Wealighted and Sir Percival led the way to the boarding house.Knocking on the door produced a large lady in a flowery dress andhair in a severe bun. Sir Percival gave her a large smile as if shewere a long-lost relative.
“Dear lady,” he began.
Althoughprobably not having seen such a hairy man before she must have beenused to men trying to butter her up as a scowl immediately took upresidence on her craggy face.
“What do you want?” she said sharply, her accent not helpingcurry any favours.
“Would it be possible to come in and ask about aroom?”
Her eyesswept over us and the liaison who was examining the general area.She must have pegged him as being with us as she said, “I don’t letfunny stuff go on in my house. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Beoff with you!”
“Nothing of the sort–” Sir Percival began toprotest.
I feltwe’d best get inside before making a scene and walked up to thelady and loudly whispered, “This is Lord Smythe, dear lady. Aparagon of virtue. He’s just come back from an all night sitting ofthe House of Lords. Why, do you think he always looks as ruffled asthis?”
Owlishlyshe examined him, from his shiny brown leather shoes to his whitehirsuteness. Something I said must have been familiar to her, orpossibly the scent of money improved her disposition no end as ascary smile occupied her face and she ushered us inside.
Theflock-wallpapered hallway had a faint boiled cabbage smell and sheled us past an empty reception room to a table with a large openbook on it. The liaison closed the front door behind and stood toone side of it while she started interrogating us.
“For how long did you wish to stay, Sir Smythe? Will yourluggage be along later?” She looked at my pink hair with a raisedeyebrow, “Will your… assistant be staying as well?”
Thesooner this ended the better.
“We’re here after Tobias Grey,” I said.
Hermouth snapped shut like a mousetrap and her eyes gained a flintylook.
“I don’t know who you mean.”
Thenlike a flowery Zeppelin under full power she moved towards usforcing us back towards the closed door. I saw the liaison pullsomething from inside his coat and hold it up so she could seeit.
“Huh! I should have known it was your lot,” she saiddisgustedly and stopped her forward motion.
As Isaid, sometimes he could be very useful.
“Let’s get this unpleasantness over with. Followme.”
She ledthe way to a staircase past the reception table and I made sure SirPercival had the pleasure of following her large flowerybehind.
Shequickly turned round to face him, “And no funnybusiness.”
I wishedI could have seen his face as ‘funny business’ with her would bethe furthest possible thing from his mind.
She ledthe way up the gaslit stairs. All the doors I saw were closed, sheprobably had a working clientele who were currently occupied andwould be back later. On the second floor she turned down the narrowhallway and led us to the door at the end.
“Is he in?” Sir Percival asked quietly.
Sheturned and fixed him with a steely glare, “No. I told him to slinghis hook as soon as I heard about the incident. I don’t allow pets.The room is currently let out to Mr Birch. He’s at work so I’ll letyou look around and then you can go and never darken my dooragain.”
She tooka ring of keys from out of a dress pocket and unlocked the door,then stood to one side making Sir Percival squeeze past her (oh,the happy memories of his face!)
Successfully I navigated her into the room (thankfully shepulled her large self in for me) and turned to look back at theliaison. His stoic face seemed to be in some sort of staring matchwith the landlady who had an inscrutable smile on her own. I feltfor the poor man. I really did.
I turnedback to the room and left him to whatever fate he cared to face.Sir Percival was already poking around the room and examining MrBirch’s meagre possessions, most of which seemed to be for MrsHardaker’s Patent Hair Growth Elixir. I couldn’t see Sir Percivalneeding any of that, but perhaps it was for futurereference.
A singlebed shared the small room with a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. Awater jug and bowl sat atop the drawers. By the bed was a smalldaguerreotype image of a severe-looking lady. Not knowing MrBirch’s age I couldn’t surmise whether it was a sweetheart or hismother. A lone square mirror was the only decoration breaking upthe orange flock wallpaper. Nothing in the room indicated the mindof the person that attacked last night’s exhibition. But I hoped tofind at least something of use.
The viewfrom the window was that of the stark brick walls of the largebuildings around us. A sliver of sky was visible if I stood closeto the glass and looked upwards. Then I noticed that the roomadjoined the larger building to the left. Was there some sort ofconnection? A wardrobe stood in the middle of the wall. Couldsomething be there?
Movingpast Sir Percival who was close to giving up finding anything ofuse I examined the adjoining wall. The same wallpaper covered allfour walls. Tapping it with my knuckles elicited no hollow echo.Peering behind the wardrobe I couldn’t see anything except shadow.I wasn’t finished though and glimpsed the increasingly impatientlandlady. The liaison hadn’t apparently squeezed by heryet.
“Help me with this,” I whispered to Sir Percival.
Hedesultorily moved to the other side of the wardrobe and before thelandlady could protest we’d shifted it away from the wall to reveala man-sized wooden rectangle. Quickly I rapped on it and elicited ahollow sound.
With ashared gleam of triumph we forced the wardrobe further from thewall and Sir Percival produced a small clasp knife from his coat.Striking the uncovered wood he managed to punch a hole in it. Tothe sounds of protest from the landlady he opened the knife out andstabbed the wood, pulling the blade towards him to increase thesize of the hole. I heard loud shouting
