Chapter Eleven
It could have been argued that having six people to search such a small house was going a bit far; but Phryne argued that everyone in the world had a different idea of what was valuable, and would look at the problem differently.
Two cars therefore pulled up chez von Meier on Saturday morning. The police car disgorged Sergeant Collins and one half of Fisher & Williams, Lady Detectives; the Hispano-Suiza executed a stylish swerve into its space (in the opinion of the driver), and Miss Fisher and the Detective Inspector descended, as well as Mr Butler and Lin Soo.
Bert had offered to bring his crowbar to deal with any awkward doors, but was asked instead to accept a day's cab takings to give up his Saturday morning to Elizabeth Jane.
(He pretended to protest, and everyone pretended to believe him.)
When they gained entrance (this time with the assistance of an entirely legal key) they split into pairs. Phryne couldn't face the sitting room, so Mr B and Soo took that challenge on. Hugh and Dot opted to cast a knowledgeable eye over the servants' quarters and started assiduously removing the lids of pots in the larder. Jack and Phryne tossed a coin and therefore headed back to the master bedroom first.
The bed had been stripped, so checking the mattress was the obvious first task; drawing a blank there, Jack took the wardrobe and Phryne the dressing table. Drawers of both interpretations were examined from all angles. Suit linings were methodically felt through, and the shortcomings of cleaners were discovered on the top of the furniture.
Half an hour later, Phryne slumped back on to the mattress and was about to suggest they try the guest bedroom next, when Mr Butler was heard to call from downstairs.
"Miss Fisher? Miss Williams? Inspector? Sergeant?"
The thundering of footsteps on the stairs and through the green baize door heralded the arrival of the policemen and their spouses.
"Mr Butler!" exclaimed Phryne. "Don't tell me you've found them?"
He only raised his eyebrows with a knowing smile, and ushered them all into the room, where Lin Soo was sitting composedly on the couch, wearing her most inscrutable expression.
"But, Mr B, the curtains are drawn!" complained Dot. "How can you work when it's mostly dark?"
She moved to the windows and grasped the heavy red velvet.
"No, Miss Williams," Mr Butler held up a hand to stop her, and she looked at him, confused.
Soo spoke up. "I think we will solve the problem by switching on the lights."
The others stood, mystified, for a second; then Phryne walked across to the mantelpiece, at each end of which sat a small lamp. She tugged the pendant that hung from it, and the room was afforded a little illumination. She glanced around the room, but no safe full of jewels was miraculously revealed.
Mirroring her action, Dot lit the matching lamp at the other end of the mantelpiece; Phryne watched her action, and suddenly caught her breath. Turning back to her own lamp, she examined the pendant more closely.
It was a teardrop-shaped chunk of red glass, with clear glass beads leading to the lamp itself; but, although the grease of hands had dulled its lustre, she quickly saw that this was neither red nor clear glass; rather, they were rubies and diamonds.
"The earrings!" she whispered excitedly.
Jack narrowed his eyes, and looked to Soo with a question. She smiled a little and nodded, and he went to the wall switch.
A moment later, the room was flooded with light from the overly ornate chandelier.
The overly ornate chandelier with its central circle of red and clear 'glass'.
Dot's hand went to her mouth, and she sat down rather suddenly on legs that had become rather cotton-woolly.
"The tiara?"
Mr Butler pursed his lips. "I confess, Miss, that having caught on to the idea of hiding in-plain-sight, we have yet to work out where the tiara might be."
The room fell silent as everyone racked their brains for ways to hide a tiara in plain sight.
After a few minutes, Hugh Collins cleared his throat nervously.
"Yes, Collins?" asked Jack.
"Well, I was just thinking, sir – you wear a tiara on your head."
"Yes, you do," Jack confirmed. He wanted to encourage his sergeant, but genuinely had no idea where this idea was going.
"Well, sir … is there a cloakroom?"
They took seconds to process the thought, and then practically jammed shoulders in the doorway as they raced back to the hall.
The cloakroom had little to show for itself – a raincoat and a greatcoat; an old-fashioned Homburg and a box for a gentleman's top hat.
Mr Butler, being the tallest, reached it down from its shelf and with hands that barely shook at all, undid the button securing the lid.
They gazed inside to see – what was indeed, a slightly elderly but still quite serviceable topper.
Everyone tried not to look at Hugh Collins, who was horribly deflated; but then Lin Soo sneaked under his elbow and reached into the box to lift out the hat. She then turned it upside down, and looked inside; and gave a cat-like smile, before handing the hat to Hugh.
He looked, and gasped, and chortled; then turned the inside of the hat to face the others.
It would probably have been a little heavier than normal to wear, but there was plenty of room inside the crown of the topper for a diamond tiara.
Lin Soo's hands now being free, she found them grasped in both of Mr Butler's, who drew her to him. He whispered in her ear.
"You, my dear, are astonishing."
Then he kissed her. Very soundly, and in full view of Everyone.
Everyone appeared to view the matter as no more than an average occurrence in the context of the past few minutes, and after a couple of seconds, remembered that the curtains were still needing drawn back and the lights switched off in the sitting room, and left them to get on with it.