The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie R. King [140]
“He came back two hours later, just after dark, with a fine sack of rubbish for me to pick over. Cheese rinds, an old boot heel, some biscuit wrappers, a wine bottle. I took it into the laboratory, and what did I find? Oxford cheese, Oxford mud on the old heel, and a wrapper around the biscuits from a shop in the Oxford covered market. I smoked a cou-ple of pipes and decided to spend the day in bed while catching the morning train. The doctor, by the way, gave a slightly more hopeful prognosis this afternoon, the night nurse has been dismissed, and the sound of my violin has been heard from behind the bedroom curtains on and off throughout the afternoon. You know, Russell, of all the mir-acles of modern technology, I have found the gramophone the most use-ful. Incidentally,” he added, “Mrs. Hudson is in on the charade now.”
“You could hardly keep it up without her, I’d have thought. How is she doing at the game?”
“She was absolutely delighted to join in and has emerged as a very competent actress, to my surprise. Women never cease to amaze me.”
I did not comment, not aloud. “That explains it until now. What comes next?”
“The signs all point to a rapidly approaching dénouement. Would you not agree, Russell?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Furthermore, all my instincts tell me that she will want to meet me face to face. The fact that she has not lobbed an artillery shell into the cottage or poisoned my well is an open statement that it is not just my death that she wants. I have been dealing with the criminal mind for forty years now, and of this I am certain: She will arrange a meet-ing, so as to gloat over my weakness and her victory. The only ques-tion is, will she come to me, or have me brought to her?”
“Not exactly the only question, Holmes. I should think even more important the question of our response: Do we meet, or not?”
“No, dear Russell. That is no question. I have no choice but to meet her. I am the bait, remember? We have simply to decide how best to position you, to give you the best opportunity to strike. I must ad-mit,” he mused softly, “I am quite looking forward to meeting this par-ticular adversary.”
I braked hard to avoid running over a badger, and resumed.
“Holmes, if I didn’t know better, I might think you were becoming quite infatuated with Patricia Donleavy. No, you needn’t answer. I shall just have to remember that if I ever want to catch your atten-tion, all I need do is threaten to blow you up.”
“Russell! I should never have thought—”
“Never mind, Holmes, never mind. Really, Holmes, you are a most exasperating partner at times. Would you please get on with it? We’ll be at my farm in two minutes and you still haven’t told me your plan of campaign. Talk, Holmes!”
“Oh, very well. My telephone call was to Mycroft, asking him to bring a few of his most discreet individuals into the area after dark to-night. Last night there were too many people coming around my cot-tage to allow your Miss Donleavy to make her move, but today my medical friend will announce that I am recovering and need peace and quiet. Mrs. Hudson will take herself to bed early, at her end of the cot-tage, and we shall lie in wait. I believe your manager, Patrick, is trust-worthy?”
“Completely. We can leave the car in the barn and walk to the cot-tage across the downs. I assume that’s what you have in mind.”
“You do know my methods, Russell. Ah, here we are.”
I drove through the gates and up to the doors of the old barn that lay apart, next to the road. Holmes jumped out and opened the door for me. Once we had shifted a few hay bales the vehicle fit in snugly between the stalls, and Vicky and