The Hayloft. A 1950s Mystery

compare the typed sample from Ed’s typewriter to the copy of the limerick, using the magnifying glass. I was becoming an expert at this. Within a couple of minutes, I found four distinct differences in the typing. So the limerick definitely hadn’t been typed on Ed’s typewriter.

    CHAPTER 24
    As I got out of my car the next morning in the high school parking lot, Sylvia came striding up, looking upset. I had arrived later than usual, and her bus had beaten me. I quickly glanced around to make sure that Dr. Graves or somebody who might be one of his spies wasn’t watching us.
    Without preamble, she said, “I need to know what’s going on with us.”
    “What’s going on?” I asked, suddenly feeling guilty without knowing exactly what I was feeling guilty about.
    “First you stand me up at my house without telling me you can’t come. Then Barney calls me and asks me to the autumn dance and says it’s all right because you’re taking Kate Drucquer. Kate Drucquer. Who the hell is Kate Drucquer? The only thing I know about Kate Drucquer is that she’s Ed’s sister. I’m not sure I would even recognize her if I tripped over her in the hall.”
    “She’s my cousin.”
    “The whole damn world is your cousin. Don’t tell me she’s your cousin. I know about kissing cousins.”
    I had some explaining to do. First I apologized for not telling Sylvia I wasn’t going to her house. It had completely slipped my mind. Then I explained to her that it was my idea of how we could be together without arousing Aunt Dorothy or Dr. Graves. I didn’t tell her that Kate had extorted the promise that I would take her to the dance in exchange for helping me find the necklace map. That would make it sound as if I had justified my actions after the fact by rationalizing that it would get Sylvia and me together. Although of course this was close to the truth.
    After some talking, Sylvia seemed to soften a little. I asked her if she had said yes to Barney.
    “Of course I did. I’ve never missed the autumn dance, and I don’t intend to start now in my senior year. And Barney’s a good dancer. Besides, I have to keep an eye on you and Kate Drucquer. I remember who she is now. She doesn’t look a thing like Ed. She’s much too good looking to be your cousin.”
    “Thanks for the compliment.”
    “My pleasure. Now give me a kiss before we are again torn asunder by the winds of fate.”
    ***
    Ed tackled me at lunch time. He had no sooner set his tray of food down opposite mine when he said, “You’d better be nice to Katie.”
    Surprised because he had never shown an interest in her welfare before in my presence, I said, “I’ve always been nice to her.”
    “You know what I mean. I know what you and Natalie were doing in the hay fort and it wasn’t math homework.”
    I looked around to see if anybody was close enough to hear Ed speak Natalie’s name. It was a good thing that the noise level in the cafeteria was high and that the haunting strains of “Where is Your Heart?” from the movie Moulin Rouge , issued forth from the jukebox and made it even higher. Could that song be an indictment of me? I shushed Ed and told him I would take good care of Kate.
    I had something I wanted to talk to Ed about. “We agreed to wait until the hay bales are gone before we look for the necklace, but I wonder if that’s a good idea. Anything can happen to it. The bales may get taken out when I’m not around and one of the farmhands may find it. Maybe you and I should continue what I started and dig down to the northwest corner.” I accented the word “northwest.”
    Ed looked off into space. He fidgeted. He put a bite of the goulash on his plate into his mouth and took his time chewing and swallowing it. Finally he spoke. “It’s supposed to be well hidden. That would be a lot of work. I think we can wait until spring.”
    So he wasn’t willing to admit his lie. He didn’t trust me. Actually, it was more than that. All he wanted me for was to alert him when the hay bales were removed. Then he would sneak up to the hayloft when nobody was there and find the necklace. And keep it for himself. And lie to me about finding it.
    I prompted him several times, giving him a chance to admit the truth, but he didn’t break character. I had found out what I wanted to know.
    ***
    “I thought you brought me up here to neck with me, but now you want to put me to work.”
    I was gratified to realize that Sylvia wasn’t entirely