Secret Agency: A captivating 1920s historical mystery (Sophie Burgoyne Mysteries) by G J Bellamy

Author:G J Bellamy [Bellamy, G J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-07-04T23:00:00+00:00

They sat in chairs on either side of the door. Anyone spying through the keyhole would conclude the room was unoccupied. The third floor was quiet while they whispered together. Once, someone entered a nearby room, doing so with a natural amount of noise. At seven-thirty - Sophie could barely make out the time on her wristwatch - a door opened along the hall. There followed a murmuring of voices, and the sound of the door shutting. Another nearer door opened. Within ten silent seconds, it closed again.

Sophie and Ada stared at one another in near-darkness. They held their breath, their gaze riveted upon the door handle. Almost imperceptibly in the gloom, it moved. It moved again, followed by stillness. A few moments later, they heard a key being inserted into the lock. Then there came some muffled scratching sounds, followed by the handle wiggling. The visitor tried the handle again. He gave a sharp thump near the door handle and repeated the whole process. It became quiet after that. They heard the door opposite being opened and closed again within a few seconds. Further away, a door opened and closed. The floor returned to silence.

“He’s looking for someone,” said Sophie. “He didn’t have time to search those rooms for an object.”

“Us, do you think?” asked Ada.

“It’s possible… Me, perhaps, if they’ve discovered I switched the film cassette.”

“Don’t see how they could, miss.”

“I don’t, either. If it isn’t us, it must be… well, it has to be the running footman, I suppose. He’s the only missing person. It’s dinner now and someone in Stokely’s party is touring the rooms hunting for the footman. If that assumption is correct, it connects Stokely with the attacks against Alfred Wright. But why? Why would he do such a thing?”

“That’s beyond me. What I still don’t understand is how his nibs guessed the rooms would be searched… It was funny, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I found it rather thrilling. We had the enemy at the door and you thwarted him. It was a gratifying moment.”

“Yes, it was, an’ all. Oh, by the way, I owe you £2 10s. Miss Redfern very kindly gave me a fiver. That’s the biggest tip I’ve ever ’ad. Such a nice lady. She might be a bit tricky in the future, but very, very nice.”

“Oh, no. Your offer is generous, but you have earned that money.”

“In a way, yes, I did. But so did you. You helped, and you got me the job and, God bless you, you’ve split everything down the middle like a saint. I don’t know anybody who does that. So, fair’s fair; I owe you £2 10s and you can’t possibly refuse me.”

“Ah, as you put it so kindly, I accept. Thank you. And I’m glad Miss Redfern appreciated your work for her.”

“That’s settled. Only I’ve to break the note first. How long do we wait now?”

“That must be it for this evening’s entertainment. We won’t know when they leave. I should imagine the Inspector will tell us when they’ve gone.

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