Mrs. Jeffries Wins the Prize Read Online Free Page A

place, including the mews. Let’s walk around to the front door; it’ll give us a chance to have a closer look at the property.”
    â€œAnd a nice piece of property it is, sir.” Barnes surveyed the area with a practiced eye as the two men started for the gate.
    â€œIndeed it is,” the inspector agreed.
    Leafy ferns and shrubs stood in a row along the walkway that curved to the tall wood fencing surrounding the property. Flowerbeds brimming with brilliant pink azaleas, red and purple rhododendrons, lilacs, and roses in every hue imaginable were planted along the two sides of the long garden between which was a perfect emerald green lawn. A white painted wrought iron table and chairs stood in the middle of the garden, and at the far end, a wide bed of ivy ran along the back fencing which separated the property from the mews. Barnes, who was a few feet ahead of Witherspoon, stopped suddenly. “They take their gardening seriously here, sir. The lawn is perfect and theconservatory is twice the size you generally see attached to a private house. The only jarring note is that.” He pointed back the way they’d just come, to the staircase. The space under the conservatory was open to the elements and dim, but there was enough light getting in to see all the wooden supports holding up the conservatory. Piles of old wood, mounds of dirt, broken bricks, and crumbling stoneware pots were scattered haphazardly along the uneven dirt surface. Along the wall of the original structure, a stack of lumber, a wheelbarrow, and extra bags of peat and soil were propped up for storage.
    â€œYes, that’s odd, isn’t it,” Witherspoon agreed. “But perhaps the owners are so used to the sight, they don’t realize how much of an eyesore it is.”
    â€œOr perhaps they’ve put off doing anything about it until the weather gets cooler. That stack of wood in there by the wheelbarrow might be for a trellis.”
    â€œHow very clever of you to think of that, Constable.”
    â€œNot so clever, sir.” Barnes grinned. “I’ve got a stack of lumber just like it in my back garden and Mrs. Barnes is fit to be tied that I’ve not put it up. She wants to do some sort of climbing vine but it’s been so warm lately that I’ve put it off until the weather cools down.”
    They continued around the house to the entrance, where a police constable stood guard. He nodded respectfully as he opened the door. “I’m glad you’ve come, sir. The mistress of the house is getting very upset. She’s been out here twice demanding to see you. She’s in the drawing room with the other ladies.”
    â€œWhere are the servants?” Barnes asked as he stepped inside.
    â€œDownstairs in the kitchen, sir. The housekeeper’s made them tea.”
    â€œThank you, Constable,” Witherspoon murmured. “Go around to the back, please. There’s a smashed plant under a shrub by the walkway and we’ll need it. It’s evidence so keep it in your possession here until we call for it.”
    â€œYes, sir.” He nodded smartly and hurried off.
    Witherspoon stepped over the threshold and came to a full stop. He blinked as his senses were overwhelmed by the colorful and exotic décor. The walls were papered in a brilliant crimson with a pattern of golden interlocking curlicues. A gold statue of an Indian dancer sat atop a green, red, and blue silk tablecloth on the table next to the staircase. An oriental carpet of maroon, cream, and cobalt blue covered the floor and continued up the stairs. The room was unnaturally bright and it took the inspector a moment to understand why: Two mirrors, both with ornate frames of carved gold leaf, were on the wall behind the table and angled so they’d catch the light from the overhead transom. “This is a most unusual entryway,” the inspector murmured.
    â€œOf course it is.” A woman stepped out