Page 13

As soon as she left headquarters, she got on a bus and headed straight for Ruby’s house to find out if they had any news.

Ruby opened the front door in a rush, a hopeful look on her face, and when Gabriella shook her head, she seemed to droop.

“Teddy Roe’s just got back from another walk around. He went to the police and tried to get them involved, and they brushed him off. He’s very down about it.” She sighed. “I’m going to give him some dinner and then he says he’s going out again, checking their old haunts from when they used to sleep rough.” Ruby led her back to the kitchen, and Gabriella saw Teddy Roe was slumped in a chair by the kitchen table.

“I’ve got everyone keeping an eye out, Teddy Roe.” Gabriella sat beside him. “Every warden with a route in Kensington and Chelsea will be on the lookout for him.”

Teddy Roe gave a nod. “Thank you, Gabriella. It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but I don’t think we’re going to find him strolling around. Sommat’s happened to him. He’s been grabbed off the street, or he’s lying injured somewhere. He’s not just wandering around for a laugh.”

Gabriella had begun to feel that way, herself. “I know.” Although who would want to grab Jerry off the street was a puzzle. And what had happened to Scotty?

She let Ruby persuade her to have dinner with the two of them, and then walked out with Teddy Roe, saying goodbye to him as she headed home in the dark.

The rain had eased off, so at least she didn’t get wet on the way back.

When she got home, she tried the front door, and noticed it was damaged, as if someone had taken a pry bar to it.

She pushed at it, but it was still stuck fast.

She grimaced and walked back down the path to go around to the rear entrance, and encountered Mr. Vincent on the pavement.

“Are you all right?” she asked him. “I heard someone fighting with you last night, but when I looked out my window you had chased him off.”

“I’m fine, thank you Gabriella.” Mr. Vincent had a deep, resonant voice.

The two of them walked down the street together.

“What happened?”

“Some teenage ratbag was trying to pry the door open. I thought it was someone trying to break in, and I’m not sure it wasn’t, but I didn’t know at the time the door was swollen shut.” Mr. Vincent’s Trinidadian accent got stronger as he got more upset.

“Well, even if all he wanted to do was get in, he wasn’t a resident, so it was a cheek for him to damage the door,” Gabriella said.

“Exactly. I couldn’t have put it better myself.” Mr. Vincent nodded a few times.

“And you don’t know who he was, or why he was trying to get in?” Gabriella asked.

“No, I didn’t ask him, I chased him off, and he ran like a rabbit.” Mr. Vincent gave a sudden, deep chuckle.

They walked the rest of the way to the back door in companionable silence, and said their goodbyes.

Gabriella headed down the passage to knock on Mr. Rodney’s door, and Mr. Vincent went up the stairs to his flat.

Gabriella was pleased when Solomon opened up for her. “Solomon! Just the man I wanted to see.”

“Ga-bree-ella!” Solomon grinned at her and let her in. “What’s on your mind?”

“Two things, actually.” She walked into the lounge, and was pleased to see Mr. Rodney was by a warm fire, with a cup of tea in his hands.

She walked over to kiss his cheek and then perched herself on the overstuffed ottoman that had been placed beside his armchair.

“Do you know who to contact about the maintenance of this house?” she asked. “Because I’ve tried to call the agent that I found the flat through, and no one ever answers.”

“That’s because there is no agent,” Solomon said. “The owner set up an office to make it look like an agent runs the rentals, but that’s someone he’d have to pay a fee to, so he runs it direct. But making out as if there is an agent involved puts him at a distance from the renters. It’s a clever trick.” Solomon didn’t sound like he thought it was clever, though. He sounded angry.

“Did you just find this out?” Gabriella asked.

“No, I found it out back when Mr. Higgins got a new place and I wanted to contact someone about Uncle Eric moving into his flat.” Solomon didn’t even shoot her a look to remind her to keep up the lie that Mr. Higgins had voluntarily decided to move. Solomon had made him move, but as far as Mr. Rodney knew, it had all been a happy coincidence.