The children drank all this in. It certainly could have been nothing to do with Mrs. Minns. If she had been so “stuck” with rheumatism, she wouldn’t have been likely to rush around setting fire to cottages. And anyway her sister was with her all the time. It was quite plainly nothing to do with Mrs. Minns. That was another Suspect crossed off!
Mrs. Minns opened the kitchen door and came in, looking angry. She had been upstairs to take off her milk-drenched dress. She glared at Lily., and then looked in surprise at the three children.
“Well, Maria,” said Mrs. Jones, “how’s the rheumatics?”
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Minns,” said Daisy. “We came to bring a fish-head for Sweetie.”
Mrs. Minns beamed. She was always touched when any one did anything for her precious cat. “That’s nice of you,” she said. “My rheumatism’s better,” she said to her sister. “Though what it will be like after being drenched with milk, I don’t know. Really, things are coming
to a pretty pass when that girl Lily throws milk all over me.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” said Lily sulkily. “Can I go to the post with this letter ? “
“No, that you can’t,” said Mrs. Minns. “You fust get the tea ready for Mr. Hick. Go on now – stop your letter-writing and get a bit of work done for a change.”
“I want to catch the post,” said Lily, looking ready to cry.
“Well, you won’t,” said Mrs. Minns unkindly. Lily started to cry, and the children felt sorry for her. She got up and began to get out cups and saucers.
The children wondered how to mention Horace Peeks. They wanted to get his address so that they might go and see him.
“Has Mr. Hick got a new manservant yet?” asked Larry, at last.
“He’s been seeing some today,” said Mrs. Minns,, sinking into an arm-chair, which creaked dolefully beneath her weight. “I only hope he gets one that doesn’t put on airs and graces like Mr. Peeks, that’s all.”
“Does Mr. Peeks live near here?” asked Pip innocently.
“Yes,” said Mrs. Minns. “Let me see now – where does he live? Oh, my memory – it gets worse every day!”
There came a most unwelcome interruption Just as it seemed that Mrs. Minns was on the point of remembermg Horace Peeks’s address. The kitchen door shot open, and three kittens flew through the air, landing on the floor with
mews and hisses. Every one looked round in amazement.
Mr, Hick stood at the door, His front tuft of hair bristling like a parrot’s crest.
“Those kittens were in my study!” he shouted. “Are my orders never to be obeyed? Unless they are out of the house by this evening, I’l drown the lot!”
He was about to bang the door when he caught sight of the three children. He advanced into the kitchen and pointed a finger at them. “Didn’t I turn you out before? How dare you come here again?”
Larry, Pip and Daisy got up and fled. They were not cowards, but really Mr. Hick was so very fierce that it honestly seemed as if he might throw them out., just as he had flung the kittens into the kitchen!
They ran up the drive – but half-way to the gate Larry stopped. “Wait till old Hiccup has gone out of the kitchen.,” he said. “We simply must get Horace Peeks’s address. We can’t do anything about him till we know where he is.”
They waited for a minute or two and then went back very cautiously to the kitchen. Mrs. Minns was talking to her sister, and Lily was still clattering about with the tea-things. The children put their heads round the door.
“What do you want now?” asked Mrs. Minns good-naturedly. “My word, you ran away like frightened mice! Made me laugh to see you!”
“You were just trying to think of Horace Peeks’s address when Mr. Hick came in,” said Larry.
“Was I, now?” said Mrs. Minns. “Well, it came into my mind in a flash, like – and now it’s gone again. Let me see-letme see….”
She was thinking hard, and the children were waiting breathlessly, when the sound of heavy footsteps came up to the kitchen door and a loud knock was heard.
Mrs. Minns went to the door. The children saw that it was Mr. Goon, the policeman! They never seemed to be able to get away from old Clear-Orf.
“Morning, Mam,” said Clear-Orf to Mrs. Minns, and he took out his large black notebook. “About this here fire – I think you’ve given me all the information I require. But I’d just like to ask you a few questions about that fellow Peeks.”
The children frowned at one another. So Clear-Orf was after Peeks too!
“Do you know his address?” asked Clear-Orf, looking at Mrs, Minns out of his bulging pale-blue eyes.
“Well,” said Mrs. Minns, “if that isn’t a peculiar thing, Mr. Goon – I was just trying to think of his address
at the very moment you knocked! These children wanted to know it”
“What children?” said Clear-Orf in surprise. He put His head in at the door and saw Larry, Daisy and Pip.
“You again!” he said in disgust. “Clear orf! You kids are always popping up. You’re a regular nuisance. What do you want Peeks’s address for? Just nosey, I suppose?”
The children said nothing. Mr. Goon pointed back-wards with his thumb. “Go home I” he said. “I’ve private business to do here. Clear orf!
There was nothing for it but to “clear orf,” and the children did so, running up the drive to the gate. They were very angry.
“Just as Mrs. Minns was thinking of the address!” said Larry.
“I hope she doesn’t think of it and tell Clear-Orf,” said Pip gloomily. “If she does, Clear-Orf will go over and see Peeks before we do.”
“Blow!” said Daisy. They all felt very disheartened. They were just going out of the gate when they heard a low whistle from the bushes nearby. They turned back to see who it was.
Lily appeared, a letter in her hand. She looked frightened, but determined. “Will you post this letter for me?” she asked. “It’s to Mr. Peeks, to warn him that people are saying he started the fire. But he didn’t, he didn’t. I know he didn’t! You post the letter, will you?”
There was a shout from the kitchen. “Lily! Where are you?”
Lily disappeared at once. The children ran out of the gate, excited and surprised. They stopped behind a hedge when they had gone a little way, and examined Lily’s envelope. It had no stamp on. The girl had forgotten it in her hurry.
“Golly!” said Larry, “here we’ve been all the afternoon trying to get Horace Peek’s address and couldn’t – and now, suddenly, it’s just been presented to us, given into our hands!”
“What a bit of luck!” said Daisy, thrilled. “I am pleased.”
“The thing is – do we want Peeks to be warned?” said Larry. “You see – if he is warned beforehand that people are suspecting him., he might run away. Then we shouldn’t solve the mystery.”
They all stared at one another. Then Pip had an idea, “I know! We’ll go and find Peeks after tea today3 instead of wailing for tomorrow. We’ll see him and try to make up our minds if he did it or not If we think he didn’t do it, we’ll give him Lily’s letter!”
“Good idea!” said the others, pleased. “After all, we can’t post a letter without a stamp – but we can deliver it by hand.” They looked at the address.
Mr. H. Peeks. Ivy Cottage.
Wilmer Green.
“We’ll go on our bikes,” said Larry. “Come on – we must tell the others!”
Interviewing Mr. Horace Peeks.
The three of them went back to Fatty and Bets. Buster greeted them uproariously.
“Hallo,” said Fatty, “how did you get on?”
“Awfully badly at first,” said Larry, “and then, right at the end, we had a slice of good luck.”
He told Bets and Fatty about the afternoon and they listened with the greatest interest. They all examined Peek’s address, and were thrilled.
“So now Pip and Daisy and I are going on our bikes to Wilmer Green,” said Larry. “It’s only about five miles. At least, we’ll have tea first and then go.”
“I want to go too,” said Bets at once.
“I’d like to go, but I believe I’m too stiff,” said Fatty.
“You stay with Bets,” said Pip. “We don’t want to appear in a crowd. It might put Peeks on His guard.”
“You keep leaving me out,” said Bets sadly.
“No, we don’t,” said Larry. “Do you really want a job? Well, find out Mr. Smellie’s address, see? Fatty will help you. It may be in the telephone book, or somebody may know it. We shall want His address tomorrow, because we must go and see him too. All the Suspects must be interviewed!”