Twenties Girl

“Of course I’m sure!” Her voice rises shrilly and she starts gesturing at the house. “I could have picked it up! I tried to pick it up! Of course, I couldn’t…” She clicks her tongue in frustration.

“Lara, is there a problem?” Sarah is hurrying down the stairs again. “Is there something wrong with the car? Neville, is everything OK?” she snaps at the driver.

“Everything’s fine!” he replies defensively, and jerks his head at me. “She just started talking to thin air.”

“Would you like a different car, Lara?” I can see it’s taking Sarah a supreme effort to keep up her pleasant ma

She really, really wants to get rid of me.

“This car’s fine, thanks,” I say brightly. “Get in the car,” I mutter to Sadie out of the side of my mouth. “Can’t talk here.”

“I’m sorry?” Sarah frowns.

“Just… on the phone. Tiny earpiece.” I tap my ear and quickly slide into the car.

The car door clunks and we glide away toward the gates. I check that the glass partition is closed, then flop back and look at Sadie.

“This is unbelievable! How did you find it?”

“I just went looking.” She shrugs. “I looked in all the cupboards and the drawers and the safe-”

“You went in Uncle Bill’s safe?” I’m agog. “Wow. What’s in there?”

“Bits of paper and hideous jewels,” says Sadie impatiently. “I was about to give up, when I walked past a dressing table and there it was.”

I can’t believe it. I’m popping with anger. Uncle Bill just sat in front of me and said he didn’t know anything about any dragonfly necklace. He’s a lying … liar. We have to make an action plan. As quickly as I can, I reach inside my bag for a notebook and pen.

“Something’s going on,” I say, writing Action Plan at the top of a page. “There has to be a reason he took it and a reason he’s lying.” I rub my brow in frustration. “But what? Why is it so important to him? Do you know anything else about it? Does it have some kind of history… or collectors’ value-”

“Is this all you’re going to do?” Sadie’s voice explodes. “Talk, talk, drone, drone? We need to get it! You need to climb through the window and get it! At once!”

“Er…” I look up from my notebook.

“It’ll be quite easy,” Sadie adds confidently. “You can take off your shoes.”

“Right.”

I’m nodding. But truth be told, I don’t feel absolutely prepared for this. Break in to Uncle Bill’s house right now? Without making a plan?

“The only thing is,” I venture after a moment, “he’s got lots of security guards and alarms and stuff.”

“So what?” Sadie’s eyes narrow. “Are you frightened of a few alarms?”

“No!” I say at once. “Of course not.”

“I bet you are!” she cries derisively. “I’ve never known such a ni

“I don’t think butter’s dangerous,” I retort indignantly. “It’s just, you know, olive oil spread has got better fats…”

I trail off at the contemptuous look on Sadie’s face.

“Are you going to climb in through the window and get my necklace?”

“Yes,” I say, after only a split-second pause. “Of course I am.”

“Well, come on, then! Stop the car!”

“Stop bossing me about!” I say resentfully. “I was just about to.”

I lean forward and open the glass partition between us and the driver. “Excuse me? I’m feeling carsick. Could you let me out, please? I’ll go home by tube. I’m not dissing your driving or anything,” I add hastily, as I see him frowning into the rearview mirror. “You’re great. Really… er… smooth action.”

The car pulls over and the driver looks around dubiously. “I’m supposed to take you home to your door.”

“Don’t worry!” I say, clambering out. “Honestly, I just need some fresh air, thanks so much…”

I’m already on the pavement. I bang the door shut and give the driver a little wave. He shoots me one last suspicious glance, then does a three-point turn and heads back toward Uncle Bill’s house. As soon as he’s out of sight, I start retracing my path, keeping unobtrusively to the side of the road. I round the corner, see Uncle Bill’s gates ahead, and pause.

The gates are closed and they’re massive. The security guard is there in his glass box. CCTV cameras are everywhere. You don’t just march straight in to Uncle Bill’s house. I need a strategy. I take a deep breath and approach the gates, looking as i

“Hi! It’s me again, Lara Lington,” I say into the pedestrian intercom. “I left my umbrella behind. Silly me!” After a moment, the guard opens the pedestrian gate for me and leans out of his window.

“I’ve spoken to Sarah. She doesn’t know anything about an umbrella, but she’s coming down.”

“I’ll meet her, save her the trouble!” I say brightly, and hurry past before he can protest. OK. I’m past one hurdle.

“Tell me the minute he looks away,” I mutter to Sadie out of the side of my mouth. “Say ‘Now.’”

“Now!” she says suddenly, and I dodge to the side of the path. I take a few steps across the grass, then drop down, roll behind a hedge, and come to a stop like someone in an action film.

My heart’s thumping hard. I don’t even care that I’ve run my tights. Through the hedge I can see Sarah crunching swiftly down the drive, a perturbed expression on her face.

“Where is she?” I hear her voice drifting up from the front gates.

“… saw her a moment ago…” The guard sounds baffled.

Ha!

Actually, not ha. They might start looking for me with Rottweilers in a minute.

“Where is it?” I whisper to Sadie. “Guide me. And keep a lookout!”

We start making our way over the lawn toward the house, dodging from hedge to water feature to prizewi

“There!” We turn the corner and Sadie nods at a set of French doors on the second-floor level. They’re ajar, and open onto a terrace with steps up to it from the garden. I won’t need to clamber up the ivy after all. I’m almost disappointed.

“Keep guard!” I mutter to Sadie. I creep toward the steps, slip off my wedges, and run up them silently. Cautiously, I approach the ajar French doors-and catch my breath.

There it is.

It’s lying on a dressing table, just inside the room. A long double row of beads in shimmering yellow glass, with the most exquisite carved dragonfly, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and studded with rhinestones. It’s Sadie’s necklace. Iridescent and magical, just as she described it, although it’s longer than I imagined and a few of the beads are a little battered.

As I gaze at it, I feel overcome by emotion. After all this time. After all the hunting, the hoping; after secretly wondering if it even existed anymore… here it is. Only a few feet away from me. I could practically lean over and touch it without even entering the room.

“It’s… stu

“Get it!” She’s whirling her arms in frustration, her beads jangling. “Stop talking! Get it!”

“OK, OK!”

I swing the French doors open, take a tentative step inside, and am just reaching toward the necklace, when I hear footsteps approaching the room. In what seems like a nanosecond, the door is thrown open. Shit. Someone’s coming in.

In panic, I reverse onto the terrace and duck to one side.

“What are you doing?” demands Sadie from below. “Get the necklace!”

“Someone’s in there! I’ll wait ’til they’ve gone!”

In an instant, Sadie is up on the terrace and poking her head through the glass into the room.