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plate under Mrs Mullet's nose.
Mrs Mullet took a biscuit absentmindedly. "Yes, she came here after-
wards."
"She had nothing to do with it," said Tommy shortly.
"It was Kevin MCCoy's sister, wasn't it?" said Linda. "I saw her
from the window."
"Kevin McCoy's sister?" said Mr Jackson.
"What if it was?" Sadie got up, took her cup and saucer to the
sink and washed it. them. "You're not trying to say that she was in
the shop planting a stick of gelignite?"
"How do we know what she was here for?" demanded Mrs Mullet.
"Well, what was she here for?" asked Mrs Jackson. "It's the first
I knew of hers being here at all."
"There's a lot going on without you knowing, Mrs Jackson, I'm
thinking," said Mrs Mullet.
"Go on, then, Sadie," said Linda, planting her elbows on the table
"tell us what she was here for?."
"Why should I? It was private, between us."
"Maybe that's what you think," said Linda. "Maybe she was sent to
spy out the lie of the land."
"Don't be so stupid!" Tommy turned on Linda.
Mr Mullet got to his feet. "Don't you dare speak to our Linda like that
Come on, Linda. Jessie, we're going g home. It seems that Tommy and
Sadie aren't fussy about who they keep company with, but I'm fussy
about my daughter's company."
