‘Apart from complicating our situation?’ He waited until she looked slightly embarrassed. Then he added, ‘Not much chance of missing her as she’s not fit enough to go out.’
This time Maggie looked mortified. ‘I beg your pardon,’ she said stiffly.
His lips twisted. ‘As it happens I’m in agreement with your first sentiment.’
She looked startled. ‘Why?’
‘I’m sorry now I didn’t let her know, but the reason I don’t usually is because if I don’t turn up exactly at the appointed time, she gets all anxious and unsettled.’
‘Oh.’ Maggie found she had to smile. ‘My mother’s a bit like that.’
They said nothing for a few moments, both locked into their thoughts about their respective mothers, then he shrugged and strolled over to the pile of tarpaulins in the corner and started to pull them off.
Maggie confidently expected an old utility vehicle or tractor to be revealed, so she sucked in an incredulous breath when a shiny black vintage car in superb condition and a Harley Davidson motor bike, both worth a small fortune, were exposed.
‘They didn’t—the owners didn’t say a word about these!’
‘No? It does explain the security, however,’ he said. ‘This shed is like a fortress.’
Maggie frowned. ‘It doesn’t make sense. They haven’t lived here for over a year, they told me. They don’t have a caretaker. The house is a shambles but, well, who in their right minds would—sort of—abandon these?’ She got up and walked over to the car and stroked the bonnet.
‘You would have thought they’d put them up on blocks at least,’ Jack said. He opened the car door and they both looked in.
The interior was as beautifully restored as the rest of it with plump, gleaming leather seats and the keys were dangling in the ignition. Jack slid into the driver’s seat and switched it on. The motor purred to life.
He let it run for a few minutes, then switched it off and got out of the car. ‘They must know they’re here,’ he said. ‘Someone has to be starting this car regularly or the battery would be flat.’
‘What did they say to you?’ she asked. ‘The owners.’
‘I didn’t speak to them, but…’ he paused ‘… same as you; they gave my PA to understand that no one had lived here for over a year. They certainly didn’t mention any vintage cars and bikes to her, but I wasn’t planning to come into the shed so…’ He stopped.
Maggie turned on her heel and ran across to the kitchen cupboard. ‘These tins,’ she said, pulling out a can of baked beans, ‘don’t look over a year old. Nor—’ she reached for an open packet of cornflakes and peered inside ‘—would these have survived the mice I happen to know are here. But they’re fine.’
She proffered the packet to him.
He didn’t look inside. ‘I believe you. Are you saying someone has taken over this shed?’
‘It’s quite possible! The nearest neighbours are miles away on a different road. The driveway in here is virtually concealed. You could come and go and no one would be any the wiser!’
‘If it’s true it’s not much help to us unless they actually live here and come home every night.’
‘Maybe they do!’ Maggie said with a tinge of excitement.
He walked round the car and opened the boot. ‘Well, that’s something, in case they don’t.’
‘What?’ She went to have a look.
‘A tool kit.’ He hefted a wooden box out of the boot, put it on the floor and opened it. ‘Of sorts,’ he added and lifted out an electric key saw. ‘We may just be able to cut our way out of here somehow.’
Maggie heaved a huge sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank heavens!’
He glanced across at her. ‘Hear, hear.’
‘In time to catch your plane?’
‘No. This is more a hobby saw; it’s going to be a long, slow process.’
‘Why don’t you get straight to work?’ she suggested. ‘I’ll make us a cup of tea.’
The look he tossed her was full of irony.
‘I’ve never used one of those,’ she said, ‘but if you’d like to show me how, you could make the tea and I could do the sawing. Would you prefer that?’ she queried innocently.