Alice-Miranda and Millie arrived back at Grimthorpe House just before half past five. Miss Reedy was already storming through the building barking orders at girls to clean up their rooms and make sure their uniforms were ready for the morning.
Millie had warned Alice-Miranda on the return trip that having Miss Reedy in the boarding house was not going to be much fun.
The woman intercepted the pair as they came in the back door. ‘Oh, hello there, girls. Where’s Jacinta?’
‘I’m sorry, Miss Reedy, but she didn’t want to come back with us,’ said Alice-Miranda.
Livinia Reedy frowned and a deep line formed from the tip of eyebrow to the top of her nose. ‘Well, she’d better be here first thing in the morning, as Miss Grimm would like a word.’
‘I’m sure she will. We have some good news too,’ Alice-Miranda fizzed. ‘Mr Parker didn’t run away. I found a note in the washing at Mrs Parker’s house. Nurse Raylene has gone to visit her father and when she left Mr Parker was still there.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful. What a relief,’ Miss Reedy said. ‘I imagine the search parties will be back out looking for him then.’
‘Yes,’ Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘Can we tell the girls and go out after dinner to help for a little while?’
Miss Reedy thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head. ‘I think we should leave it to the police. There’s not enough time to send the girls out far and if he was on school property, surely Charlie would have spotted him by now.’
‘But there are the woods and the mountain too,’ Millie protested. ‘He might have wandered up there.’
‘Are you sure we can’t go out, Miss Reedy?’ Alice-Miranda persisted. She had a feeling that Mr Parker wasn’t far away at all.
‘No girls, not tonight. You need to make sure you’ve got everything ready for the morning. I won’t have any fussing.’ Miss Reedy spotted Sloane about to dump an armload of washing onto the couch in front of the television. ‘Sloane Sykes, you take that to your room and fold it!’
‘But Miss Reedy, we always fold our washing in front of the TV,’ Sloane griped.
‘Not on my watch, young lady. Off you go.’ Miss Reedy strode towards the girl and ushered her down the hall.
‘I told you she was bossy,’ Millie said.
‘Come on, let’s go to our room,’ Alice-Miranda replied. ‘I’m sure we can go out riding tomorrow after school and help look for Mr Parker.’
Millie shook her head. ‘We’ve got a singing rehearsal for the end-of-year celebration.’
‘Oh, of course.’ Alice-Miranda frowned, wondering when they’d next have an opportunity to help with the search.
‘Oh no,’ Millie groaned suddenly.
‘What’s the matter?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
‘I forgot to do my English homework for Miss Reedy. She knows we’ve been out for most of the weekend and now she’ll kill me if I don’t have it finished.’
‘Come on then, I’ll help you if I can,’ Alice-Miranda offered.
Millie felt better already – if anyone knew the difference between nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, it was Alice-Miranda.
Monday morning came and went in a blur. Miss Reedy had the girls up and out of the house even earlier than Mrs Howard usually did. Sloane received a solid telling off for forgetting her English books and having to go back to the house after breakfast. Miss Reedy felt compelled to go with her, lest she get any ideas about staying in on her own for the day.
There was no sign of Jacinta.
At the morning assembly, Miss Grimm announced that the police were still looking for Mr Parker. A murmur went through the hall, as the girls whispered about getting a day off class to join the search. But Miss Grimm said that the police were handling the matter and she and Professor Winterbottom had decided it would be best to send a group of cadets from Fayle out to look in some of the more remote areas. There was a collective groan from the girls.
Millie nudged Alice-Miranda as she spotted Jacinta skulking into the back of the assembly hall.
Miss Grimm had seen her too. ‘Girls, I would like to remind you all, and particularly the students in the sixth grade, that although there are only a few weeks of school left for the year, I expect everyone to continue to uphold the high standards of Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale. Just because you are leaving soon, you do not have licence to behave badly. If you believe otherwise, I suspect we might keep you here for another year.’
Miss Grimm’s final comment was met with a cheer from the girls of the sixth grade. She hadn’t been expecting quite that reaction and smiled in reply.
‘We’d love to stay. Professor Crookston is the meanest teacher I’ve ever met,’ Madeline Bloom called out.
Miss Grimm looked as if she’d swallowed a fly. Madeline was one of the quietest students in the year.
‘Life is full of surprises, girls.’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘And to that end I would like to see Jacinta Headlington-Bear in my office immediately after this assembly.’
Sloane leaned over and whispered to Alice-Miranda and Millie, ‘She’s going to cop it.’
‘Do you have something to add, Miss Sykes?’ Miss Grimm’s apparently bionic hearing had kicked in again.
Sloane blushed as if she’d been caught with her hand in the biscuit barrel. ‘No, Miss Grimm. But from what I’ve heard, it wasn’t Jacinta’s fault. That teacher was horrid and he pushed her into it.’
Ophelia Grimm glared at the girl. She couldn’t have been more thrilled to see the creeping red flush lighting up Sloane’s cheeks. It seemed that Sloane was beginning to understand the difference between right and wrong. Ophelia didn’t say another word, but merely gestured for Miss Reedy to conclude the assembly with the day’s announcements.
The English teacher moved to the podium as the headmistress returned to her seat. ‘Girls, please ensure that you are all on time to the rehearsal this afternoon. Mr Trout and I are looking forward to the Summer Spectacular living up to its name.’ Privately, Miss Reedy feared it would amount to a summer spectacle rather than a spectacular, as they’d had nowhere near enough time to rehearse the skits and the songs.
Mrs Derby appeared at the side of the stage, looking anxious. She seemed to be trying to get Miss Grimm’s attention.
‘Please stand while we sing the school song,’ Miss Reedy instructed. The whole hall rose in one movement and Mr Trout began his extravagant introduction on the organ.
Ophelia Grimm flinched. She wished he could manage an abridged version and stop that infernal showing off.
Millie prodded Alice-Miranda and the two girls giggled. Miss Grimm’s face said it all.
Whatever news Mrs Derby had to deliver clearly couldn’t wait; she scurried across the stage and pushed a piece of paper between Miss Grimm and Danika, the Head Prefect.
‘Something’s going on,’ Millie whispered.
Miss Grimm glanced down at the note then turned to Mrs Derby. ‘They can’t be serious!’ she roared. Realising there were one hundred eyes trained on her, she turned back to the children, gulped and began singing at the top of her lungs.
Mrs Derby raised her eyebrows and retreated to the side of the stage.
As the teachers filed out of the hall with Miss Grimm in the lead, Alice-Miranda noticed that the headmistress seemed to be striding at twice her usual pace. After she passed the children, her smile evaporated and even over the din of the singing and organ accompaniment, the tripping of her high heels as she ran across the courtyard was audible.
‘Something’s happened,’ Millie said to Alice-Miranda. ‘She looked like she was about to explode.’
Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘I wonder what.’
‘Jacinta’s probably been expelled from Sainsbury Palace,’ Sloane announced.
Alice-Miranda turned to look at her. ‘I hope not.’
‘Who
knows?’ Millie shrugged. ‘But I think I’ll stay out of Miss Grimm’s way today.’
Silas Wiley turned the card over in his hand. He reached for the telephone and dialled the number, not expecting Finley Spencer to answer the call herself.
‘Hello Silas, lovely to hear from you,’ she cooed.
Silas’s chest puffed out and a sickly grin spread across his face. ‘Good morning, Finley, it’s lovely to talk to you again.’
‘I gather you have some good news for me.’
‘Yes, but I thought you might want to speak face to face, rather than on the telephone. You never know who might be listening,’ Silas said cautiously.
‘I’m afraid I have a rather full schedule, Silas. Did you make contact with the owner of the property?’ The honey had disappeared from Finley’s tone – her fascination with him seemed to be evaporating with every passing second.
Silas cleared his throat. ‘Actually, no, I didn’t.’
The line went silent for an uncomfortably long period.
‘I see. Then I gather you’re not interested in assisting me.’ Finley’s voice cut the air like a razor blade.
‘Oh, not at all. Of course I want to help you. I didn’t see the owner but I did make a rather remarkable discovery.’ Silas fidgeted with the phone cord. He wanted this to be as tantalising as possible.
‘Yes?’
‘I think you’ll be more than pleased,’ Silas added.
‘Well, what is it? What did you find?’
‘Um, well, I think we’d better meet in person. I . . . I don’t feel I can say it now.’
‘Unless you’ve discovered a goldmine, I think right now is the perfect time to tell me,’ Finley Spencer barked.
Silas giggled nervously.
‘Are you still there, Silas?’ Finley sighed. She’d known he was a buffoon from the minute she’d laid eyes on him.
Silas gulped. ‘I think we need to meet.’
‘Fine then,’ she huffed. ‘I’m sure if you have such incredible news you won’t mind taking a little drive.’
‘Of course.’ Silas’s face fell. He’d been waiting for her to offer to send the helicopter.
‘My office, in an hour.’ She slammed the phone down.
Silas wondered where that was. He turned over the card. There was no address.
He pressed the intercom system. ‘Ursula, could you come in here please?’ he snapped.
But there was no response. ‘Urs, I need some help in here. Now!’
Silas waited another few seconds then stood up and walked to the door. He wrenched it open. Her chair was empty. Of course. Ursula hadn’t come in because he’d told her not to if she was sick and she’d called to say that she wasn’t well.
Silas went back to the computer and searched for Spencer Industries. The headquarters were in Parsley Vale, and by Silas’s calculations it would take him a lot longer than an hour to get there.
‘Stupid woman,’ he blustered. ‘I don’t see why she couldn’t come to me. Or send me a faster way of getting there.’ He remembered that he had no petrol in the car either and would have to fill up on the way. That would add another ten minutes to the trip.
Silas grabbed his jacket and put it on. He ran through the building with his head down, eager not to be cornered by anyone. He got to the car and, after shoving his hands in every pocket, realised that he’d left his keys sitting on his desk – and he’d slammed the office door, which would of course be locked.
‘Argh!’ He kicked the car tyres and pounded his fists on the window before rushing back across the car park and down the hall to his office.
Today wasn’t going at all as he’d imagined.
Ursula felt as if her stomach could turn inside out at any moment. No doubt Silas wouldn’t be pleased by her absence, as he could barely do anything for himself. It had taken him a month to master the intercom under her tutelage. It was no wonder he’d been through two assistants before her – and he’d been the mayor for less than a year.
She sat in her flat going over and over the information in her head. Could any of it be true?
Silas was convinced that Finley Spencer was a reasonable woman, but Ursula didn’t share his confidence. She seemed as if she could manipulate a man to do anything. And Silas was so easily impressed.
Ursula pulled out a piece of paper from her desk drawer and began to write. She paused, wondering how much detail to go into, and decided to keep it short and straight to the point. Very businesslike. Half an hour later, she folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope.
She made a snap decision, snatching up her car keys and handbag and heading for the door. Then she remembered something that might come in handy and ran back to her bedroom. She opened the wardrobe, pulled out a small case, and slung it over her shoulder. She made her way out through the front gate, hopped into the little red sedan and pulled onto the road.
As she turned onto the high street, Ursula ducked her head. Silas Wiley was filling up his black hatchback at the service station. She hoped that he hadn’t seen her. Then she wondered where he was going. He didn’t have any appointments out of the office that day.
Ursula planted her foot on the accelerator and sped towards the edge of town.
Silas Wiley couldn’t believe that his luck could get any worse that day. But it did. He cursed the elderly couple towing the caravan in front of him, and when he finally managed to get past, he caught up to a lorry packed to the gunwales with cattle who seemed to have a collective case of the trots. He hit the windscreen wiper lever and immediately regretted that decision, as there was no water left in the wiper tank. Now he could barely see and the stench of the manure was seeping through the air-conditioning vents, causing him to retch. Silas dropped back to avoid another deposit hitting the windscreen and swore to himself.
When he finally reached Parsley Vale, the GPS guided him to a residential street. He drove up and down before locating number 66. He managed to find a parking spot quite a distance up the road and couldn’t believe it when the door was answered by a woman of advanced years, who obviously needed new batteries in her hearing aid.
After quite a bit of yelling, he worked out that he’d punched the wrong address into the contraption. Instead of 66 Red Robin Crescent, he should have been at 66 Red Robin Lane. Silas wondered what sort of idiotic council would approve two roads with the same name in the one town. He certainly wouldn’t. When he finally pulled up outside a very modern-looking building in the middle of town, he couldn’t help thinking how out of place it looked among the period townhouses that lined the street. A small polished metal plaque on the side of the door declared that he had found Spencer Industries.
He looked at his watch. It was almost two hours since he’d spoken with Finley Spencer. Surely she’d be so grateful for what he had to tell her that she’d forget about his being late.
Silas parked the car in the first available spot and walked the short distance to the office. He smoothed his hair and fixed his collar and, after sniffing his armpits, wished he’d had some deodorant in the glove box. He hoped she wouldn’t notice.
Inside, he was confronted by a stark white room furnished with a couple of low white leather chairs. There was no sign of any reception area. He stood for a moment, waiting to see if anyone would appear, then he called out, ‘Hello, is anyone here?’
Silas almost leapt through the roof when the opaque glass wall in front of him turned clear, revealing a reception desk with a young woman behind it. The glass wall then lowered to half-height.
‘Hello,’ the woman said coolly. ‘You must be Mr Wiley.’
Silas tried to regain his composure. ‘Uh, yes. I didn’t see you there.’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘That’s just the point.’
‘I see.’
‘Yes, you do now.’
The girl seemed to be playi
ng with him and he wasn’t the least bit impressed. He glared at her and snapped, ‘I have an appointment with Ms Spencer.’
‘Yes, we were was expecting you an hour ago,’ the woman replied.
‘I would have been here an hour ago if it weren’t physically impossible to get here in that time – unless of course you have a helicopter at your disposal.’
The young woman smiled. ‘I’m afraid that Ms Spencer has been called away on other business.’
‘What do you mean “called away”?’ Silas could feel his temperature rising. ‘I have something very important to discuss with her.’
‘I’m terribly sorry, but Ms Spencer is a busy woman and she can’t sit around waiting all day,’ the receptionist replied sternly. He clearly wasn’t the first person she’d dealt with in this way. She held up a small envelope. ‘She asked me to give you this.’
Silas tore it open and unfolded the note.
Dear Mr Wiley,
Thank you for your attempts to contact the owners of Wood End. This morning I have decided not to pursue that opportunity as a much larger and more profitable venture has become available to me. I trust that you enjoyed the drive to Parsley Vale. At least it would have been a nice change from being stuck in the office. Whatever it was that you had to tell me in person, I’m sure that you can use to your own advantage. I do admire a man interested in bettering himself. Perhaps one day we can do business together.
Enjoy your return trip.
Yours sincerely,
Finley Spencer
Silas felt as if his head might explode. There was nothing sincere about that woman. How dare she do this to him?
‘Is everything all right, Mr Wiley?’ the receptionist asked sweetly.
‘No, everything is not all right. I have just driven two hours to get here and Ms Spencer has the audacity to give me this,’ he huffed.
‘But I’m sure that you of all people can appreciate that when an opportunity arises you have to grab it with both hands.’
‘Yes, well, I had an amazing opportunity for Ms Spencer but she’s chosen to ignore it,’ Silas blustered. ‘I might just have to take it up on my own.’ He stopped suddenly and stood there, blinking.
Alice-Miranda Shines Bright 8 Page 12
