London Broil by barbara silkstone

Author:barbara silkstone [silkstone, barbara]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Books on the Green
Published: 2011-12-05T04:30:00+00:00

Chapter 31

Four hours later, we’d peeked under every chair a royal fanny could fit in. The snooping being done from a distance of a dozen feet made it more of a challenge. I saw enough dust bunnies to repopulate the planet but no Shadow.

“That’s all I’m permitted to show you,” Ian said. “I can’t imagine anything being hidden under any of the Queen’s chairs without someone finding it. Her corgis are forever sniffing out new things. Those dogs would have howled if there were something suspicious.”

“Thank you, Ian,” I said. As I looked back at the line of tourists shuffling shoulder to shoulder through the Picture Gallery past the Rembrandts, Van Dycks, Rubens, and Vermeers, I saw an ear flapping. It flapped again. It looked like a salmon swimming upstream to spawn in a river of humanity. That ear belonged to Algy Green.

“Roger!” I nudged him.

By the time we both looked back, Algy was gone.

With clenched jaws Roger said, “That bugger is following us.”

“He’s really hungry for the reward,” I said.

“Speaking of hungry. Let’s grab a bite. I know a great pub near here.”

I wondered what Granddaddy Earl and Prince Charles were having for lunch.

***

At two in the afternoon, Roger, Angus, and I were sitting in a darkened pub. Sunlight filtering through red and green glass. The walls were rough stone and had probably been there for hundreds of years. Angus got a call and left us on our own.

“What’s next?” I asked.

“You have any suggestions?”

“Granddaddy said something about the wax museum. Isn’t there a likeness of the Queen at Madame Tussauds?”

Roger sighed. “Tomorrow we’ll check it out. Whoever murdered Benny might be hot on the same trail. If they did take Darcy, they would know where to look for the Lost Boy, so she must have eluded them. She is still alive you know.”

I shot him a questioning glance. What made him so sure the crazy lady was among the living?

“Has Darcy been in touch with you?”

He snorted. “No. And that’s unusual for her.”

“How can you be sure she’s alive?”

“How can you be so sure she’s not?”

“Humph. Never bloody mind.”

***

We taxied back to Roger’s flat. I never knew how independent being behind the wheel of a car made me feel until I’d done without it for a few days. Having to rely on the availability of cabbies was like being a baby in a stroller.

“Honk!” The geese greeted us at the door and ran to the pantry like two puppies.

“They’re your geese,” Roger said.

“We’re going to have to get food for these two, and soon!” I said as I dumped the un-popped kernels into the popcorn maker.

“Not the plan. Remember? You’re calling animal control.”

“We can’t do that. Someone will take them home for Sunday dinner. Let’s try to find them a good home.”

Roger shook his head. “I’m fresh out of farmer friends. Okay, one more day.”

My back ached from picking up pooped-on papers. I circled back replacing with clean papers. “We’re going to need more paper, too.”

Scrunching off my shoes, I plopped on Roger’s sofa.

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