Agatha Raisin Omnibus--The Quiche of Death, the Potted Gardener, the Vicious Vet and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton

Author:M.C. Beaton [M. C. Beaton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781780335841
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2018-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

Once more they stood outside the shabby door and once more James pressed the bell. ‘Who is it?’ came Jerry’s cautious voice.

‘Got the money outer that twat,’ said James in a gruff voice.

The door opened wide. Jerry saw them and tried to slam the door, but James shouldered his way in. He slapped Jerry hard on one side of his head and then on the other. Then, holding him by the scruff of the neck, he said, ‘Your flat. Time we had a talk.’

‘Don’t hurt me,’ squeaked Jerry. ‘I ain’t done nothink.’

‘Where is it? Which door is yours?’ demanded James.

Jerry pointed to an open door. James pushed him inside. ‘Now, before I really get to work on you, why did you send your friends to beat us up?’

‘I dinnet.’

There was a one-bar heater burning in front of an empty fireplace. James twisted Jerry’s arm behind his back and then thrust his face down towards the bar of the heater. ‘Speak up while you’ve still got a face left.’

‘Okay, I’ll tell you.’

James pushed Jerry down into a chair and stood over him. ‘I phoned up Sid and said to tell the boys there was good pickings off a couple in the Fevvers, that’s all. See, I don’t know nuffink about Cheryl. No, don’t,’ he shouted as James loomed over him. ‘I’m telling you the truff, s’welp me God. It was her idear to steal the drugs from the kennels. Get a bit of cash. She says them hopheads at the disco would buy anythink. Honest.’

His voice went on and on, pleading and explaining. It turned out he had not known Cheryl when she was working in Carsely.

James finally turned away in disgust.

Outside, Agatha looked nervously up and down the street. ‘We should call the cops,’ she said.

‘I wouldn’t do that.’ James unlocked the car door. ‘It might all come out. In fact, we’d better get out of here in case that chap at the kennels has found out we’re impostors.’

When they got back to Carsely, James said, ‘I’ll make us a snack and then we’ll tackle Miss Simms.’

Agatha brightened. ‘I’ll go to my place, feed the cats and then let them out. They’ve been locked up most of the day.’

The cats gave her a rapturous welcome. Agatha sat down suddenly and watched them while they fed. She felt weak and shaky and on the point of crying. She had had a bad fright in the pub. Bill Wong was right. She should leave this sort of business to the police. But if she dropped the investigations, then James would drop her and go back to his writing.

She let the cats out into the garden and stood for a moment watching them frolicking about and then went along to James’s cottage.

‘I’ve set our meal in the kitchen,’ he said when he answered the door. ‘Come through.’

Agatha looked eagerly around the kitchen. It was cheerful and warm. A large bowl of daffodils stood on the windowsill. There was a square scrubbed table in the middle and some elegant ladder-backed chairs.

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