Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall Read Online Free PDF Page A

three of us set off for the Hall.
    â€œHow did you get back here from school, Harry?” said Mum. I had been thinking the same thing. It had to be at least fifty miles away.
    â€œI took the bus,” he said. “I’m not stupid.”
    Mum leaned in and whispered, “Just think! He could have been abducted, for heaven’s sakes. The country is full of perverts these days.”
    â€œBe quiet, Mother!” I whispered.
    â€œBut it was a jolly good thing I did escape,” Harry went on. “Because someone had to keep an eye on the enemy.”
    â€œThat’s true,” I said.
    â€œThat man with the limp was waiting for you for ages,” said Harry.
    â€œWhat do you mean, waiting ?” I said sharply.
    â€œHe waited until you were picking the sloes.” Harry laughed. “I saw you fall into the bog. You were really lucky you weren’t eaten by alien worms with piranha-sharp teeth!”
    â€œI wonder why he was waiting for us,” Mum mused.
    â€œTo see you, Mum,” I said. “Remember? He wanted to tell you about the rolling stock depot and discuss your options?”
    â€œWhat’s rolling stock?” Harry asked.
    â€œLet’s talk about this later, Mum,” I whispered.
    Harry’s eyes widened. “Like somewhere to store ammunition and bombs? Like a factory?”
    â€œNo, nothing like that,” I said. “Harry, why don’t you tell me about the dormice? Where do they live?”
    â€œOh! They live in Cavalier Copse. They’re arb … harb … arb … they live in trees and hedges.”
    â€œArboreal?” I suggested.
    â€œYes!” Harry beamed. “William says they travel from tree to tree and never touch the ground. They’re going to hibernate now until April.” His face fell. “William says they build their nests in hollow trees and roots but … what if all the trees are cut down?”
    â€œThey won’t be,” said Mum grimly. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
    â€œTell me what the dormice like to eat,” I said, hoping to distract him.
    â€œInsects,” said Harry. “But hazelnuts are their favorite.”
    As we walked up to the stile at the top of the field, Harry chattered happily about the Honeychurch dormice, and for a while “the enemy” and boarding school were forgotten.
    Suddenly, the five-bar gate in the corner was thrown open and a herd of Devonshire Red Ruby cows and their calves drifted in.
    â€œCows.” I looked over at Mum and said pointedly, “I told you there were cows in this field.”
    â€œOh! Quick. Hurry!” Harry clambered over the stile. “William told me that the cows who have babies don’t like us in their field. He said that a holidaymaker was trampled to death last summer whilst walking his dog.”
    â€œThat’s horrible,” I exclaimed.
    â€œI heard about that,” said Mum. “Apparently, he panicked and started to run. You should never run away from cows, especially if they have calves.”
    â€œSo says the country girl,” I joked as I helped Mum over the stile and we both jumped down on the other side.
    â€œYou forget that when I was a girl I spent every summer in the country,” Mum declared.
    â€œThere was a stampede,” Harry went on with obvious relish. “He was surrounded by a million cows who stamped on him until all his limbs fell off and his insides exploded.” Harry gave a heavy sigh. “I’d rather be trampled on than go back to school.”
    â€œTell me all the good things about your new school,” I asked.
    â€œThere aren’t any.”
    â€œOf course there must be,” Mum chimed in.
    â€œYou’ll make friends eventually,” I said. “No one likes being the new boy.”
    â€œI won’t. I hate it. The boys make fun of me.” Harry’s top lip quivered. “They called me a