Monday, Monday (Dead Reckoning series - Part 15)

Continued from Episode 14 (A Night To Remember)

The story so far:   Josiah appears to have rekindled a romance with an old flame, Jeanette DeVille, much to Samantha Knight's annoyance!  Invited to a dinner at Evanley Hall, Jeanette's family seat, Josiah was looking forward to a grand night out, but things didn't turn out quite as he planned.  Now the weekend is over and a new week is beginning:

Samantha Knight dumped her handbag and laptop case onto the shelf which constituted her office, in the store room, and looked around for her partner-in-crime, Archibald Thurble.  At this time on a Monday morning, she expected to find him hunkered down in a corner somewhere, gradually coming to terms with the start of a working week, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Deciding that the day could only be improved by the addition of coffee, she headed for the kitchenette.  The crashing and banging that preceded her arrival, indicated that this was where the object of her search was in situ.

“Archibald?  Is that you?” She called out.

“Yep, and before you say anything, I’m on it!”  Archibald crashed the filled kettle onto its stand and flicked the switch.

“You’re on it? What is this ‘it’ that you’re on?”

“I know what you’re going to say, and I’m doing it” Archibald folded his arms and glared at the kettle, which resolutely declined to boil, instantly.

“Well, you’re one ahead of me there, Archie” Samantha shook her head, “even I don’t know what I’m going to say!”

“You’re going to say ‘Why don’t you take Mr. O. his tea and biscuits and find out what happened on Saturday night’, “Archibald did a reasonable impression of Samantha, “that’s what you’re going to say, and I’m already on it”

“So I can see!” Samantha said, with a grin, and then frowned, “Actually, I’m not sure that I want to know what happened on Saturday night” She admitted.

“You’re joking!” Archibald looked astonished, “I thought you’d be gagging to know”

“I think I could live without the gory details” Samantha said, sadly, “but I would like to know that he’s ok”

“Like I say,” Archibald said, adding the now boiling water to the individual brown teapot, “I’m on it”

“You’re a gem, Archie” Samantha grinned.

“Me mam says I’m a treasure” Archibald nodded.

“I’m sure she does, Archie”

“Yeah, she reckons I ought to be buried”

Archibald trotted off with the tea things as Samantha headed back to the store room to set up her makeshift desk.  A few minutes later, Archibald reappeared, a look of panic on his face.

“He’s not there!”

“What?”  Samantha looked puzzled, “You mean Josiah?”

“Mr. O., yeah, he’s not there” Archibald nodded, frantically.

“Perhaps he’s just stepped out, for a moment?” Samantha suggested.

“No, there’s no coat, no briefcase, nothing!” Archibald flapped his arms, “He’s not there!”

“Come on, let’s take another look” Samantha led the way back to Josiah’s office.  Knocking, timorously, on the door, she poked her head into the dark and deserted office.  She stepped inside, closely followed by Archibald.  The tea things had been set on the desk, but otherwise there was no sign of any habitation.

“He’s not here” Samantha announced.

“What did I tell you!” Archibald flapped his arms, again, and looked exasperated.

“Have you checked if his car is in the yard?”

“No!” Archibald looked pleased with this sudden flash of inspiration and shot off to investigate.  Moments later, he returned.  “It’s not there!” He announced, glumly.

“Well then, I think, by a process of elimination, we can definitely say – he’s not here!”  Samantha put her hands on her hips and reviewed the empty office.  “This isn’t like him.  Someone should go and see if he’s alright” She looked at Archibald, pointedly.

“Oh no!” Archibald held his hands up and shook his head, violently, “don’t look at me!  I’m not going, no way!”

“Oh, come on, Archie, be a pal” Samantha said, pleadingly, “he could be ill, or anything”

“He could be with that Mrs. DeVille an’ all, and I don’t want to run into her, thanks very much!”  Archibald folded his arms and looked resolute.

“Ring him, then” Samantha suggested.

“I’m not ringing him!” Archibald looked aghast at the suggestion, “you ring him!”

“I can’t, can I?  If he saw it was me, he probably wouldn’t answer and, given where I am in the ‘pecking order’ here, I can hardly be checking up on the boss, now can I?”

They both looked thoughtful.

“I know!” Archibald said suddenly, obviously delighted with his idea, “We’ll get Mr. Strine to ring him, he’s sort of next in line, isn’t he?”

“Well, good luck with that!” Samantha shook her head, “I don’t think Mr. Strine does initiative”

“I’ll go an’ ask him” Archibald hurried off whilst Samantha slumped into Josiah’s chair.  After a few minutes, and some raised voices in the distance, he returned.  “He won’t ring him” he said, sulkily.

“Told you” Samantha shook her head, “Ok then, Archibald, it’s down to you and me”

“What is?”

“We’re going to have to go round there” Samantha stood up and straightened her jacket.  With a determined air, she marched to the office door.  “Coming, Archibald?” She raised an eyebrow and a dejected Archibald set off in her wake, grumbling fit to burst.

A little while later, they were standing at the bottom of the stone steps leading up to Josiah Oakshott’s Victorian terraced town house.

“We should ring the bell” Samantha said, with more confidence than she actually felt.

“You ring the ruddy bell” Her companion suggested, grumpily.

Samantha frowned at him.

“Oh, I know! Is his car in the garage?”  She asked, suddenly.

“Good idea!  I’ll go and look” Archibald grinned, delighted to do anything that didn’t involve ringing the doorbell.  A few minutes later, he returned, brushing dust from his jacket and trousers and looking distinctly fed up.

“Is it there?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah, it’s there” Archibald nodded, “I had to stand on this box to look through the window, didn’t I? Then it only went and fell to bits, didn’t it?” He said, bitterly.

“Right then, nothing for it, we’ve got to ring the bell” Samantha took a deep breath, marched up the stairs and pressed the bell push, firmly.  In the distance they could hear the bell chiming, as it echoed around the hall.  Samantha skittered back down the stairs and rejoined Archibald.  They both waited, with bated breath, for the door to open and reveal the furious countenance of their employer, but nothing happened.

“I suppose I could try it again?” Samantha said, doubtfully.

“You’d have thought he’d have heard that, wouldn’t you?” Archibald observed.

“Hmm, I’ll give it one more go” Samantha jogged up the steps and tried again.  Once more the chimes echoed around the empty hallway and, once more, absolutely nothing happened.

Samantha and Archibald looked at each other.

“That’s that then, I guess?”  Archibald went to start walking back.

“Well…” Samantha began.

“What?” Archibald responded, with deep suspicion.

“It’s just…I do still have a key!” Samantha admitted, with a blush.

“A key?” Archibald looked astonished.

“Yes, I never quite got around to giving it back to him, and he didn’t ask, so I sort of…hung on to it” She admitted.

“We can’t just break in!” Archibald said, wide-eyed.

“Well, it’s hardly ‘breaking in’ if I’ve got a key, is it?”

“I dunno!” Archibald flapped his arms and shook his head, “It’s Mr. O.’s place.  He’d have a fit!”

“Yes, that’s one way of looking at it” Samantha conceded, “but, think about it, what if he was lying unconscious in there, eh?”

“Do you think he is?” Archibald looked astonished.

“I don’t know, that’s the point!” Samantha shrugged, “Unless we go in, we’ll never know.  Come on!”  Samantha rummaged through her handbag and produced an old door key.  She marched back up the steps and turned the key, carefully.  Archibald, meanwhile, was busily scanning the street for irate neighbours or suspicious police officers.

“Come on, we’re in!” Samantha announced, edging the door open.  Archibald followed, reluctantly, tugging his jacket sleeves at a frenetic rate, as he always did at times of high anxiety.

The hallway was dark and empty.

“You try the Living Room, I’ll check the Kitchen” Samantha whispered.

“I’m not going nowhere” Archibald shook his head, firmly, “not on me own, I’m not.  He’d have my guts for garters!”

“Alright, we’ll BOTH check the Living Room and the Kitchen, then” Samantha sighed.

Samantha eased open the Living Room door, which creaked, causing them both to jump.  The room itself, lit only by the weak light leaching in through the front window, seemed exceptionally gloomy.  It was also devoid of any sign of Josiah Oakshott.  The Kitchen, at the end of the Hall, was similarly empty.

“There’s a cup and saucer on the draining board, but nothing else” Samantha observed, picking the cup up, “and its bone dry, which means it’s been here some time.  I think he made himself a drink before he went out on Saturday and then, nothing since”

“Well, maybe, but we don’t know that, do we?”  Archibald pointed out.

“I’m going to check upstairs; you wait down here in case he comes back” Samantha announced.

“Oh, thanks a lot!” Archibald spluttered.

“There’s nothing to worry about” Samantha reassured, “if he does turn up, I’ll take the blame.  After all, I couldn’t be much less in his favour now, could I?”

“Yeah, that’s a point” Archibald nodded, “makes a nice change from it always being me what’s in the cart!”

“I’m glad I have my uses” Samantha smirked as she made her way, gingerly, up the stairs.

Archibald dithered in the hallway, jumping a foot in the air at every creak and bang.

Eventually, Samantha reappeared.

“Right, I’ve been in every bedroom and there’s no sign.  His bed’s not been slept in and everything’s very tidy.  I don’t think he’s been here since Saturday” Samantha looked worried.

“Oh well, not a lot we can do then, is there?” Archibald said, with a degree of relief, and headed for the door.

“Well, not here, no” Samantha agreed, “that’s why we need to go to the Police Station”

“You’re having a laugh!” Archibald looked astonished.

“No, Archibald, I’m not” Samantha looked around at the dark and deserted house, “I don’t think there’s much to laugh at, here, do you?”

Now read Episode 16