Beating About the Bush Read online

Page 2


  * * *

  Few words passed between Agatha and Toni as they drove to Carsely. Turning off the A44, they cruised down into the village, which sheltered in a dip, hidden away in the Cotswold Hills. Passing the church and the line of shops and terraced stone houses in the high street, Agatha told Toni to turn into Lilac Lane and drop her right outside her garden gate at the end of the straggle of cottages. Even in the darkened lane, she was loath to be seen in her current bedraggled state—and in Carsely there was always someone watching.

  “Agatha…” said Toni as she got out of the car. “I wondered…”

  “What?” Agatha really didn’t want to hang around.

  The whole truth and nothing but the truth means no rendezvous with the young doctor tonight, thought Toni. She’ll drag me inside for a lecture that could go on for hours. Best stick to the work bit. “There was no sun,” she said. “No setting sun to shine on that leg. I think some hoaxer was holding a torch.”

  “The world is full of nutters,” said Agatha. “See you tomorrow.”

  But as she swiftly opened her front door and slipped into her cramped hallway, she thought: who would know that we would drive past on that road at that time?

  * * *

  Agatha and Toni were in the Raisin Investigations office, above an antique shop in one of the oldest lanes of central Mircester, when Toni eventually brought Agatha up to speed with her police statement. Agatha was leaning against the front of her over-large pseudo-Georgian desk while Toni hovered near the door, a sheaf of papers in her hand.

  In her statement, Toni had laid out the whole story of their afternoon at Morrison’s. They had been given lunch in the directors’ dining room. At one point, Agatha had excused herself and gone to the loo. A young man, John Sayer, head of human resources, had asked Toni if Agatha was a good boss. Toni had praised Agatha but had said she was anxious to get away on time that evening because she had a date, and Agatha sometimes drove slowly, peering at the undergrowth at the side of the road and saying “Nice place to dump a body.” And that on a couple of occasions she had been sure she had seen something and had insisted Toni leave the car and search through the trees and bushes with her.

  “You put that in your statement?” said Agatha. “You told him I said that?”

  “You say it all the time.”

  “I DO NOT say it all the time!”

  “Yes you do. It’s one of your worst habits.”

  “I DO NOT have … habits!” Agatha snarled.

  Toni put the index finger and forefinger of her right hand to her mouth, pulled them away, and exhaled through pursed lips as though blowing out smoke.

  “Smoking is not a habit,” said Agatha. “It is a therapeutic aid to rational, logical thought. Not that you could be expected to know anything about that!”

  Toni then had to endure a lecture about loyalty, dedication, duty, reliability, and how a trustworthy confidante never, ever talks about friends behind their backs.

  “Haven’t I been good to you?” demanded Agatha.

  “Spare me the guilt trip,” said Toni. “This is a good time to tell you. I want to have a personal life. I need a bit of time to myself.”

  “You’ve got it!” raged Agatha. “To think of all the times I have looked after you. Why, if it weren’t for me, you’d be—”

  “Oh, shut your stupid face!” yelled Toni. “You want my resignation?”

  “No, she doesn’t,” came a pleasant masculine voice from the top of the stairs.

  “Charles!” cried Agatha, recognising the voice of Sir Charles Fraith. “Where have you been?”

  “I thought you might need some comfort after I read the Mircester Mail this morning.”

  Charles sauntered past Toni into the office. “Get me a coffee, Toni,” said Agatha, dismissing the younger woman with a wave of her hand.

  “Get it yourself,” snapped Toni.

  “I will speak to you later,” said Agatha. “Let’s go to the pub, Charles. I am weary and don’t feel like coping with Toni’s tantrums.”

  * * *

  They crossed the lane and settled into two armchairs at a table inside the latticed window of the King Charles.

  “What on earth came over Toni?” said Agatha. “I only gave her a mild ticking-off.”

  “You never give anyone a mild ticking-off. You are a fault-finder supreme. Out with it.”

  Agatha described how Toni had gossiped about Agatha’s propensity to remark “Nice place to dump a body” almost every time they were on the road. Clearly some prankster had put the leg there in the hope that she would spot it and be made to look like a complete fool.

  “You do, as a matter of fact,” said Charles. “Not look like a complete fool. I mean, you do say that thing about a nice place to dump a body. But I’m sure you reminded Toni of all she owed you, and no one likes emotional blackmail, so she became furious as well. I sometimes think you don’t value people enough. You often bark commands at me as if I’m one of your detectives. And what did your Heathrow Romeo think when you dumped him after a week?”

  “I neither know nor care,” said Agatha. “The man was intolerable. He wanted me to travel the world with him like we were on one long, endless holiday. What sort of madness is that? He may have decided to retire and travel, but I have far more life left in me than that. I have a business to run, employees, responsibilities.”

  “Really,” said Charles, nodding. Agatha could tell by that flicker of a smile at the corner of his mouth that he knew she wasn’t actually telling him the truth. He would wait, and they both knew that she would tell him eventually. Right now, she wasn’t prepared to admit that she had plunged herself into an engagement with a man whom she very quickly discovered had a string of other fiancées around the world—Stella in New York, Carrie in Cape Town, Barbara in Brisbane. And those were only the three she had found out about. There were bound to be more. He must have been buying diamond engagement rings in bulk. Well, he could keep hers. She’d shoved it in his ear while he was recovering from a ferocious slap in the face, before she kicked him out the front door.

  “Yes, really,” she said. “And oh, look! The ice is melting in my gin. I’m talking too much. Let me take a couple of sips.”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  Silence. Then a sniffle.

  “Are you crying?” asked Charles. “This will never do, Aggie. Here, take this.” He reached inside his jacket and produced a perfectly folded pristine white handkerchief. A linen handkerchief. Who the hell carried linen handkerchiefs nowadays? Most men would struggle to find a crumpled used paper tissue in the bottom of some disgusting trouser pocket, thought Agatha, dabbing her tears. But Sir Charles Fraith was not most men.

  From behind the crisp linen, her bear-like brown eyes studied his movements, not for the first time, as he rose to his feet. He moved with an effortless grace. His sports jacket hung faithfully from his shoulders, as though it would fit no other, which, of course, it wouldn’t. It had been hand-tailored for him. His cavalry twill trousers were casual but untroubled by any sign of crumpling. Charles was a crease-free zone. The bottom of his trouser legs sat lazily on the lacing of his brown Oxford shoes. They were polished but not too shiny. Ideal for country wear. No gentleman would wear brown shoes in town. Town, of course, meant his London club, not a back-street pub in Mircester.

  Charles would have emerged from that leg-incident bramble thicket looking like he had just stepped out of his Savile Row tailor’s, unlike Agatha, who had looked like she’d been spat out by a combine harvester. Even when they had clambered over walls together to break into a monastery in the Pyrenees in search of her ex-husband, he never had a thread out of place. If he were ever—perish the thought—to grow wrinkly with age, Gustav, his loyal retainer, would find a way to iron him.

  “Got to pee,” he said. “Back in a minute.”

  He seemed to be gone a long time. Agatha reached for her handbag to find her cigarettes, then remembered that smoking had been banned in
English pubs for more than a decade. She fidgeted with the clasp on the bag, swirled the last of the ice in her glass and looked up to see Charles walking back into the bar. He was not alone. Toni was at his shoulder.

  “What’s she doing here?” demanded Agatha.

  “Toni is here,” explained Charles calmly, “because, odd as it may seem, ladies, I am becoming interested in this case. I’d like to know what’s going on, and for that, I need both of you. So begin at the beginning and go on to the end.”

  It was Toni who began summing up. She explained that they rarely came across cases of industrial espionage, and this one appeared to be something they could really get their teeth into. Like a dry, dull, and boring church fête sponge cake, thought Agatha, but she said nothing, letting Toni continue. Someone, it would appear, rated their abilities highly enough to plant that dummy sawn-off leg in the undergrowth for them to find. “So,” said Toni, “maybe someone wants us to look like fools and discredit us. Maybe whoever it was will try to trip us up again, forcing Morrison’s to terminate our contract and hire someone else.”

  “That,” said Agatha, nodding in agreement, “might buy them some time to finish whatever moves they are making against Morrison’s. But going so far as to make it look like the secretary’s leg is bizarre. I think that’s someone not only clever but quite mad.”

  “It need not have been someone in Morrison’s office who heard me talking to John Sayer,” pondered Toni. “Just someone who bugged the place.”

  “It’s all to do with an electric car battery pack this firm has invented,” said Agatha. “They say it can give a car more miles than any others on the market, and that will be worth a fortune. Burning down the research and development department must have set the project back months.”

  “There were seven people in the room when I made that remark about Agatha,” said Toni. “I will look into their histories tomorrow.”

  “We’ll both do that,” said Agatha, and then suddenly smiled at her assistant. “Truce?”

  “Truce,” said Toni.

  How to describe that smile of Agatha’s without falling into cliché? wondered Charles. It lights up the room? It lights up your life? It melts your heart? He gave a mental shrug. Just be grateful the storm has passed.

  “Must rush,” said Toni. “Pick you up at eight thirty tomorrow morning.”

  * * *

  Toni was silent as she drove Agatha to the factory in the morning. The previous evening her young doctor had seemed, for the first time, rather dull. She had felt pretty flat throughout the entire time they had spent together at his place. He had cooked a dreadfully bland risotto. She had gone home early, weary and listless. Was it him? Was it her? Or was it just the risotto?

  Agatha broke the silence as Toni pulled into the car park by saying, “I wonder what’s next?”

  “Maybe another body part,” said Toni. “I think he’s mocking us.”

  “Could be a woman,” said Agatha. “Come on, Toni, I need you to be thinking straight.” Then she paused. “I am really quite concerned about you.”

  Toni stiffened. “If you are going to poke into my private life, Agatha, forget it.”

  “I didn’t know there was anything to poke into,” said Agatha, then swiftly changed tack back to the case. “If this character is as mad as I think he is, he’ll play little tricks for a while, but then cruelty will take over his twisted brain and you might be the target.”

  “Or you.”

  Agatha gave a little shiver. “Whichever one of us he thinks is the most vulnerable.”

  “I brought the bug-sweeping kit,” said Toni. “I suggest I do the conference room first.”

  Agatha climbed slowly out of the car and scowled. This new stiffness in her joints couldn’t be age. Maybe it was that damned car seat. Yes, that must be it. She never felt stiff and old when she got out of Charles’s BMW.

  At the reception desk, Mrs. Dinwiddy was there to greet them—tweed suit, pearls, wool stockings, and brogues. In her left hand she held a small dictation recorder, its strap looped around her wrist. She seemed anxious to get back to her work as she briskly escorted them to the conference room, which had been set aside for their use. Agatha stood in silence, staring out of the window, while Toni worked her way methodically around the room holding something that looked like an old-fashioned transistor radio. The gadget could detect any kind of recording equipment, transmitter or hidden camera. She moved it this way and that, sweeping it over the walls, skirting boards, furniture, and light fittings. She finished with the dark oak conference table and its centrepiece decoration of two odd-looking ornamental antique ashtrays.

  Agatha scrutinised the factory buildings. It was a surprisingly small complex that must originally have been farm steadings. They had been converted and extended many years before, probably around the 1950s, in Agatha’s estimation. Paint was peeling from window frames and guttering hung loose here and there. On the other side of a courtyard stood what must have been the research and development department, now little more than a shell. The autumn wind soughed and moaned round the stone buildings. At some point, someone had attempted to grow flowers and bushes, but over the years the planting had degenerated into a tangle of trees and undergrowth. Over the bending trees, curtsying in the wind, ragged clouds chased across a pale grey sky.

  “We’re clear,” said Toni, slotting the scanner back into its black plastic case.

  “Then let’s get to work,” said Agatha.

  On the table in front of them were piles of manila folders stuffed with documents. The first pile was the smallest—the six people who might have overheard Toni talking to John Sayer. Sayer’s file was on top.

  After they had been sifting through the files for what seemed like hours, Mrs. Dinwiddy arrived with coffee. She placed it on the table in front of them with barely a word and swiftly made her exit. Agatha was raising a cup to her lips when Toni suddenly shouted, “Don’t drink it!”

  Agatha lowered the cup. “Why?”

  “A hunch. Not poison. Some sort of laxative.”

  “A lax—” Agatha squirmed in her seat. “We need a guinea pig.” The door opened and Mrs Dinwiddy returned.

  “I have been told to ask if you ladies need anything further.”

  “Try this coffee,” said Agatha.

  “I never drink coffee, Mrs. Raisin. But if you think it is substandard in any way, I will bring you a fresh pot. I also have two lunch tickets for you for the executive dining room, on this floor at the end of the corridor and turn left. Today is toad in the hole. That is a particular favourite of our chairman, Mr. Albert.”

  “Yuck,” said Agatha after the secretary had left.

  “I like sausages,” said Toni, “so it’s okay with me.”

  “Why do you think the coffee might be spiked with a laxative?”

  “Because I keep thinking of a childish, twisted sort of brain. A laxative could leave us both … well … indisposed in a most undignified way. Once again, we could be made a laughing stock.”

  * * *

  At lunch, Toni pronounced the toad in the hole to be excellent, and Agatha had to agree that the sausages in golden batter were delicious. This was followed by Icky Sticky pudding, as heavy as it sounded, and both felt sleepy afterwards, wishing that they hadn’t eaten so much. Agatha was in no doubt that she was wishing harder than Toni, mainly because the tightness of the waistband of her skirt was depressing her.

  The police seemed to have dismissed the whole dummy leg affair as a practical joke. Not one policeman had turned up at the factory to follow up on it, or so Mrs. Dinwiddy had assured them.

  Agatha tried to concentrate on the personnel files in front of her, but her mind kept wandering. The tyranny of words. One didn’t say “personnel” any more. One said “human resources.” Honestly! In the future, children would be yelling “Personnel!” in the playground and being smacked for using a dirty word. Only smacking had also been banned, hadn’t it? Probably a good thing, although she c
ould think of a few people who could do with a slap. In fact, the more she thought about it, the longer the list became. Her lying swine of an ex-fiancé was still sitting right at the top. The image of Charles’s hurt face, lit by the glare of a street light as he stood on the pavement peering in at her engagement party to which he had not been invited, filled her mind. Snakes and bastards! Concentrate!

  What was this? Her eyes suddenly focused on the file in front of her. Jennifer Williams, aged twenty-eight; previous occupation, trapeze artist. That was odd. Circus people hardly ever did anything else but work for the circus. Agatha phoned Mrs. Dinwiddy and asked if it would be possible to interview Jennifer Williams.

  “She works in the packing department,” said Mrs. Dinwiddy. “If she is in the building, I will send her to you.”

  Agatha told Toni why she had summoned the girl, and when the door opened and a young woman was ushered in, they both looked at her curiously. “Miss Williams,” announced Mrs Dinwiddy, giving her a little push into the room.

  One reason Jennifer Williams might no longer be a trapeze artist was immediately apparent. She had a large, round face and several chins. Her bosoms were like pillows and her hips were so large they formed cliffs on either side of her body, from which her enormous black skirt hung. She had tight black curly hair. Round the back it looked as if a family of circus dwarves might have set up camp in the garment, Agatha thought.

  “We were searching through the staff files for anomalies,” began Agatha.

  “I’m British, me. No anomi-whatsits in our family.”

  “I mean, you worked in a circus. Why did you leave?”

  “He dropped me, see. Near broke my neck.”

  “Who did?”

  “Cousin Alfie. Said I’d got too heavy. Said one o’ me sequins had popped off and near blinded him. Me dad works with the horses. Did he take my part? Naw! Said I had to start losing weight. Always fancied a job here. Canteen’s the best for miles around.”

 

    Agatha Raisin 31 - Hot to Trot Read onlineAgatha Raisin 31 - Hot to TrotBeatrice Goes to Brighton Read onlineBeatrice Goes to BrightonDeborah Goes to Dover Read onlineDeborah Goes to DoverDown the Hatch Read onlineDown the HatchHot to Trot Read onlineHot to TrotBeating About the Bush Read onlineBeating About the BushDeath of a Policeman Read onlineDeath of a PolicemanEdwardian Murder Mystery 04; Our Lady of Pain emm-4 Read onlineEdwardian Murder Mystery 04; Our Lady of Pain emm-4The Waverly Women Series (3-Book Bundle) Read onlineThe Waverly Women Series (3-Book Bundle)The French Affair (Endearing Young Charms Book 2) Read onlineThe French Affair (Endearing Young Charms Book 2)Death of a Witch hm-25 Read onlineDeath of a Witch hm-25Summer of Discontent Read onlineSummer of DiscontentPenelope Goes to Portsmouth Read onlinePenelope Goes to PortsmouthThe Day the Floods Came ar-12 Read onlineThe Day the Floods Came ar-12The Quiche of Death Read onlineThe Quiche of DeathDeath of a Dentist hm-13 Read onlineDeath of a Dentist hm-13Edwardian Murder Mystery 03; Sick of Shadows emm-3 Read onlineEdwardian Murder Mystery 03; Sick of Shadows emm-3Agatha Raisin The Deadly Dance ar-15 Read onlineAgatha Raisin The Deadly Dance ar-15Agatha Raisin & the Vicious Vet ar-2 Read onlineAgatha Raisin & the Vicious Vet ar-2Lessons in Love (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 3) Read onlineLessons in Love (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 3)Those Endearing Young Charms Read onlineThose Endearing Young CharmsAgatha Raisin and The Wellspring of Death ar-7 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and The Wellspring of Death ar-7Death of a Macho Man hm-12 Read onlineDeath of a Macho Man hm-12Lady Fortescue Steps Out Read onlineLady Fortescue Steps OutThe Wicked Godmother Read onlineThe Wicked GodmotherAgatha Raisin 18 (2007) - Kissing Christmas Goodbye Read onlineAgatha Raisin 18 (2007) - Kissing Christmas GoodbyeAgatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death ar-1 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death ar-1Agatha's First Case Read onlineAgatha's First CaseLady Fortescue Steps Out (The Poor Relation Series, Vol. 1) Read onlineLady Fortescue Steps Out (The Poor Relation Series, Vol. 1)There Goes The Bride Read onlineThere Goes The BrideAgatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Terrible TouristThe Folly Read onlineThe FollyThe Chocolate Debutante Read onlineThe Chocolate DebutanteHiss and Hers: An Agatha Raisin Mystery Read onlineHiss and Hers: An Agatha Raisin MysteryThe Education of Miss Paterson Read onlineThe Education of Miss PatersonAgatha Raisin Love, Lies and Liquor ar-17 Read onlineAgatha Raisin Love, Lies and Liquor ar-17Molly Read onlineMollyDeath of a Poison Pen hm-20 Read onlineDeath of a Poison Pen hm-20Hamish MacBeth 15 (1999) - Death of an Addict Read onlineHamish MacBeth 15 (1999) - Death of an AddictDeath of a Witch Read onlineDeath of a WitchHamish Macbeth 24 (2008) - Death of a Gentle Lady Read onlineHamish Macbeth 24 (2008) - Death of a Gentle LadyDeath of Yesterday Read onlineDeath of YesterdayMrs. Budley Falls from Grace Read onlineMrs. Budley Falls from GraceThe Daring Debutantes Bundle Read onlineThe Daring Debutantes BundleBusy Body: An Agatha Raisin Mystery Read onlineBusy Body: An Agatha Raisin MysteryPretty Polly Read onlinePretty PollyThe Case of the Curious Curate ar-13 Read onlineThe Case of the Curious Curate ar-13Death of a Travelling Man hm-9 Read onlineDeath of a Travelling Man hm-9Death of a Bore hm-21 Read onlineDeath of a Bore hm-21Rake's Progress: HFTS4 Read onlineRake's Progress: HFTS4Miss Fiona's Fancy (The Royal Ambition Series Book 3) Read onlineMiss Fiona's Fancy (The Royal Ambition Series Book 3)Hamish Macbeth 19 (2003) - Death of a Village Read onlineHamish Macbeth 19 (2003) - Death of a VillageLady Lucy's Lover Read onlineLady Lucy's LoverMilady in Love (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 5) Read onlineMilady in Love (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 5)Colonel Sandhurst to the Rescue Read onlineColonel Sandhurst to the Rescue(17/30 Love, Lies and Liquor Read online(17/30 Love, Lies and LiquorHasty Death Read onlineHasty DeathDeath of a Nurse Read onlineDeath of a NurseDeath of a Scriptwriter hm-14 Read onlineDeath of a Scriptwriter hm-14The Chocolate Debutante (The Royal Ambition Series Book 5) Read onlineThe Chocolate Debutante (The Royal Ambition Series Book 5)Sally Read onlineSallyTilly Read onlineTillyDeath of a Dreamer hm-22 Read onlineDeath of a Dreamer hm-22Miss Davenport's Christmas (The Love and Temptation Series Book 6) Read onlineMiss Davenport's Christmas (The Love and Temptation Series Book 6)Death of a Dreamer Read onlineDeath of a DreamerDuke's Diamonds (Endearing Young Charms Book 1) Read onlineDuke's Diamonds (Endearing Young Charms Book 1)Agatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble (short story) Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Christmas Crumble (short story)Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden ar-9 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden ar-9His Lordship's Pleasure (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 5) Read onlineHis Lordship's Pleasure (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 5)The Homecoming Read onlineThe HomecomingHamish Macbeth 02; Death of a Cad hm-2 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 02; Death of a Cad hm-2Agatha Raisin and The Potted Gardener ar-3 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and The Potted Gardener ar-3Death of a Glutton Read onlineDeath of a GluttonHamish Macbeth 02 (1987) - Death of a Cad Read onlineHamish Macbeth 02 (1987) - Death of a CadThe Wicked Godmother: HFTS3 Read onlineThe Wicked Godmother: HFTS3The Glitter and the Gold (Endearing Young Charms Book 7) Read onlineThe Glitter and the Gold (Endearing Young Charms Book 7)The Viscount's Revenge (The Royal Ambition Series Book 4) Read onlineThe Viscount's Revenge (The Royal Ambition Series Book 4)Her Grace's Passion Read onlineHer Grace's PassionHenrietta Read onlineHenriettaAt the Sign of the Golden Pineapple Read onlineAt the Sign of the Golden PineappleThe Blood of an Englishman Read onlineThe Blood of an EnglishmanSomething Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin Mysteries) Read onlineSomething Borrowed, Someone Dead: An Agatha Raisin Mystery (Agatha Raisin Mysteries)Emily Goes to Exeter Read onlineEmily Goes to ExeterDeath of a Cad Read onlineDeath of a CadAgatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Wellspring of DeathDancing on the Wind (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 8) Read onlineDancing on the Wind (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 8)A Marriage of Inconvenience (Endearing Young Charms Book 5) Read onlineA Marriage of Inconvenience (Endearing Young Charms Book 5)The Ghost and Lady Alice (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 6) Read onlineThe Ghost and Lady Alice (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 6)Hamish Macbeth 04; Death of a Perfect Wife hm-4 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 04; Death of a Perfect Wife hm-4My Dear Duchess Read onlineMy Dear DuchessMrs. Budley Falls From Grace (The Poor Relation Series Book 3) Read onlineMrs. Budley Falls From Grace (The Poor Relation Series Book 3)Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Haunted HouseThe Education of Miss Patterson (The Love and Temptation Series Book 3) Read onlineThe Education of Miss Patterson (The Love and Temptation Series Book 3)Agatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley ar-4 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and The Walkers of Dembley ar-4The Original Miss Honeyford Read onlineThe Original Miss HoneyfordA Spoonful of Poison Read onlineA Spoonful of PoisonHamish Macbeth Omnibus Read onlineHamish Macbeth OmnibusAgatha Raisin and the Busy Body ar-21 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Busy Body ar-21Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Witch of WyckhaddenHamish Macbeth 08 (1993) - Death of a Glutton Read onlineHamish Macbeth 08 (1993) - Death of a GluttonDeath of a Gentle Lady hm-24 Read onlineDeath of a Gentle Lady hm-24Ms. Davenport's Christmas Read onlineMs. Davenport's ChristmasAgatha Raisin Kissing Christmas Goodbye ar-18 Read onlineAgatha Raisin Kissing Christmas Goodbye ar-18Lady Anne's Deception Read onlineLady Anne's DeceptionAgatha Raisin The Perfect Paragon ar-16 Read onlineAgatha Raisin The Perfect Paragon ar-16Edwardian Murder Mystery 02; Hasty Death emm-2 Read onlineEdwardian Murder Mystery 02; Hasty Death emm-2The Constant Companion Read onlineThe Constant CompanionHamish Macbeth 14 (1999) - Death of a Scriptwriter Read onlineHamish Macbeth 14 (1999) - Death of a ScriptwriterGinny Read onlineGinnyHamish Macbeth 10 (1994) - Death of a Charming Man Read onlineHamish Macbeth 10 (1994) - Death of a Charming ManHamish Macbeth 03; Death of an Outsider hm-3 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 03; Death of an Outsider hm-3The Love from Hell ar-11 Read onlineThe Love from Hell ar-11The Scandalous Lady Wright (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 4) Read onlineThe Scandalous Lady Wright (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 4)Hamish Macbeth 17 (2001) - Death of a Dustman Read onlineHamish Macbeth 17 (2001) - Death of a DustmanHamish Macbeth 13 (1997) - Death of a Dentist Read onlineHamish Macbeth 13 (1997) - Death of a DentistThe Paper Princess (The Royal Ambition Series Book 7) Read onlineThe Paper Princess (The Royal Ambition Series Book 7)Rainbird's Revenge: HFTS6 Read onlineRainbird's Revenge: HFTS6The Perfect Gentleman (The Love and Temptation Series Book 7) Read onlineThe Perfect Gentleman (The Love and Temptation Series Book 7)Sir Philip's Folly (The Poor Relation Series Book 4) Read onlineSir Philip's Folly (The Poor Relation Series Book 4)The Witches' Tree--An Agatha Raisin Mystery Read onlineThe Witches' Tree--An Agatha Raisin MysteryDeath of an Outsider Read onlineDeath of an OutsiderHamish MacBeth 03 (1988) - Death of an Outsider Read onlineHamish MacBeth 03 (1988) - Death of an OutsiderAgatha Raisin and the Perfect Paragon Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Perfect ParagonDeath of a Chimney Sweep Read onlineDeath of a Chimney SweepThe Dreadful Debutante (The Royal Ambition Series Book 1) Read onlineThe Dreadful Debutante (The Royal Ambition Series Book 1)Something Borrowed, Someone Dead Read onlineSomething Borrowed, Someone DeadAgatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage ar-5 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and The Murderous Marriage ar-5The Highland Countess Read onlineThe Highland CountessDeath of a Chimney Sweep hm-1 Read onlineDeath of a Chimney Sweep hm-1The Skeleton in the Closet Read onlineThe Skeleton in the ClosetSusie Read onlineSusieAgatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye Read onlineAgatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas GoodbyeRegency Gold (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 2) Read onlineRegency Gold (The Regency Intrigue Series Book 2)The Marquis Takes a Bride Read onlineThe Marquis Takes a BrideHamish Macbeth 16 (1999) - A Highland Christmas Read onlineHamish Macbeth 16 (1999) - A Highland ChristmasDeath of a Liar Read onlineDeath of a LiarHamish Macbeth 01; Death of a Gossip hm-1 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 01; Death of a Gossip hm-1Love and Lady Lovelace (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 8) Read onlineLove and Lady Lovelace (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 8)Death of an Honest Man Read onlineDeath of an Honest ManThe Desirable Duchess Read onlineThe Desirable DuchessDeception (Daughters of Mannerling 3) Read onlineDeception (Daughters of Mannerling 3)A Highland Christmas hm-16 Read onlineA Highland Christmas hm-16Polly Read onlinePollyThe Savage Marquess Read onlineThe Savage MarquessAgatha Raisin 03 (1994) - The Potted Gardener Read onlineAgatha Raisin 03 (1994) - The Potted GardenerPushing Up Daisies Read onlinePushing Up DaisiesDeath Of An Addict Read onlineDeath Of An AddictBanishment (Daughters of Mannerling 1) Read onlineBanishment (Daughters of Mannerling 1)Amaryllis Read onlineAmaryllisHamish MacBeth 06 (1991) - Death of a Snob Read onlineHamish MacBeth 06 (1991) - Death of a SnobThe Paper Princess Read onlineThe Paper PrincessHamish Macbeth 06; Death of a Snob hm-6 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 06; Death of a Snob hm-6The Dreadful Debutante Read onlineThe Dreadful DebutanteAgatha Raisin and the Fairies of Fryfam Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Fairies of FryfamHamish Macbeth 22 (2006) - Death of a Dreamer Read onlineHamish Macbeth 22 (2006) - Death of a DreamerDishing the Dirt Read onlineDishing the DirtMinerva Read onlineMinervaDeath of a Nag hm-11 Read onlineDeath of a Nag hm-11Hamish Macbeth 18 (2002) - Death of a Celebrity Read onlineHamish Macbeth 18 (2002) - Death of a CelebrityQuadrille (The Love and Temptation Series Book 5) Read onlineQuadrille (The Love and Temptation Series Book 5)Death of a Glutton hm-8 Read onlineDeath of a Glutton hm-8The Westerby Sisters (Changing Fortunes Series) Read onlineThe Westerby Sisters (Changing Fortunes Series)The Scandalous Marriage (The Dukes and Desires Series Book 7) Read onlineThe Scandalous Marriage (The Dukes and Desires Series Book 7)The Adventuress: HFTS5 Read onlineThe Adventuress: HFTS5Death of a Valentine Read onlineDeath of a ValentineDeath of a Nag Read onlineDeath of a NagDeath of a Dustman hm-17 Read onlineDeath of a Dustman hm-17Hamish Macbeth 09 (1993) - Death of a Travelling Man Read onlineHamish Macbeth 09 (1993) - Death of a Travelling ManThe Loves of Lord Granton (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 2) Read onlineThe Loves of Lord Granton (The Changing Fortunes Series, Vol. 2)Agatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison ar-19 Read onlineAgatha Raisin and a Spoonful of Poison ar-19To Dream of Love Read onlineTo Dream of LoveAgatha Raisin 04 (1995) - The Walkers of Dembley Read onlineAgatha Raisin 04 (1995) - The Walkers of DembleyHamish MacBeth 01 (1985) - Death of a Gossip Read onlineHamish MacBeth 01 (1985) - Death of a GossipDeath of a Maid hm-23 Read onlineDeath of a Maid hm-23Belinda Goes to Bath Read onlineBelinda Goes to BathDeath of a Kingfisher Read onlineDeath of a KingfisherDeath of a Charming Man hm-10 Read onlineDeath of a Charming Man hm-10Death of a Prankster hm-7 Read onlineDeath of a Prankster hm-7The Miser of Mayfair: HFTS1 Read onlineThe Miser of Mayfair: HFTS1Hamish Macbeth 05; Death of a Hussy hm-5 Read onlineHamish Macbeth 05; Death of a Hussy hm-5A Governess of Distinction (Endearing Young Charms Book 6) Read onlineA Governess of Distinction (Endearing Young Charms Book 6)The Westerby Inheritance Read onlineThe Westerby InheritanceDeath of a Hussy Read onlineDeath of a HussyHamish MacBeth 07 (1998) - Death of a Prankster Read onlineHamish MacBeth 07 (1998) - Death of a PranksterHamish Macbeth 20 (2004) - Death of a Poison Pen Read onlineHamish Macbeth 20 (2004) - Death of a Poison PenMiss Tonks Turns to Crime Read onlineMiss Tonks Turns to CrimeEdwardian Murder Mystery 01; Snobbery with Violence emm-1 Read onlineEdwardian Murder Mystery 01; Snobbery with Violence emm-1Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Wizard of EveshamHamish Macbeth 12 (1996) - Death of a Macho Man Read onlineHamish Macbeth 12 (1996) - Death of a Macho ManYvonne Goes to York Read onlineYvonne Goes to YorkA Highland Christmas Read onlineA Highland ChristmasSweet Masquerade (The Love and Temptation Series Book 4) Read onlineSweet Masquerade (The Love and Temptation Series Book 4)Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wykhadden Read onlineAgatha Raisin and the Witch of WykhaddenThe Dead Ringer Read onlineThe Dead RingerAgatha Raisin 05 (1996) - The Murderous Marriage Read onlineAgatha Raisin 05 (1996) - The Murderous MarriageAgatha Raisin 07 (1998) - The Wellspring of Death Read onlineAgatha Raisin 07 (1998) - The Wellspring of DeathAgatha Raisin: As the Pig Turns ar-22 Read onlineAgatha Raisin: As the Pig Turns ar-22