The Case of the Vanishing Granny by Alexander McCall Smith

Author:Alexander McCall Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800900165
Publisher: Barrington Stoke

Billy and Tom followed her gaze, and in the few seconds that the door into the back was open they saw something that made them catch their breath.

“Did you see that?” hissed Tom.

They had all seen the same thing. Although it was dark at the back and the door was not fully open, they had seen the figure of what looked like a little old lady.

“My granny!” Tom exclaimed under his breath.

“Are you sure?” asked Billy, his heart racing with excitement.

Tom nodded. “I’d recognise my granny anywhere,” he said. “You don’t get that sort of thing wrong. You always know your own granny!”

The door into the back now slammed shut. Mrs Fudge put down the tray she was carrying and looked over towards the three children.

“Ask her,” Fern whispered to Tom. “Just ask to speak to your granny.”

They approached the counter. Mrs Fudge, who was not a tall person, looked up at them. “Yes?” she asked, smiling in a friendly way. “What can I do for you?”

Billy glanced at Tom. The other boy had opened his mouth to speak but seemed to have been struck dumb. He was too nervous to speak, Billy thought.

Billy made a decision. If Tom was unable to say anything, then he would speak for him. “This boy,” he said, pointing to Tom, “wants to speak to his granny.”

Mrs Fudge became flustered. After a few moments of hesitation, she said, “There are no grannies here.”

That was too much for Tom to bear. “But I’ve just seen her,” he blurted out. “I saw her back there.” He pointed in the direction of the door that led to the back room.

Mrs Fudge smiled. “Then you’re mistaken, young man,” she said. “That’s the chocolate workshop. You won’t find any grannies in there. Now, if you’d like to choose some chocolates, I can put them in a bag for you.”

“But …” Tom began. He did not finish. A discouraging look from Mrs Fudge was enough to tell him that the discussion was at an end.

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