Lois Meade 14 - Suspicion at Seven (5 page)

“W
e’re having early supper,” said Gran. “Me and Lois are going to the village hall to buy ourselves some of the crown jewels. Stolen goods, you know.”

Derek laughed. “Not what I heard,” he said. “That Donald Black has quite a way with the women, so I’m told. You’d better be prepared to resist being offered more than you bargained for.”

“Are you serious?” said Lois. “The poor man is only trying to earn a living. He goes all round the country with his parties. Aurora says he’s exhausted when he comes back.”

“Very likely a girl in every port,” said Gran. “Could be very exhausting.”

Lois was about to say that Donald and Aurora seemed to have a very happy marriage, but then remembered the telephone call. He had sounded angry, and Aurora scared. “Well, we’re not being invited on to the board of his business, so I expect we’ll be all right,” she said.

*   *   *

The village hall was crowded by the time Gran and Lois had collected Josie and made their way inside. They found chairs and sat down, acknowledging friends and contributing to the din of conversation.

“Good evening, ladies,” said Donald. He sat at a long table, where he and Aurora had spread out the jewellery to show it at its best. “And one gentleman, I see. Welcome, sir.”

He then gave a preliminary spiel, and suggested that they came out in fours to allow room for people to choose.

“And then,” he continued, “we’ll break for coffee and have a little time for you to have another browse, in case you’ve remembered an auntie with a birthday coming up!”

Then he introduced a good-looking redheaded model, who tried items on her creamy skin to show customers exactly how necklaces and earrings would look. The scheme worked well. Aurora helped out, wrapping purchases and advising doubters. When all customers had had a chance to buy, Donald called for a coffee break. He and Aurora, and the model, whose name was Gloria, moved among the crowd as they were served, and chatted in a friendly way. They handed out advertising leaflets, and were well received.

“They don’t push you to buy,” said Gran approvingly. “I’ll read this when I get home. Where’s the lone man that Donald Black welcomed? I should think he came in out of the rain and scarpered when he saw what he’d blundered into!”

“It’s not raining,” said Lois. “He’s still around somewhere. I reckon he is some kind of stooge, meant to infiltrate the crowd and encourage them.”

“Trust you to be suspicious!” said Gran. “Come on, Josie. Let’s go and have another look before we leave.”

They walked off, leaving Lois to her coffee, and in a few seconds, Aurora came and sat beside her.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” she said. “It’s a good crowd, and Donald is pleased.”

“Who’s the single bloke? I see he’s still here. Is he with one of the women?”

Aurora looked embarrassed. “No, he’s one of the business employees. Peter Fountain. Same family as Sylvia. A sort of security guard. We do get shoplifters sometimes. It’s quite easy for a skilled operator to slide a piece of jewellery into a waiting handbag!”

“Has it happened this evening?”

“Don’t know yet. I don’t think so. Would you like some more coffee?”

“No thanks. We must be off soon. Gran has spotted a butterfly brooch and Josie fancies a bracelet, so when all that’s done, we’ll be on our way. An enjoyable evening, anyway, Aurora, and Donald seems quite better from his funny turn.”

Aurora nodded. “Thanks for coming. Have you got a leaflet? You might like to have a go at what he suggests. Some of the women seem to be filling in the forms. See you later, Lois.”

*   *   *

Back home in Meade House, Gran showed Derek her brooch, and it was duly admired.

“There’s this leaflet, Derek. You have a read of it and tell us what it says.” The print was quite small, and Gran was reluctant to admit that she needed new glasses.

Derek took the leaflet and read it in silence. Then he frowned. “I reckon it’s one of them pyramid selling jobs,” he said. “This asks if you want to be a seller, like the Black bloke. You get lots of advice and help, and all you need to do is become a member, which means paying a membership fee, and buying a collection of jewellery and have parties, like him. And here’s the catch. They want you to enroll a couple of friends or interested customers into the scheme themselves.”

“Oh Lord,” said Lois. “I don’t like the sound of that. I thought those kind of schemes were illegal. The man at the top gets off scot-free, with a sizeable loot, and by the time you get to the bottom of the pyramid, you can be deeply in debt. We shall have nothing to do with it, Mum.”

Gran did not like being told what to do, and so said she would give it some careful thought. She quite fancied the idea, she said. “I’d be good at selling,” she said. “Remember Woolworths, Lois? You and me had our regular customers and did really well. You on confectionary and me on jewellery. I had the brains and you the beauty!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Mother! There’s a lot of difference between weighing out a quarter of aniseed balls and dealing in expensive jewellery.”

“Quite right,” said Derek. “And it’s not the jewellery that’s at the heart of it, though you’d have to buy it from Donald Black. It’s deceiving people into committing themselves to a scheme that gets to be impossible in the end, and you’d end up in debt.”

Gran was not convinced. She took back the leaflet. “Well, it looks good to me. There’s pictures here of women who’ve made a small fortune for themselves and enjoyed it in the process. Look, Lois.”

“I’ve looked. Give it to me, and I’ll put it in the bin.”

Gran was having none of it, and retired to her bedroom, taking the leaflet with her.

N
ext morning, as soon as Lois sat down in her office chair, the phone rang.

“Mrs. M? It’s Dot here. Did you go to that jewellery knees-up last night?”

“Yes, we did. Bought one or two things. They were really nice. Didn’t see you there.”

“I went late. They were starting to pack up, but were very nice and helpful. Your friend Aurora is especially pleasant. I reckon he’d be lost without her. Anyway, when I’d bought a pair of earrings, they gave me this leaflet. Did you get one? I must say I’m tempted to have a go. Once you’ve paid your membership fee, it looks foolproof. I haven’t seen one of these things since I bought that plastic kitchen stuff that was all the go. What did you think?”

“I think I’ve got enough to do, what with New Brooms and the family. Jamie’s home for four weeks, and we want to see as much as possible of him. We’re going to a recital he’s giving in Birmingham next week.”

“I notice you don’t mention ferretin’. That’s why I’ve called you.”

Lois’s voice changed. “Have you got something on Donald Black? You’ve hardly had time to talk to your Nimmos.”

“Can I come and see you? I’m not happy about the phone. You never know when somebody’s listening in.”

“Dot! The days are long past when the telephonist on the local switchboard put down her knitting to listen to calls! But yes, come over this afternoon. About three?”

Dot agreed and ended the call. Lois picked up a letter of complaint that had come in from a man who said Floss had stolen all his savings when she was dusting his bedroom. She sighed. She had considered ending New Brooms contract with this customer. Every week he had a complaint. He was elderly and living alone, and she felt sorry for him. But accusing a cleaner of stealing money was not on, and she made a note to call in on him later. She knew that by the time she went, he would have forgotten all about it and deny it hotly. But still, the poor old sod was lonely, so she decided to tell Floss to ignore it and carry on as usual.

She put the letter down and sat back in her chair. The jewellery party had obviously been a success, and the model had talked interestingly about her training for the catwalk. But how many more women had been tempted by the seller scheme? She thought of Aurora, a quiet, sensible and, she was sure, completely trustworthy friend. But she was also the wife of Donald Black, who was always jolly and charming . . . Or was he? What was that last phone call all about? He had sounded bullying and unpleasant. And Aurora was frightened. Maybe they had had a row about Milly not coming home? Possible.

Lois sighed again. Did all this mean she had to have a serious conversation with Aurora, or should she mind her own business and let them get on with it? Never come between man and wife, Gran said often, and she was right, nine times out of ten. Was this the tenth? She shook her head. Dot was coming this afternoon, and perhaps she would have the answer.

Lois stood up and went to the window to look down the street. Not much happening. A small group of children from the school was out on a nature ramble. A car drew up outside, and she watched the door open. It was Douglas, and then Jamie got out of the passenger side. He saw her at the window and waved. She cheered up at once. Her boys! It was so seldom they were together, and still getting on well.

Jamie had become friendly with a girl reporter on the local newspaper, and their friendship had survived, although interrupted by one or two other girls and in spite of his constant travelling and her reluctance to give up her job and follow him. Derek had had a quiet word with his son and told him to get moving and hitch the girl up before someone else got there before him. Lois was amused, and wondered if Jamie had come home to pop the question.

Lunch was a lively occasion, with Gran and her grandsons and Derek and Lois enjoying it all. After they’d finished and were sitting watching a match on the telly, Lois asked Douglas if he could spare a minute in her office.

“What’s up, Mum?” he said, as she closed the office door. “All this hush-hush stuff?”

*   *   *

“So,” said Gran, when he emerged. “What has our own private investigator wanted from you, Douglas?”

“A bit embarrassing, Gran. What used to be called ‘flies undone’ and me a chief executive of an important company! Good old Mum. Bless her. Whoever invented zips should be throttled.”

A
fter Douglas and Jamie had gone, Lois said Dot would be coming for a quick talk at three, and after that she would be going over to Brigham to collect the bread. Would Gran like to come for a drive? Gran accepted with alacrity. She did not get many such invitations from Lois, but accepted that most of Lois’s expeditions were to do with New Brooms, or ferretin’.

“I’ll change me shoes, and then I’ll be ready,” she said. “It’ll be nice to see your friend Aurora again. She was a great help at the jewellery party.”

“One thing, Mother,” Lois said. “No mention of you being interested in becoming a seller. Steer well clear of that one.”

Gran agreed meekly. She omitted to mention that she had the leaflet safe in her pocket.

*   *   *

Dot arrived promptly at three o’clock, and joined Lois in her study. She was unsmiling and not her usual bouncy self.

“What’s up, then, Dot?” said Lois.

“It’s that Donald Black. You know you asked me to see if my shady relations knew anything about him? Well, they did. Mostly because the chiropodist that he worked for a while is none other than my cousin-in-law, Elgar Windrush. Lovely name, ain’t it, Mrs. M?”

Lois nodded, not sure where this was leading.

“Well, Mister Sparkly Black was discovered with his hand in the till. Not as such, but he did the books for my cousin, and when the tax man requested an interview, they discovered Donald had adjusted the profits, siphoning off some for himself.”

“Goodness! So what happened. I’ve never heard a whiff of scandal from Aurora.”

Dot raised her eyebrows. “Well, you wouldn’t, would you. It was all hushed up. He paid a whopping fine, and no more was said. Except that he got the push from the chiropodist. Natch.”

Lois thanked Dot, passed on a compliment from a satisfied housewife who had found Dot extremely satisfactory, and waved her off to her next client.

*   *   *

When Lois and Gran arrived outside the bakery, Lois repeated the warning to her smiling mother. Aurora saw them coming, and was at the door to welcome them. “Hi, Lois! Lovely to see you, Mrs. Weedon,” she said. “Come on in. Most of my customers have been today, so why don’t I put on the kettle and we’ll have a cuppa and one of these muffins, fresh from the oven.”

“Very nice,” said Gran, beaming. “That’s a very kind thought, Mrs. Black.”

“Oh, do call me Aurora, please.”

Off to a good start, thought Lois. “I can take over if you have to see to a customer,” she said.

Gran immediately tackled the subject of selling jewellery, exactly as Lois had expected. “How long has your husband been in the jewellery business?” Gran asked, balancing a plate with muffin on her lap. “He certainly seems to know all about it.”

“Oh, well, about three years, I suppose. He was in chiropody before that.”

“Got fed up with handling people’s feet, I expect,” Gran said knowledgeably.

Aurora laughed. “He didn’t actually do the treatments, Mrs. Weedon. He was more on the bookkeeping side. He’s not properly qualified to practise, though he’d sometimes help out if his boss was overworked. He massages my feet sometimes, and it is really relaxing.”

“That’s what you need, Lois,” said Gran. “When you’ve been running around all day. Does he take private patients? Go on, Lois, I’ll treat you.”

Lois said she’d think about it, but could they talk about something else? Smelly feet were putting her off her muffin. Aurora agreed, and said she would ask Donald but expected him to refuse, as he was not qualified.

“Right, Lois,” said Gran. “Am I allowed to ask about the parties and the sellers, and how the whole thing works? Without personally committing myself, of course. I am only curious, Aurora, as everybody had such a great time.”

“And the customers are also the winners, of course,” said Aurora.

“How d’you mean?” asked Gran.

“Well, people who buy are encouraged to become members and hold a party themselves. It is all legal and aboveboard.”

“And is part of the deal that they then have to get friends to hold parties in their turn?” Lois kept her voice light.

At that moment, the door opened, and Donald walked in. He made a little bow to Gran and took her hand. “Delighted to meet you, Mrs. Weedon,” he said. “And Lois, how are you keeping? I owe you a little apology for my bad temper on the phone. I had a really severe headache, but that’s no excuse. Is there another cup in the pot, Aurora?”

He sat down next to Gran, and asked if she had enjoyed the party. She was about to answer when the shop doorbell rang.

Aurora was pouring tea, and asked Lois if she would mind holding on to the customer until she had finished. “Donald likes it exactly right,” she said.

Lois walked through to the shop, where she found Inspector Cowgill eyeing the cakes.

“Cowgill! Are you following me about?”

“Of course I’m not,” he said. “I always collect my bread from Mrs. Black on a Tuesday. Is she around, or are you adding shopkeeper to your many skills?”

“She’s coming in a second. I’ve brought Mum over, for a little drive out.”

“And you just happened to end up in Brigham? Don’t worry, Lois, my dear. I won’t tread on your toes. That’s my wholemeal loaf, over there on the shelf. Always the same place. And here’s the money. Good luck, my dear. I’ll be in touch.”

He took his bread and was out of the shop in seconds, before Aurora came in to take over.

“Oh yes,” she said. “Inspector Cowgill always comes in about this time. Nice man, isn’t he? His wife died, you know. But it was a long time ago. He should find another nice woman to take care of him. Sometimes he looks very sad.”

“Mm, well, it’s a funny old job, isn’t it?” said Lois. “The police are always seeing the wrong side of mankind. It can’t be much fun. Anyway, thanks for the tea and being nice to Mum. You won’t let her do anything silly, will you, Aurora? She seemed to be much too involved with the subject when talking to Donald.”

When they went back to join Gran and Donald, they found them still deep in conversation about percentages and investments.

“Your mother, Lois, has a very good business head on her shoulders. I expect it is where you get yours from!” Donald helped Gran to her feet, though she did not need it, and escorted them to the car.

“See you soon, both of you, I hope,” he said. “My daughter is coming from London to see us soon, so we must meet,” he said, and stood with Aurora to wave them goodbye.

*   *   *

Derek was still out at work when they reached home, and Gran set about preparing supper. “Fishcakes and beans tonight,” she said. “And fruit for pudding. I’m off to whist with Joan. In the village hall. Why don’t you come, Lois?”

“Because I hate whist,” said Lois. “As I have said many times. You go and enjoy yourself, Mother dear. I shall have a nice time watching telly with my husband. Just we two. We might even have a cup of hot chocolate with cream in it. Ah, there’s Derek. You can tell him about your heart-to-heart with Donald Black.”

“What’s that about Donald Black?” said Derek, coming into the kitchen. “Not my favourite person, as you know. I hope you haven’t invited him to supper, Elsie!”

“And if I have?” said Gran defensively. “I’m allowed to have my own friends, aren’t I?”

Neither Lois nor Derek answered, and Lois departed with Jeems into the garden, while Derek fled upstairs to wash his hands.