Edie Amelia and the Runcible River Fever Read Online Free Page B

mum if he’s so keen on leaving town? Is there some way we can get a look in the basement?’
    Mister Pants whimpered and Edie bent down to see what was wrong. She became alarmed when she saw that his right eye was half-closed.
    â€˜Oh no, Cheesy, Mister’s eye!’ She crouched down and gave him a cuddle, careful not to put pressure on his face. ‘I’ve got to get him to the vet.
Again.
Oh no! Dad’s going to kill me . . . He said if that dog gets one more injury he doesn’t know what he’ll do. Now he might even need doggy glasses or something and I bet they’re expensive.’
    â€˜Now, now, Sparks, there’s no need to be histrionic,’ said Cheesy, taking a leaf out of Cinnamon’s book.
    Mister Pants’s legs wobbled and he lay on the floor.
    â€˜We’ll have to put the Flan Plan on hold,’ Edie said, cradling Mister in her arms.
    He was heavier than she remembered, but she struggled up and out of Cheesy’s room and down the hall, stooping to retrieve her detective kit, her satchel and the meaty flan in the process. A radio blared a breaking news story from the kitchen.
    â€˜Sparks, stop!’ said Cheesy when Edie had reached the front door and was fumbling with the knob. Cheesy was pushing her precious old doll’s pram down the hall. ‘Just put him in here, will you. You’ll never make it all the way like that, you idiot.’
    â€˜But what about your limited-edition nineteenth-century doll collection? Don’t you need it for that?’
    â€˜I’ve taken them out, see,’ Cheesy said, turning the pram around to show Edie that it was empty except for a piece of floral cloth. ‘And it’s not going to do me any good if we’re packing up and going home.’ She wheeled the pram up to the door. ‘Here, go ahead and put Mister in and you can push him up the hill. I’ve got a wee bonnet here we can disguise him in for now. According to that news bulletin, all dogs must be kept indoorsuntil the Fever Dog is found. The Mayor has called a Town Meeting for this afternoon.’
    â€˜Thanks, Cheesy.’
    â€˜One last thing,’ said Cheesy, leading her to the lychgate and pulling something out from underneath its roof. ‘Take Auntie Bee’s butterfly net. Can’t forget the Flan Plan, you know.’ Cheesy’s glasses had by now fogged up completely. ‘So I suppose this is goodbye . . .’
    â€˜No, it’s not!’ cried Edie. ‘Get back in there and start surveillance. Don’t let your father out of your sight. There’s something very strange going on around here . . .’

A Proper Detective

    E die pushed Cheesy’s old pram containing the bonneted Mister Pants all the way up the very steep hill to the vet’s surgery. She balanced the butterfly net on one shoulder while her satchel containing her detective kit dug into the other. The pram’s wheels were so worn that they were no longer shock-absorbent, so it was a hot and bumpy ride. Mister lay inside the pram, having consented to the blue bonnet mainly, Edie suspected, because he was in too much pain to protest. He gave no sign of wanting to gobble the flan, either, and this made Edie’s Worries rise higher. She pushed faster.

    â€˜At last,’ said Edie, when they had reached the top of the hill and were standing in front of the Runcible Veterinary Clinic and Animal Hospital. ‘Come on, boy,’ said Edie, untying Mister’s bonnet. ‘You’ll be okay now, I promise.’ She put him on the ground and was relieved to see that he stayed upright.
    â€˜Snuffle,’ said Mister Pants, then turned and waddled slowly over to Edie. When he reached her leg he held out his paw.
    â€˜You’re welcome,’ said Edie.
    She looked up at the shiny metal plaque on the outside of the building, which displayed the words:
Doctor Arabella Stuart, Vet in Residence
.