Manor House 01 - A Bicycle Built for Murder

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Book: Read Manor House 01 - A Bicycle Built for Murder for Free Online
Authors: Kate Kingsbury
suitcase and the crammed contents of the wardrobe. A row of shoes with platform soles sat beneath the dresses, skirts, and blouses. "Spends all her clothing coupons as soon as she gets them," Winnie murmured.
    Most of her mother's, too
, Elizabeth thought, eyeing the well-stocked wardrobe. "Nothing in the pockets?" she asked.
    Winnie shook her head. "George had me go through them all."
    Elizabeth turned her attention back to the bed. "You know," she said softly, "when I was a young girl and wanted to keep something important safe, I always tucked it inside my pillow." She reached under the eiderdown and drew out a large, fluffy pillow. "May I?"
    "Certainly, m'm."
    Elizabeth slipped her hand inside the pillow case, then caught her breath when her searching fingers encountered something. She withdrew a small white envelope.
    "Well, I'll be blowed. Would you look at that!" Winnie said in a hushed voice.
    Elizabeth offered her the letter.
    "You open it, m'm, if you would. I don't have my glasses up here."
    Carefully Elizabeth withdrew the folded sheet of paper and opened it. "It's a love letter," she said after quickly scanning the lines, "from someone called Robbie."
    Winnie frowned and held out her hand for the letter. "May I, m'm?" She squinted at it for a second or two, then raised her head. "I don't know what our Beryl's been up to," she said slowly, "but I've never heard of no one called Robbie in my life."
    "Well, obviously Beryl knows him. Judging from the sentiments scribbled on this note, I'd say they know each other very well." Elizabeth met Winnie's anxious gaze. "Would you mind if I have a look in the wardrobe?"
    "No, not at all." Winnie sank onto the end of the bed. "I just don't know what's come over our Beryl, really I don't. She never used to be like this when Stan was home. She's been acting really strange lately. You know what she did last Saturday morning? She had all her hair cut off, that's what. All that beautiful thick hair. Looked like a boy, she did. I told her how terrible it looked. That was the last day I saw her—" Winnie's voice cracked, and she buried her face in the folds of her apron. "Sorry, m'm."
    Elizabeth's heart ached at the pain in that muffled voice. No matter what, she would find out what had happened to Beryl if she had to turn the entire countryside upside down to do it.
    She turned her attention to the wardrobe, running her hands through the clothes, though she didn't really know what she was looking for. Winnie had already searched the pockets, and there didn't seem to be anything on the floor except for the shoes.
    She was about to close the door when something bright and shiny caught her eye. She moved a dark blue woolen dress aside and took down a black blazer, adorned withbold, brass buttons. It wasn't the brass that had glinted at her from the darkness of the wardrobe, however, it was a small enameled badge pinned to one of the lapels.
    Elizabeth took a closer look. "Your husband is in the navy, isn't he?"
    "Stan? Yes, he volunteered last year. Always loved the sea, he did."
    "Do you have any members of your family serving in the Royal Engineers?"
    Winnie looked puzzled. "No, m'm, not as I know of. My brother's in the infantry, and a cousin's in the Royal Artillery. The rest are in the air force, those who are called up, anyway."
    "Then this could belong to Beryl's friend Robbie." Elizabeth showed her the jacket with the regimental badge pinned to it.
    "Oh, my." Winnie took the jacket in her hands and stared at the pin. "What will Evan say to this? He'll be really upset if he finds out Beryl's been keeping company with a soldier." She looked up, a worried frown creasing her forehead. "You know, ever since the army turned him down, he's had it in for soldiers. Turned him bitter, it did. He wanted to join up so bad and get away from that farm. Flat feet, they said. He wouldn't be able to march."
    "Well, I'm sure he's needed just as much on the farm," Elizabeth said, closing the

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