Davina Dupree Catches a Crook Read Online Free Page A

thinking, my dear!’ Arabella rolled off the bed and stood up. ‘Come on then, what are we waiting for? No time like the present, and all that.’
    I’ll tell you about the unexpected shock we had as a result of all our planning later, Diary – I’ve got to go now as we’ve got cooking with Marcel and he’s going to show us how to make Ballerina Cakes, yummy.com , then after that we’ve got Geography with moody Dr Aardvark, boo!
Later that evening, Tuesday 9 th March
    So anyway Diary,
    I’m literally SO FULL right now I can hardly move! The Ballerina Cakes were SO amazing. They went up in layers like wedding cakes, but each layer was part of the ballerina’s skirt made from floaty pink and white sugar paper. We made the body and head out of different coloured marzipan and icing, then Marcel showed us how to put it all together. Mine was a bit wonky but she still looked impressive and she smelled all sweet and almondy. I took some photos on my flash new phone to show Carrie, then Marcel said we could eat some of our cakes before Geography. #Ate too much, #will never have to eat again, #can’t move or walk properly now.
    But anyway, back to detective business. So yesterday afternoon, Arabella and I went off to find Mr Portly, who was changing some fairy-light bulbs in the dining room, (Mr Portly LOVES lights, bless him, he’s always adding to the atmosphere of Egmont by installing newer and more glittery ones in every room possible). We told him about my sketchbook and at first he looked horrified when he thought we wanted him to go back into Mrs Fairchild’s study.
    ‘Oh I can’t girls, I’m terribly sorry,’ he held his hand against his heart and went pale. ‘That room holds
such
bad memories for me,
poor
Mrs Fairchild was lying there on the chaise longue so quietly, so still. Oh dear me-‘ He took out a giant handkerchief and blew his nose into it.
    ‘Don’t worry Mr Portly,’ Arabella said cheerfully. ‘Davina and I don’t mind going to get the sketchbook, no need for you to go back into that study at all.’
    ‘Oh you
dear
girls,’ Mr Portly regained some colour in his cheeks and fumbled around on the giant key ring around his waist. ‘You brave soldiers. Here’s the key, give it a jolly good twist, the lock can be quite stiff sometimes.’
    So soon, Arabella and I were safely inside Mrs Fairchild’s study, ALONE!
    ‘Come on,’ I said, immediately spotting my sketchbook on a bookshelf and putting it next to the door so I didn’t forget it. ‘Let’s have a look round for anything unusual, anything that looks out of place or like it doesn’t belong here. I reckon we’ve been in Mrs Fairchild’s study enough times to recognize where everything should be, don’t you?’
    Arabella nodded and we set to work, examining the desk, shelves, cabinets, cupboards and especially the chaise longue. Mrs Fairchild does keep some odd things around but then we’ve always known that, so we didn’t pay much attention to the pair of bongo drums, the book about cheerleading or the row of fancy dress outfits.
    ‘Hang on, what’s this?’ Arabella turned round from the drinks cabinet next to the chaise longue, holding a beautiful, small pink bottle with a label hanging from its neck. ‘I don’t remember this being here before, do you?’
    ‘No, I would have remembered it because it’s so pretty. Is there anything written on the label?’ I said, going over.
    ‘”To Dearest Mrs Fairchild”’, Arabella read. ‘”A small gift from a grateful new employee. I’m so excited to be working at Egmont now and hope to serve you and the girls well as your new deputy head. I shall always cherish the day your letter arrived telling me I’d got my dream job. With best wishes and much admiration, your faithful servant Clarence Portly”. It’s from Mr Portly and look, it’s only half full!’
    ‘Mrs Fairchild must have drunk half already,’ I took the bottle and turned it round in my hands, reading the