Page 34 of Sun, Sea & Strawberry Shortcake
‘I wonder who he is and what he’s up to?’
‘Last time I saw him, I tried to tell him he’d leftsomething on the roof of his car. It turned out to be a bag with some sort ofofficial documents in it. But when I walked towards him, he started the car andraced away as if the entire Metropolitan police force were after him. Hecouldn’t get away fast enough.’
‘Weird.’
‘I know. It’s suspicious, right?’
‘Where’s the bag now?’
‘I left it on the wall in case he came back looking for it,and he obviously did because it’s gone now.’
‘Do you think he could be the one sending the letters?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe.’ Something occurs that makes me stop.‘Hang on. I saw someone outside your house last night. Someone in disguise.’
‘Who?’
‘I was coming back from my friends’ place – you know, theones I told you about at Clifftop House – when I saw this figure dressed in ablack cloak with a weird bird mask. It had this long beak and it paused outsideyour house and then glided on. It totally creeped me out. Have you heard ofplague doctors?’
She shakes her head.
‘I Googled it. Plague doctors were employed to tend to thesick, especially the poor, during outbreaks of diseases like the Black Death. Theywore heavy protective clothing and a sinister-looking bird mask to keep awaybad smells, which were thought to be the way the disease was spread. Idefinitely wouldn’t have wanted to meet one of those sinister-looking figuresin a dark alleyway, however sick I was!’
‘You think this plague doctor figure might be sending me theletters?’
‘Could be.’
She sighs, looking utterly defeated. ‘The last thing I want isto leave the village. Jodie’s made some lovely friends and she’s settled reallywell into her new school. I’d hate to take her away from it.’
I steer her over to the kitchen table. ‘Come on. Sit downand I’ll put the kettle on, and we’ll plan what we’re going to do.’
‘Oh, but you must have plans for today yourself. I don’twant to get in the way. I’ll be fine, Ruby. Honestly.’
I lay my hand on her arm. ‘Bee, you’re going through hellright now and we need to get to the bottom of it... find outwho’s doing this to you and Jodie. And tea always helps, don’t you think?’ Ismile at her encouragingly.
‘It definitely does.’ She relents, sinking down on a chair.‘Thank you, Ruby. You really don’t have to do this.’
‘But I want to.’ Filling the kettle, I turn and grin at her.‘Yours won’t be the first mystery we’ve solved, Hudson and I.’
‘Really?’
When we’re sitting down with a mug of tea and a Danishpastry each, I tell her how when I first started work at the Little Duck PondCafé, I was accused of trying to sabotage the business and I had to fight toprove my innocence.
‘I’d just met Hudson back then, and he helped me crack the puzzleof who the real culprit was. And we’ve solved other mysteries since then.’
‘Oh, wow. How amazing.’ She actually laughs, which I take asan encouraging sign in my bid to convince her she doesn’t have to leave thevillage.
I smile. ‘Itwasamazing. Hudson and I fell in love whilehiding in bushes and spying on suspects, and doing all manner of scary thingsthat I’d never in a million years have imagined myself doing.’
‘Such as?’ She takes a sip of her tea, looking fascinated.
I laugh. ‘Oh, clambering over walls to get away from twohungry guard dogs on the loose... swimming into the middle ofa lake to stop a villain escaping and almost getting myself drowned in theprocess... stopping dog thieves getting away by jumping in theboot of their car and being hurled around in there, not knowing where I wasgoing to end up.’
Bee’s eyes are wide with amazement. ‘So wheredidyouend up?’
‘Well, they were on their way to Scotland, the scumbags. Butthey stopped at a petrol station a few miles up the road, at which point I gotout and the police arrived.’ I smile at the memory. ‘Hudson had tracked where Iwas through my phone and he’d called the police. Otherwise, those horrible dogthieves would probably still be up to no good and getting away with theircrimes.’
‘Phew!’ She shakes her head in disbelief.
