Alice-Miranda at Camp 10 (18 page)

Fenella Freeman had hardly slept a wink. The murder she had gone to investigate was indeed grizzly, but thankfully the victims were not human: foxes had got into Mrs Playfair's chicken coop and the woman was hysterical. Fenella had eventually returned to the station and spent several hours researching the stolen Turner. By the time she'd headed home she was absolutely sure that Hugh Kennington-Jones was in possession of a very valuable painting that didn't belong to him.

Today was a turning point. A major bust like this would change everything. She'd secured a search warrant as soon as the magistrate had arrived at the courthouse, then driven to Pelham Park just after nine thirty. Matron Bright had been happy to take her straight to the cellars, although the woman hardly seemed to register when Fenella informed her that she was on official police business. She seemed much more concerned with the whereabouts of her missing shortbread order for the fair. Fenella was delighted to find Ed Clifton and his brother in the vault.

She looked around at the artworks and then back at Ed. Nothing they had told her made any sense at all. ‘Seriously, this just keeps getting better and better,' she scoffed. ‘You had your own painting stolen from The Met and put it here with all the other stolen art.'

Hugh shook his head. ‘The stolen paintings are not ours. It's as much a mystery to us as it is to you.'

Ed had telephoned Hugh as soon as he'd discovered his own painting newly arrived in the vault. Hugh had literally flown over from Highton Hall in Birdy, the family chopper.

‘I don't know why people like you always think you're going to get away with it,' Fenella said bitterly.

‘We're not trying to get away with anything,' Ed retorted. ‘You're leaping to conclusions.'

‘I don't think so. There's quite a bit of evidence right here.' She picked up Ed's inventory and flicked through the pages. ‘So, the ones you've marked with an asterisk – are those also stolen?'

‘Detective Freeman, if I was trying to hide anything, why would I scribble all over that sheet questioning everything?'

‘I don't expect you ever thought I'd find it,' she said. ‘And it was pretty clever of you too, bringing me down here yesterday. Did you think I was just some hick policewoman without a worldly bone in her body? I don't suppose you thought I knew anything about art. You're wrong. I know plenty and my father is an expert.'

‘Bring in your teams. Do the forensics,' said Hugh. ‘We've got nothing to hide. Ed was planning to go to the police as soon as he'd worked out exactly how much of it was stolen.'

‘Don't you worry. This place will be searched from top to bottom. But for now, I'm arresting both of you for possession of stolen goods,' Fenella said.

Hugh exploded. ‘Arresting us! You can't do that. We haven't done anything wrong!'

But Fenella Freeman didn't see it that way. These two could spend the night in the lockup and that would give her free rein to do a proper search of the house.

‘Come on, then,' she ordered.

‘No,' Hugh retorted. ‘I'm not going anywhere!'

‘Would you like me to add resisting arrest to the charge sheet?' Fenella threatened.

‘Let's just go with her, Hugh. We can phone Cee from the station and sort something out,' Ed urged.

‘That's a very sensible approach, Mr Clifton.' Fenella smiled smugly and pulled a pair of shiny silver handcuffs from her belt.

Hugh's jaw dropped. ‘You're not serious.'

‘I won't make you wear them as long as you come willingly,' the detective said.

‘Mr Plumpton, may I go and help Uncle Ed this morning?' Alice-Miranda asked as the Barn Owls trotted up the driveway to Pelham Park. She was walking beside Millie and the teacher at the back of the group.

‘I don't see why not, as long as it's all right with Matron Bright,' he replied.

The children were entering the house just as a police car drove around from the back of the building. Detective Freeman certainly spent a lot of time visiting her father, Alice-Miranda thought to herself.

Millie tugged on Alice-Miranda's sleeve and pointed. ‘Is that your father? In the back of the police car?'

Alice-Miranda glimpsed two heads through the windscreen. Her stomach lurched. She had a horrible feeling it was her father in there, and that Uncle Ed was with him. She needed to get down to the cellar as quickly as possible.

‘Uncle Ed, are you down here?' Alice-Miranda called as she wove her way through the maze of furniture. Millie was right behind her.

The girl marvelled at the strange display and shuddered at all the stuffed animals. ‘It's like an antique shop. A really freaky one.'

Matron Bright had grabbed Alice-Miranda as soon as she arrived and explained that her father had turned up at the house very early that morning and gone to the cellar with her uncle. Detective Freeman
had arrived about an hour ago and requested access down there too. The matron hadn't seen the three of them emerge and believed that they were all still downstairs.

The rest of the Barn Owls were directed to jobs for the fair, but Millie had rushed off with Alice-Miranda. The girls reached the vault but the door was closed.

‘I told you I saw them in the police car. You don't think they could have been arrested, do you?' asked Millie.

‘Of course not,' said Alice-Miranda, but she wasn't really sure.

Millie pointed at the door. ‘Do you know the combination?

Alice-Miranda stared at the dial. She shook her head.

‘Try four, three, two, one,' Millie suggested.

Alice-Miranda spun the dial but the door remained firmly shut.

‘Maybe the other way around,' Millie said.

‘I think that's too obvious,' Alice-Miranda said. ‘Maybe it's someone's birthday? I'll try Daddy's.'

It was another dead end.

‘What about the year this place was founded?' Millie said. ‘That could make sense.'

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘Tomorrow the house is one hundred and fifty years old so that would make the foundation date … 1864,' Alice-Miranda counted off the clicks.

There was a clank as the bolts slid back.

‘You did it!' Millie beamed. Alice-Miranda grabbed the handle. Millie did too, and together the girls pulled the heavy door open.

‘Whoa!' Millie said as she spied the underground art gallery.

Alice-Miranda drew in a sharp breath. ‘Oh my goodness! That's it! It's the painting I saw last night.'

‘With the men, in the van?' Millie said. ‘But how did it get in here?'

‘I don't know.' Alice-Miranda thought about it. ‘There must be passage from the summer house.'

Millie scanned the walls, searching for something to indicate a doorway.

Alice-Miranda studied the recent addition carefully and looked at the signature in the bottom right-hand corner.

‘I can't believe this,' she gasped.

Millie was busily running her hands over the bare bricks. ‘What are you talking about?' She ran
back to where Alice-Miranda was kneeling in front of the portrait.

‘The artist. It's Uncle Ed,' she said.

‘That's ridiculous. Has anything of his been stolen?' Millie asked.

Alice-Miranda nodded. Her parents had told her about a theft at The Metropolitan Museum in New York a couple of months ago. One of Uncle Ed's paintings was among several works that had gone missing. But how did it end up here?

‘We need to find that passageway,' Millie said.

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘I've got an idea. If anyone's going to know about secret passageways, it's Mr Freeman.'

She grabbed Millie's hand and together the girls raced upstairs, leaving the doors open in their wake. They charged up the back staircase to the first floor and ran along the hall. Fortunately, the apartments each had the name of the resident on a plaque on the door.

Alice-Miranda found Mr Freeman's name, knocked loudly and then waited, jiggling up and down impatiently with Millie beside her. ‘Mr Freeman, are you there?' she called after a few moments.

There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the door.

‘Mr Freeman, I need to ask you a question. It's very important.'

She heard the lock turn and the door opened. Alice-Miranda barged inside with Millie behind her.

Donald mumbled, ‘What's the matter? What's this all about?'

‘Mr Freeman, I can't remember if I told you earlier in the week that Uncle Ed is here cataloguing Granny's art collection so that it can be sold,' she began to explain. ‘Well, we've discovered some very odd things down there and I need to ask you a question.'

Donald sat in his armchair heavily, jolting a little crystal bowl of gold-wrapped chocolates on the table beside him.

Millie looked towards the noise.

‘Have one,' the old man offered.

But neither girl was in the mood for sweets. ‘No, thank you,' said Alice-Miranda. Millie shook her head.

‘Mr Freeman, the other day, you said that you and Harry could get into the house without anyone knowing. How did you do it?'

‘I told you it doesn't matter,' Donald muttered.

‘But it does. I think my father and Uncle Ed are in big trouble and I need to know. Your daughter
was driving them away in her police car when we got here. Last night I saw some men near the summer house. They were carrying a painting and then they disappeared.'

Donald Freeman looked as if the wind had been sucked out of his sails.

‘What men?'

‘One was called Jezza and the other was Nigel,' Alice-Miranda replied.

‘Don't be ridiculous!' Mr Freeman snapped.

‘Is there a secret passageway to the cellars?' Alice-Miranda begged. ‘Please. I have to know.'

‘No! Now off you go, the pair of you, before I call the matron,' Donald stood up and ushered the girls out the door.

‘There you are, girls.' Matron Bright hurried towards Alice-Miranda and Millie. ‘Mr Plumpton's been looking for you. Beth's taken the rest of the Barn Owls back to school for lunch and choir practice and I gather you two are not going to be in the good books.'

‘Where is he now?' Millie asked.

‘Right here,' Josiah Plumpton blustered as he turned the corner. Beads of perspiration peppered his brow and he was aware of two wet patches under
his arms. He'd been up and down searching for Millie, who should have been helping in the kitchen. He knew that Alice-Miranda was with her uncle and had planned to send for her once he located everyone else. ‘Where have you been, Millicent? No one has seen you all morning and now you're both late for choir practice.'

Millie looked at the floor. ‘Sorry, Mr Plumpton. I … I was …'

‘She was helping me,' Alice-Miranda said. ‘Uncle Ed needed us to carry some things upstairs for him.'

‘It would have been useful for you to tell me that,' the man sighed.

‘Sorry, Mr Plumpton, I knew Millie was with Alice-Miranda but I'm afraid I have a thousand things on my mind. That reminds me. Are your father and uncle still downstairs, Alice-Miranda?' Matron Bright asked. She really didn't have time today to be chasing the Kennington-Jones men. There were stalls being set up outside and rides about to be delivered too. Tomorrow's fair was Dunleavy's biggest event of the year.

‘Yes,' said Alice-Miranda. ‘They're very busy.'

Millie glanced at her friend and wondered what she was playing at.

The matron nodded. ‘That's fine, as long as they keep out of my way this afternoon. Oh look, here are some more helpers now.'

One of the camp leaders had just arrived in the foyer with two groups of students ready for the afternoon shift.

‘Hello there, my lovelies,' Matron Bright beamed. ‘Have I got some jobs for you!'

‘Come along, girls. We need to get back to camp before Mr Lipp blows a gasket,' said Mr Plumpton. He hurried away, with Alice-Miranda and Millie racing to catch up.

‘How nice of you girls to join us,' said Mr Lipp, giving Alice-Miranda and Millie a frosty glare as they arrived. Mr Plumpton had taken the girls via the dining room to grab a sandwich on their way. He didn't think another ten minutes could make Mr Lipp's mood any worse and he was right about that. ‘I thought this award you're striving for is all about being in the right place at the right time?'

‘Sorry we're late, Mr Lipp,' said Alice-Miranda.

‘Fine. We'll take it from the top. Caprice, are you ready, my dear?'

The girl smiled sweetly. She was pleased to see that Millie was still doing her job properly. After the number of things Alice-Miranda had messed up in the past twenty-four hours, the brat couldn't possibly be in the running for the Queen's Medal now.

Mr Lipp held his hands aloft and snapped his fingers to count Mr Trout in on the piano.

Choir practice stretched on forever. By the time Mr Lipp had finished with the children it was almost dinner.

Alice-Miranda and Millie were on their way to the dining room when they were intercepted by Miss Reedy.

‘Alice-Miranda, may I have a quick word?' the teacher asked.

The girl turned to Millie. ‘I'll meet you inside.'

‘I've just had a very odd message,' Miss Reedy said. ‘Is everything all right?'

‘What do you mean, Miss Reedy?'

‘Well, Mrs Oliver called from Highton Hall and asked me to tell you that your father and Uncle Ed had gone away for the night. They'll be
back tomorrow and all is well,' Miss Reedy said. ‘I have no idea what she was talking about, nor why you would even be concerned. I'm assuming that there is something going on that you need to tell me about.'

Alice-Miranda shook her head. ‘Uncle Ed is staying at Pelham Park at the moment. If he and Daddy have gone somewhere for the night, I suppose they just wanted to let me know in case I was looking for him.' She had been thinking about telling Miss Reedy the truth but the teacher would want to call the police. Alice-Miranda didn't want to involve the police until she had some proof about those two men in the van.

‘Oh. Well, that does sound like a sensible explanation,' said Miss Reedy. ‘But seriously, Alice-Miranda, are you all right? Mr Plumpton mentioned that you hadn't done as well as he had hoped with some of your challenges, which is not like you at all.' The teacher looked at her intently.

‘I'm sorry, Miss Reedy. Things were just trickier than I was ready for, I suppose,' the child said with a shrug.

Miss Reedy wasn't buying it. There was something else going on in that clever head of Alice-Miranda's.

‘Sweetheart, you would tell me if there was something wrong?' Miss Reedy bit her lip.

The child nodded. She wanted to, but not yet.

Miss Reedy suppressed a sigh. ‘Well, run along.'

Millie waved to Alice-Miranda from a table in the far corner. ‘What did she say?'

‘Mrs Oliver called and left a message that Daddy and Uncle Ed had gone away for the night and I wasn't to worry. I'm glad they managed to speak to her.'

‘Mrs Oliver is so clever. “Gone away” is much better than saying they'd been arrested,' Millie said.

‘Millie!' Alice-Miranda stared at her friend and pressed her finger against her lip.

She grimaced. ‘Sorry. What are you going to do?'

Alice-Miranda shrugged. Her mind was in a whirl.

After dinner, Miss Reedy announced that there would be a short round of games in the gym followed by an early night. They all had to be next door by half past eight the next morning to help with the fair.

The camp leaders briefed their groups about the stalls they'd be helping on and the elderly residents they'd be assisting. Caprice, Sloane and Jacinta were posted to the second-hand bookshop, while Sep and Lucas were manning the jumping castle.

‘That's not fair,' Sloane griped. ‘Why do they get to have all the fun and we have to look after a bunch of dusty old books?'

‘They're not allowed
on
the jumping castle,' said Mr Plumpton. ‘They're taking money and making sure the littlies are playing safely.'

Sloane nodded. ‘That's okay then.'

Alice-Miranda, Millie, Rufus and Figgy would each accompany an elderly resident around the fair.

‘Seriously, sir, do I have to?' Figgy complained. ‘He's just going to whinge all day.'

‘What, like you are now?' the teacher quipped.

Susannah had managed to get herself a job as a waitress in the tea marquee.

‘I hope Mr Freeman's in a better mood than he was this morning,' Millie whispered to Alice-Miranda.

Alice-Miranda hoped so too.