Page 27 of The Cursed Writer
She saw him hesitate as she entered by the northern gate but she kept going. There were not as many people there as she would have liked; it was almost fully dark and the streetlights created puddles of light in some parts and deep shadows in others. Harry took a seat on one of the benches and waited to see what he would do. He came idly along the path, as though out for an evening stroll, but could find no plausible reason to stop and was forced to continue past Harry. In a flash, she got to her feet and hurried after him. ‘You there,’ she said in a clear, distinct voice. ‘Why have you been following me?’
He spun round, his face still obscured, both hands stuffed in his pockets. ‘I want to know what you’ve done to me,’ he growled.
Harry frowned. The voice was somewhat familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. ‘What on earth do you mean?’
With a rough gesture, he dragged the scarf away from his face with one gloved hand. A large violet stain covered his chin. ‘How do I get it off?’
She understood everything then. He must have touched his face after he had turned the door handle. ‘I’m afraid you can’t, Danny,’ she said, doing her best to sound calm. ‘It’s Gentian Violet – an antiseptic tincture. It won’t do you any harm but it does take several months to fade.’
His hands balled into fists and she had to fight an urge to take a step backwards. ‘You did this. I couldn’t go to work today because of it.’
Harry held her head high. ‘You have no one to blame but yourself. First thing tomorrow, I plan to tell Mr Babbage what you’ve done.’ She glanced at his gloved hands. ‘I daresay there’s plenty more evidence.’
His demeanour changed, as though the full implications of his misfortune were only just becoming clear. ‘It’s your word against mine.’
‘That might be true, if your guilt was not written all over your face.’
Danny looked as though he would argue, then dug his fists miserably into his pockets once again. ‘Don’t do that. They’ll sack me.’
‘Why shouldn’t I?’ she demanded. ‘You broke into an office of the Abbey Road Building Society to read confidential correspondence not addressed to you. That is a criminal offence. Youshouldlose your job.’
He threw her a wretched look. ‘I admit it sounds bad when you put it like that. But I was just doing what Mr… what I was told to do. And I didn’t even read the letters, not properly. All I had to find out was what those telegrams said.’
‘Who told you to do it, Danny?’ she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Danny sighed. ‘Mr Pemberton. He wasn’t happy when I said I could only find one.’
The confirmation of her suspicion did not make Harry feel any better – in fact, the doorman’s words caused her an even deeper moment of uneasiness. The existence of the second telegram was common knowledge; she would have to account for it if an official enquiry was ever made. Perhaps, once the case was over, she would file it with its sibling and deny, if asked, that she had gone to the Garston Club to meet with Archer. It would not be a lie, after all. ‘But why should he care what the telegrams said?’
‘I don’t know.’ Danny gave her a piteous look. ‘I got nothing against you, Miss White. I was only doing what he said I should. It’s no secret he’s got it in for you, ever since you embarrassed him, but I’ve never done you wrong.’
Harry raised her eyebrows in disbelief. ‘You don’t consider spying on me as wrong? I know you’ve been reporting back to him about my timekeeping. You were the one who told him when I was late back from lunch, weren’t you?’
There had been an occasion during Harry’s investigation into Mildred Longstaff’s disappearance when she had been unavoidably caught up and had returned late to the bank. Somehow, Mr Babbage had come to hear of it and he had strongly suggested that Simeon Pemberton had reported her indiscretion to him. Danny’s gaze slid sideways, as though he was thinking about denying her accusation, then he shrugged. ‘It didn’t seem that bad at first. All I had to do was watch when you came and went. You don’t know what it’s like, being a doorman. Most people walk past like you’re not even there. Then Mr Pemberton gave me this job and it seemed like he trusted me. I thought maybe if I did what he said, he might find me a better job somewhere else in the bank.’
She shook her head. ‘And then you graduated to burglary. Congratulations, Danny. Lots of people are going to notice you now.’
The doorman’s eyes widened in panic. ‘Don’t grass me up. I could help you.’ He cast around for something to offer her. ‘I could give you information – things you can use against him. That girl he forced to leave – I know where she lives. I bet she’d give you some good dirt, if you spoke to her.’
Thoughtfully, she considered the offer. Judging from their acrimonious encounter in the lift, Harry suspected there would come a time when Simeon Pemberton decided he wanted to remove her from the bank entirely. He’d told her she had noproof – perhaps it would be useful to have solid evidence she could use to defend herself. ‘What’s her name?’
‘Cecily,’ he said eagerly. ‘Cecily Earnshaw. She lives with her parents over Holland Park way. I could get you her address, if you promise not to tell Mr Babbage what I’ve done.’
Harry eyed his stained chin with something approaching pity. ‘I don’t know how you’re going to explain that away.’
‘I’ll keep my scarf pulled up,’ he said. ‘It’s cold enough to get away with it and, like I said, most people don’t even look at me.’
She sighed. Could she really trust someone who had already betrayed her? ‘I’ll think about your offer. If I decide to accept, I’ll let you know.’
Danny opened his mouth as if to argue, then thought better of it. ‘Thank you. And I’m sorry if I scared you. I didn’t know what else to do.’
‘I’m not that easily scared,’ she said, and it was almost true. ‘But all the same, don’t ever do it again.’
‘No, Miss White,’ he said fervently. ‘I won’t.’
She watched him all the way out of the gate, and then gave it a further ten minutes before she left and set off once more for Hamilton Square. Was the address of Cecily Earnshaw something she needed? The story she would offer must be depressingly predictable. And yet Danny had a point – it would give Harry something to hold over Simeon Pemberton when he eventually came for her. It was worthy of consideration, at least.
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