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empty.’
    Her aunt gazed at her, eyes wide. ‘Are you sure?’
    ‘There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight, and I know what empty looks like.’ She lowered her voice. ‘And someone finished my crossword.’
    ‘Finished your crossword? Oh, come on, Meggie, if you’re trying to scare me, you’re succeeding.’
    ‘No . . . really. There was one clue left that I hadn’t got. It’s been written in, but the slope of the handwriting is opposite to mine, as though the person was left-handed.’
    ‘So now we have a left-handed ghost that does crosswords. That’s a bit too far-fetched.’
    ‘Not a ghost but a burglar. I’m suggesting that someone has been in the house while we were absent. Doing cryptic crosswords is addictive. An unsolved clue would have been almost irresistible to anyone who enjoys doing them.’
    Her aunt took a rolling pin from the drawer. ‘We’d better have a look around the house before it gets totally dark. We’ll switch all the lights on.’
    When Meggie picked up the carving knife her sister said, ‘Put that back in the drawer. It could kill somebody.’
    ‘So could the rolling pin.’
    ‘Not if I hit him on the knee or calf. Besides, you don’t like blood, and that thing will have us wallowing in it. Bring the wooden spoon instead, you can use that in self-defence if you have to, but avoid hitting anyone on the head.’ She didn’t mince words. ‘Crack him one in the groin instead, men are vulnerable there.’
    ‘The giggle Meggie gave was from nerves rather than anything else. I imagine he’ll be gone by now, but can’t we wait for Leo to come home?’
    ‘That’s not for two hours. Come on, Meggie, be brave. I’m pretty sure you’re right and he’s gone. But we have to make sure.’
    Fully armed they headed out. The first thing they noticed was that the bolt on the door leading to the stairs down to the basement was unlocked. Her aunt shot the bolt across. ‘That’s always kept locked, but I’m not going down there to check on the door to the street in the dark. It’s full of creepy-crawlies.’
    They crept cautiously from room to room, switching on lights. The house proved to be empty of strangers.
    ‘Should we call the police?’
    ‘Not until Leo arrives home and we’ve listed everything that’s been stolen; I think his gold cufflinks are gone.’
    ‘What about that policeman . . . Blessing? Perhaps I could telephone him.’
    ‘Later. We’ll let Leo handle it. Men take more notice of men. Let’s drink our tea then we’ll start on the vegetables.’
    They were sipping their tea when her aunt placed her cup into the saucer, buried her face in her hands and began to cry.
    Meggie went to where she sat and slid an arm round her shoulder. ‘Don’t let this upset you, Aunt Es.’ She placed a hand over her aunt’s. ‘At least you were wearing your wedding and engagement rings, so he didn’t get those. And I was wearing my silver locket.’
    ‘We had such a lovely day together, and now this. It’s horrid to think that a complete stranger has violated my home and rifled through my things. Everything in the drawers was in disarray. I feel so . . . grubby. ’
    ‘He’s the grubby one, not you,’ Meggie said fiercely. ‘I wonder how he got in.’
    ‘The basement, I expect.’
    ‘He couldn’t have done. It was bolted from the inside. And you keep the door to the street bolted, too.’
    They gazed at each other and Esmé said almost inaudibly, ‘He must have found the key in the pot plant.’
    The sound of a key scraping in the lock made them both jump. Exchanging a look they picked up their weapons and headed for the hall at a run.
    ‘Leo, thank God it’s you.’
    ‘Yes . . . I managed to get off early.’ His vivid blue eyes sharpened when they took in Esmé’s face. His smile faded and he gazed at the rolling pin. ‘You look as though you’re about to flatten a cockroach. What’s happened, my lovely girl?’
    ‘We’ve been burgled. My jewellery box