy then got back to Emily to confirm everything Boots had told her. Emily, upset, asked if it wouldn’t be a good idea to tell the police in case Mr Finch had had some kind of brainstorm and might be a danger to himself. Sammy said the best idea at the moment would be to wait until they’d heard from Boots. Emily said Chinese Lady would be going off her head, that she was very fond of Mr Finch. Sammy said they were very fond of each other. Just keep hoping, he said, just leave it to Boots for the time being. And to that Polly Simms, I suppose, said Emily.

  ‘I ought to be with him instead of her,’ she said.

  ‘Well, Boots would have preferred you, of course,’ said Sammy tactfully, ‘you’ve always had a smart brainbox. Anyway, I expect he’ll ring you as soon as he’s got some good news.’

  ‘Yes, I’ve just ’ad all the bad news I want,’ said Emily.

  ‘I share your feelings,’ said Sammy. ‘On top of which, it’s not doin’ my work a lot of good. Owing to it affectin’ my concentration, I’m against havin’ a respected senior member of the fam’ly disappear. Ought to be a law forbiddin’ it.’

  ‘You’re worryin’ about the business at a time like this?’ said Emily.

  ‘I’m worryin’ about it puttin’ me off me work,’ said Sammy.

  ‘I’m cryin’ my eyes out for you,’ said Emily, and rang off.

  Susie, like Emily, found the news almost impossible to believe. Sammy put her in the astonishing picture as soon as he got home. He said he was still having a job to believe it himself. However, the family had to put their money on Boots, whose mental equipment, said Sammy, was well up to scratch. Susie said it was above scratch, especially in a crisis. Mr Finch has got to be found, she said, he’s the only dad-in-law I’ve ever had. Sammy, she said, you look really worried.

  Sammy said he didn’t feel too good, and that was a fact. Susie said how could Mr Finch have disappeared just like that? Sammy said ask me another. We’ll just have to rely on Boots, said Susie.

  ‘Well, Susie,’ said Sammy, ‘Chinese Lady mentioned that at his age, she ought to be able to rely on him.’

  It was a little before six when Boots reached the hotel, a tall and imposing edifice on the high road known as the Hog’s Back, from where it commanded magnificent vistas of the countryside. Pulling in, he brought Polly’s car to a stop in front of the hotel, and was out of his seat at once. Polly and Rosie alighted and looked around. The sunny evening offered bright visibility. A uniformed porter, standing at the entrance to the hotel, spoke as Boots approached.

  ‘Are you Mr Adams, sir?’

  ‘Yes. Is my mother, Mrs Finch, in the hotel?’

  ‘She’s in the lounge with Miss Jordan, our receptionist, sir. I’ll take you through.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Boots. With Polly and Rosie, he followed the porter into the lobby. There was a man in reception. The porter nodded to him.

  ‘Good evening, Mr Adams,’ said the man, the assistant manager, ‘the hotel will offer you any help you may require.’

  ‘I’m obliged,’ said Boots, continuing on in the wake of the porter, who brought the arrivals to the residents’ lounge. Only two people were there, Chinese Lady and Miss Jordan. They were seated in armchairs, a small table between them, and Chinese Lady had a glass of something in her hand. Her best Sunday hat sat bravely on her head.

  She regarded the arrival of Boots with relief.

  ‘This is my eldest son, Robert Adams,’ she said to Miss Jordan, and the receptionist, a slim brunette in her early twenties, came to her feet.

  ‘Good evening, Mr Adams,’ she said, ‘I’m so sorry you’ve had to drive all this way.’

  ‘Thanks for taking care of my mother, I’m sure she’s appreciated it,’ said Boots. Miss Jordan, impressed by his looks, essayed a smile.

  ‘It’s been a pleasure, Mr Adams,’ she said, ‘although we’re all upset by what’s happened. If I can be of help in any way, or if you want anything, just let me know. I’ll be in reception, I’m Miss Jordan.’

  Polly’s eyes flickered. That was typical of the effect he had on women. If you want anything, just ask. Polly suspected he had rarely asked for anything to raise a blush. She knew he had made love to a woman ambulance driver during the war, a madcap of a woman. Lily Forbes-Cartwright. But she doubted if Lily had blushed.

  ‘Thanks, Miss Jordan, I’m grateful,’ said Boots, and the young lady left.

  Chinese Lady put her glass on the table and stood up. Rosie swooped then to give her a hug and a kiss.

  ‘We’re here, Nana, we’re all going to help.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad to see your father, Rosie,’ said Chinese Lady, and gave Boots a direct look. ‘Why have you brought Rosie and Miss Simms?’ she asked.

  Boots pointed out they were in his office when she phoned, and that Polly offered immediate use of her car, which saved him having to go home for his. Rosie said she just had to come too, because it was so upsetting about Grandpa and the more help the better. Chinese Lady acknowledged Polly then, saying good evening to her and that it was kind of her to let her car be used. Polly said it was the very least she could do.

  ‘Let’s sit down and get all the facts,’ said Boots.

  ‘I don’t want more sittin’-down,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘I want you to go out and find Edwin.’

  ‘I know you do,’ said Boots, ‘but first I’d like to hear every detail, so let’s spare a few minutes. What’s in that glass?’

  Chinese Lady frowned.

  ‘I don’t know that that’s important,’ she said, ‘but Miss Jordan has been very kind, and when she asked if I’d like something, I said a little port would be welcome.’

  ‘Well, sit down and finish it,’ said Boots. ‘Rosie, will you go to reception and ask Miss Jordan if she could arrange for someone to bring a gin and Italian for Polly, a whisky for me and whatever you’d like for yourself?’

  ‘I’m flying,’ said Rosie, and dashed out.

  ‘We’re goin’ to sit drinkin’?’ said Chinese Lady. Tart again, she said, ‘Then I suppose we’ll all do a knees-up.’

  ‘We’ll just enjoy a drink while you tell Boots everything,’ said Polly gently. Despite being a woman of her times, Polly had a helpless admiration and liking for this Victorian matriarch.

  ‘But I told him everything on the telephone,’ said Chinese Lady. However, she sat down again. Although she would never have admitted it, she was, in her own parlance, very admiring of her eldest son’s thinking head. Never mind that sometimes he sounded like a music hall comic, he never got into a dither or went in for a lot of wordage like Sammy did whenever something upsetting happened.

  Boots pulled up other chairs, and he and Polly sat down. Chinese Lady didn’t miss the way Polly hitched her skirt so that her grey silk stockings sho
wed almost to her knees. That was the way of some women these days. If they had good legs they liked to show them. It would have scandalized Queen Victoria.

  Rosie returned to say the drinks were coming, then she sat down too, and Chinese Lady, for all that her mind was occupied by her worries, thought oh, dear, young Rosie’s doing it too, letting her legs show in her school stockings of black lisle. I don’t know what the world’s coming to.

  ‘Now, old lady, start from the beginning,’ said Boots.

  ‘I don’t feel like repeatin’ everything,’ said Chinese Lady.

  ‘Come on, Nana, I’m sure it’ll help,’ said Rosie, so Chinese Lady took another little drop of the port and went ahead. She and Edwin stopped for a pot of tea and some buttered toast, which was very nice, she said, and afterwards she’d gone to the Ladies’ while Edwin settled the bill. He’d arranged to meet her outside, by the motorcar. She went out several minutes later, but he wasn’t there. She looked for him, but couldn’t see him, so she went back into the hotel to see if he was still in the restaurant, which he wasn’t. So out she went again for another look, but he wasn’t anywhere around.

  Her account was interrupted then as a waiter brought in a tray containing the drinks. He set them out on the table, a whisky, a gin and vermouth, and a glass of kola water. Boots fished in his wallet.

  ‘There’s no charge, sir,’ said the waiter.

  ‘My compliments to the management, then,’ said Boots, and gave the waiter a tip.

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ said the waiter, and left.

  Polly took a welcome mouthful of her aperitif, Boots sank his whisky, and Rosie gulped her kola water thirstily.

  ‘Is this a party we’re havin’?’ asked Chinese Lady.

  ‘No, just a few thoughts,’ said Boots. ‘Carry on.’

  Well, said Chinese Lady, as Edwin simply wasn’t anywhere around, she went back into the hotel again and asked Miss Jordan if she’d seen her husband, and Miss Jordan said yes, she’d seen him leave about fourteen minutes ago, and perhaps he was on the terrace at the back of the hotel, looking at the view. So again Chinese Lady went out, but no, he wasn’t there. She spoke to Miss Jordan again, and Miss Jordan spoke to a gentleman, one of the managers, who had the hotel searched, while Chinese Lady kept going outside in the hope that Edwin had turned up. After half an hour, she telephoned Boots, since when there still hadn’t been any sign of Edwin. She was downright worried now.

  ‘Nana, we all are,’ said Rosie, ‘but Grandpa’s simply got to be somewhere around.’

  ‘Listen, old lady,’ said Boots, ‘when you were first looking for him outside, did you spot anyone who might have seen Edwin coming out of the hotel?’

  ‘I told you, Boots, Miss Jordan saw him leave,’ said Chinese Lady a little fretfully.

  ‘So we at least know he left the hotel,’ said Polly, unusually sober.

  ‘Yes, but was there anyone who actually saw him come out?’ asked Boots.

  ‘Oh, there was a gentleman who had something wrong with his motorcar and was tinkerin’ with it,’ said Chinese Lady. ‘I spoke to ’im, but he hadn’t seen anything of Edwin. Well, from what he said he hadn’t been there long enough to see Edwin come out.’

  ‘He’d only just arrived?’ said Boots.

  ‘He said ten minutes, and it was longer than that when Edwin came out.’ Chinese Lady thought. ‘He’s puttin’ up here, he said.’

  ‘Well, that’s something,’ said Boots, ‘let’s see if we can talk to him.’

  ‘I talked to him already,’ said Chinese Lady. ‘I’d of thought you’d be lookin’ and searchin’ by now, Boots, instead of askin’ questions.’

  ‘Well, you’ve looked, old lady, and the hotel staff have looked,’ said Boots, ‘and I don’t fancy we’ll do much good wandering up and down the road in hope. We need a clue.’

  ‘Oh, you’re goin’ to play detectives now, are you?’ said Chinese Lady. ‘Supposin’ Edwin went for a little walk while he was waitin’ for me? He might of tripped and fallen down a bank somewhere, and p’raps broke his leg.’

  ‘Daddy, I’ll go, I’ll look up and down the road,’ said Rosie. ‘Grandpa might just have done that, gone for a little walk and fallen somewhere. I’ll do a quick search.’ She was quickly up and out of the lounge.

  ‘Mrs Finch, the gentleman you spoke to, what was he like?’ asked Polly.

  ‘Oh, he was dressed very nice in a tweed suit and tweed cap,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘a sort of country gentleman.’

  ‘Not a seedy character, then?’ said Polly.

  ‘What, one that might of attacked my husband and robbed him?’ said Chinese Lady, bridling at the notion that anyone at all would dare to set about her highly respected spouse. ‘Certainly not. He was a very nice gentleman.’

  ‘His description?’ said Boots.

  ‘Well, he was as tall as you, but older, in his late forties and ’ealthy-lookin’,’ said Chinese Lady, and in her downright worry she took another sip of the port.

  ‘Yes, I’d like to talk to him,’ said Boots, ‘I’ll see if reception can help.’ He left the lounge, and Chinese Lady sighed.

  ‘Oh, lor’,’ she said, ‘I don’t know I’ve ever felt more troubled.’

  ‘It doesn’t make sense, does it?’ said Polly, who knew Mr Finch well enough to feel sure he wasn’t the kind of man to walk away from life and his family.

  At reception, Miss Jordan recognized the description Boots gave of the gentleman in tweeds.

  ‘Oh, that’s Captain Arnold, sir, he booked in yesterday and is staying two more days. But he’s out now, he left five minutes ago to meet friends in Guildford. I believe he’s dining with them.’

  ‘My mother spoke to him outside the hotel not long after my stepfather disappeared,’ said Boots. ‘He wasn’t able to offer any help, but I’d still like to speak to him myself. He arrived not too long after my stepfather came out of the hotel.’

  ‘Yes, Captain Arnold had been out for the afternoon, Mr Adams,’ said Miss Jordan.

  ‘Have you any idea of what time he’ll be back from Guildford?’

  ‘Not really,’ said Miss Jordan.

  ‘Taking advantage of your helpfulness, we could stay on here for a couple of hours if you thought Captain Arnold would be back by then.’

  ‘You’re welcome to stay on as long as you like, sir, and to use our amenities,’ said Miss Jordan, ‘but I still couldn’t say when Captain Arnold might be back. But I can say that if he told your mother he’d seen nothing of your stepfather, you can rely on that being the case. He spoke to me about it. He felt concern for your mother. He really was quite sure he’d seen nothing of Mr Finch. All he had seen was a car leaving as he drove in, but I understand it wasn’t your stepfather’s.’

  ‘He saw a car leaving?’ said Boots.

  ‘That was what he told your mother and repeated to me.’

  ‘Then the car would have belonged to one of your residents or visitors?’ said Boots.

  ‘I suppose so,’ said Miss Jordan, ‘although I didn’t see anyone leave about that time. Nor did any resident leave his key at my desk.’

  ‘Well, my very helpful young lady,’ said Boots, ‘I think you may have given us something we need.’

  ‘And what is that?’ smiled Miss Jordan.

  ‘A hint of a clue,’ said Boots.

  ‘Sir, you think there’s a clue about the car that was driven out as Captain Arnold drove in?’

  ‘A hint,’ said Boots. Two women entered the lobby and passed through. One stopped, turned back and collected a key from Miss Jordan with a murmur of thanks. Boots, waiting until she’d gone, said, ‘That car driving out was the only happening at a time you could connect with my stepfather’s disappearance, so it has to be a hint of a clue. Yes, I’d very much like to wait for Captain Arnold.’

  ‘I’ll be going off duty at eight,’ said Miss Jordan, very much in favour of giving this personable man all the help she could, ‘but I’m resident here and I’ll tell my relief to give me
a buzz when Captain Arnold does come in. Then I’ll contact you if you’re still here.’

  ‘We’ll wait, thanks,’ said Boots, and Rosie came back then, quicksilvery in her movements, her round school hat worn on the back of her fair head like a dark blue halo. ‘Daddy, I’m sorry, but there simply isn’t any sign of Grandpa.’

  ‘Well, it was a shot in the dark, poppet,’ said Boots. ‘This is my daughter, Rosie, Miss Jordan.’

  ‘How’d you do, Rosie?’ smiled the receptionist.

  ‘Oh, it would be a pleasure if things weren’t so worrying,’ said Rosie.

  ‘Well, the worry’s still with us,’ said Boots, ‘but Miss Jordan’s just provided us with a small clue. Let’s go back to Polly and your grandma and tell them. Thanks again, Miss Jordan, for all your help.’

  ‘Just ask if you need anything,’ said Miss Jordan.

  ‘Ye gods,’ murmured Polly a few minutes later, ‘you really believe there’s a clue in that departing car?’

  ‘I want to know if Captain Arnold noticed who was in it,’ said Boots.

  ‘There, I suppose I might of asked him,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘but I didn’t think to.’

  ‘Well, Nana, you didn’t know then that you had to think about clues,’ said Rosie.

  ‘Rosie, I certainly didn’t think your grandpa might just be in the car, which is what Boots is thinkin’, if I know your father,’ said Chinese Lady.

  ‘How long do we have to wait for Captain Arnold?’ asked Polly.

  ‘All evening, if necessary,’ said Boots, ‘so I suggest we ought to consider having dinner here. Or perhaps I should phone Sammy and get him to drive here to take all of you home. I’ll stay, naturally, but Polly and Rosie can go with you, old lady.’

  ‘Nothing doing,’ said Polly, ‘I’m here and I’m sticking here until we’ve got a pretty clear idea of how to solve this problem.’

  ‘Boots, I’m not goin’ back home until you’ve found your stepdad,’ said Chinese Lady firmly.

  ‘I’m not sure we’ll find him here,’ said Boots.

  ‘Never mind that, I’m not havin’ you send me home,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘specially not with Sammy. That young man drives his motorcar as if he’s tryin’ to get to perdition before the gates shut.’