It was only when she set eyes on the wolf’s cage that she understood everybody’s panic. One bar was only attached to the cage at the top because the wood underneath appeared to be rotten. It was powdery and splintered. The bar next to it was bent in the middle, as if someone or something had pushed its way out.
Seebold was interrogating Alf, the driver. ‘That cage couldn’t have got damaged that bad without you knowing about it, man. You must have seen what happened.’
‘No, guv, I just told you. I only took over in Brighton. Herb asked me to drive the wagon ’cos his missus is having a baby. They said the kiddie was on its way and Herb wanted to be there, though why ’e did I shall never understand. I saw my baby brother coming and I’m telling you it wasn’t a pretty sight. Enough to put you off your dinner fer life.’
‘Yes, yes,’ Seebold interrupted. ‘But that bar couldn’t have got bent like that unless somebody exerted considerable force on it.’ He put his hand on Alf’s shoulder. ‘Don’t you see? Somebody must have tampered with it.’
‘Well if they did, guv, I never saw ’em,’ Alf insisted. ‘I never saw nobody.’
‘Did you stop somewhere?’
‘No, guv. Upon my life.’
Seebold shook his head with a puzzled expression.
‘Oh wait a minute,’ Alf cried. ‘Now I come to think about it, I did stop. I had to. It was near the river.’
‘What do you mean, you had to? Are you saying somebody forced you to stop?’
The driver leaned towards him in a confidential manner. ‘Nah. I needed a pee.’
‘But when you stopped, you were seen?’
‘Course not,’ said Alf. ‘I made sure of that, don’t you worry.’
Seebold seemed confused. ‘I don’t understand.’
Alf moved closer and lowered his voice. ‘I got out of me cab and went in the bushes,’ he confided. Lena and Milly stifled a laugh. ‘Bloody busting I was,’ he continued, ‘so don’t worry, nobody saw me.’
Seebold rolled his eyes.
Someone pushed through the gathering crowd. ‘Excuse me, excuse me. Archibald Crump, reporter, Worthing Gazette. What’s going on?’
He motioned to a man with a camera and, a second later, there was a bright flash. Seebold froze and the driver looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
He turned away muttering, ‘All this fuss for a bloody pee. If there was a wolf, I never saw the going of ’im.’
The reporter did a double take. ‘What’s this about a wolf? What wolf? Where is it?’
‘Nobody knows,’ Alf said solemnly. ‘It ain’t my fault the cage is broke.’
‘And you are?’ Crump asked.
‘Alfred Penrose.’
The photographer was busy taking pictures while Crump slipped his arm around Alf’s shoulders and drew him to one side. ‘Mr Penrose, I wonder if you could answer a few questions for the Worthing Gazette. You’d like your picture in the paper, wouldn’t you. Something to show your children and grandchildren . . .’
The two of them walked away from the others.
Lena looked around. ‘Where did Seebold go?’ she asked Milly.
‘He said something about making an urgent telephone call to find out what happened to the wolf, so I guess he’s gone back to the office.’ Milly smiled at her sister and the pair of them held out their arms to one another and hugged. ‘It’s lovely to see you again. How long have you been here?’
‘A week,’ said Lena. ‘Rainbow George gave Seebold a couple of old stalls for old times’ sake, the darts and the hoopla, so he sent me down here with them.’
‘It’s amazing what he’s done with it all,’ said Milly.
‘How many times have you been here?’
‘This is my first visit,’ Milly confessed. Lena seemed surprised so she added, ‘I kept meaning to stop by, but you know how it is. I’m back at college and I do the windows for two other shops now. I’ve gone freelance.’
Lena squeezed her hand. ‘Milly, that’s amazing. Pa would be so proud of you.’
Milly gave her a shy smile. ‘Lena, I need to talk to you about Pa’s will.’ And I need to tell you something else, she thought to herself. Now that they were alone, it was a good time to come clean about that curse . . . but already her stomach was falling away just at the thought of it.
Lena took in a breath. ‘Has the court finally decided?’
‘I’ve had a letter and this one is yours,’ Milly said, handing her sister an envelope. ‘They’ve upheld his wishes. There’s no reason to believe Pa didn’t know what he was doing.’
‘So you get the house and I get the cottage?’
Milly nodded. ‘The cottage is definitely yours, as from now. I still only get the house when I’m twenty-one.’
Lena sucked in her lips and looked away tearfully. ‘I still can’t believe he’s gone.’
‘I know, I know.’ Milly squeezed her arm and they walked on in silence for a bit. She glanced at Lena’s profile. Tell her, tell her now . . .
Her sister turned her head and caught her staring. ‘What?’