Double Danger (18 page)

‘Thank you,’ Dr Plockton said. And with a sigh, he lifted the phone.

* * *

‘Please don’t take us back to Hilltop House. He’ll be there,’ the children cried out in terror at Mr Brown’s suggestion.

‘Don’t worry. No harm will come to you,’ he said. ‘I’ll be there at your side all the time. But we must confront him with your mother there – although she might not believe us. He’ll just deny everything, you see.’

They saw, all right. Their mother had never believed anything bad about Patrick O’Rourke before. And so they were driven back up to Hilltop House. In the kitchen they found Patrick O’Rourke and Jessica.

‘Where on earth have you been?’ Jessica said. ‘Patrick has been searching everywhere for you. It’s very naughty of you to disappear like that.’

Tommy cried out, ‘Patrick has been trying to kill me.’

Jessica sighed and shook her head.

‘Don’t talk nonsense, Tommy. Especially about somebody who’s always been so kind and good to you.’

‘It’s not nonsense, Mummy. He chased me and Fiona into a cottage down on the other side of the hill and then set fire to it. But we escaped through a loft window and got to the schoolhouse. But he’s burned the old lady to death in the cottage.’

Jessica turned to Douglas Brown.

‘I’m sorry if you’ve been taken in by all this and had to drive all the way up here. The twins, especially Tommy, have always had a very vivid imagination, and I’m afraid recently, because of all the work in the house and the garden, I’ve been paying more attention to Patrick than to them. They’ve obviously been jealous. Patrick wouldn’t hurt a fly.’

Douglas Brown said, ‘I believe the children, Mrs Anderson, and I’ve phoned the police.’

‘Oh no,’ Jessica gasped. ‘How could you, Mr Brown? On the word of two little children. Well, I can assure you, I’ll back Patrick and I’ll tell the police what a load of wicked nonsense all this is.’ She turned to Patrick. ‘I’m so sorry, Patrick.’

Patrick gave her one of his gentle, charming smiles.

‘There’s no need to worry. I forgive them.’

Jessica said, ‘I’m really surprised at you, Mr Brown, believing the children’s outrageous story without the slightest proof.’

Patrick said, ‘I’ve never been near that cottage in my life. I’ve seen it in the distance from here but that’s all.’

It was then that Fiona remembered and shouted out,

‘The key. He put it in his pocket. The key of the cottage.’

Quick as a flash and before Patrick’s hand even reached his pocket, Douglas Brown had pounced on him and snatched the old-fashioned key from him. Patrick turned to run but Douglas Brown felled him with only one karate kick.

It was only after the police had arrived and escorted the furious and vehemently cursing Patrick O’Rourke away that Jessica was able to speak. She stood holding the twins close to her and said to Douglas Brown,

‘How can I ever thank you? You’ve saved my children’s lives.’

Suddenly she burst into tears. ‘How could I have been so foolish?’

Douglas Brown came over and his comforting arms enfolded her and the children.

‘You’re not foolish. You’re a good and loving mother. O’Rourke can put on an unusually charming manner and I’ve no doubt the police will discover other people he’s taken advantage of in the past.’ He smiled. ‘If it’s any comfort to you, you’ve still got me. Charmless, no doubt, but at least you can trust me.’

‘Oh Mr Brown …’

‘Don’t you think it’s time you called me Douglas?’

‘Yes, Douglas. And please call me Jessica.’

She managed to smile through her tears, especially when the children began jumping up and down with excitement and delight.

‘Can we call you Douglas too?’

‘Well,’ he said smiling, ‘perhaps Uncle Douglas.’

They clapped their hands now as they jumped up and down.

‘Uncle Douglas. Uncle Douglas,’ they sang out and Jessica couldn’t help laughing.

It was then she realised that Douglas Brown’s arms were still around her and she liked the strong, comforting feel of them. She said half to him and half to herself,

‘I never thought I’d feel happy again.’

‘Oh, you will from now on,’ Douglas Brown assured her, and held her even closer.

Other B&W titles by Margaret Thomson Davis

THE BREADMAKERS SAGA

THE NEW BREADMAKERS

THE CLYDESIDERS TRILOGY

THE TOBACCO LORDS TRILOGY

A DARKENING OF THE HEART

THE DARK SIDE OF PLEASURE

BURNING AMBITION

THE GLASGOW BELLE

LIGHT & DARK

WRITE FROM THE HEART

A DEADLY DECEPTION

GOODMANS OF GLASSFORD STREET

RED ALERT

THE KELLYS OF KELVINGROVE

First published 2009

by Black & White Publishing Ltd

29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL

www.blackandwhitepublishing.com

This electronic edition published in 2013

ISBN: 978 1 84502 648 6 in EPub format

ISBN: 978 1 84502 649 3 in Mobipocket format

ISBN: 978 1 84502 325 6 in paperback format

Copyright © Margaret Thomson Davis 2009

The right of Margaret Thomson Davis to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Ebook compilation by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay