The Wild Wood Enquiry by Ann Purser

tried! She was sure her cooking would work the same magic with Gus.
    As she thought of the afternoon’s drama, it occurred to her to wonder what on earth Ivy had been doing in the woods, leaving Roy in the road by himself. Neither of them had wanted to talk about it, and all they had really discussed was the weather. Had their expedition had anything to do with that horrible hand? It was quite possible Ivy had decided to take a look herself. So Enquire Within was already on the case.
    Miriam felt in her pocket to check on the earring. She should put it somewhere safe, in case it, too, disappeared. Perhaps she should have mentioned it to Ivy and Roy. After all, it was surely an important piece of evidence. Well, it had slipped her mind in the emergency to be dealt with. She would show it to Gus and ask his advice. A good reason for going next door.
    Gus had just switched on the radio for the news when he saw Miriam approach. Oh no, he groaned, not more temptation. This afternoon had gone swimmingly with Deirdre, and he would have been quite happy with a sandwich and something good on the telly. But no, here she was, tapping at his kitchen window.
    “Supper, Miriam? Thank you so much, but I had a huge lunch and I think I shall fast for the rest of the day.” He began to shut the door, but she put her foot against it. “Well, if you don’t want supper, perhaps you’d like to see what I picked up in the woods this afternoon,” she blurted out.
    “Not another dead hand!” said Gus, and immediately regretted his lapse.
    “No joke,” she said, backing out. “And I’m sure you can manage a coffee and jam tarts still warm from the oven.”
    “Fine,” said Gus with a sigh. “Five minutes, then.”

Sixteen

    MIRIAM RETURNED AROUND six o’clock bearing a tray, on which she had placed a plate of jam tarts and a pot of coffee. Gus saw with a sinking heart that there were also neatly cut sandwiches and two mugs, two plates.
    “I was feeling a bit lonesome,” Miriam said, smiling tentatively at him. “Hope you don’t mind a bit of company for an hour or so?”
    He thought of saying he minded very much indeed but was disarmed by her anxiously smiling face. “Of course not,” he said as kindly as he could manage. “We can’t have you feeling lonely. The Budds are out, I suppose?”
    “I’ve got another reason to be here rather than there,” Miriam said. “As I said, I have something to show you. Here, look what I found in the woods, just where we saw the hand. Roy asked me to look for Ivy in the woods, and I happened to pass the place, so thought I’d have a quick search. It was under quite a pile of dead leaves, and I shouldhave missed it but for the twinkly stone. Do you think it’s a diamond?”
    “Could be,” said Gus slowly, looking closely at the earring.
    Miriam noticed that his usual good colour had gone from his face, and he was now very pale. “Gus? Are you okay?”
    He shook his head and handed the earring back to Miriam with a shaking hand.
    “What is it? For heaven’s sake, Gus, tell me what’s the matter? Is it something I said?”
    Gus shook his head and shivered. “No, my dear,” he said, with obvious effort. “It’s just that, well, I gave those earrings to Kath on the eve of our wedding. She wore them on the day and was always very fond of them.”
    For once, Miriam was at a loss for words. “Oh my God,” she said finally. “Does it mean that the hand we saw belonged to… Oh no, Gus, don’t say that! I don’t know whether she was wearing them when she arrived, and I didn’t see her at all the morning she vanished again. This could have been an earring belonging to another woman, surely?”
    Gus nodded miserably. “I doubt it,” he said. “And most unlikely to be in the middle of the woods in darkest Suffolk.” He sighed deeply. “Oh dear, Miriam, I’m afraid my appetite’s completely gone.”
    Miriam was having none of this and encouraged him with stories of jewellery