Death of a Sweep - M. C. Beaton [50]
‘Right, mac. You’re my man.’
Hamish then proceeded to pretend he was getting very drunk. He slurred that he was determined to return to Canada with a good portfolio and slam it down on the desk of his manager.
The evening finally broke up. Hamish insisted on walking and lurched off down the street.
Once back at the flat, he took the pads out of his cheeks, dressed in a black sweater and trousers, assembled a housebreaking tool kit, set the alarm for two in the morning, and fell asleep.
Tam Tamworth was trying to sleep in one of the spare bedrooms at Milly’s house. Three times the evening before he had tried to summon up courage to propose marriage to Milly, but each time the words just wouldn’t come.
Suddenly he sniffed the air. There was a smell of smoke. Maybe Milly had left a pot on the cooker. He wrapped himself in a voluminous dressing gown and made his way downstairs. The smell was coming from the drawing room. He flung open the door. Coals and wood were blazing on the floor in front of the fire. He rushed into the kitchen, ran a bucket of water, ran back to the drawing room, and threw the water over the fire. It took another bucket of water to put the fire out.
He stood looking down at the blackened mess, scratching his hair. It had been a warm evening, and they hadn’t lit the fire.
Tam went up the stairs and opened the door of Milly’s bedroom. He shook her awake. ‘Did you light the fire, Milly?’
‘What fire?’
‘The drawing room.’
She struggled up against the pillows. ‘No, Tam. What’s up?’
‘I’m getting the police. Someone tried to burn the house down.’
Milly put on her dressing gown and followed him downstairs. She let out a shriek of alarm when she saw the burned mess in the drawing room. Tam phoned Hamish but only got the answering service. He then phoned Strathbane. He was told to contact Hamish Macbeth but replied that he was not getting any answer from the police station at Lochdubh. Police Inspector Mary Benson was roused and told of the fire. She telephoned Jimmy Anderson and asked sharply where Hamish was. When he said he did not know, she told him to get over to Drim immediately. The Scenes of Crimes Operatives were already on their way.
Milly sat in the kitchen waiting for them to arrive, her face white with shock. Tam went up to his room and collected the diamond engagement ring. He returned to the kitchen and knelt down in front of Milly and took her cold hands in his. He mutely held up the ring box and looked at her with pleading eyes.
Milly opened the box. ‘Will you marry me?’ asked Tam in a hoarse voice.
A faint pink suffused her pale cheeks and she said shyly, ‘Oh, yes.’
He stood up and leaned forward to kiss her when there came a hammering at the door.
‘Damn,’ he muttered and went to answer it.
At first Hamish thought it was his alarm and then realized it was his mobile phone. Jimmy was at the other end. ‘Where the hell are you? Someone tried to set the captain’s house on fire.’
‘Is Milly all right?’
‘Yes, fortunately Tamworth was staying there and got the fire out in time. Why aren’t you at the station?’
‘I’ll tell you when I get back. Cover for me. Tell them one of my family’s been taken ill.’
‘You’re in Edinburgh, you daft loon!’
‘Help me, Jimmy. I’ll come back with the murderer.’
‘This once. Just this once.’
Hamish made his way through the quiet streets. When he got to Prosser’s office, he looked carefully to left and right but did not see anyone. He took out a bunch of skeleton keys and got to work. It took him half an hour to unlock the door. A burglar alarm let out a shrill noise. He wrenched open the control box and cut the wires. He had noticed earlier that fortunately there were no CCTV cameras covering the entrance. He sat and waited in case he heard the police arrive and had to make a quick getaway.
After a quarter of an hour, he entered Prosser’s office. With a pencil torch