A Tea for the Tillerman Acte 4 Final

A Tea for the Tillerman

Acte 4

 

A Most Curious Conclusion

 

A slow sinking feeling came over me as I saw the distraughtly gutted look in Ginny’s eyes as she realized the fancy necklace she had been wearing had somehow fallen away and had been lost.

 

We both immediately began to look down around her feet.

 

Finding nothing Ginny looks up at me with worried eyes, her fingers still stroking her sheath dress’s high neckline. I tell her soothingly…

 

“Need to retrace your steps luv, since the last time you knew it was still there. That’s probably the best course of action.”

 

“I don’t remember…” she said panic-stricken.

 

I thought hard, not an easy thing to do with the after-effects of a bit too much alcoholic drink. Then my eyes lit up as I hit upon it.

 

You still had it on when I left you at the pagoda to visit the loo.

 

“I left there when I started looking for you, Cade. Cor Blimey, been back to the house, and everywhere in between since haven’t I?” She told me this with a miserably unhappy sigh. “I would really hate to have lost that .”

 

Taking her arm we then began retracing her steps in backorder, searching the ground in vain until we finally, now quite dejected, made it back to the still deserted pagoda.

 

We began to search the area in a now desperate manner. But nothing sparkled that would have given away the lost

necklaces hiding spot.

 

Ginny came over to me.

 

I watched, her black satin Qipao sheath dress with the green lining flowing elegantly along her figure, the rhinestone dragon with the emerald eyes shimmering. It was a shame that someone looking that pretty should be so sad I thought with pity.

 

“Would Cleo have gone off with it?” I pondered aloud as I squatted, peering under the steps.

 

“That Estella scared him off,” Ginny said from the other side of the pagoda.

 

“Estella?” I asked

 

“ She was with Claire, and that odd lady who I told you was taking to Cassie.”

 

“Estella had intentionally scared away poor Cleo and then went chasing after the poor thing.

 

What about” Wood Bead Lady? I asked

 

Ginny half-heartedly snickered. “ I like that name.”

 

Then went on…

 

“She sat down, literally right next to me. Claire reached over wanting me to hold her. Which I did. We chatted for a bit. Estella came back alone, and stood behind me teasing Claire.”

 

“It was then I decided to head off to find you. Leaving your “Wood Bead Lady, whom I handed Claire back to, and Estella there.

 

“That lady sure is an odd one, Dontcha think?” Ginny commented.

 

I arose, agreeing with her, my mind racing. Something was nagging at it, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of what it was. All I could focus on really was trying to help my friend find that errant necklace of hers.

 

“It’s not here, is it?” Ginny said with a miserable tone of voice.

 

I went over and reassuringly hugged her.

 

“ Let’s go find my mum. Maybe someone found it and turned it over to her. Wouldn’t it be funny if we spent all this time looking and she had it all the while?”

 

This cheered her up, and we began to walk back, a bit more happy and hopeful.

 

==========================

 

We passed the lady in purple silk who was drinking wine as she chatted away with several other ladies.

 

Gone was the “Wood Bead Lady” and her gang of followers.

 

The ladies turned to us as we passed.

 

I stared with an open mouth…

 

Gone also was the lady in purple silk’s diamond and sapphire necklace!

 

The other two were surprisingly not wearing necklaces either, and one, wearing an old satin and lace wedding dress, I could have sworn had been wearing a rather handsome pearl choker!?

 

“Cheers, “ they said to us

 

“Cheers” Ginny answered back half-heartedly

 

But I didn't answer. My attention had been pulled away, as the several things I had observed recently tried to click together in my mind, but it was like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces.

 

We were almost at the table when Cassie caught up with us and greeted Ginny. I was looking away, watching mum straighten a few things at the tables. Her necklace sparkled as she bent over.

 

Then I spotted Estella carrying Claire over to mum.

 

Claire reached out her arms to be picked up. Mum stopped what she was doing, reached down, and lifted her. Then she was hugged and patted by my mum as she spoke to the caterer. While sneaky Estella watched from alongside them.

 

Claire’s mother Clarice had just then come up to join them.

 

I gasped upon seeing that little Clair had that quickly unclasped and was now holding the ends of mum’s diamond necklace in one hand.

 

As her mother pulled her away, Claire let go and I saw the necklace fall inside the front of my Mum’s dress. She was wearing a full silk slip which must have prevented her from feeling it siding down.

 

I saw it plop out and fall to the ground between her shimmery silver sandals.

 

With relief, I saw Estella bend down to the ground behind mum to retrieve it.

 

Relief turned to horror as I then saw Estella, instead of handing the diamond necklace over, quickly walking off with it, unnoticed by the others.

 

I gasped, hand to my throat, too frozen in disbelief to act.

 

Estella disappeared behind a tall hedge that blocked the portable toilets the guests were using, from sight.

 

It was then I saw the “Wood Bead Lady” coming from around the side corner of our house. And also disappeared behind the same hedge.

 

Then, that quickly the Wood Bead Lady appeared from the hedge on the side Estella had entered.

 

Remembering the game, I assumed that Estella had handed the diamond necklace off to her. The lady’s actions appeared to confirm that.

 

She had stopped, and I could see her looking at Mum, who was still chatting away, clueless as to what was going on.

 

Then the “Wood Bead Lady” saw me gaping at her.

 

With a start, she held up her skirt turned, and moved off across the green towards the gardens. I knew then she was heading for the thicker ring of woods that borders our property on the other side.

 

No one except me has been paying any attention to what was happening.

 

Wood Bead Lady” had almost entered the gardens before I finally was able to give a warning voice to Ginny over the situation.

 

“Hurry, she may be getting away with them” I snapped, grabbing a puzzled Ginny by the arm.

 

I started to apologize to Cassie that we had to go when suddenly I was gobsmacked. Cassie no longer was wearing a necklace either!

 

 

From behind me, I heard a bewildered Ginny ask...

 

“Who is getting away with what?”

 

I turned and nodded in the direction of the fleeing lady.

 

“Wood Bead Lady, No time to explain” I yelled behind me as I pulled Ginny away.

 

We began weaving in and out of quests, leaving bewildered ladies in our wake.

 

I saw Mrs. Shannon directly ahead and gently moved her away.

 

“Hello Cade, what's up?”

 

“Explain later” I called out over my shoulder

 

I looked back at her and gulped, Mrs. Shannon was no longer wearing what had been her rather expensive ruby necklace. Nor was Gabriella wearing hers…

 

I swore under my breath as I remembered what I had seen by the wrought iron bench in my secret garden. I pictured the lady we were pursuing, Estella, and little Claire playing what I had thought was a game of keep away using their necklaces...

 

“Bloody hell am I a twit, it had not been a game played merely to amuse a young child.” Claire had been a pawn, groomed to be the necklace-lifting “Finger Smith” to use an old pickpocketing term. I was now swearing to myself not to have caught on sooner.

 

“Perfect gambit. If wee Claire was caught removing your necklace, the assumption was merely a young child playing and accidentally undoing my necklace. . The victim would twitter to the tyke teasing her as you silly dickens, while the necklace was retrieved and the young miss Claire would be hugged for being so precious.

 

Buggers, if I haven’t seen them play acting in the secret garden, I’d have thought the same if it had been me. But I probably would not have been one to catch on, and have lost my necklace as a result, as Ginny had.“

 

I thought all this as Ginny and I was scurrying our way through the garden as fast as our heels would let us.

 

We reached the outer edge of the garden, a green space of about 28 meters, only to see the thief had run into the woods ahead. I caught a glimpse of her using the well-worn dirt path that led through them. The path would eventually be ending up in an old cemetery with the road(Abbots Chase Lane)on its outskirts.

 

When we finally reached that path and entered the cool woods, all was quiet. No sound or sign of the lady thief. We removed our heels and slowed to an uncomfortable walk...

 

I warned Ginny as she walked beside me.

“Keep your eyes open”

 

“So could you at least tell me now what's going on? She asked

 

“I think that Wood Bead Lady has mum's necklace, and I strongly suspect she has yours also. Along with the Shannons and who knows how many other necklaces she got that Mum’s guests were wearing. I told her in between gasps of now quite labored breaths.

 

Ginny stopped me with a gasp, a hand to her breast...asking...

 

“Cadence, are you saying my necklace was not lost but nicked?”

 

I nodded, “ By the Wood Bead Lady I repeated.”

 

“ How did she manage all that?” Ginny asked, her turn to be gobsmacked.

 

“She had a helper. “

 

I moved Ginny on, continuing the pursuit, slow as it was. I explained in a hushed voice what all I had observed, as we walked on.

 

================

 

After what felt like an hour, but only had really been ten minutes, we finally reach the cemetery. Looking around we see nothing moving. All is eerily still and silent.

 

We had just begun moving in along the path when suddenly Ginny swore very loudly and grabbed my shoulder. “Bloody well twisted an ankle!” She wailed quite loudly.

 

I led her off to the side of the path. “Here sit on this bench,” I instructed her as I helped her down.

 

“Go on..” she screeched aloud, wincing In pain massaging her ankle.

 

I went on alone, cautiously, leaving my whimpering friend behind.

 

I felt a bit more vulnerable now that some of the excitement of the chase appeared gone, and I was now alone. Though my adrenaline was still making my heart beat fast.

 

I passed by a mausoleum, catching my reflection in the mirror.

 

“All dressed up and alone.” I thought fearfully to myself. “What a wicked turn of events.”

 

Reaching an open gate on the other side I go out onto a small parking lot.

 

Which lets out on the paved road that intersects the road our house is on. I hear a car's tyres screech off in the distance.

 

Miserably I admit to myself

“I think we lost her”

 

And with her had gone mums diamonds Ginny's pendent, Mrs. Shannon's and her daughter rubies, that innocent lady's sapphire necklace, Cassie’s diamond garnet necklace, and who knew what other guests had lost their expensive necklaces to Claire's seemingly innocent hugs...

 

If only I had been quicker on the uptake I sighed as with my mind's eye I pictured little Claire hugging mum and the terribly unsettling aftermath.

 

Now totally feeling both dejected and depressed, I turn and make out way back to Ginny waiting alone in the cemetery.

 

>>>>>>>>

 

 

I made it back to the stone bench, only to find it empty

 

I hear a familiar voice whimper close by…

 

It was Ginny!

 

I move off and from behind a tree saw down into a small gully

 

There I see the “Wood Bead lady” holding a knife to Ginny's chest as her free hand was eagerly removing my friend's remaining emeralds.

 

She had already taken Ginny's emerald earrings and was now gleefully stuffing her emerald bracelet, down inside her purse. As I saw them. She then began working off Ginny's pretty ring, saying wickedly to her victim in the process.

 

“ Find the catered private parties, I always say, they have nice stuff with easy pickings, like this one, wouldn't you agree dearie?

Heard about this one from two school girls flapping their whiney lips on a city double-decker about having to work here as caterers.

Then I found that simply precious little one and her gullible sneaky friend, who I was able to use in acquiring several of these rich twits necklaces. Yours was the first my sweet. Didn’t feel a thing did you? Well, none of ‘em did, so engrossed in playing with the young ‘un weren’t they now. When I finished that game by playing it on that Shannon broad, I left the tyke in the hands of Estella. Then I paid a “visit” inside the house to find the ladies' bedrooms. That’s where the good stuff usually can be found. Pity the Hostess was wearing the good diamonds, but I found enough in her jewel case to compensate, and in her cheeky daughters also. Cleaned them both out., did it I ” she cackled with delight.

 

I gasped inwardly, heart sinking, remembering I had left my case open. All my jewellery, including the rings and bracelet I had taken off, had been stolen. And all of my mum’s pretties also….

 

 

The “Wood Bead Lady“ continues as she finished working off the emerald ring from Ginny’s finger and plopped it into her purse. She began to methodically paw a shaking Ginny over checking that nothing had been missed as she happily smirked to herself…

 

“Was quite hard to pass up the opportunity of acquiring that far too lovely diamond necklace the Hostess was so alluringly wearing, just begging to be plucked off. Funny, when I was going through her bedroom, I was fantasizing that she would have to come into the house for something so I could…but she didn’t. So I had to have one more look at the pretty things before leaving…Didn’t I?… Wait now….What was that?”

 

As I listened in, with a deep sinking feeling, I move back, my expression shows that I’m desperately thinking of a way out of this.

I end up stepping on a twig in the process, the sharp crack it makes giving me away.

 

The Wood Bead Lady” stopped talking and immediately looked towards the source of the sound she had heard.

 

Seeing me, “Wood Bead Lady” grabs Ginny. Pulling my struggling friend tightly up against her, now holding the knife to Ginny’s throat.

 

“Wood Bead Lady” snarls at me, her lip raising like a bulldog. Her words dripping with a coveting wickedness

 

“Welcome here my pretty one. Should have let me go. Come down now and join your friend my sweet and let me have

another close peek of your pretty party dress.”

 

She beckons me to come down with the knife.

 

“Then I'll make you a bit more comfortable. It must be hot walking around weighed down with all those lovely jewels your a wearin! “

 

I took a step back, Ginny smirks, giving me a wink as the “Wood Bead Lady” continues.

 

“Don't run away love. I have your friend, and if you don’t want any harm to befall her…”

 

 

She left her sentence dangling, her focus now entirely on me, and off from her now still captive.

 

A bit encumbered by the tight-fitting Qipao dress, Ginny had slowly positioned her legs. I saw her take a deep breath, and in a fluid motion grabbed the lady's arm and with a yell that resounded loudly through the cemetery, neatly backflipped her, In a perfectly executed jit Jitsu move.

 

The knife had flown from the thief's hand clattering against the side of a gravestone.

 

Not at all surprised, I had kept my wits, As I quickly moved down into the gully and quickly snatched it up.

 

Walking over to her prone, dazed figure, I spit out my words with a great deal of relief and satisfaction as I pick up her weighty purse...

 

“Wood Bead Lady’s” eyes were opened wide, watching me while she lay sprawled out on the ground. as I spoke.

 

“If you hadn't been such a greedy bitch, luv, you would have gotten clean away with your little scheme. You went “a bridge too far” as the saying goes by having Estella going for me Mum’s diamonds. That’s when My cheeky ass finally caught on, otherwise, you would have got away scot-free with the jewels!”

 

Ginny comes over and hugs me. I opened the “Wood Bead Lady’s” purse and hearing the lady thief moan, I continued…

 

And really ‘DEARIE’ was it worth it being unscrupulous enough to take the jewellery from innocent children like Claire and Gabriella! Ginny figured you would hide like the coward you are, and came up with the idea to fake the hurt ankle. Figuring she would present an easy-looking victim, the kind you obviously prefer, whose shiny emeralds would be a far too tempting lure to bring you out of hiding. Ginny is a pretty damn good actress wouldn't you say!?”

 

The lady just moans more. I open the purse so Ginny and I can have a look.

 

Our eyes bulged as we take in the not small pile of expensively glistening jewelry inside.

 

At that moment We all hear the tyres of a car crunching in the parking lot. Soon I hear the welcome voices of papa and my brother calling out.

 

It must have been his car I head heard the screeching of it’s tyres off in the distance.

 

It was a happy reunion, and a relief to see the “Wood Bead Lady” being led off wearing papa’s cuffs.

 

As an addendum, I have to admit I had it wrong.

 

It was discovered that the weaselly Estella, had indeed been helping the “Wood Bead Lady” with her scheme by standing behind a lady holding Claire, waiting to snatch up the dropped necklace.

 

But, when the “Wood Bead Lady” had disappeared after taking Mrs. Shannon’s rubies ( to break in and pilfer our bedrooms) Estella then started to use Claire’s game to her own advantage. First to acquire Gabrielle’s ruby necklace, then apparently boldly upping her game by going for Mum’s diamonds.

 

This became clear after it was discovered that Mum’s Diamond necklace was not inside the “Wood Bead Lady’s “ handbag.

 

Estella was questioned, caught in a lie, and eventually admitted she had sold both necklaces in a pawn shop for £25. They were both recovered.

 

So it was just a coincidence that the two passed by each other behind the Hedge.

 

A coincidence that I happened to have seen, and was probably the only reason the “Wood Bead Lady” was caught red-handed with the jewels.

 

Fini

 

Done