Finished Off (A Bellehaven House Mystery Book 2) (21 page)

Meredith felt quite impressed. She had no idea Essie was such an accomplished actress.

Desmond was obviously alarmed and anxious to oblige. He leaned forward, peering at Essie through the bars. "Can I help you, madam?"

"Oh, I hope so." Essie caught her breath on a sob. "It's my dog. My little Mitzie. She ran away and I can't find her!" She started sobbing, and her cries were so loud and heartbreaking that Meredith feared she was overplaying her role.

Desmond, it seemed, was quite taken in. He rushed to the end of the counter, lifted the flap, and hurried around the front to Essie. "Where did you see last see little Minnie?"

"Mitzie." Essie gulped.

"Pardon me. Mitzie."

"She was running down the street!" Essie pointed at the window and started that awful sobbing again.

Felicity made a slight noise and Meredith looked at her, afraid she would burst out laughing. Thankfully, Felicity merely turned her head and rolled her eyes.

Much to Meredith's relief, Desmond rose valiantly to the rescue. "What does Mitzie look like?"

Essie gulped out words between sobs. "She's . . . a . . . white . . . terrier. She's . . . wearing a . . . red . . . ribbon around . . . her neck!"

"Right! Got it!" Desmond turned around in a wild circle and flapped a hand at Meredith. "Can you keep an eye on things here until I get back? Just tell anyone who comes in I'll be right back." Before she could answer him, he tore out of the door and disappeared down the street.

Felicity exploded with laughter. "Essie, you were magnificent."

"Come," Meredith said, opening the flap on the counter. "We haven't a moment to lose. Essie, keep watch and let us know the minute you see Desmond coming in this direction. Then go out there and try to stall him as long as possible."

"I'll do my best." Essie wiped away the tears she'd squeezed out of her eyes and went to stand by the door.

Meredith held the flap open for Felicity, then let it drop behind her. "The door to Howard Clark's office is over here." She led the way, with Felicity hot on her heels. Pausing in front of it, she turned to her friend. "Can you unlock it?"

"There's not much I can't unlock," Felicity told her. She took a hairpin out of her hair and bent it into the required shape. "There weren't many advantages to being locked up in prison," she murmured as she bent over the lock, "but learning how to do this was certainly one of them. Comes in handy now and then."

Meredith was inclined to disagree. Felicity's prison sentence for protesting women's rights had been a terrible ordeal, and learning how to pick locks from an inmate could not possibly make up for everything she'd suffered at the hands of the prison guards.

"Ah, there it is." A click accompanied her words, and the door swung open.

Meredith slipped inside the room and Felicity followed, closing the door behind her. Crossing to the desk, Meredith went behind it and started pulling drawers open.

"The records are probably kept locked up," Felicity said, moving over to a large filing cabinet. "Let us hope they are not locked in a safe. They are a lot more difficult to open."

"But you could do it?" Meredith asked anxiously as she flipped open a ledger.

"If I had to, I suppose. But it would take longer. Ah, here we go."

Meredith glanced up to see the drawer to the file cabinet slide open. "Is it in there?"

"Wait a minute." Felicity leaned over the drawer, leafing through the files. "Wait . . . is this what you're looking for?" She pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to Meredith.

Taking them in both hands, Meredith eagerly examined the first page. "Ah! He didn't destroy them. I didn't think he would. He would have had to explain their absence at audit." Quickly she thumbed through them. "He was probably planning to alter the figures before they were examined by an auditor."

She put the papers down on the desk, her hands trembling with excitement. "It is here in black and white, signed by Howard Clark himself. The records clearly showing that he was responsible for embezzling funds from this bank and transferring them to his own account."

Felicity grinned in triumph. "Well done, Meredith. You have the scoundrel."

"For embezzling, at least. This will certainly clear George Lewis's name." She paused, staring at the papers. "I wonder if that will be enough for Emma."

"Let us hope so. What are you going to do about it?"

"These must be the papers George Lewis was planning to take to the inspector." Meredith gathered them up and folded them. Tucking them inside her coat, she added, "I will take them to the inspector myself. First thing on Monday morning."

"Good idea, I—" Felicity broke off as a loud rapping on the door was accompanied by Essie's urgent voice. "He's coming back!"

"Quickly, lock the cabinet again." Meredith slammed the drawer shut in the desk. "Come on, Felicity. We can't be caught in here." She rushed to the door and opened it, just in time to see Essie step outside. Luckily there were still no customers waiting at the counter, and she and Felicity were able to slip around the counter and replace the flap. Out on the street Essie's voice could be heard loudly urging Desmond to keep looking for Mitzie.

Reaching the door, Meredith opened it and looked outside. Desmond's hair was ruffled, and his cheeks burned from the effort of running back and forth. Her conscience pricking her, she called out, "Perhaps we can help the lady look for her dog!"

Desmond looked at her as if he would like to hug her. "Would you be so kind? I must get back to work or I'll be in trouble with my manager. He should be returning shortly."

"Of course we'll help." Felicity strode past Meredith and grasped Essie's arm. "Now, dear, why don't you show us where you last saw the little devil?"

Meredith nodded at Desmond. "I'll come back another day to finish my business here." She hurried off after the other two without giving Desmond time to answer.

Once out of earshot, both Essie and Felicity dissolved into laughter. "Poor man," Essie said, gasping in an attempt to control her mirth. "Did you see his face? I thought he was going to drop from exhaustion."

"Serves him right," Felicity said, recovering first. "He fell over himself to play the intrepid hero. I wonder if he would have been quite so eager had you been a man."

"Hush, you two." Meredith frowned at them both. "We took advantage of the fellow's good nature. I think it was most commendable of him to exert himself like that for the sake of a dog."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Essie asked, finally sobering enough to speak calmly.

"I did, indeed." Meredith patted her coat. "The evidence to prove that Howard Clark, and not George Lewis, was the person embezzling funds from the bank."

Essie's forehead creased. "But how does that prove he set the fire in the Lewis home?"

"It doesn't," Meredith admitted. "I'm hoping that clearing her father's name will be enough to send Emma to wherever she needs to go."

Felicity gave her a keen glance. "You really don't know too much about this ghost business, do you."

"Nothing at all." Meredith sighed. "Which probably explains why I keep losing contact with them. It's so disconcerting."

"Well, you did manage to find the true embezzler," Essie reminded her. "You should be quite pleased about that."

"I'll feel much better once I have seen Emma again, and know that she'll be able to pass on. In the meantime, are you hungry? Reggie is waiting for us at the Pig and Whistle. The food there is excellent. They have a marvelous roast beef sandwich that is most satisfying." She started walking down the street in the direction of the pub.

Catching up with her, Felicity nudged her with her elbow. "I didn't know you frequented public houses."

"I don't. I just happened to have enjoyed a sandwich there the other day."

Essie uttered a shocked gasp. "By yourself?"

"No, actually I was accompanied by Reggie, and we sat outside in the beer garden to eat."

The look on Felicity's face was pure devilment, making Meredith heartily wish she hadn't mentioned her lunch with Reggie. "You and Reggie? That must have been an enlightening experience."

"I was hungry." Meredith quickened her step. "As I am now."

"Did you have a cocktail?"

"I had a glass of cider. Which I can thoroughly recommend."

Felicity chuckled. "Why, Meredith, I had no idea you were such a shameless reveler."

"I think a glass of cider sounds wonderful," Essie exclaimed.

"Then in that case, we shall all indulge." Felicity's long stride took her ahead of them. "Come, you slackers. Our cider awaits!"

Meredith had mentioned nothing to Reggie about the escapade they had planned that morning. He must have guessed something dubious was afoot, since he leapt to his feet when they approached the beer garden with a look of sheer relief on his face.

"There you are, ladies!" He doffed his cap and tucked it under his arm. "I was beginning to worry about you."

"Well, you can stop worrying." Meredith sat on one of the chairs and beckoned to the others to join her. "You can instead order roast beef sandwiches for the three of us, and three glasses of cider." She dug in her purse and pulled out some pound notes. "You may order for yourself as well."

"Well, thank you, m'm. Much obliged, m'm." Reggie sped away, and Meredith allowed her shoulders to relax. It had been an arduous morning, full of anticipation, anxiety, and confusion. Quite enough excitement for one day. She was ready now to return to the peaceful environment of Bellehaven House and enjoy a quiet afternoon in her room.

The sandwiches were devoured quickly, and the cider went a long way toward restoring Meredith's good spirits. By the time they had returned to the school, she was feeling quite optimistic about Emma's imminent reunion with her family.

The moment Meredith mounted the steps to the main door, however, it became apparent that all was not well within the hallowed halls of Bellehaven.

For one thing, a pair of lady's drawers hung from the gas lamp halfway up the stairs, and students were milling back and forth, some of them only half clothed, while a good deal of screaming and yelling echoed down the corridors to the point where Meredith had to cover her ears with her hands.

Behind her, Felicity let out a roar of outrage. "What the blue blazes is going on here?"

Essie shrieked as a heavy volume from an encyclopedia set hurtled over the banisters and crashed to the floor.

Meredith stared openmouthed at the chaos going on in front of her. What in heaven's name had happened while they were gone? Why were the students in a state of riot? Most important of all, where on earth was the woman she'd left in charge, Sylvia Montrose?

Chapter 16

Meredith grabbed the arm of a student and pulled
her over to the door. Hustling her outside, she demanded, "Now, Andrea, perhaps you can tell me the meaning of all this bedlam?"

The girl's flushed face and bright eyes indicated she was in a high state of excitement. "We're rioting," she said, her voice shrill and high. "Against Miss Montrose."

Meredith raised her eyebrows. "What exactly did Miss Montrose do to deserve this horrendous behavior?"

"She's going to expel Sheelagh Radcliffe, miss."

Meredith wrinkled her brow. Radcliffe. A pretty girl with a daredevil attitude. The kind that easily got into trouble if not disciplined. She sighed. "What has Sheelagh done to cause Miss Montrose such aggravation?"

"She was in the closet, miss."

"In the closet?"

"Yes, miss. In the broom closet."

"What on earth was she doing in there?"

"She was with Mr. Platt, miss."

"Ah." Meredith was beginning to get a glimmer of the problem. "Perhaps you'd better start at the beginning."

Andrea took a deep breath. "Olivia lost the cross her mother gave her and asked some of us to help her find it and it sort of got to be a competition like a treasure hunt and everyone was running around and Miss Montrose was trying to stop us from running and then someone opened the closet door and there was Sheelagh with Mr. Platt and they were . . . doing something they oughtn't and Miss Montrose told Mr. Platt he would lose his job and then Sheelagh got really, really upset and told off Miss Montrose and Miss Montrose went berserk and told Sheelagh she was expelled from the school and some of the other girls started a protest just like the suffragettes do and . . ." She paused to take another deep breath, giving Meredith a chance to respond.

"I think I understand now, Andrea. I want you to go straight to your room and stay there until you hear the assembly bell. Immediately."

"Yes, miss." Andrea took one look at Meredith's expression and fled.

It took Meredith, Felicity, and Essie half an hour to get the students calmed down and safely confined to their rooms. Sylvia had locked herself in her room and Meredith spent another ten minutes talking her into opening the door.

Sylvia's version of what happened put her in a better light than had Andrea's account, but it was close enough that Meredith was satisfied she had the entire picture.

"We were extremely fortunate that Mr. Hamilton did not pay us a visit while all this was going on." Seated in Sylvia's impeccably clean and tidy room, Meredith gave her a stern look. "I don't have to tell you how displeased he would have been with the way you handled things."

Sylvia pouted. "There wasn't a thing I could do. The girls just took over everything. They were impossible to control. Nothing but a crowd of hooligans, in my considered opinion. What they are doing at a finishing school I have no idea. This establishment is a complete waste of time."

"The students behave perfectly well when suitably disciplined." Meredith stood. "I will let it go this time, but it's quite obvious you have a lot to learn about handling these young women. Most of them are spirited and even reckless at times, and will certainly take advantage of you if they sense a weakness. No matter what problems arise, you must never let them suspect that you are not fully in command of the situation. Whatever it takes. Do you understand?"