Alice-Miranda Holds the Key 15

by Jacqueline Harvey

  Alice-Miranda pointed at Bentley Treloar.

  The crowd gasped.

  ‘I think Mr Treloar and his wife poisoned all those people,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘We most certainly did not!’ Adrienne shouted. ‘How dare you accuse us of such a thing? It’s true I don’t like your father, but I’d never do anything like that. I’m a doctor! I make people better, not worse. I solved the case.’

  Adrienne looked at her husband, whose face was the colour of his hair. He hung his head.

  ‘Bentley?’ The woman was incredulous. ‘Oh no, it can’t be true.’

  ‘I … I just wanted you to get what you deserved and I knew that if you solved something huge, they’d have to give you the job. After what happened last time, when Desmond Berwick ruined everything, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I’m a failure and you’re a star and you deserve to be recognised.’ Tears streamed down the man’s cheeks. ‘I didn’t realise how bad it would be. I didn’t mean to make all those people so sick. I was a fool.’

  ‘You’re hardly a failure, Treloar,’ Hugh said.

  ‘My research – it’s rubbish. I can’t make it work. I’m at a dead end,’ the man sobbed.

  Adrienne shook her head, fighting back tears. ‘But this? People were sick, Bentley. Horribly sick and you caused it.’

  Alice-Miranda looked around for Desmond. For a moment, he’d completely slipped her mind, but she was sure he was still there, watching her every move.

  She glanced at her cousins and saw Marcus reach out and grab the toy his sister was holding and fling it across the front of the stage. Imogen began to bawl. Alice-Miranda had seen it and so had Desmond. He practically launched himself through the crowd and onto the toy dog.

  ‘Good grief! What are you doing, man?’ Aunty Gee demanded.

  Alice-Miranda flew after him and snatched the toy away. ‘Miss Plunkett!’ the child called. ‘Catch!’

  ‘No! That’s mine,’ Desmond howled.

  ‘Desmond!’ Jemima shouted from the side of the stage.

  ‘Desmond? Not that dreadful Desmond Berwick?’ Aunty Gee took a closer look at him and gasped. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Yes, that’s him and I think I know where he’s hidden all the money or at least how we can find out.’ Alice-Miranda leapt onto the stage.

  Desmond Berwick was still on his hands and knees.

  ‘I’m sorry, Chessie, but we can have Rodney fixed, I promise,’ Alice-Miranda said and took the dog from Marjorie’s hands. She pulled hard on the centre seam of the toy pup’s tummy and tore it open. Alice-Miranda reached in and pulled out a little pouch. She unzipped it to find a tiny key and a piece of paper.

  ‘My goodness, that’s it!’ Marjorie’s eyes were huge. ‘Arrest that man!’ she ordered.

  Agents came from everywhere, pouncing on Desmond and cuffing his hands behind his back.

  ‘And arrest him too,’ she said, pointing at Bentley Treloar.

  Daisy shuffled through the crowd and took Martha from her father. Leo clung to her leg and held on to his big sister’s hand. Adrienne Treloar was still standing on the stage, shaking in shock.

  ‘What does it say?’ Jemima asked, gesturing to the paper in Alice-Miranda’s hand.

  ‘It’s a receipt for a safety deposit box,’ Alice-Miranda said.

  ‘This is very good news, indeed. How many millions did that swindler steal?’ Aunty Gee asked.

  ‘Eight and a half,’ Jemima replied. The number was burned into her brain.

  ‘Well, it looks like we’re kicking off the foundation with an excellent amount and another million from me,’ Aunty Gee announced, rousing a huge cheer from the crowd.

  Jemima hurried to her daughter with her husband in tow. She hugged Chessie tight and burst into tears. ‘It’s over, darling. We can be a proper family now,’ she sobbed.

  ‘We have one person to thank for that,’ Chessie said, turning to Alice-Miranda.

  The two children embraced.

  ‘I can’t believe you worked it all out,’ Chessie said. ‘Not only this but the food poisoning as well.’

  Alice-Miranda smiled and shrugged. ‘I guess sometimes you just have to find the key. And I’m sorry about Rodney. Shilly can sew him back together and he’ll be even better than new.’

  Millie rushed over to join the girls and gave them both a hug as Marjorie’s people discreetly removed Bentley and Desmond from the crowd.

  ‘Wow! That was … unexpected,’ Millie said, grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘Daisy, I must apologise to you and the Kennington-Joneses,’ Adrienne said. ‘I need to go with Bentley and see if we can sort out this mess. Would you mind taking care of the children?’ she asked, her voice wavering.

  ‘Of course,’ Daisy said with a sympathetic smile. She’d need every distraction technique in the book to keep the children’s minds off what they’d just witnessed but she’d give it her best shot.

  ‘Hey, look,’ Millie said, nudging Alice-Miranda. She pointed to the far edge of the crowd. ‘There’s Miss Grimm and Mr Grump and Plumpy and Reedy. They made it. Whoa, looks like Miss Grimm’s eaten a few too many donuts.’

  Alice-Miranda and Millie looked at each other.

  ‘No way!’ Millie exclaimed. ‘Do you really think she could be?’

  Alice-Miranda smiled. ‘We know she didn’t have food poisoning and she has been sick. It makes a lot of sense if you think about it.’

  ‘I would never have thought about it,’ Millie giggled.

  ‘Well, this has to be the loveliest news to top off a rather interesting day.’ Alice-Miranda took Chessie by the hand. ‘Come on, Millie and I will introduce you to our headmistress.’

  She looked over at Jemima and Anthony Tavistock, who nodded fiercely and gave her the thumbs up.

  Alice-Miranda beamed. ‘Something tells me you may be getting to know her much better very soon.’

  Bentley Treloar had been so desperate to see his wife succeed that he had completely lost all rational thought in the process. He’d believed he had worked out a way to make people just a little bit sick, but things quickly got out of hand. His research into plastics recycling had indeed hit a dead end and so he had come up with this plan instead – at least one member of the family should be successful or so he’d thought. For a smart person, his actions had been especially dim-witted. He was charged with industrial sabotage and placed on a good behaviour bond with a hefty dose of community service thrown in for good measure. Hugh Kennington-Jones hated the thought of the Treloar family suffering, so he continued the man’s employment under strict supervision.

  During her investigations, Dolly Oliver might just have made the breakthrough Bentley couldn’t. Dolly asked if Bentley wanted to undertake some additional research with her in the laboratory and it soon seemed as if they were on to something groundbreaking.

  Adrienne Treloar visited the Highton-Smith-Kennington-Joneses the following day to apologise in person for the trauma she had inflicted on Alice-Miranda and her misjudgement of Hugh and his business practices. She was appalled by her behaviour and realised she had been blinded by bitterness and ambition. She offered to resign from her new role, effective immediately, but was shocked to find that Edwin Rochester refused to accept it. She had solved the mystery of the Kennington’s crisis and, although her husband had made a few suggestions here and there, she had been incredibly thorough in her research. She was just the sort of woman they needed to head up the children’s hospital. Adrienne wondered if perhaps she’d misjudged Mr Rochester somewhat as well.

  Fortunately, Leo and Martha were too young to understand what had happened that day. Dottie, though, felt terribly ashamed that hundreds of people had suffered at the hands of her father. Almost immediately after the garden party, he did his best to make it up to her and so did her mother. The thing about parents is that you can’t help but love them, and Dottie was determined that their family would emerge from this horrible time to be better than ever. She was worried that Alice
-Miranda wouldn’t want to be her friend anymore, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. Once Alice-Miranda made a friend, it was for life.

  Desmond Berwick’s dreams of privilege and luxury turned out not to be. He’d served his time for the theft of the money from the Paper Moon Foundation and now he needed to complete his parole and get a job. Marjorie Plunkett decided that it would be best if he moved to the other end of the country, where she secured him a position in a toy factory, manufacturing stuffed animals.

  Anthony Tavistock was even more in love with Jemima than when they’d first met. He believed her courage in trying to do the right thing was extraordinary. Jemima decided that Bedford Manor was just fine as it was, although she and Anthony did raid the attics and cellars for an auction with startlingly good results. Dally was initially poised for sale but, oddly, Jemima had a last-minute change of heart and he’s now back in his usual place. Jemima realised that, despite not everything being to her taste, Bedford Manor’s history was important and she and Chessie were now a part of it. She even took up Prigg’s offer to show her the strange cabinet in the Great Room. The man was stunned when Jemima challenged him to a round of chequers – it seemed the frost was finally beginning to thaw. In fact, now that she was no longer worried about her brother, Jemima wondered if perhaps she could help Anthony by opening the house to the public. Maybe they could run a tearoom or even some weekend house parties for paying guests. The best news of all was that she and Chessie and Anthony were now a proper family.

  Alice-Miranda and Millie rode Bony and Chops over to visit Chessie the day after the garden party. Under strict instructions from Hugh and Cecelia, they took things very slowly and Bonaparte behaved like a perfect gentleman.

  Francesca Compton-Halls couldn’t believe her luck. She had made two wonderful friends in Millie and Alice-Miranda, and her stepfather was everything she could have wished for and more. But the best thing was that her mother and Anthony didn’t want her to go all the way back to Bodlington. Although she was sad to be leaving Mrs Fairbanks, she was equally thrilled to be saying goodbye to Madagascar. Ettie Fairbanks reorganised her linen cupboard and had a long chat with Peggy Howard about her new charge.

  Chessie had a lovely interview with Miss Grimm, who was happy to report that she was over her morning sickness and expecting an addition to the school community in five months’ time. But there was to be another one earlier than that, when Chessie started next term.

  Mrs Shillingsworth fixed Rodney just as Alice-Miranda said she would. But Chessie decided that perhaps the old dog needed a new adventure, so she bundled him up and posted him to a special little friend called Imogen.

  Aunty Gee was pleased to have her larder restocked and was relishing her orange marmalade toast – even more so when she got to make it herself for a midnight snack.

  The Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones household

  Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones

  Only child, nine years of age

  Cecelia Highton-Smith

  Alice-Miranda’s doting mother

  Hugh Kennington-Jones

  Alice-Miranda’s doting father

  Aunt Charlotte

  Cecelia’s younger sister

  Marcus and Imogen Ridley

  Twin toddlers of Charlotte and Lawrence

  Dolly Oliver

  Family cook, part-time food technology scientist

  Mrs Shillingsworth

  Head housekeeper

  Mr Harold Greening

  Gardener

  Mrs Maggie Greening

  Mr Greening’s wife

  Daisy Rumble

  Current juggler of three jobs – maid, receptionist and nanny

  Heinrich Bauer

  Runs the farm at Highton Hall

  Lily Bauer

  Heinrich’s wife

  Jasper Bauer

  The Bauers’ eleven-year-old son

  Poppy Bauer

  The Bauers’ seven-year-old daughter

  Max

  Stablehand

  Bonaparte

  Alice-Miranda’s pony

  Friends of the Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones family

  Aunty Gee

  Queen Georgiana

  Marjorie Plunkett

  Head of the Secret Protection League of Defence

  Pippa McLoughlin-McTavish

  Millie’s mother

  Chops

  Millie’s pony

  Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies staff

  Miss Ophelia Grimm

  Headmistress

  Miss Livinia Reedy

  English teacher

  Mr Josiah Plumpton

  Science teacher

  Miss Benitha Wall

  PE teacher

  Mr Cornelius Trout

  Music teacher

  Howie (Mrs Howard)

  Housemistress

  Mrs Doreen Smith

  Cook

  Charlie Weatherly

  Stablehand

  Fudge

  Much-loved cavoodle puppy

  Students

  Millicent Jane McLoughlin-McTavish-McNoughton-McGill

  Alice-Miranda’s best friend and room mate

  Sloane Sykes

  Friend

  Caprice Radford

  Friend of sorts

  Sofia Ridout

  Head prefect

  Mimi Theopolis, Anna

  Students

  Bodlington School for Girls

  Mrs Fairbanks

  Housemistress

  Francesca Compton-Halls

  Student

  Madagascar Slewt

  Student and full-time troublemaker

  Chattering Children’s Hospital staff

  Dr Adrienne Treloar

  Pediatrician

  Edwin Rochester

  Hospital administrator

  Dr Miller

  Alice-Miranda’s doctor

  Mrs Tigwell

  Tea lady

  The Bedford Manor household

  Jemima Tavistock

  Lady of Bedford Manor

  Anthony Tavistock

  Lord of Bedford Manor

  Mr Prigg

  Butler

  Mrs Mudge

  Cook

  Others

  Stanley Frost

  Owner of Wood End

  Ursula

  Stan Frost’s daughter

  Myrtle Parker

  Village busybody

  Reginald Parker

  Husband of Myrtle

  Mrs Marian Marmalade

  Queen Georgiana’s lady-in-waiting

  Bentley Treloar

  Husband of Adrienne Treloar

  Dottie Treloar, Leo Treloar and Martha Treloar

  Children of Adrienne and Bentley Treloar

  Desmond Berwick

  Swindler

  Isabella

  Kind tea lady

  Jacqueline Harvey taught for many years in girls’ boarding schools. She is the author of the bestselling Alice-Miranda series and the Clementine Rose series, and was awarded Honour Book in the 2006 Australian CBC Awards for her picture book The Sound of the Sea. She now writes full-time and is working on more Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose adventures.

  www.jacquelineharvey.com.au

  Books by Jacqueline Harvey

  Alice-Miranda at School

  Alice-Miranda on Holiday

  Alice-Miranda Takes the Lead

  Alice-Miranda at Sea

  Alice-Miranda in New York

  Alice-Miranda Shows the Way

  Alice-Miranda in Paris

  Alice-Miranda Shines Bright

  Alice-Miranda in Japan

  Alice-Miranda at Camp

  Alice-Miranda at the Palace

  Alice-Miranda in the Alps

  Alice-Miranda to the Rescue

  Alice-Miranda in China

  Alice-Miranda Holds the Key

  Clementine Rose and the Surprise Visitor

  Clementine
Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

  Clementine Rose and the Perfect Present

  Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco

  Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape

  Clementine Rose and the Treasure Box

  Clementine Rose and the Famous Friend

  Clementine Rose and the Ballet Break-In

  Clementine Rose and the Movie Magic

  Clementine Rose and the Birthday Emergency

  Clementine Rose and the Special Promise

  Clementine Rose and the Paris Puzzle

  Jacqueline Harvey is a passionate educator who enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with children and adults alike. She is an ambassador for Dymocks Children’s Charities and Room to Read. Find out more at www.dcc.gofundraise.com.au and www.roomtoread.org/australia.