Agatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryham

wrong. Maybe they were.’
    ‘Come on. You don’t believe that.’
    ‘No, I suppose not. Where are we going?’
    ‘A little of Betty Jackson goes a long way. There’s something about that woman that makes my flesh creep. I’ve been thinking about Lizzie Findlay.’
    ‘The captain’s wife? Because I thought I saw her all glammed up?’
    ‘I suppose it’s because I’m restless and can’t think of anything else. Remember Lucy said something to the effect that Tolly was crawling to Lizzie.’
    ‘Yes, but surely that was only to ingratiate himself with the captain?’
    ‘I don’t know. Take Lucy, for instance. She must spend a fortune on her appearance and she’s as hard as nails. There’s downtrodden Lizzie, everything that Lucy is not.’
    ‘But she’s so dowdy and faded!’
    ‘We don’t know how she shapes up if she takes a bit of care with her appearance.’
    Agatha thought about Lizzie. She had not really noticed her. Myopic, wispy hair, figure hidden in shapeless garments. She shook her head. ‘Not possible.’
    ‘Let’s go for a long shot. Let’s drive to the captain’s house and hide the car somewhere and keep an eye on things.’
    The sun was shining but there was a stiff breeze blowing. ‘Not for long, then,’ said Agatha cautiously.
    They set off again. Charles turned off a country lane near the captain’s house.
    ‘I don’t know how we’re going to spy on her,’ complained Agatha. ‘There’s that long drive past the farmhouse before you even get to the captain’s house.’
    ‘Don’t be defeatist. We’ll think of something. Look,’ said Charles, ‘if we trespass on the captain’s property and cross that field, we can hide in that stand of pine and get a good view of the entrance to the house.’
    ‘What if someone sees us! We’ll be awfully exposed crossing that field.’
    ‘We’ll risk it.’
    ‘What about the dogs?’
    ‘They like me.’
    ‘What excuse are we going to give if we’re caught?’
    ‘We’ll say we saw a rough-looking trespasser or one of those New Age travellers, and inspired by neighbourly duty we set across the field to clear them off.’
    ‘But –’
    ‘Come on , Aggie!’
    Reluctantly, Agatha set out next to him. Charles opened a gate into the field and shut the gate behind them. ‘We’ll take the path around the edge of the field,’ he said. ‘No harm in that. It’s when people walk across fields that the owners get mad.’
    They walked on, Agatha looking nervously all about her. She heaved a sigh of relief when they reached the stand of pine. Pine trees, thought Agatha; why couldn’t they have been some thicker variety of tree? They stood in the shelter of one of the sturdier pines.
    The entrance to the house was clearly visible. ‘Can I have a cigarette?’ asked Agatha after half an hour.
    ‘No,’ said Charles sharply. ‘Someone might see smoke rising from the trees and come to investigate.’
    ‘So how long are we going to stand here, freezing our assets?’
    ‘Shhh! Someone’s leaving.’
    As they watched, the tall figure of the captain emerged. He got into a dusty Land Rover, after, to Agatha’s relief, putting the dogs in the back. They watched as he drove off down the drive and disappeared along the road, leaving only a black cloud of filthy exhaust to mark his going.
    ‘Now what?’ muttered Agatha. ‘Is that the exciting event of the day?’
    ‘We wait to see if Lizzie Findlay makes a move.’
    Agatha craved a cigarette. If only she could quit and not be a slave to the beastly things. She peered up at the sky through the tops of the pines. ‘It’s getting darker, Charles. Sun’s gone in. Don’t you think we should get out of here before it rains?’
    ‘We waited this long. May as well wait a bit more.’
    After another three-quarters of an hour, Agatha felt cold and miserable. A sudden gust of wind rustled through the pines and she felt a drop of rain on her cheek.
    ‘That’s it,’ she said. ‘I’m off. I’m not waiting here to get pneumonia.’
    ‘Here she comes,’ whispered Charles.
    Lizzie Findlay emerged wearing an old wax coat and with a scarf over her head. She got into a battered Ford Escort carrying a small case, which she put on the seat beside her, and after fumbling around a bit, put on a pair of driving glasses.
    ‘Let her get down the drive,’ said Charles, excited, ‘and we’ll follow her.’
    As soon as the Ford had disappeared, Charles grabbed Agatha’s hand and forced her to