Agatha's First Case Read Online Free PDF

away.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me?”
    â€œTold you. Loyalty is the thing.”
    Agatha took a deep breath. Why not just plunge in? “I happen to know you were blackmailing Lady Teller,” she said.
    â€œWho told you that?”
    â€œNo one. An educated guess. I am going round to New Scotland Yard and tell them of my suspicions and they will dig and dig until they get to the truth.”
    â€œYou are a silly little girl,” said Bertha. “You can smear my name all you like. I’ve got nothing to hide. You’ve outstayed your welcome. Push off. I got an alibi. I was with me sister in Dorset.”
    Agatha got to her feet. No chance of retrieving her tape recorder. “You haven’t heard the last of this,” she said.
    She walked to the door of the sitting room. Agatha realised a strap of her sandals was coming loose and bent down to fix it. The coffee jug which had been about to smash down on her head struck her on the shoulder instead.
    Agatha screamed, “Help!” at the top of her voice as she turned round to grapple with the housekeeper. That was her mistake. This time the coffeepot struck her full on the forehead. She collapsed, unconscious, on the floor.
    *   *   *
    Outside, Chief Detective Inspector Jim Macdonald was raising his hand to ring the bell.
    He paused. “I heard someone scream.” Behind him crowded the press.
    Bliss appeared behind him with a pile of newspapers. “Open the door,” ordered Macdonald.
    Bliss and Macdonald rushed in to where Agatha was lying on the floor. Macdonald felt for a pulse. “She’ll live. What’s going on here? Bliss, get an ambulance, quick.”
    Bertha appeared, stuffing something in her apron pocket. “I was protecting meself,” she said. “She went mad and attacked me. I had to hit her with the coffeepot.”
    Agatha’s eyes fluttered open. Bliss bent down and put and ice-cold compress on her forehead. “The tape recorder,” she whispered. “Behind the sofa.”
    â€œWhat’s she saying?” shouted Bertha. “All lies. How can you believe a stupid girl like that?”
    â€œMiss Raisin says there’s a tape recorder hidden behind the sofa,” said Bliss.
    Bertha let out a squawk and made a run for the front door but was borne back by the press, who had decided to follow the police in.
    Detective Sergeant Fred seized her and put her in handcuffs.
    The ambulance arrived as Bliss was helping Agatha to sit up. “No,” said Agatha to the paramedics. “I must hear what was on that tape.”
    It was switched on. The detectives listened grimly to Agatha’s accusations. Then there was a long silence after she had been hit on the head. Just as they had decided there was nothing more, they heard Bertha’s voice again. “Got a nice bit of cheese wire for you, duckie. I’ll hide your body in my room until I decide where to dump you. Pin it on the boss somehow.” Then came the noises of Macdonald and Fred bursting in.
    Cameras clicked as Bertha was charged with the attempted murder of Agatha Raisin and Agatha was put on a stretcher and borne off to hospital.
    *   *   *
    Later that day, Macdonald and Baxter were summoned to the office of Chief Superintendent Baxter.
    â€œBertha Jones has finally admitted to murdering Lady Teller,” said Macdonald. “We are waiting until Agatha Raisin is fully recovered and we will charge her with impeding a police investigation and perverting the course of justice.”
    â€œYou idiots! She’s the heroine of the day. The press office will issue a statement expressing their gratitude. Have you realised if Sir Bryce Teller had not had such a high standing and a good lawyer, you would have charged him? On what? We’ll slant the press statement to take most of the credit, which you pair don’t deserve. This Bertha was supposed to be in