Agatha Raisin and Kissing Christmas Goodbye Read Online Free PDF Page B

have a tape recording as well.’ She switched it on. Mrs Freedman put her hands over her ears.
    ‘That’s enough,’ said Agatha sharply. ‘Well done. But I didn’t expect a young girl like you to be exposed to such filth. I’m sorry. How did you manage to get
these?’
    Toni told her.
    When she had finished, Agatha said, ‘I can’t in all honestly pay you trainee wages for work like this. We’ll negotiate a contract for you tomorrow. You may take the rest of the
day off. Mrs Freedman, call Mr Constable.’
    ‘What about Phil’s camera?’
    ‘Take it home and bring it back tomorrow.’
     
Chapter Three
    Agatha returned home slightly jealous of young Toni’s early success. The girl had luck on her side and Agatha knew that a lucky detective was often a lot more valuable
than an experienced one.
    Her cats came running to meet her. The house felt silent. ‘Roy!’ she called. She went into the kitchen. There was a note on the kitchen table propped up against a dirty coffee
cup.
    ‘Dear Aggie,’ she read. ‘Thanks to that brilliant article, I got the Meery baby products account, which is big big big! Sorry I had to dash off. Lots of love, Roy.’
    Roy must have phoned his boss, thought Agatha, to crow over the article. She had a feeling that he would not be back for the weekend and she would be left on her own to cope with the case.
    She fed her cats and let them out into the garden. Although the day had been unseasonably warm, there was now a slight chill in the air.
    She fixed herself a gin and tonic and sat down at the kitchen table feeling lonely.
    Her mobile phone rang. At first she couldn’t make out who it was because of the gulps and sobs coming down the line. ‘Take a deep breath, whoever you are,’ snapped Agatha.
    ‘It’s T-Toni,’ stammered the voice. ‘He’s pinched the camera.’
    ‘Who has?’
    ‘M-my b-brother, Terry. He says he’s going to sell it in the morning. He’s drunk.’
    ‘Where are you?’
    ‘I’m locked in my room. He beat me.’
    ‘What’s your address? I’ve left it at the office.’
    Toni gave it to her, along with directions.
    ‘Stay in your room,’ ordered Agatha. ‘I’m coming.’
    ‘He’ll kill you!’ wailed Toni. ‘He’s drunk.’
    ‘Just wait.’
    Agatha got into her car and drove to the pub. She said to the barman, John Fletcher, ‘I need some muscle. Someone’s beaten up one of my assistants. Anyone want to
make some money?’
    ‘I’ll see.’ John lifted the flap of the bar and went over to where two men were eating lasagne and chips and bent over them. Then he came back to Agatha. ‘How
much?’
    ‘A hundred pounds each,’ said Agatha.
    He went back and returned with the men. He introduced them as Dale and Sean. They were agricultural labourers.
    As she drove them towards Mircester, Agatha outlined the problem. ‘I don’t want any broken bones,’ she warned them. ‘Just overpower him while I get that camera and get
Toni out of there.’
    ‘You didn’t want to call the police?’ asked Sean.
    Agatha realized that she could easily have called the police, but perhaps this Terry would lie and say he had only taken the camera as a joke. Toni would be asked if she wanted to press charges
and probably wouldn’t want to land her brother in prison.
    ‘No, it’s better this way,’ she said.
    A faded, drunken woman answered the door to them. ‘Mrs Gilmour?’ asked Agatha.
    ‘Yesh, what is it?’
    ‘We would like to speak to your son.’
    ‘I dunno . . .’
    ‘Let us past,’ ordered Agatha.
    She stood aside, hanging on to the edge of the door for support. Agatha heard the sounds of the television. ‘In here,’ she ordered.
    Terry was slumped on the sofa with a can of beer.
    ‘I want that camera and lens,’ said Agatha.
    ‘Dunno what yer talkin’ about.’
    Agatha nodded to Sean and Dale. The two powerful labourers jerked Terry to his feet and slammed him up against the wall.
    Mrs Gilmour staggered into the room.