Fire When Ready (Manor House Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

been possible before."
    She gestured at Rita, who showed no sign of giving up. "Rita Crumm and her Housewives League have contributed so much with their knitting and their collection of milk bottle caps and cigarette wrappers. Their constant efforts are vastly appreciated by the government, I can assure you all of that. But now we have the chance to take this one step further. A huge step further. Now we can help to save lives. Now we can help to bring our men and women home. Isn't that worth putting up with an ugly building for a while?"
    McNally, taking advantage of the crowd's indecision, spoke up. "It will only be for a year or two. Once the war is over, we can change it into something else. Maybe a theatre, or a club house where ye can all have some fun."
    "Or pull it down," someone yelled.
    "Yeah, it's too bloody ugly," someone else added.
    "We'll remodel it," McNally promised them. "Once the boys come back from the war they'll be glad to give us a hand. Between us we'll make this building so grand no one will ever remember what it was before. We'll call it Victory Hall, or Victory Theatre, or whatever it turns out to be. It will stand as a memorial for all the sacrifices and hard work you people will have put into it."
    The voices in the crowd were now tinged with excitement. Rita, however, was not about to give up. Shouting to be heard above the crowd, she yelled, "You haven't heard the last of this, Douglas McNally! We will not put our children in danger! We will not rest until we shut you down!" She gestured violently in the air and managed to raise a weak cheer from her group.
    No one else appeared to be taking any notice of her, however. Seizing the moment, Elizabeth snatched the scissors from the hands of the terrified young girl who held them and snipped the blue ribbon in half.
    Raising the gleaming shears above her head, she called out, "I now pronounce this establishment open. May all who work here be productive and happy. God bless England, and God save the King!"
    "England and the King!" the crowd roared back.
    "Thank heavens," Elizabeth said, handing the scissors to McNally. "I was afraid we were going to have a riot on our hands. We appear to have weathered that particular storm rather nicely."
    "Maybe," McNally said, his face now grave. "I said nought about this before, ye ladyship, because I didna want to worry you. But I'm afraid there could be a bigger storm on the horizon."
    Elizabeth stared at him in concern. "What do you mean?"
    McNally gestured at the crowd. "What I mean," he said slowly, "is that someone out there wants rather desperately to see me dead and buried. And I have not the slightest doubt he means business."

CHAPTER
    3
    The shock of McNally's words took Elizabeth's breath away. "Surely you must be mistaken," she said, when she could finally speak again. "I know the villagers have concerns about the factory, but I find it difficult to accept that someone feels strongly enough about it to go to such great lengths as murder."
    "Aye, I hope you're right." McNally looked over his shoulder to see if his two assistants were listening. After satisfying himself that they were engrossed in conversation with each other, he said quietly, "I've been getting letters. Pushed through my letterbox by someone's hand. They're not signed, and they all say the same thing: Pull down the factory or prepare to meet my Maker."
    "Oh, dear. How very upsetting." Elizabeth struggledwith common sense. "I'm quite sure the letters are just an attempt to frighten you into closing down the factory. I have no doubt the author of them has no intention of carrying out such a ridiculous threat. People say a lot of things they don't mean when they are agitated about something."
    "I hope you're right." McNally stared bleakly across the heads of the people milling around. "I just wish they could see the benefits of this business, instead of concentrating on the pitfalls. This factory will bring money into the town. New life.