B006ITK0AW EBOK Read Online Free PDF Page B

surrounded by an orchestra of happy sounds. It was all a bit disconcerting, but there was one thing she was sure of: it wasn’t David who had sent those poison pen letters.
    ‘Can I do anything useful?’ asked David. It seemed a rhetorical question – what couldn’t he do, with that smile? But Emily rallied and said, ‘A dog’s gone missing. You could help me find her.’
    ‘I don’t know much about dogs.’
    Emily thought of her dog Jessie, her lovely old Golden Retriever who had died. She still missed Jessie and had thought her heart would break when she watched Jessie slip away, enfeebled by illness at the end. She said, ‘Sometimes I think I know too much.’
    ‘Come on, then! We’ll make a great team. You don’t mind if I keep my mobile on? I’m expecting a call from LA. They’re probably not up and about this time of the morning. But you never know: the city that never sleeps.’
    ‘Isn’t that New York?’
    David laughed again. ‘There you go. Another thing you know more about than I do. We’ll make a great team.’
    Seema came bustling by, white trousers gleaming, floral top flowing. She was carrying a packet of dog biscuits and Dizzy’s screwdriver. ‘David!’ she said. ‘What an honour to meet you. I loved your work in Spies Like Us ’. She smiled. She looked vivacious. Emily felt unaccountably jealous. Seema said, ‘Emily, do you want a Bonio?’
    Emily said, ‘I’m trying to give them up.’
    David laughed (again) and took the packet of dog biscuits. ‘Good thinking. Seema, is it? Did I talk to you on the phone about enrolling Dolly? Don’t worry, we’ll find your dog.’
    ‘It isn’t my dog!’ said Seema, horrified, as though he’d said ‘Don’t worry, we’ll find your Nazi memorabilia.’ Emily didn’t much trust people who didn’t like dogs. People who didn’t know much about dogs were OK, of course. But there’s nothing admirable about someone who tips over into active dislike. ‘Our handyman’s gone missing,’ Seema continued. ‘Black dude, blue overalls, dreads. If you see him…?’
    David put his hand, almost, on Emily’s waist as he escorted her out of the room. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said to Seema. ‘If we see him, we’ll send him your way.’
    ‘I’m doing the induction for the new parents,’ Seema said. ‘Most of them are here now. I do hope you’ll join us, David.’
    ‘Yeah, I will. Not sure if this place is quite right for Dolly, yet.’
    Seema gasped in anguish and put one hand to her face as though he had slapped her.
    ‘Kidding!’ he said. ‘I’m kidding, Seema. It’s a great place. Any questions, though, I might as well ask Emily.’
    Seema gave Emily a look of general disdain – so it was impossible to know whether she disapproved of Emily spending time with David or whether she simply felt that Emily couldn’t be trusted to answer any questions about the school correctly (in which assessment she was, after all, perfectly correct). Then she bustled off again.
    ‘I need to talk to Dr. Muriel before we go looking for Precious,’ Emily said to David, leading the way up the stairs to the office. ‘She and Morgana have been looking at a weird letter that arrived here for Victoria this morning.’
    David didn’t react – at least, he didn’t react the way someone would react if they were responsible for sending the letter. He said, ‘Is there anything about this place that isn’t a little bit weird?’
    When they got to the office, they saw that Dr. Muriel and Morgana had made themselves comfortable. They were drinking tea and chatting earnestly. There was a very large oval dish of sandwiches on the desk beside them, its cling film cover partially pulled back and several of the sandwiches missing.
    ‘Where is Seema?’ asked Dr. Muriel. ‘The sandwich shop just delivered these. I think we need to fend for ourselves rather than get faint with hunger. Emily, you’ve been here all day, haven’t you? I know it’s barely midday, but