Johnny Swanson - Eleanor Updale [31]
‘Of course. I’ve got lots of homework to do,’ said Johnny, who wanted to get cracking on his latest brainwave. (Send 2/6 for the Secret of Living to the Year 2000. Full refund guaranteed in the event of failure.)
‘You’re such a good boy – working so hard. Now don’t be afraid to turn the light up. We’re not so poor that we can’t afford a drop of oil. I won’t have you ruining your eyes in the dark.’
‘Don’t worry about me, Mum. I’ll be fine. You run along, and I’ll come with you in the morning to see what’s going on at the doctor’s. I bet everything will be back to normal.’
But the next morning the Langfords’ house was still locked up. Before the evening paper round, Johnny wrote a note to Olwen’s parents, wishing them well and asking how to contact her in Wales. He even enclosed a stamped addressed envelope for their reply. He chose a box of toffees for the doctor to take to the sanatorium with the note. Since it was early closing day Hutch was busy in the stockroom, so Johnny put the money for the sweets under the cash register and set off to deliver the papers.
Johnny knocked on the Langfords’ door, hoping that the doctor would be back, so he could pass over the present for Olwen’s parents. There was no answer, and the shutters were still closed. He posted the newspaper through the letter box. It was too high for him to look through, so he couldn’t tell whether the previous day’s papers had been picked up. Johnny wondered where the Langfords could have gone, but then another thought struck him. What if they were inside, locked in? Suppose they were sick, or even dead? He clambered onto a window ledge, and tried to climb the drainpipe to look in upstairs. The pipe wobbled and pulled away from the wall. As he struggled to keep his balance, he felt a sharp blow across his back. It was Miss Dangerfield’s walking stick.
‘Got you! You little burglar,’ she said as he dropped to the ground.
Johnny tried to explain. ‘I’m not breaking in, Miss Dangerfield. I’m not a thief. I’m worried about the Langfords. There’s no sign of them. I thought they might be trapped inside.’
‘Trapped inside? Don’t give me that! You know they’re not there. You wanted to get in and steal something while they’re away.’
‘Are they away?’ said Johnny.
‘That’s no more any of my business than it’s any of yours.’
‘But it is my business in a way,’ said Johnny. ‘They haven’t cancelled their papers.’
She prodded him with her stick. ‘Now get up. And talking of papers, get on with delivering them. Have you got mine?’
Johnny opened his bag to get Miss Dangerfield’s copy of the Evening Echo. She spotted the toffees nestling alongside. ‘And how do you explain these?’ she asked, grabbing the box. ‘Where did you get them? Stolen from Mr Hutchinson’s shop, I shouldn’t wonder!’
‘No. I paid for them. I was bringing them to Dr Langford.’
‘What! You were giving the doctor a present? Credit me with some intelligence!’
‘No, they’re not for him. They’re for a friend. Well, for her parents actually.’
‘Oh, really? And what’s the name of these people?’
Johnny realized he’d never known Olwen’s surname. ‘I’m not sure—’
‘Ha! You’re not sure. You’re giving a box of expensive sweets to people you don’t know! You expect me to believe that?’ She steered him towards the gate, bashing his legs with her cane. ‘Come with me. I’m taking you back to the shop.’
‘But—’
‘Silence! You can explain yourself to Mr Hutchinson. He’s got a telephone down there, hasn’t he? I may even ask him to call the police.’
She marched Johnny down the hill, and battered on the door of the shop. Hutch unlocked it and let her in. Miss Dangerfield slammed the box of toffees down on the counter.
‘Proof!’ she cried. ‘I tried to tell you the other day. I said this boy was up to no good, and I was right. I caught him climbing into the doctor’s house, and now this. He’s been stealing