Free Jolly Foul Play: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery by Robin Stevens Page A

There we had the beginnings of our first suspect’s movements. Una had been at the bonfire just after the end of the fireworks, exactly on the spot to hurt Elizabeth.
    A group of third formers shoved past us then, giggling at something.
    ‘Watch it!’ shouted Kitty, and one of them (of course, it was Binny) turned and stuck out her tongue. Then all four of them shrieked with laughter and rushed away.
    ‘I don’t like the way the younger years are behaving today,’ said Kitty crossly. ‘Why, if I was in charge, I should—’
    ‘You sound just like one of the Five!’ said Beanie rather reproachfully.
    Kitty froze. ‘I am nothing like the Five!’ she gasped.
    ‘Do you think another secret has been found?’ asked Emily shyly, looking rather more cheerful. ‘I never knew that the older girls had so many. I’m much less afraid of them now.’
    Kitty opened her mouth to say something snubbing, caught herself and shut it again. She blinked, as though she had just thought of something. ‘It
is
only the older girls’ secrets coming out,’ she said. ‘Goodness. Our form is the youngest that’s had anything revealed about them. What if the secret-spreader is one of the younger girls?’
    She was quite right. For a moment we all stared at each other in surprise. Had we discovered something else important?
    ‘It might be,’ said Daisy thoughtfully. ‘But it could also just be a blind. After all, there could be plenty of older girls whose secrets haven’t come out yet. I happen to know that Violet—’
    Just then, Betsy North came hurrying up to us. ‘Psst,’ she said. ‘Information.’
    ‘What is it, horrid little shrimp?’ said Daisy loudly, shooing the first formers away. Then, in a lower voice, ‘Go on, tell!’
    ‘Listen to this!’ whispered Betsy. ‘I heard one of the third formers saying it just now. They were standing near Elizabeth, just before we all formed up in rows for the fireworks, when Lettice came up to her. She was shaking, and she said something about
secrets
. And Elizabeth laughed at her. She told Lettice that
she had better be careful, for the sake of her sanity
. And Lettice looked
terrified
. She went rushing away, and that was when Una came by, to line them all up.’
    ‘Oh, well done!’ said Daisy, excited. ‘Bunbreak privileges for you tomorrow morning, Betsy, I promise you that! Detectives, we are beginning to gather important information. Now it is your mission to discover what else was overheard on Tuesday.’
    That was the beginning of our run of good luck. We spoke to all the younger years – Daisy worked her magic on them, and they melted. There was general agreement that the Five had been behaving even more badly than usual last night. Margaret had shouted at a first-form shrimp, just after we had seen her snap at Astrid. Una had given two third formers detention for pushing out of their line, just as the fireworks were beginning. But we also spoke to plenty of girls who said that the Five were not merely cruel, but upset. Lettice, handing out sparklers, had had tears in her eyes, and before that she had been storming about, full of angry energy and snapping at everyone she passed – we had this from several people. Enid had been distracted, muttering to herself and not even seeing the third formers pretending to fence with their sparklers, although they did it right in front of her.
    Each of the Five had been seen speaking to Elizabeth before the fireworks – it seemed as though she had never left her comfortable position near the bonfire. To our sighting of Margaret, and the third formers’ of Lettice, were added three more. A second former had seen Enid pausing with a load of wood in her arms to speak with Elizabeth next to the fire, just after everyone had arrived and been greeted. Elizabeth was speaking crossly to her, telling her off, and then Enid walked away again to collect more firewood from the pavilion. The second former thought that this was quite