“So you think that Lewis Grant was responsible for all the thefts?” Sir James interrupted, looking absolutely appalled.
“I’d say so,” shrugged the Chief Constable. “The book was in the house, after all, and Kitor says the boy’s a magician …”
“I can’t believe it!” Sir James looked upset.
“I told you how the pieces were stolen, James,” Sir Archie reminded him, “and it all hangs together. They were stolen by magic and returned by magic. It’s the only explanation.”
“But why would he return them?” Janet MacLean asked, a puzzled look on her face.
“Maybe he got a fright when the police turned up on the doorstep?” Neil offered.
“I don’t see that it really adds up,” Sir James objected. “Now, he’s going round saving people’s lives!”
“That’s assuming that he is the Shadow,” John MacLean added.
“Well,” the Chief Constable put down his coffee cup and looked round the little group, “everyone we’ve interviewed has said, quite definitely, that the Shadow is a boy and there surely can’t be two boy magicians in Edinburgh at the same time, can there, Kitor?”
“I shouldn’t think so,” Kitor croaked, shaking his head.
“Kitor says he goes to George Heriot’s,” Clara offered.
“Heriot’s is just a temporary thing,” Sir James interrupted. “The family will all be moving up north come the New Year. Lewis will start school in Aberdeen at the start of next term.”
It was Archie Thompson’s turn to look surprised. “You know them, James?”
Sir James nodded. “Bob Grant was in my office just a few weeks ago. He’s been a friend of mine for years and his company has made a very generous donation to the pantomime.”
Neil looked thoughtful. “I don’t understand it,” he said. “You say they’ve just come back from the Middle East. So, how come Lewis knows about the MacArthurs? Clara and I wanted to make friends with him so that we could find out a bit more about him but dad wouldn’t let us.”
“I thought it best to wait until the MacArthurs came back before we did anything about him,” the Ranger said hastily. “After all, he might be a friend of theirs trying to get in touch with them and … well, I didn’t think it wise to interfere.” He paused. “After all, magic’s their business, not ours!”
The Chief Constable looked thoughtful. “You’re right, John,” he said. “If Lewis Grant has got himself involved in magic then the MacArthurs are the best people to deal with it.” He looked across at Sir James, “And, as the lad’s doing nothing but good these days, it might be best to keep things on hold until the MacArthurs get back.”
17. Skating on Thin Ice
Time slipped rapidly past, however, and it wasn’t until the day before the pantomime that the MacArthurs finally returned to Edinburgh.
By then, Clara and Neil were bubbling with excitement, for the dress rehearsal had gone really well and they just knew that Ali Baba was going to be the best Christmas show in town. They had, of course, no big part to play but were happy to be in most of the crowd scenes and had also been picked to act as pages to Matt Lafferty, the Grand Vizier to the Sultan, when he appeared on stage. They loved their costumes and the glitz, glamour and fun of taking part in such an exotic production.
Neil, however, still had niggling doubts about Murdo and Wullie so, on Saturday afternoon, they’d called their carpets and had gone back to Mary King’s Close.
Once again, Clara and Kitor watched anxiously from on high as the ghosts clustered round Neil. They were so frightful, so awful and so friendly!
“I listened to what they crooks were saying for quite a while the other day,” the old Codger said chattily to Neil, “and by the sound of it, I think they’re planning their robbery for Monday night.”
“Monday night?” Neil looked startled, for Monday night was the opening night of the pantomime.
The old Codger nodded.
“I really don’t understand it,” Neil said, looking doubtful. “My dad told me that they don’t keep money in that bank any more. I even checked it out with my teacher at school and she said exactly the same thing. It’s a museum, nowadays. They won’t get a penny!”
“You said that before,” the old Codger frowned, “but they’re still working away. There are three of them now, you know. The new fellow’s called Tammy somebody or other … Tammy Souter, I think the name was.”
“Three of them?” Neil was surprised. “We only met Wullie and Murdo!”