One to Six, Buckle to Sticks (Grasshopper Lawns Book 11) Read online

  There were a few indrawn breaths. Edge knew every one of them had seen her being towed around, and Clarissa before her, but Maggie was much better than she had been. Finally Donald half-raised his hand.

  ‘Odette doesn’t mind her now she’s muzzled. I’ll take a turn.’ Afterwards, while Megan was scribbling down names and promising to have a rota up on the board by the end of the day, he muttered to Edge and Vivian, ‘Odette will never forgive me for this. But at least it got the others volunteering.’

  ‘You’re a saint.’ Edge smiled at him. ‘I’m only glad your fingers aren’t strapped any more. If you’re saying she’s a changed dog, they’ll accept it. You’re a natural leader!’

  ‘Don’t overdo it.’ he said sardonically and she gurgled.

  ‘Buster’s not going to be happy either,’ Vivian agreed, ‘but one day a week he’ll have to lump it. Will you miss her, Edge?’

  ‘Like a hole in the head.’ Edge said inelegantly but couldn’t help but be touched when she went to collect Maggie from the house run to return back to the apartment. The burly little dog wriggled at the sight of her and beamed from ear to ear at her companions as well, inspiring Donald to suggest that she join him and Vivian on their usual walk that afternoon.

  ‘I’ll chap on Olga’s door as I pass, too.’ he added. ‘She joins us, as often as not—still prefers her canine escort.’

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Friday—walk in the park

  Having Maggie had been very isolating, and it was with a definite feeling of anticipation that Edge buckled on the lightweight muzzle for three o’clock. Maggie seemed to realize there was a change in the air and although she pulled towards Buster and Odette, when she saw them waiting with their owners and Olga at the top gate, her ears were forward. Buster was friendly, Odette more skittish, and once safely across the road both dogs darted off to frisk around William, who had emerged from the campsite shop.

  ‘Wasn’t going to miss this.’ He grinned at the others as they met up. ‘Vivian told me and I’m hoping for a regular stramash. Never seen a dog fight. Are we placing bets? I realize the favourite’s muzzled, but I’d still put my money on her.’

  Maggie beamed up at him, wagging her stubby tail, then suddenly stiffened and snarled, jumping to the end of her road lead. Odette sprang away, horrified, and Buster shot behind William as the resident from the campsite limped past them towards the shops. As usual, he ignored them completely, head well down.

  William, who’d not experienced their surly neighbour before and had automatically started a greeting, did an exaggerated blink at his back and looked round the others. ‘Nice people you meet on these walks.’ he commented and Vivian tucked her arm through his.

  ‘Can I have my dog back?’ she joked and he twisted round to look at Buster, still pressed against his legs.

  ‘Hey, Buster, Maggie’s not that bad? Unhand me, woman, I’m not coming walkies with you fresh-air fiends. I do have cakes and ale, though, so I expect you to join me afterwards and tell me all your adventures. All of you. Vivian, you’re in charge of bringing them.’

  Olga was staring after the limping man as he went into the shop, a frown between what could be seen of her brows under the fur hat. Edge grinned as she looked down at Maggie, whose expression was a mirror image of the Russian’s, and touched her neighbour’s arm as she unclipped the dog’s lead.

  ‘Coming with us, or staying frozen to the spot here?’

  As the walkers moved on, leaving William heading back to the Lawns, Donald looked sidelong at Vivian.

  ‘What are you doing, Vivian? Got designs on Papa Bear?’

  ‘Of course I haven’t!’ She laughed, but went a bit pink. ‘You know William, he paws at everybody.’

  ‘Yes, but you’re pawing back.’ Donald pointed out, adding with devastating frankness, ‘it’s a bit nauseating.’

  Edge flinched, but Vivian just shot him a sharp glance, then said mildly enough, ‘Okay, I’ll flirt with you instead, to even things up.’

  ‘You will not. I’m terrified of women. HEY!’ He shouted at Odette, who was nosing interestedly at a sodden paper bag she’d found. ‘Leave that!’

  ‘I’m going to get Buster a muzzle as well, until we can be sure there’s no more poison around. My nerves aren’t up to this.’ Vivian said to Edge as Donald darted off towards his dog. ‘He’s never been one to scavenge but I don’t think I could bear it if anything happened to him. You know, Maggie’s being incredibly good? They’re getting on not too badly.’

  ‘Odette’s going to take a while to forgive and forget.’ Edge grinned as Maggie lumbered over to see what the dainty whippet had found, and Odette sprang nervously away. ‘But yup, Buster’s completely relaxed with her. I’m glad. I’ve missed our walks.’

  ‘You know why William is bribing us with cakes and ale, don’t you?’ Vivian shot her a mischievous glance. ‘He’s dead keen to make up a bridge four.’

  ‘I hate bridge!’ Edge exclaimed in horror as Donald re-joined them. ‘As far as I’m concerned it’s something to do with your hands while you have a good blether. My second husband gave up eventually on me.’

  ‘I don’t blame him, if that’s your attitude.’ he told her severely. ‘Are you really rubbish at it?’

  ‘Really, really.’ she assured him. ‘Ask Vivian. We played occasionally as a foursome back in the days we all lived in Malta.’

  ‘And Durban.’ Vivian reminded her. ‘And you aren’t that bad. Alistair took it very seriously, I think that’s what put you off.’

  ‘I have been taking classes.’ Olga looked quite animated. ‘I vould very much like to play, it is a very good game? My tutor says my remember, no, my memory, must get good first.’

  ‘They’re all mad on the memory.’ Edge said reminiscently. ‘One night when we were driving home after a terrible evening, Alistair asked why I’d led with a spade in the first hand. I couldn’t even remember what I’d led in the final hand. He could probably remember the first hand he’d ever played. You need a freak brain to be a really good player.’

  ‘My freak brain and I thank you.’ Donald agreed modestly. ‘Who is your teacher, Olga? I may know him.’

  Even Maggie, although she wasn’t given the chance to chase her ball and had looked wistfully at Edge’s bulging pocket more than once, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the companionable walk, and they all reached the top gate again in very good spirits. Donald held it open as they filed through.

  ‘So, settle the dogs and meet up at William’s in five minutes?’

  ‘I’ll have to take Maggie.’ Edge said apologetically. ‘She’s good at night but if I leave her during the day she chews furniture and shoes and anything else to relieve the boredom. I’m permanently terrified she’ll get to the shoes I can actually wear next, and I’m not walking all the way down to the runs and back. Plus, she’ll be my excuse to leave if there is going to be bridge.’

  ‘I vould very much like to vatch you all playing.’ Olga turned her shoulder to a gust of wet wind and shivered and the group broke up quickly.

  A flurry of drizzle became a hazed downpour as Olga and Edge started up the service road toward the bungalows. It made William’s bungalow seem enchantingly welcome and even Maggie, who had been pulling sulkily for home, perked up as the front door closed against the weather. There was no dog bed, but flames danced in the grate and there was a thick sheepskin rug in the best possible spot—Vivian had been quite right, there was also a baize table with four chairs. Edge looked at it and gave a hollow groan and William thumped her shoulder, laughing.

  ‘Haud your whisht, woman. I’m letting your dog shed hairs all over my lovely home, the least you can do is play a couple of hands. Promise, only a couple. Donald will lose patience with us for being rabbits after about an hour. Are you taking that muzzle off?’

  ‘She has to drink.’ Edge pointed out reasonably, ‘and I’ve got a rawhide chew in my bag for her. Anyway, it’s the least you can do, if I have to play. She may need to bite on
e of you for me.’

  ‘Talking of drinking, a dram? Café latte? Hot chocolate? I have vast quantities of milk, or there’s tea. Come both talk to me as I bustle round my kitchen. I can see Donald and Vivian walking up here but they can let themselves in. I want to know why nobody seems to be suspecting yon limping camper of being your Death fellow?’

  ‘He’s always limped.’ Edge was slightly taken aback. ‘And he’s too old. The guy Maggie chased ran like a sprinter.’ She glanced across as Donald and Vivian entered the front door and started removing their outer layers, and Maggie bustled off to greet them self-importantly.

  ‘Yes, but he has not alvays limped the same vay.’ Olga objected. ‘Ven Donald asked me vy I thought he vas wrong I could not think, but then I vorked it out. He vas limping sometime on vun leg, and sometimes on the other. It vas a limp like oh, my foot is sore, oh, my other foot is sore. Today, his whole leg vas sore.’ She smiled faintly at their surprised glances. ‘Dancers know about sore.’

  ‘That is absolutely true.’ Donald followed Vivian into the kitchen. ‘I was also thinking there was something different about him today and Olga’s right, it was his limp.’

  ‘And Maggie snarled at him. Admittedly, she’s not the friendliest dog, but I’ve never heard her snarl before. It was scary.’ Vivian, with the ease of long familiarity, was unpacking porcelain cups from William’s cupboards on to the work surface as she spoke.

  ‘I’ve heard her snarl.’ Donald said with feeling. ‘Twice. At me. Bloody dog. It’s taken her this long to forgive me for stopping that dog fight.’

  William tried another tack. ‘And how about Buster hiding behind me? Don’t tell me he’s scared of strangers.’

  ‘He isn’t.’ Vivian was surprised. ‘He was hiding from Maggie.’

  ‘Well, obviously, darlin’, I’ll bow to your greater knowledge. But you’re forever saying what a judge of character he is. I’ve only been oot with Buster twice on walks and each time he ran and hid behind me. First time was Simon, at the picnic, and look what a bad lot he turned out to be. And today it was the unfriendly chap.’ The milk popped warning bubbles and he whipped it off the heat and started to top up the waiting mugs.

  ‘Hang on a minute.’ Donald, who had been listening intently, interrupted. ‘Could he be Simon?’

  ‘He’s as tall, even though he stoops.’ Vivian played along. ‘But those sideburns are very grizzled. They’re almost down to his chin, too, and he’s stubbled generally, so you can’t see much of his face, just those heavily-creased cheeks. And he’s very thick around the middle. I’m trying to remember his nose. Simon has a very distinctive nose. Beautiful profile.’

  ‘He has a bumpy nose, the camper. It could all be make-up and padding. Put it this way—what do we actually know?’ Donald persisted. ‘He’s tall and broad-shouldered. And Buster doesn’t like him.’ They each collected a mug and went through to the warm main room. Olga perched gracefully on the arm of the Chesterfield, her bag at her feet, while the others sat around the card table.

  ‘Kirsty said Simon was definitely back in Australia.’ Edge objected. ‘I mean, they checked that, when they realized he’d known Alison. They’ve spoken to him once on the phone. It’s a satellite phone, but the background noise was, ah, dinkum.’

  She quirked a quick grin as the others groaned. ‘Sylvia had taken him to the airport, and the police checked that he caught the connecting flight from Heathrow. And Sylvia phones him quite often. Katryn also spoke to him, on Monday after the incident, and she’s convinced he was in an Australian pub. Whether he’s actually been picked up by the Australian police by now because of what we’ve learned about him, I don’t know. Not something Kirsty could or would tell me.’

  ‘But if he has a satellite phone, rather than a landline, or a mobile phone;’ William and Donald exchanged glances and William went on thoughtfully, ‘back in my misspent youth, we borrowed passports and permits all the time. Any chance Simon could have given, or sold, his ticket and passport to someone who looked enough like him to get through passport control? Think on, here’s a young dipstick who has just been put into his rich aunt’s will. He pretends to leave, flies to London, makes the switch, flies back. Puts on make-up, cover-all sideburns, padding, stoops, pretends to limp, and moves into the campsite under a different name. Poisons Froufrou to get her out of the way, pops on a Death outfit, and knocks on one door—just one. If it is Simon, he’d have good reason to scare Sylvia to death, right? Come now, Donald, concede it could be possible.’

  ‘Anything’s possible.’ Donald said dampeningly. ‘Including that you’ll switch to writing thrillers instead of Sci-Fi, the mind you’ve got. You can’t say it was just one door, could as easily be some young eejit knocks on number one, no reply. Number two, no reply. Number three, and gets a fit of hysterical screeching that sends him off like Bolt. Och, don’t take the huff, I already wondered if it was Simon. And I agree, Edge should get Kirsty’s lot to double-check yon camper. But there’s naught else we can do about any of it.’

  ‘Well...’ Vivian paused, and continued thoughtfully. ‘There’s one thing we could check which wouldn’t interfere with the police, and might even help.’ They all looked at her, and she shrugged. ‘We could go knock on his door with any excuse, but have Maggie with us. She’d react, wouldn’t she, Edge? If he was the person who hit her?’

  Donald started to laugh. ‘This dog, officer, aye, the one that just went for your junk, this dog went for the camper too. That’s proof he’s a bad yin! Nothing personal, ken!’

  Edge grinned unwillingly as she nodded at Vivian. ‘She already did. She didn’t react to him like that before, and she’s a memory like an elephant for any time she’s been offended. But you know, Donald has a point. She’s pretty hostile generally, and he could just have changed his aftershave. The reaction of an extremely xenophobic dog isn’t going to count in court.’

  ‘But he can’t know that!’ William pointed out. ‘He opens the door to us, the dog that chewed him once already takes one keek at him and lunges in, and his reaction alone will tell us. If he’s surprised that a dog he never met wants to bite him, he’s innocent. If he shrieks like a girl and slams the door;’

  ‘He’s normal.’ Donald finished wryly. ‘Och, don’t all glare at me like that. But what reason do we give to chap on the door?’

  ‘Welcome him to the campsite?’ Vivian offered, and Donald shook his head.

  ‘We can’t take any chance of scaring him off, if he really is Simon. Suddenly getting friendly a week or more after he moved in—nah. How’s about a missing dog? You can carry Buster’s lead and look distressed. We can walk around a bit calling and whistling, then go knock on his door.’

  ‘Maggie’s chance to act like a bloodhound joining the search.’ Edge nodded. ‘That works.’ She glanced over at the dog, who shrank guiltily back from Olga’s handbag. ‘Oi! Drop that this minute! Olga, she’s after your purse. You’ll have to put your handbag on the desk out of her reach. Vivian, give me yours too.’ She added her bag and Vivian’s to Olga’s and gave the dog a stern look before returning to her chair.

  Donald glanced at the window. ‘Full dark, we can’t go now. How about before lunch tomorrow?’

  They all nodded and Donald picked up the cards and started an expert shuffle. Edge’s sigh was echoed by Maggie’s and he started to laugh. ‘don't be like that, you’ll enjoy this. Olga, watch the first hand and you can swop in for the next. Cutting for partners?’

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Saturday—check out the camper

  ‘The door’s open,‘ Donald noted, just as Edge was congratulating William on joining them for the first time for a walk. He glowered at her—although he strode confidently on any paved surface he was having to pick his way over the rougher ground of the campsite and relying more than usual on his walking sticks. Olga had cried off, as she was meeting friends for the day, so it was just the four of them and Maggie, who was bristling suspiciously at William’s sticks.


  ‘The door’s open, you two,‘ Vivian echoed Donald and they all looked towards the guest cottage.

  ‘In this weather?‘ William shook his head decisively. ‘The man’s mad.’ As though to enforce his point the wind slapped at them in another gust, and the dark clouds rumbled overhead.

  ‘Or flitted.’ Donald gave up the pretense of whistling and calling and headed straight towards the rondavel’s door, which was indeed slightly ajar. He tapped, waited, glanced at the others, then pushed the door wide.

  ‘Chap again!’ William urged and Donald nodded, giving the door a full five-knuckle salvo. Nothing. He vanished inside, then reappeared.

  ‘Not here, but not flitted. There’s stuff on the table, and clothes hanging up. The door’s not been left open by a thief, either, there’s a quality portable sound system no thief would have left. What do we do now?’

  ‘Check he’s not fallen in the bathroom or kitchen.’ Edge stepped over the threshold. ‘William’s right. No one would have their door open in this weather.’ Suiting action to the word she pushed the bathroom door and peered inside. A dry towel hung over the radiator, and the general oddments of bathroom use—shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrush, safety razor, shampoo—were scattered over the respective surfaces.

  ‘Kitchen door’s also open.’ Vivian called and stepped back into the main room as Donald reached into the cupboard and pulled out the folds of a black robe. ‘God, I even suggested to Dallas yesterday that she move here for a while, since she likes being with us so much. I hadn’t realized how Spartan they are. It’s pretty basic accommodation, isn’t it?’