Free Mistletoe Mystery by Sally Quilford Page A

want to go in the attic?”
    “Did you see any jewel encrusted dresses whilst you were up
there?”
    Philly laughed. “Gaslight was my first thought too. No, but
I haven’t finished searching yet. That’s what I’m going to do now.”
    “Me and Meg will help you. If there’s any jewels to be had, I
reckon we deserve them. I mean, you deserve them, of course.”
    “You know I’d share.”
    “I know you would, petal, but you don’t have to. But what
are we going to do about Matt?”
    “Perhaps we should find a way to stop him coming to the
Mistletoe and Mystery weekend,” Philly suggested, with heavy heart.
    “Or perhaps we should lay a trap the evil so-and-so, then
hand him over to the police.”
    “Puck, that won’t be necessary, will it?”
    “Philly, listen to yourself. You’re actually trying to
protect him.”
    “No, that’s not it,” said Philly, hotly, with a blush rising
in her face. “I just thought of how embarrassing it would be if everyone knew
I’d been taken in.”
    “But you haven’t been. You found out before it was too late.
I’m proud of you.”
    “Me too,” said Meg, coming around the bottom of the
staircase. “And yes, I have been eavesdropping outrageously. It’s such a
fascinating thing to do. Puck is right. We should set a trap for Matt. Maybe
when he comes here, we could mention there are jewels hidden somewhere in the
house.”
    “It seems he already knows that!” said Philly.
    “Or maybe he only suspects it at the moment,” said Meg. “It
could be one of those myths go around the criminal fraternity. Meanwhile, we’ll
hunt for the real treasure and get it put somewhere safe before anyone else can
steal it. Oh this is going to be fun! The three amigos, fighting crime.”
    “You know that the three amigos in the film were a bunch of
idiots, right?” said Philly.
    “Yes, but they were also a bunch of actors who eventually
won the day,” said Puck. “That’s if you can do this, Philly.”
    “Of course I can do it.”
    “Are you sure?” asked Meg. “It’s clear you’ve still got the
hots for him.”
    “But now I know he’s a conman, I’m sure I’ll get over it. In
fact I already am. You’re right, we should hand him over to the police. He’s
obviously not a very likeable person really and now the scales have fallen from
my eyes, I’ll be fine.”
    “Hmm,” said Meg.
    “Hmm,” said Puck.
    Philly guessed from their response that she had not
convinced her friends anymore than she had convinced herself.

 
    Chapter Seven
     
    “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Bedlington Hall.” Matt
stood halfway up the stairs, looking very impressive in his tweed headmasters’
suit, with leather elbow pads. A little young for the role perhaps, but judging
by the looks on the faces of the women in the crowd, that did not matter. His
good looks and American accent gave him a Hollywood glamour that the females
clearly found very attractive.
    Philly watched him as he held the guests in the palm of his
hand. “This weekend,” Matt continued, “we are taking you back to the time when
Bedlington Hall was a boarding school and together we will investigate the
disappearance of Dominique DuPont. But first a few health and safety rules.
Boring, I know, but necessary.” Matt quickly went through what to do in the
event of a fire, going into air steward mode, moving his arms accordingly. “The
exits are here, here and here, and please do not forget your whistles. They’ll
be very important if we lose you in the snow.” This was followed by general
laughter.
    It had indeed started snowing the day before, giving the
house a real festive feel, with its open fires and Christmas trimmings. The
banging radiators in the ancient central heating system were not so wonderful,
but Philly had been assured by Mrs. Cunningham that it was quite authentic.
    “The system we had always banged something dreadful, dear,”
the vicar’s wife had said. “It’s all part of the charm, and