Read Online Fire When Ready (Manor House Mystery) by Kate Kingsbury - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Kingsbury
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good book."
She picked up the opened book from the arm of the chair. "
Mutiny on the Bounty
. I'm surprised you haven't read it before."
"I have. This is the third time. Gets better with every reading."
She smiled and put the book down. "Wally, tell me what happened last night."
He coughed, looked down at his feet clad in elegant leather slippers, then said gruffly, "What are they saying?"
Surprised, she said warily, "Who?"
"The fire department. I assume that's who you've been talking to about it. That arrogant blowhard Meadows—" He coughed again, covering his mouth with his hand. "Excuse me, your ladyship. That sort of slipped out."
"That's quite all right, Wally. I have been talking to him, yes. All he said was that you were under the impression you had heard airplanes overhead after the explosion."
Wally heaved a heavy sigh. "I thought I did. Maybe I dreamt it." He gave her a sheepish look. "I have to admit, I fell asleep. Takes some getting used to, this working all night. I still haven't got turned around yet. I struggle to stay awake all night, then can't sleep in the daylight. Used to doit all the time at sea, but I can't seem to get the hang of it on land." He rubbed his knees with both hands. "I must be getting old."
"It would be difficult for anyone to get used to such a drastic change," Elizabeth assured him. "I'm not here to pass judgment on you, Wally. I just need to know everything that happened last night, as far as you can remember."
Wally closed his eyes for a minute, one hand absently stroking his beard. Finally he said, "Well, I got there at my usual time, just before six o'clock. The last people were just leaving. I hung my coat up in the men's room and then started my rounds. About a quarter to twelve I went back to the canteen. There's a nice comfortable chair in there and I sat down for a five minute break with the newspaper. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the ground shook and a noise like none I'd ever heard before just about burst my eardrums."
"The canteen is at the opposite end of the building to where the fire started, is it not?"
Wally nodded. "That's right, m'm."
"So what did you do next?"
"Well, the old ears were ringing like crazy and I was a bit dazed at first. That's when I thought I heard the planes. I was sure we'd been bombed. Everything had gone dark, and it took me a while to find my way out of the building."
"Did you see any smoke or flames?"
"No, but I could smell it. It was getting in my throat, making me cough. I tell you, I was bloody glad to get out in the fresh air."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, I stood there for a few minutes. Gave me quite a start to see the flames coming out of the windows. But then the roof started caving in at one end, so I knew I'd have toget the fire brigade. I wasn't going back in there to ring them, so I started off for Shepperton's farmhouse. It's the closest house to the factory. I was about halfway there when Fred came along on his bicycle. Said he'd already been down to the Tudor Arms and called the fire brigade. So he gave me a lift on the handlebars of his bicycle and we went back to the factory to wait for them to get there."
Thinking of Douglas McNally, Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes. "Before all this happened," she said, "did you see anyone else in the building that evening? After everyone else had gone, I mean."
Wally seemed surprised by the question. "Only Jessie, the char. She'd just got there and was hanging up her coat when I went into the canteen. Oh, and I saw Mr. McNally, too. We had a nice chat." He shook his head. "Nasty business that. Good chap, McNally was. And poor old Jessie. Can't believe it."
"It is a tragedy," Elizabeth agreed. "I shall call on her daughter to pay my respects. Do you happen to know her name?"
"Odd name, she's got." Wally frowned, then clicked his fingers. "Zora, that's it. Zora Bandini. She's got a little one. Don't know her name. I do know there's no father." He
She picked up the opened book from the arm of the chair. "
Mutiny on the Bounty
. I'm surprised you haven't read it before."
"I have. This is the third time. Gets better with every reading."
She smiled and put the book down. "Wally, tell me what happened last night."
He coughed, looked down at his feet clad in elegant leather slippers, then said gruffly, "What are they saying?"
Surprised, she said warily, "Who?"
"The fire department. I assume that's who you've been talking to about it. That arrogant blowhard Meadows—" He coughed again, covering his mouth with his hand. "Excuse me, your ladyship. That sort of slipped out."
"That's quite all right, Wally. I have been talking to him, yes. All he said was that you were under the impression you had heard airplanes overhead after the explosion."
Wally heaved a heavy sigh. "I thought I did. Maybe I dreamt it." He gave her a sheepish look. "I have to admit, I fell asleep. Takes some getting used to, this working all night. I still haven't got turned around yet. I struggle to stay awake all night, then can't sleep in the daylight. Used to doit all the time at sea, but I can't seem to get the hang of it on land." He rubbed his knees with both hands. "I must be getting old."
"It would be difficult for anyone to get used to such a drastic change," Elizabeth assured him. "I'm not here to pass judgment on you, Wally. I just need to know everything that happened last night, as far as you can remember."
Wally closed his eyes for a minute, one hand absently stroking his beard. Finally he said, "Well, I got there at my usual time, just before six o'clock. The last people were just leaving. I hung my coat up in the men's room and then started my rounds. About a quarter to twelve I went back to the canteen. There's a nice comfortable chair in there and I sat down for a five minute break with the newspaper. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, the ground shook and a noise like none I'd ever heard before just about burst my eardrums."
"The canteen is at the opposite end of the building to where the fire started, is it not?"
Wally nodded. "That's right, m'm."
"So what did you do next?"
"Well, the old ears were ringing like crazy and I was a bit dazed at first. That's when I thought I heard the planes. I was sure we'd been bombed. Everything had gone dark, and it took me a while to find my way out of the building."
"Did you see any smoke or flames?"
"No, but I could smell it. It was getting in my throat, making me cough. I tell you, I was bloody glad to get out in the fresh air."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, I stood there for a few minutes. Gave me quite a start to see the flames coming out of the windows. But then the roof started caving in at one end, so I knew I'd have toget the fire brigade. I wasn't going back in there to ring them, so I started off for Shepperton's farmhouse. It's the closest house to the factory. I was about halfway there when Fred came along on his bicycle. Said he'd already been down to the Tudor Arms and called the fire brigade. So he gave me a lift on the handlebars of his bicycle and we went back to the factory to wait for them to get there."
Thinking of Douglas McNally, Elizabeth briefly closed her eyes. "Before all this happened," she said, "did you see anyone else in the building that evening? After everyone else had gone, I mean."
Wally seemed surprised by the question. "Only Jessie, the char. She'd just got there and was hanging up her coat when I went into the canteen. Oh, and I saw Mr. McNally, too. We had a nice chat." He shook his head. "Nasty business that. Good chap, McNally was. And poor old Jessie. Can't believe it."
"It is a tragedy," Elizabeth agreed. "I shall call on her daughter to pay my respects. Do you happen to know her name?"
"Odd name, she's got." Wally frowned, then clicked his fingers. "Zora, that's it. Zora Bandini. She's got a little one. Don't know her name. I do know there's no father." He
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