Part 39 (1/2)

'All right, all right,' said Libby. 'But I bet I know where it is.' She straightened up and looked up at the building. 'See that window? The tall one?'

Mog and Adam looked up.

'Yes,' said Adam.

'That's over the staircase in the other part of the house. What's the betting that there's a staircase down as well?'

Mog nodded slowly. 'But how would you find it? It's almost derelict in there isn't it?'

'There was loads of rubble at the foot of the staircase, yes,' said Libby.

'In which case, Mother, Cindy wouldn't have been able to get down there, let alone you.' Adam was triumphant. Libby gave him a look.

'If we could get down there we could find out where tunnel came out. Where else the tunnel came out,' she insisted.

'We'll have to tell Lewis,' said Mog. 'And it's getting a bit late to do it today.'

'OK. I'll see if I can find him and have a quick chat,' said Libby. 'By the time I've done that you'll be ready to leave, won't you, Ad?'

Adam and Mog agreed and returned to their self-imposed task, although Libby wasn't quite sure why, if they weren't going to be able to knock it through. Just boys' curiosity, she supposed.

She met Lewis on the drive waving off a car load of ”telly people”.

'Got a minute?' she asked him.

He looked nervous. 'What for?' he said.

'Oh, Lewis, what's the matter?' Libby tucked her arm through his and turned him back towards the house. 'Come on. It's almost over, all this, and you've got your new series on the way, and the original garden designs. What's the problem?'

'You,' said Lewis. 'I'm beginning to get nervous about you. Something always seems to happen around you.'

'That's not true,' said Libby, shocked. 'And you asked me into it in the first place, after all.'

'I know,' sighed Lewis, 'but that was before Tony was killed and I was worried.'

'And you're not worried now?'

''Course I b.l.o.o.d.y am. I don't understand any of it. What did you want, anyway?'

'Can Adam and Mog and I do a bit of excavating in the old part of the house tomorrow?' Libby led the way into the kitchen and put her mug on the table with a wink at Katie.

'Excavating? What d'you mean?'

'Where the old staircase is, you know? There's a lot of rubble there. We thought there may be an entrance to the cellars of the tunnels there. Mog and Adam have found signs of an old window bricked up below ground level.'

'Have they?' Lewis's expression brightened. 'Where's that then? Are they there now?'

'Yes, or they were. They'll be finished soon. Do you want to go and see?'

'Yeah.' Lewis grabbed her arm. 'Come on, nuisance. You always get your way, don't you?'

Libby looked back at Katie and raised her eyebrows. Katie shook her head and picked up her magazine.

Adam was carefully rolling the turf they'd removed while Mog watered it thoroughly. They showed Lewis the window and the indications that there were others along the same wall.

'Do you think they are cellars?' Lewis asked.

'Sure of it. We'll probably find stashes of brandy and baccy down there,' said Libby with a grin.

'What?' Lewis looked puzzled.

'Don't take any notice of her,' said Adam. 'Can we look in the house tomorrow, Lewis?'

'Yeah, I'll come with you.' He straightened up and gave Libby a squeeze. 'Sorry I called you a nuisance.'

'Why are you sorry?' asked Adam. 'She is!'

'Come back to the house while they finish up,' said Libby, 'I've got something else to tell you. I think Fran will have told the police by now, but don't mention it to anyone else.'

Adam and Mog looked interested, but Libby pulled a puzzled Lewis away towards the house.

'Now,' she said. 'You're never going to believe this, but '

Chapter Thirty-four.

'I DIDN'T TELL THE police,' Fran said on the phone. 'I'll talk it over with Frank first, I think. He seems to be the only one left who cares about Gerald, and he might not want him bothered.'

'But we've got to tell the police! You said yourself it gives a motive for Tony's murder.'

'But you said it's a pretty shaky one,' said Fran.

'I know, but it explains such a lot, doesn't it? You'll have to tell them.'

'All right, all right. So what did they say up at the house?'

'I only told Lewis. I didn't think it was right to tell the others. But they've found windows to what could be cellars. We're going exploring tomorrow. Want to come?'

'I'd love to,' said Fran wistfully, 'but I really can't. I'm picking up the dress tomorrow yours as well, I might add and doing all sorts of last-minute things. You'll have to ring me later.'

'OK. I'll have the others there, so I won't do anything stupid,' said Libby crossing her fingers.

The following morning Libby drove Adam to Creekmarsh in the Renault and left him to find Mog while she went in search of Lewis.

'He had to pop out, lovey,' said Katie, when Libby put her head round the kitchen door after looking in the solar. 'Don't know where he's gone. Said he wouldn't be long though.'

'OK, thanks,' said Libby, and wandered off to find Mog and Adam, who now seemed to have disappeared. They weren't standing over the pile of turf near the uncovered window, nor were they at the parterre. Libby scowled and began to walk towards the ha-ha. But the view down to the little sailing club's boathouse was clear no one was down there either. Heaving an irritated sigh, she retraced her steps and went back into the house. This time even Katie wasn't there, so, with a shrug, she went through to the uninhabited part of the house and came to the blocked staircase.