Eye Spy Read Online Free PDF Page A

disappeared.”
    â€œWere there many people around at the time?” Donna asked.
    â€œThere were other people walking along the promenade: mothers with babies, skateboarders, people coming out of the shopping mall.” She shook her head. “I cannot understand it. She always comes when she is called!”
    As she fell silent, I asked, “What does Kiki look like?”
    â€œShe is a Sichuan Pekinese. Quite small, with long silky hair.” She stood up, walked over to a small desk, and took a photo out of a drawer. She handed it to me, and we peered curiously at it. Kiki was sitting on her owner’s lap, looking – there was no other word for it – smug. It was difficult to see why a dog who was so obviously pampered would want to run away.
    â€œHave you told the police she’s missing?” asked Donna.
    â€œThe police!” She made a dismissive gesture. “What do they care about missing dogs? They have more important things to do!”
    â€œWhat about the home for lost dogs?” I suggested, but she shook her head. “I ring every day and ask, but they have not seen her.”
    â€œI suppose she’s quite valuable?” Donna enquired.
    The lady gave a shrug. “I do not know. She was given to me by a dear friend, but yes, I am sure he must have paid a high price for her. She is a rare breed.”
    â€œAnd the man who asked you for directions? Did you know him?” I asked. I wanted to make sure we covered all angles.
    â€œOh, no! He was a stranger.”
    â€œCan you remember what he looked like?”
    She frowned. “A large man, not English, I think. And he wore a fur hat, like a Russian spy in a James Bond film. You know what I mean?”
    I nodded. “Well, I think that’s all we need to know for the moment. We can start making enquiries now, and we’ll let you know if we discover anything.”
    â€œThank you,
mes enfants.
You are very kind. Let me give you my phone number in case you find out anything useful.” She picked up her handbag from the table beside her and extracted a card from it, which she handed to me. ‘Helène Boudet. French language tuition’, it read, then it gave her phone number. The card smelt of her perfume.
    She settled back comfortably on the sofa and waved a dismissive hand. “I wish you good luck,” she said. “
Au revoir
.” We went out through the little entrance hall and shut the front door behind us. As we approached the lift, a tall, well-dressed man carrying a bunch of flowers stepped out of it. He barely glanced at us as he marched up to Mademoiselle Boudet’s door and rang the bell. As we stood in the lift waiting for the doors to shut, we saw her open the door and murmur, “
Mon cher
…”
    As we turned into Castleview and began the walk back into town, Donna said, “Well, what d’you think?”
    I shrugged. “The dog’s been missing for almost a week. She could be anywhere by now. But it’s worth a try.”
    â€œShe could have been stolen. If she’s a rare breed, there are probably people who’d pay a lot of money for her, no questions asked.”
    â€œOr perhaps she was kidnapped. She’s a valuable dog, and Mademoiselle Boudet certainly looks as if she’s got enough money to pay a ransom.”
    â€œShe didn’t say anything about ransom demands. Anyway, surely they wouldn’t wait this long to contact her?”
    â€œMm… You’re probably right. Hey, Donna, wasn’t that flat amazing? It was like a film set. And she looked like a film star.”
    Donna snorted. “A film star! I’ll bet anything you like that the man with the flowers is somebody else’s husband.”
    I stared at Donna. “Why d’you think that?”
    She giggled. “Nan has a phrase she uses for women who look like that. She says they’re ‘no better than they should be’.