Diamonds in the Dust

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘Maybe.’ Dora sat down, giving a sigh of tiredness. She knew just what Lily was doing. The little girl was running through every conceivable reason in her head, except the one they were all dreading.

  Tom put plates in front of them. ‘I’m afraid it’s only sausages and mash again. I’ll need more money for tomorrow, Dora.’

  She gave a weak smile. This was Tom’s favourite meal, so they were likely to get it quite often, but he was a real treasure.

  Not many young boys of his age would take over the cooking and shopping like this.

  ‘You going to tell us what’s happened?’ Tom started to eat, never taking his eyes off his big sister.

  ‘I’ve got more bad news, I’m afraid.’

  ‘That’s obvious from the expression on your face. Out with it, Dora.’

  ‘I’m losing my job at the end of the week.’

  ‘Oh, hell! What a time for that to happen.’ Tom dipped his head for a moment while he took this second blow.

  ‘Did they sack you?’ Lily wanted to know.

  ‘No, sweetie, they’re moving to Scotland.’

  Tom put down his knife and fork. ‘Did they ask you to go with them?’

  Dora nodded. ‘But that’s out of the question.’

  ‘Because of us,’ Tom muttered.

  ‘No, Tom! I wouldn’t have gone, anyway. London’s our home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. We must stay here until we know exactly what’s happened to Mum. Suppose she came back one day and we weren’t here?’ Dora reached out and touched her brother’s arm. He was clearly upset. ‘It’ll be all right. They’re going to give me a good reference, and I’ll soon find something else.’

  ‘Course you will.’ Tom looked up then, a smile on his face, albeit rather forced. ‘Offers of jobs will be rolling in, won’t they, Lily?’

  Lily nodded, her mouth full of sausage, but it was clear that the full import of the news didn’t register with her.

  Dora began to tuck into her meal, trying to appear unconcerned. ‘We’ve got that money we found with Mum’s things, and I’ve still got a bit put by. Then there’s my pay at the end of the week. So we’ll be all right for a while.’

  ‘Nothing to worry about then, eh?’ Tom said, keeping his tone cheerful. ‘Wonder how Stan got on today? He wasn’t in when we came home.’

  ‘He’ll let us know.’

  They had just finished clearing up when Stan arrived, only he wasn’t alone, he had a uniformed policeman with him.

  ‘This is my brother-in-law, Reg. He needs to ask you some questions.’

  ‘Erm … yes, of course.’ Dora was flustered and apprehensive when she saw the stocky man with Stan. She stood aside while Tom showed them into the front room. ‘Please sit down. Would you like tea?’

  ‘No thank you.’ Reg smiled, and both men waited for Dora to sit before they did the same.

  Lily’s eyes were wide with fright, so Tom pulled her towards him, whispering in her ear, ‘He’s not going to eat you.’

  Reg chuckled as Lily continued to stare at him. ‘She doesn’t believe you. Do you want to put her to bed before we start?’

  ‘No.’ Dora spoke firmly. ‘This concerns all of us, and Lily stays. You can speak freely in front of her, sir.’

  ‘Have you found our mum?’ Lily asked, looking braver now her brother had a protective arm around her.

  ‘Not yet.’ Reg opened his notebook and read something written there. ‘Stan’s told me about the book you found. He’s finished going through it, but there doesn’t seem to be anything in it to help us. It’s just a series of names and places.’

  ‘Then why did Mum hide it if it wasn’t important?’ Tom frowned.

  ‘It might well be important, but until we find out what she’s been doing for the last two years, it means nothing to us.’ Reg paused and looked at them all in turn. ‘I want you to tell me everything.’

  ‘But Stan’s already told you, hasn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, Dora, but I’d like to hear it in your own words, please.’

  It didn’t take Dora long to relate what had happened, with Tom and Lily joining in now and again.

  Reg had written quite a lot down in his notebook, and when he stopped writing, he asked, ‘Stan said you found some letters. Would you let us see them?’

  When Dora hesitated, Stan said, ‘We need to build up a picture of your mother, what she liked doing, places she liked to visit, things like that. Letters can often help us do that.’

  ‘There’s no harm in letting them see them.’ Tom was already on his feet. ‘I’ll get them, shall I?’

  ‘All right,’ she agreed reluctantly. They had been brought up never to read anything addressed to their parents, and it was hard to break that rule, even in these exceptional circumstances.

  Tom soon returned, and Stan and Reg settled back to read. Dora decided to make a pot of tea, more for something to do than from the need for a drink.

  ‘Do you know anything about your mother’s family?’ Reg asked suddenly, making Dora jump as she was pouring the tea.

  ‘She never talked about them. I don’t think she had any family.’

  ‘We never met any grandparents, so we don’t think Mum or Dad had any family,’ Tom told them, looking puzzled. ‘This can’t have anything to do with Mum’s disappearance, surely?’

  Reg just smiled. ‘We need to look at every angle in the hope that it might produce a clue. Can we see your mother’s room now?’

  ‘Er … is that necessary?’ The thought of strangers going through her mother’s things did not sit well with Dora. ‘We’ve already searched every inch.’

  ‘Dora,’ Stan said. ‘We might find something you’ve missed. Something that looks out of place, but so ordinary that you wouldn’t think it important.’

  ‘Let them do it,’ Tom said. ‘There might be something we didn’t notice.’

  ‘Yes, of course you’re right,’ Dora agreed reluctantly. ‘The only important thing is to try and find out what’s happened to Mum. Were the letters any use?’

  ‘Not at first glance.’ Reg tied them together again. ‘Would you let us keep them for a while, so we can go through them again? You can have them back in a couple of days.’

  ‘We’ll take good care of them,’ Stan assured Dora, ‘and I promise no one else will see them.’

  ‘Very well.’ She gave Stan a brief nod. ‘I know we can trust you.’

  ‘Good, thank you.’ Reg stood up. ‘Will you show us your mother’s room now?’

  Tom led the way up the stairs, followed by Reg and Stan, with Dora and Lily behind them.

  Stan had left his stick at the bottom of the stairs, and was using the banisters to swing himself up. Dora knew he would need it when he got to the top, so she took it with her, and handed it to him on the landing.

  Tom opened their mother’s bedroom door and stood back to allow them to enter first. The three of them stood by the door and watched Reg and Stan search. Dora felt very uneasy as each item was examined and put back in the drawers or wardrobe. Occasionally they showed each other a pair of shoes or piece of clothing, but they said nothing, and their expressions gave nothing away.

  ‘What’re they finding so interesting?’ Tom whispered, when they had spent a while studying a frock.

  Dora shrugged, just as puzzled.

  After what seemed like an age, Reg looked across at them. ‘Do you know if any of your mother’s clothes are missing?’

  ‘No, sir,’ Dora replied. ‘They’re all there, except the things she was wearing.’

  ‘I understand that you found the letters and notebook hidden in the bed. Was there anything else?’

  ‘No, that’s—’

  ‘There was the necklace,’ Tom interrupted.

  ‘What necklace?’ Both men spoke at once.

  ‘Oh, it’s only a cheap thing. Something Mum kept for sentimental reasons, I expect.’

  ‘Can we see it, Dora?’ Stan asked.

  Tom was already lifting the m
attress, and when he’d retrieved the box he handed it to Stan, who removed the necklace and held it up to the light.

  ‘Oh, that’s pretty!’ Lily hadn’t seen it before, and forgetting her shyness of the man in uniform, she rushed forward. ‘Let me see it, please.’

  Stan held it out for her. ‘See how it shines?’

  ‘Dora, look!’ Lily bounced with excitement, her expression animated.

  Dora was so pleased to see her little sister smile again that she took the necklace from Stan and fixed it round Lily’s neck. Then she stood her in front of the mirror on the wardrobe door. ‘There, don’t you look beautiful.’

  Lily giggled. ‘Look, Tom, look!’

  He shaded his eyes as if blinded by the brilliance. ‘Who’s this dazzling girl? I don’t recognise her.’

  Giving a shriek of delight, Lily launched herself at her teasing brother. ‘It’s me, silly.’

  Tom lifted her up. ‘So it is.’

  It was wonderful to hear laughter and see her brother and sister fooling around again. The scene brought a lump to Dora’s throat. And she couldn’t help noticing how big and strong Tom was now. He seemed to be growing every day. He was going to be a fine-looking man.

  The search finished, and they let Lily keep the necklace on as they all went downstairs again.

  ‘Did you find anything to help you?’ Dora asked.

  Reg tucked his notebook into his top pocket. ‘Hard to say yet. We’ll have to go through my notes at leisure, but thank you for allowing us to do this tonight. I realise how upsetting it’s all been. Everything will be done to find your mother.’

  ‘Thank you, sir.’

  ‘The name’s Reg. We’ll let you know the moment we have any news.’

  Chapter Six

  The moment they were back in Stan’s house, Reg swore, ‘Who the hell is Harriet Bentley? I’ve got a nasty feeling about this, Stan. I’ll see that Win keeps an eye on those youngsters. Can you believe it? They’re polite, well-spoken and completely innocent. They’ll never cope if we uncover anything unsavoury.’

  ‘Don’t be too sure about Dora.’ Stan sat down and gave a quiet groan, rubbing his leg. ‘She might seem shy, but there’s fire underneath that unworldly exterior. She cares deeply about some things, and shows it when she talks about them. But I agree that as far as the world goes they are innocent.’

  ‘Now you come to mention it, I did see her eyes flash in disapproval now and again. She hated us poking around her mother’s things, didn’t she.’

  Stan nodded. ‘But she also knew it had to be done. Now about the mother. The letters didn’t give much away, but I got the impression there was something in her past. The man she married knew about it but loved her too much to care. Dora told me their parents had been happy together, and that Mrs Bentley was devastated when her husband was killed in the war.’

  Reg paced the room. ‘And it looks like that was when she started lying to her children. I don’t suppose they noticed that some of their mother’s clothes were expensive. I’d swear one of her nightgowns was pure silk, but the label had been carefully removed. I wish we could have borrowed that necklace, but I didn’t like to make too much of it. They think it’s glass … Hell, I’m no expert, but I’d like to show it to someone who is.’

  ‘I’ve made a note of the name and address of the jeweller. It was in the lid of the box, and …’ Stan removed a sheet of paper from his pocket, ‘while they were fooling around with Lily, I made a sketch of the necklace.’

  ‘I didn’t see you do that.’ Reg sat beside Stan and studied the drawing.

  ‘I’m not surprised. You couldn’t take your eyes off the necklace.’

  ‘Hmm. That’s very good. What are you going to do with it?’

  ‘Visit the jeweller tomorrow, see what kind of a place it is and ask if he recognises it. Of course, it might be a cheap thing and been put in an expensive box, but I don’t think so somehow. It fitted perfectly, as if the box had been made for it.’

  ‘I agree.’ Reg stood up and tucked the bundle of letters in his pocket. ‘I’ll go through these again tonight in case we missed something. You take it easy tomorrow.’

  Stan pulled a face, making Reg laugh. ‘Daft thing to tell you, isn’t it?’

  The next morning, Stan was ready early for his visit to the jeweller’s in Bond Street. He would have to go by train, and the journey would be impossible using just a stick. Loath as he was to use the crutches, he knew he didn’t have any choice. His leg would never stand up to everything he wanted to do today. He would have to keep as much pressure off it as he could, and that would mean using the blasted things. The problem was that they put a strain on his back, but he’d just have to put up with that.

  He retrieved them from the shed and set off for the station.

  ‘Watch it!’ Stan swayed and nearly lost his balance when a young boy of around seven ran straight into him. He struggled to stay upright and avoid the indignity of ending up flat out on the pavement.

  ‘Jimmy!’ A woman rushed up and grabbed hold of Stan to support him. ‘Come here and apologise to the gentleman.’

  The boy crept back, looking downcast. ‘Sorry sir, I wasn’t looking where I was going.’

  ‘You all right?’ the woman asked. ‘I hope my boy didn’t hurt you?’

  ‘I’m fine, thank you,’ Stan lied. The boy had given his injured leg a sharp kick as he’d sped by, and the pain was excruciating. He gritted his teeth and continued up the road. Nothing was going to stop him doing what he’d planned today. Nothing!

  By the time he reached the station and bought his ticket, the pain was bearable. He found a bench and sat down to wait for his train. The platform was quite crowded with men going to work, women with children, and young girls. There weren’t many young men, as nearly a whole generation had been slaughtered in the war. As Stan watched people laughing and talking, he was suddenly overcome with a feeling of loneliness. He was still a young man, but what kind of a life did he have in front of him? No girl in her right mind would want to marry him. He would never be able to take her out walking or dancing – never have a family of his own …

  As the feeling of emptiness engulfed him, he swore under his breath, took out a cigarette and lit it, drawing on it deeply and blowing the smoke into the air. Damn it! He’d accepted all this. Why did the regrets have to rear their ugly head again? When he’d first returned home he’d tried to drown the pain and hopelessness in whisky, but had soon found out that it didn’t help – only made him feel worse. He’d come to terms with the restrictions by reminding himself that he was alive and a lot better off than many other poor devils, and that included his older brother. God, that still hurt, but he was damned if he was going to allow himself to become a bitter man, and a burden to his family.

  The train puffed into the station, and Stan hauled himself up.

  ‘You need a hand?’ a middle-aged man asked.

  ‘I can manage.’ But Stan smiled his thanks when the man held the train door open for him.

  Stan was about to sit down when he saw a young man having difficulty getting into the carriage. He recognised the condition immediately, and holding the door he reached out. ‘All right, mate. You take your time.’

  With the help of the middle-aged man, they pulled him in and settled him in a corner seat so he could look out of the window. Stan sat beside him, lit a cigarette and placed it in the young man’s mouth.

  ‘Shell shock,’ the other man muttered grimly. ‘Bloody war. What about you, son? Have you lost your leg?’

  ‘No, I’ve still got it, but it’s not much use.’ Stan turned to the young man. ‘Where you going, mate?’

  With a great deal of difficulty the young man took a piece of paper out of his pocket. It bore the address of the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, and a doctor’s name.

  The other man leant across so he could read it as well.

  ‘He’s got to change trains. He’s never going to get there on his own.’ Stan was furious
. ‘Why isn’t someone with him? I’ll take him myself.’

  ‘No need for that, son. I work there. I’ll see he gets to the hospital all right. I’m Doctor Burridge.’ He held out his hand. ‘If you ever need another opinion on your leg, come and see me at the hospital. No need to make an appointment.’

  ‘Stan Crawford.’ He shook his hand and gave a grim smile. ‘They’ve said there’s nothing they can do for me. You hard up for patients, Doc?’

  ‘Wish I were, but our methods are improving all the time. God knows we’re getting enough practice.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it.’ Stan looked at the silent, shaking man beside him and counted his blessings. He might be in constant pain, but at least he was in his right mind. He laid his hand on the young man’s arm and smiled. ‘This man’s a doctor and he’s going to take you to the hospital.’

  The young man managed to nod to let him know he understood, then Stan turned his attention back to the doctor. ‘Who’s the doc this man’s going to see? Is he any good?’

  ‘The best in his field. The poor devil will get proper help. My line of work is putting shattered bodies back into some kind of working order.’ Dr Burridge took a card out of his pocket and signed the back. ‘Come and see me, son. Just show this card and they’ll call me.’

  Stan tucked the card into his pocket, knowing it would take something extraordinary to get him near a hospital again. ‘Thanks.’

  Bond Street was crowded and Stan had to walk quite a way before he found the jeweller’s he was looking for. He whistled softly under his breath when he saw the shop. That necklace couldn’t have come from here. He was probably wasting his time, but he’d come this far and might as well go in.

  The inside was fitted with plush carpets and upholstered chairs in dark blue. The customers who came in here obviously expected comfort while they spent their money.

  ‘May I help you, sir?’ A short man in a dark suit was eyeing him with more than a hint of suspicion.

  Stan decided that it wouldn’t take much for them to show him the door. He decided to bluff it out. ‘I’m Sergeant Crawford from Kilburn Police. Mind if I sit down?’