simply couldn’t imagine!” said Fatty. “All I heard were a few thuds and bumps and pants and a whisper and it was all over quite quickly, really. Well, I thought I’d better go back to Hollies early this morning, just to see if I could find out anything, and when I got there, I had quite a shock.”
“Why?” asked Bets, hugging her knees. “This is awfully exciting, Fatty!”
“Well, I found Goon there, and the old fellow, of course, and Mr. Henri, that Frenchman you all thought was me in disguise. He’s staying with his sister next door, as you know, and he heard the old man yelling for help again early this morning. So he went to see what the matter was and then called the police.”
“Oh, so Goon was in on this pretty quickly!” said Larry, disappointed.
“Yes. But I wasn’t much later in arriving,” said Fatty. “And wasn’t I amazed to find no furniture in that front room! Of course I knew at once what had happened, because I’d actually heard the men moving it last night though I didn’t tell Goon that, of course!”
“What happened next?” asked Bets.
“Nothing much. Goon went off, leaving Mr. Henri and me with the old man and Mr. Henri’s sister said she’d give him a room tin one of his relations came along. So he’s there now. I had a good look round Hollies, but couldn’t see anything to help me. Then I went back to Mr. Henri, and got a proper list of the people he had seen going to the bungalow yesterday morning. They’re the Suspects, of course.”
“Let’s have a good look,” said Larry; but Fatty hadn’t quite finished.
“I’ve only got one clue,” he said, “but it might be an important one.” He told then about the well-marked prints of the tyres in the mud outside Hollies, and showed them the pattern in his notebook.
“I think it must have been a small removal van,” he said, “because the distance between the front and back wheels was rather more than there would be in even a big car. Oh! and the car or van may be a chocolate-brown. There was a new brown mark on a near-by lamppost, as if the van’s wings had scraped it.”
“Well, it seems as if we have got to tackle the Suspects.” said Larry, “and look out for a chocolate-brown van which probably has new tyres of a certain pattern. We’d better all copy out that pattern, Fatty. It would be maddening to see a chocolate-brown removal van with new tyres and not be able to check the pattern!”
“Yes. Well, will you make four tracings of the diagram in my notebook?” said Fatty. “I’ll go on with the list of Suspects and we can discuss them. You can trace the markings while you’re listening.”
Fatty turned to his list of six Suspects. He read them out. “One Lady with papers or magazines, dressed in red coat, and black hat with roses. Two Window-Cleaner. Three Grocer’s boy, from Welburn the grocer’s, red-haired, and was in the bungalow quite a time. Four man with bag, came in car with number ERT 100. Five well-dressed young man, who stayed for only a minute. And six a young woman who stayed a long time.”
“Quite a list,” said Larry. “A window-cleaner, too! I wonder if he noticed how clean the windows were!”
“That’s what I wondered,” said Fatty, with a laugh. “I’m going to have a word with the old man about these Suspects; he may be able to give me a few more clues about them. Then we must tackle each one.”
“I never much like that,” said Bets. “I’m no good at it.”
“Yes, you are,” said Fatty. “Anyway, doesn’t your mother have Welburn’s for her grocer? You could hang about for the grocer’s boy, and have a word with him when he brings your groceries. You and Pip could do that.”
“Oh, yes!” said Bets, glad that Pip was to help her. “What about the lady with the magazines? Would she be the vicar’s sister? It sounds rather as if it was somebody delivering the Parish magazine.”
“Yes. I can easily find
“Why?” asked Bets, hugging her knees. “This is awfully exciting, Fatty!”
“Well, I found Goon there, and the old fellow, of course, and Mr. Henri, that Frenchman you all thought was me in disguise. He’s staying with his sister next door, as you know, and he heard the old man yelling for help again early this morning. So he went to see what the matter was and then called the police.”
“Oh, so Goon was in on this pretty quickly!” said Larry, disappointed.
“Yes. But I wasn’t much later in arriving,” said Fatty. “And wasn’t I amazed to find no furniture in that front room! Of course I knew at once what had happened, because I’d actually heard the men moving it last night though I didn’t tell Goon that, of course!”
“What happened next?” asked Bets.
“Nothing much. Goon went off, leaving Mr. Henri and me with the old man and Mr. Henri’s sister said she’d give him a room tin one of his relations came along. So he’s there now. I had a good look round Hollies, but couldn’t see anything to help me. Then I went back to Mr. Henri, and got a proper list of the people he had seen going to the bungalow yesterday morning. They’re the Suspects, of course.”
“Let’s have a good look,” said Larry; but Fatty hadn’t quite finished.
“I’ve only got one clue,” he said, “but it might be an important one.” He told then about the well-marked prints of the tyres in the mud outside Hollies, and showed them the pattern in his notebook.
“I think it must have been a small removal van,” he said, “because the distance between the front and back wheels was rather more than there would be in even a big car. Oh! and the car or van may be a chocolate-brown. There was a new brown mark on a near-by lamppost, as if the van’s wings had scraped it.”
“Well, it seems as if we have got to tackle the Suspects.” said Larry, “and look out for a chocolate-brown van which probably has new tyres of a certain pattern. We’d better all copy out that pattern, Fatty. It would be maddening to see a chocolate-brown removal van with new tyres and not be able to check the pattern!”
“Yes. Well, will you make four tracings of the diagram in my notebook?” said Fatty. “I’ll go on with the list of Suspects and we can discuss them. You can trace the markings while you’re listening.”
Fatty turned to his list of six Suspects. He read them out. “One Lady with papers or magazines, dressed in red coat, and black hat with roses. Two Window-Cleaner. Three Grocer’s boy, from Welburn the grocer’s, red-haired, and was in the bungalow quite a time. Four man with bag, came in car with number ERT 100. Five well-dressed young man, who stayed for only a minute. And six a young woman who stayed a long time.”
“Quite a list,” said Larry. “A window-cleaner, too! I wonder if he noticed how clean the windows were!”
“That’s what I wondered,” said Fatty, with a laugh. “I’m going to have a word with the old man about these Suspects; he may be able to give me a few more clues about them. Then we must tackle each one.”
“I never much like that,” said Bets. “I’m no good at it.”
“Yes, you are,” said Fatty. “Anyway, doesn’t your mother have Welburn’s for her grocer? You could hang about for the grocer’s boy, and have a word with him when he brings your groceries. You and Pip could do that.”
“Oh, yes!” said Bets, glad that Pip was to help her. “What about the lady with the magazines? Would she be the vicar’s sister? It sounds rather as if it was somebody delivering the Parish magazine.”
“Yes. I can easily find
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