Tomorrow's ghost

'The Police?'

'Brookside House has had a break-in. Three houses in one morning in the same area -

shocking! Nothing valuable stolen, but as the Colonel is on the list we have to send someone down to liaise with the local Special Branch man. Just a simple matter of following the routine - they called us.' Smug chuckle. 'I'm afraid you'll have to be the one, Fisher dear. Sorry to disturb you, and all that ... but you're not busy at the moment, so it'll have to be you.'

'Why me?'

'I said - you're not busy. Officially you are still part of the Colonel's group. But as he packed you off home you're twiddling your thumbs. So you are the obvious choice - it stands to reason. Right?'

As a short-notice cover story it wasn't bad, but

the superiority of the voice roused forgotten memories within Frances - echoes from the past she had never remembered before -

* * *

'Frances Warren and Samantha Perring - fighting in the gym.' (Miss Widgery's voice had

been as sexlessly superior as Extension 223's.) '/ am aware that you did not strike the first blow,

Frances. But violence is always inadmissible. And in a young lady it is unpardonable.'

But Frances Warren had learnt differently since then.

'It doesn't sound simple to me.'

'Don't be awkward. Fisher. It's the best we can do in the time available, with the housekeeper there.'

'I want her out. I want the house first, and then the children. I want to be alone there.'

'Like Greta Garbo ... You know, you don't ask for easy things, Fisher. The housekeeper is like a limpet, she never leaves the children on their own except on her day off. And then the cleaning woman stays with them - stays the night, too.'

Frances waited.

'All right - so we've managed something ... just so you don't think it's easy, that's all.

And it will still require some ingenuity on your part. Or some respectability, I should say - you're not still blonde, are you?'

'No.'

'Thank God for that.' Extension 223 sniggered knowingly, as though he had the bikini snapshot of Marilyn before him. 'It's cost us a favour, too - quite a sizeable one.'

'Yes?' Frances just managed to take the waspish note out of her voice. There was no point in letting old angers betray her.

'All right.' He sounded disappointed at her subservience. 'You must be there shortly after 1400 hours, as our representative - the Police will meet you. Right?'

'Yes.' After the first time it was easy.

'At about 1430 the housekeeper will receive a phone-call - they call her 'Nannie', by the way ... Butler striving for bourgeois respectability, I shouldn't wonder, eh?'

'Yes.' Now it was harder again.

' 'Nannie' will receive a call from the Matron of the Charlotte Tyson Nursing Home, a Miss Prebble -'

'Who?'

'Miss Prebble. Just listen, Fisher. Matron Prebble is Nannie's best friend, they nursed together in the QARANCs years ago, when Nannie was an army wife. Prebble runs this nursing home, and on her day off Nannie takes over - it's on Nannie's day off too, and night off ... Just a small place, run on a shoestring. And at the moment it's badly understaffed, so Matron Prebble has no one she can hand over to except Nannie - at short notice. And that's what we've arranged: short notice. Nannie will have to take over tonight.'

'How?'

'The home is nearly bankrupt. We've arranged for the Ryle Foundation to offer Prebble a grant - they're an Anglo-Arab group, and they owe us a favour. And they've got money to burn.'

Frances had heard of the Ryle Foundation, it had been one of Hugh Roskill's responsibilities.

'Yes?'

'Prebble will phone Nannie. She's got to go to London, and there's no one else she can turn to at short notice, we've made sure of that, too. So that's where you come in.

Fisher - you have to convince Nannie you can baby-sit for her. You have to earn your keep, Fisher.'

The voice stung Frances. 'I've already earned my keep - ' she caught herself. 'I'm just afraid Butler will be suspicious, that's all.'

'Of course he'll be suspicious. It's his business to be suspicious. But he's got a lot on his plate with O'Leary at the moment, and it seems he approves of you. Fisher.' The voice was smugly approving. 'And I like that - I like that a lot, it's good for us. And I also like the sound of you earning your keep - I like that even more if it means you obtained something from that awkward policeman of yours.'

That was interesting. Whether Hedges had originally been awkward because he hadn't been allowed to do his