Adders on the Heath

'See who that is,' she said. Gavin went to the door and through the opening Henri could see Laura seated at the dressing-table. He gestured violently to Gavin and exclaimed,

'So my wife is right! I did well to come and see!'

'What on earth are you doing with that bloody great axe?' asked Gavin, eyeing the keen-edged weapon with amusement. 'Gone berserk or something?'

'Someone had turned on the light in the kitchen. I thought it was Madame Gavin, but I see not so.'

'Well, I was thinking of going down,' said Laura, applying a tissue to her well- creamed countenance, 'but I haven't so far. I expect you left the light on when you went to bed. It's easy enough. My brothers are always doing it.'

'I did not leave the light on, madame.'

'Oh, well, I'll pop down and have a look round,' said Gavin, pulling the belt of his dressing-gown a little closer. 'Could be burglars, I suppose. They're probably mopping up the bottled beer.'

'Arm yourself, monsieur! They may be desperate!'

'Then you'd better come along with that axe.'

'Willingly, monsieur.' With Gavin in the lead, they tip-toed down the stairs. The kitchen was empty.

'Then you must have left the light on,' said Gavin, reasonably enough. But Henri was obstinately certain that this was not so.

'Let us rouse the household, monsieur,' he urged. 'Of a certainty, someone has entered.'

'Oh, rot!' said Gavin easily. 'No need at all to panic. But we can have a look at the downstair doors and windows, if that will help.'

It took them less than two minutes to find out that the back door was not only unlocked and unbolted, but that it was not even latched.

'And now, monsieur,' said Henri, with dignity, 'you are not prepared to say, I hope, that, in addition to leaving the light on-an extravagance and a carelessness of which I have never been guilty during all my years in the service of madame-I neglected to lock and bolt this door? Monsieur, my honour is at stake. I must convince you. Allow me to arouse Georges. He knows that always-but always!-I lock and bolt this door as soon as he goes at night to his apartment above the garage.'

'I think a better idea would be to have a look round first. All the same, if you did lock and bolt the door, I don't see how anybody from outside could get in. Locks, I grant you, can be picked, but a couple of hefty bolts, top and bottom, are a different matter. You can see for yourself that the door is quite undamaged and the hinges are still functioning. Still, we'll take a look round, first securing the door and then giving the once-over to the windows and the side entrance. If you're right, it seems to me more than likely that somebody must have got in through a window and then left by the back door. Wonder what they were after?'

'If burglars, the silver, and madame's antique clocks, most likely, monsieur.'

'She's got some pretty good china, too. All right. Let's go and check up. I suppose you'd know if anything was missing.'

'Of the silver and the clocks, undoubtedly, monsieur. Of the china, I am less sure.'

'Oh, well, I can remember that, I think.'

They made a methodical search, but nothing appeared to be missing and the house was its usual serene, untroubled self. As they came out of the dining-room they met Laura at the foot of the stairs.

'What is all the hoo-ha?' she enquired.

'Don't know yet,' her husband replied. 'Back door open, kitchen light on, nothing missing, nobody about.'

'Except Hamish,' said Laura immediately. 'I knew he was up to something. I said so. I'm going up to his room, whether you like it or not.'

'Hold on a minute,' urged Gavin. 'I'm not going to snoop around outside. It's hardly likely to be Hamish. He always scrambles down that porch over the front door. It's bang outside his bedroom window.'

'He wouldn't climb down in the dark.'

'Probably got eyes like a cat. Anyway, he must know the way blindfold. Besides, it wasn't really dark when he went to bed. You go on up and turn in.'

'Nonsense! I'm going to Hamish's room.'

Gavin followed her up the stairs and Henri, with his axe and with an uneasy recollection of the blunt-edged carving-knife he had supplied to the boy, brought up the rear. At her son's bedroom door, Laura paused to listen. There was nothing to be heard, so she turned the handle and switched on the light. Hamish's pyjamas were on the floor and there were neither other clothes nor his shoes to be seen. She swung round on her husband, but Gavin gripped her and put a hand over her mouth.

'The light, Henri!' he said. Henri switched it off and Gavin released his wife. All three listened intently. Somebody was approaching by car. Then there was silence. 'May be all right,' said Gavin. 'Probably is. But I don't like the youngster being out on his own at this time of night. I suppose he's in the garden somewhere. He'd hardly wander away. I'll go and call him in, curse his little nylon socks.'

That car's in the drive,' murmured Laura. 'It can't be callers! It could be the Superintendent, but I should have thought he'd phone.' Suddenly she gripped her husband's arm. There was a slight scrabbling sound on the porch below the window, and Hamish tumbled into the room. Gavin called for a light. As it was switched on, the bedroom door opened and Dame Beatrice appeared. She had her small revolver at the ready.