The Christmas Mansion Mystery ( Part Nine )

When Jack Rydell came round from the blow on the head, everything was hazy, he could hear voices, but they sounded like they were in a
soundproof room. He tried to look around, wondering where he was,
but the room kept spinning, so he kept still.

It wasn't long before a nurse came over and spoke. “Ah! So you're
with us now, it's good to see you've woken up. You had a pretty bad
bang on the head, when you came in. So how are you feeling?”

There was only one way Jack could answer that question, “It's my
head, everything's going round when I move and my ears have gone
fuzzy.”

“Now you lay back down,” said the nurse. “The doctor said it's
concussion. Just out of interest, do you remember your name?”

“Yes! It's Jack Rydell.”

“Good and what about your date of birth?”

“February 10th 1937.” Replied Jack.

“Well it looks like your memory's fine. So how about a cup of tea, or
coffee?” asked the nurse.

“A cup of tea would be fine thank you.” said Jack. Lying there, he
stared around the ward, touching his head, finding a bandage wrapped
around it. His eyes started to clear slightly, but the lump on his head
throbbed badly.

There were a couple of old men in the beds opposite his, one old guy
was asleep, the other was coughing a lot, which reminded Jack, he
needed a cigarette badly.

The nurse came back with his tea, “do you want sugar with that tea?”

“Yeah two lumps please.” said Jack.

The nurse put two sugars in his tea, stirred it, then put it on his bedside
cabinet. She gave some plumpness to his pillows, lifting him further
up the bed, so he was sitting up.

“Any chance of a cigarette?” Jack asked the nurse, jokingly.”

“I think we know the answer to that one Mr...sorry what was your
name again?” asked the nurse.

“It's Mr Rydell, but you can call me Jack.”

“Yes well, there's no smoking on the ward, I'm afraid Jack, when
you're well enough, you can smoke in the television room, as long
as nobody objects.”

As the nurse went to walk away, Jack suddenly remembered the
diamonds and the meeting with Madam Lilly. “Nurse...Nurse!” he
called out.

The nurse came back quick. “Whatever is the matter, are you okay?”

“It's my jacket, where is it?”

“Good gracious I thought you'd had a relapse. Your jacket's in your
bedside cabinet.”

“Can I have it please?” said Jack, wishing he didn't have to ask the nurse to get it.

The nurse pulled out the jacket and lay it on the bed. “Oh and here
are your keys as well.” she said producing them from out of the top
drawer.

“Well thanks for small mercies,” he replied, “at least they didn't take
those.” He checked through the pockets, realising the diamonds were
gone.

The nurse tidied the bed, as Jack asked her if anyone had been through
the pockets?

“Not to my knowledge, but then I wasn't on duty when you came in,
so I don't really know.”

Jack started to feel slightly sick, as he thought of what Madam Lilly
would say, when he told her the diamonds were gone. He decided that
someone must have been watching them in the lounge, he felt a chill
go through his whole body. Thinking about it, he realised he'd been
stupid enough to let his guard down and was now paying the price.

The police came by the hospital about midday to speak with Jack. The
doctor had been to see him and said he was very lucky, the brick could
have cracked his skull, but as his memory was fine, he would have a
very nasty gash and a large bump. The doctor told Jack, they had to
put a couple of stitches to the open wound, but that he would be fine
with some rest.

When the detective first questioned him, Jack didn't mention anything
about the diamonds, mainly because he wanted to speak to Lilly first.
He just told them he was about to open the car door, when something
hit him across the head and he blacked out.

The detective then said that the barman had seen Jack in the lounge,
talking to a woman. “Who might this woman be Mr Rydell?”

Jack realised he would have to tell the truth, he knew how clever
these detectives could be, so it was no good lying. “Her name is
Madam Lilly, she runs the local brothel.”

“Madam Lilly aye! Oh yes...we know her. So what were you doing,
meeting with her in a hotel lounge?”

“Well!” said Jack, “it was supposed to be a business arrangement, she
wanted me to look after some diamonds for her. I had no idea where
she got them from, but now they're gone, someone must have seen her
slip them to me in the lounge and followed me out.”

“But didn't you find it strange, that she should do a business arrangement in the hotel, surely if she were asking you to look after
something so valuable, she would have gone somewhere a bit more
discreet?” said the detective. “It looks like we'll have to pay Lilly a
visit,” said the officer. “Look we'll leave you to rest now, but if you
think of anything else that might help with the capture of your
assailant, let us know. I'm Detective Evans, and this is Inspector Brooks.

Jack felt such a fool, not to have read the signs, after all he was
supposed to be a good Private Investigator, now here he was in
a hospital bed, not very clever at all.

To be continued …...................