I took Janet’s hand and gave her an earnest eye. “Listen, girlie,” I said, “my one fault is curiosity. Otherwise I am perfect. Don’t forget that. It’s time for your lunch anyway.”
She said something to my back as I made for the door. I emerged onto the terrace cautiously, slid across and into the hedge of shrubbery, made a hole and looked through. Daniel was forty paces away, going across the lawn not in the direction of the drive where my car was but the other way, off to the right. I decided to give him another twenty paces before emerging, and it was well that I did, for suddenly a voice sounded above me:
“Hey, Uncle Dan! Where you going?”
Daniel stopped in his tracks and whirled. I twisted my neck, and through the leaves got a glimpse of Larry’s head sticking out of an upper window, and Maryella’s beside it.
Larry shouted, “We need you!”
“See you later!” Daniel yelled.
“But it’s time for lunch!” Maryella called.
“See you later!” Daniel turned and was off.
“Now that’s a performance,” Maryella said to Larry.
“Cuckoo,” Larry declared.