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Lea needed to be home by 9 o'clock. Usually she walked
alone but tonight, Michael noticed, she asked him to
go with her. Perhaps it was a coincidence for she was
never timid, but he let it pass without comment. Fred
and Wilma were busy behind the bar so he left a note
in the kitchen and slipped out the back door.
It was cold and very dark and they walked briskly to
keep warm. At least the rain had stopped. Michael carried
the clockwork torch.
"What did you score on Bicester's test?"
he asked.
"I got 60%. You?"
"I scraped a 53." The incident still rankled.
"He won't let it drop, you know. He'll give us
another test. This is a nightmare. I can't figure out
what to do."
Lea grinned at him. "We could always study."
"Don't be silly."
They reached the church and he instinctively turned
right towards Lea's house but she stopped him.
"Let's go this way," she suggested, pointing
ahead. She gave him a mysterious smile but he didn't
seem to understand. "It goes past Pea Street."
"Ohhhh," said Michael. "Yes, Pea Street.
I'd forgotten about Pea Street. Hmmm. That gives me
an idea."
"Would you like to share it?"
"Well, since we're going past the end of the street
we could..." he shrugged. "You know..."
"We could what?"
"Well, it's a pleasant evening. Maybe we could
take a stroll. Down the street."
"A stroll?"
"Mmmm. It would be a shame to waste the opportunity."
She grinned. "I think we should. In the spirit
of research. We owe it to the community."
Pea Street lay just before the park. There were four
houses on one side of the street and three on the other.
Each had a large plot of land. They walked slowly taking
care not to make any sound. Every house was dark.
At the end of the street they stopped under a tree
and waited, wondering what to do. Michael felt foolish.
"Maybe it wasn't Pea Street after all."
Lea shrugged. "Bet it was."
"How long do you want to wait?"
She wrapped her arms around herself for warmth and
then snuggled against him. Why did men never get cold?
"For a while. Which way is the pub from here?"
Michael thought and then pointed. "Over there,
I'd guess."
"So from your bedroom you'd look ever the edge
of the park and you'd see the back of those three houses."
"The back," Michael agreed, realising her
point. "And we're looking at the front."
Lea took his hand. "Come along, Sherlock."
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