‘Oh – and there was something about a missing parcel, which had some sort of jewellery in it. I suppose you should know about that. Maybe you’ll be able to find it with your gadget. You really could discover some treasure, after all.’
The policeman glanced towards the hall where his detector stood. ‘I’m not going to hold my breath,’ he said.
He was draining his tea and preparing to go, when Thea’s mobile starting jingling. Jessica picked it up. ‘It’s Drew,’ she said, handing it to her mother.
Thea took the phone, but didn’t leave the room. ‘How’s it going?’ she asked.
There followed a one-sided conversation in which Thea said various things such as, ‘Amazing!’ and ‘Really?’ and ‘You can say that again.’ Drew was doing almost all the talking. Stephanie watched intensely, trying to ascertain whether the story was a generally positive one or not. It didn’t sound as if the grandmother was proposing to join them for Christmas, at any rate. Nor did she get the impression that anything objectionable was being demanded of Thea. She laughed once or twice, and seemed quite relaxed. She ended by saying, ‘That’s great. Well done. See you when we see you, then. Mind how you go.’
‘It’s her husband,’ Jessica explained in a whisper, while the conversation was under way. ‘His father just died, and he’s dashed up to County Durham to see his mum.’
‘Bad timing,’ sympathised Finch Graham. ‘That’s a hell of a way from here.’
‘He thought it best to get it over with before Christmas. It’s all rather complicated.’
‘These things generally are.’
Thea finished the call and took a deep breath. ‘Doesn’t sound too bad. They’ve stopped at a service station for the loo and a snack. Timmy’s fine. There was an enormous great dog at the house – a Malamute, of all things. Timmy thinks it’s wonderful, apparently.’
Nobody had a quick answer to that. Stephanie experienced another pang of envy. ‘What are they like?’ she asked.
‘They’re huskies basically, I think. Lovely thick coat and uncertain tempers,’ said Thea. ‘Your grandmother’s a braver woman than I am, to think she can handle something like that.’
‘It’ll be nice company for her, though, if she’s just lost her husband,’ said the young detective.
‘Will she bring it here when she comes to visit?’ asked Stephanie, imagining the scene with some trepidation.
‘Not if I can help it. The dog would probably eat Hepzie.’
Graham got up. ‘I’d better go. I’ve got to think what to do about this Crossfield business.’ He looked at the three female faces with profound interest. ‘I’m not sure whether to be grateful or annoyed about meeting you, and having all this dumped in my lap.’ He fixed his gaze on Jessica. ‘On the whole, I have to say I’m glad to have met you.’
‘Me too,’ she said. ‘Come and see us again. I’m here for a couple more days.’
‘And there’s sure to be a whole lot of excitement still to come,’ said Thea with a cheerful grin.
It took Stephanie some time to forgive her stepmother for that grin.
Chapter Twelve
Thea sat down on the sofa with a thump, and said, ‘Well! How about that!’
‘He was nice,’ said Stephanie with a glance at Jessica. ‘Don’t you think?’
‘Not sure about that hair,’ said Jessica.
‘It was providential, meeting him like that. I feel a huge sense of relief,’ sighed Thea. ‘It’s all out of my hands now, and I can concentrate on Christmas like a good wife and mother.’
‘Don’t fool yourself. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be desperate to know what’s happening.’
‘No, I won’t. I give myself a bit longer than that. Maybe by the middle of Boxing Day I’ll be feeling a bit curious.’
‘What did Dad say exactly?’ asked Stephanie. ‘You didn’t tell us all of it.’
‘I pretty much did. He’s okay, that’s the main thing. And the roads aren’t much worse than they were yesterday. He thinks they’ll be here by eight. Which means I’d better get a move on. I haven’t even lit the fire yet.’
‘I’ll get started on the potato cakes,’ Jessica announced. ‘I hope there’s plenty of onions and cheese?’
‘Don’t use too many potatoes. We need them for tomorrow,’ warned Thea. ‘Aren’t we supposed to fast on Christmas Eve, to leave room for the coming feast?’
‘Onions? Cheese?’
‘I really don’t know. Go and see for yourself.’
Jessica went off humming to herself, while Stephanie retired to the sofa, with the dog as usual, and her beloved Through the Looking-Glass. Reading about the white knight and his inanities restored her to a better frame of mind. It was still the funniest piece of writing she could think of. The jokes were so fresh and unexpected. And it had all been written so long ago! It seemed like a kind of miracle to her – and certainly quite magical. Thea was kneeling in front of the woodburner, piling up sticks and rattling the vents. She stayed there watching the flames after the fire had become nicely established. Before long the smell of onions frying gently in butter came wafting through.
‘Blimey – it’s half past six!’ Thea realised. ‘I was off in a dream for a minute.’
Stephanie had finished the book and was half asleep. She had a feeling they’d lost quite a lot more than a minute. Dad and Timmy would be back before they knew it, and Christmas would really be only one sleep away.
‘Ready!’ called Jessica, and they all sat round the table with the golden-brown potato cakes in front of them.
‘We always used to have baked beans with them,’ Thea reminisced. ‘When we were little. My father made them for Saturday lunch.’
‘It was him who taught me how to do them, when I was about fourteen,’ said Jessica. ‘I do miss him.’
‘Not another dead man to worry about,’ begged Thea.
Mother and daughter met each other’s eyes and burst into laughter. Stephanie stared. ‘What’s funny?’ she asked.
‘Oh, Steph –
