Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

11 Kerry Greenwood
which had the kitchen and the bathroom behind it. All the
blinds were closed, even though the day was not hot. The house
smelt of furniture polish and burning; something had been left
unattended on the stove.
That decided Dot. There was probably something wrong in
a house where the front door was ajar, but there was definitely
something wrong in a house where the front door was ajar and
something had been left on the stove. Possibly the lady of the house
had been called to an emergency and had neglected to take what
Dot’s nose told her was probably fish cakes off the gas, but if that
was the case she would not be offended if a stranger came in and,
with the best of motives, prevented her house from catching fire.
Dot hurried down the hall, through a disordered parlour and
into the kitchen, where she found a gagged woman in a heap
on the floor and a pan well alight on the stove.
Dot opened the back door. Then she grabbed a teatowel,
wadded it up and carried the flaming pan out into the yard.
She laid it down and smothered it with earth. The pan had
been burning for some time. It fumed unpleasantly. Then Dot
returned to the woman.
She wasn’t dead, Dot was pleased to note. She was already
trying to sit up, hindered by being attached to a chair by what
Dot judged were probably stockings.
‘Mrs. Katz?’ Dot asked. ‘Don’t struggle, I’ll try and get the
knots undone.’ Dot first stood the chair up and then removed
the gag, another teatowel.
‘Wasser,’ croaked the woman. Dot spoke only English but
this was clear enough.
‘Water?’ she asked. The woman nodded. Dot brought her a
glass of water and held it as she gulped, then knelt to try and
undo the knotted stockings.
Mrs. Katz, who appreciated a rescuer who knew how
expensive stockings were and did not immediately dive for a
knife to cut them, coughed and said, ‘Oy gevalt, such a thing
to happen!’