Cat among the pigeons pdf

Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of an unpopular games mistress—shot through the heart point-blank. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn knows too much. Author Blaize Clement has earned herself a legion of fans with the first five books in her pet-sitting mystery series.

Now Blaize's beloved heroine, Dixie Hemingway, is back, and when Dixie's latest assignment turns dangerous, it's up to her to save the day. Dixie, no relation to you-know-who, is helping an injured and cantankerous man take care of Cheddar, his orange shorthair cat. Soon Dixie finds herself totally smitten with the man's adorable infant great-granddaughter.

But the baby's naive young mother has enough knowledge about certain powerful local big-mney honchos to send them to prison for life, and they are willing to do anything, even kill her baby, to shut her up. Caught in the turmoil caused by the grandfather's prickly pride, the granddaughter's misguided plans to regain her young husband's respect by telling the truth in court, and the ruthless determination of wealthy villains to preserve their ill-gotten millions, Dixie is the only person who can rescue the baby.

And she has to do it without letting law-enforcement people know -- not even Lieutenant Guidry, with whom she has a new romantic relationship. Does Dixie have her claws sunk too deep to make it out of this one? Find out in book six of Blaize Clement's splendid series. Sayers and Agatha Christie with a thoroughly likeable protagonist and a plot that held me to the end. Ballard, author of the Miss Dimple Kilpatrick Mystery Series '[Dying in the Wool] introduces a refreshingly complex heroine and adds a fine feeling for the postwar period.

Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens Add a measure of mystery Until the day that Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite goes missing in dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. A sprinkling of scandal Now Joshua's daughter is getting married and wants one last attempt at finding her father. Has he run off with his mistress, or was he murdered for his mounting coffers?

And Kate Shackleton—amateur sleuth extraordinaire! Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua's mysterious disappearance? Agatha Christie's first novel was publishe d in It featured Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective who has become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. Collins has published Agatha Christie since This series has been especially created for readers worldwide whose first language is not English.

Each story has been shortened, and the vocabulary and grammar simplified to make it accessible to readers with a good intermediate knowledge of the language.

The following Gatures are included after the story: A List of characters to help the reader identify who is who, and how they are connected to each other. Cultural notes to explain historical and other references.

A Glossary of words that some readers may not be familiar with are explained. There is also a Recording of the story. All rights reserved. Cover by crushed. No part o f this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

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Contents S tory 1. And, Lydia, did you enjoy your holiday? Miss Bulstrode was in her office, w here only a few carefully selected people were allowed to go. A nn was a nice looking young w om an o f thirty-five, w ith short black hair. From tim e to time, she looked out o f the w indow to see the new pupils arriving. A dark-skinned m an w ith a huge beard, wearing long white robes, stepped out o f the car, followed by a slim, dark girl.

Agatha Christie. She was a very good secretary, and could choose which jobs she took. In the past she had worked for the head of an oil company, an archaeologist and a governm ent m inister. W orking at a school was a new experience for her. She would miss the company of m en in this job — though she always had Dennis, w ho asked her again and again to m arry him.

She liked him , but it would be very dull to be m arried to D ennis. So A nn was surprised w hen she looked out o f the w indow and saw a m an cutting the hedge - a m an w ho was young, dark and good looking.

After that she m ight walk round the garden. She was pleased it was term tim e again. She stayed w ith her m arried sister in the holidays, but she was really only interested in M eadowbank. Yes, it was nice that term had started. Cat Am ong the Pigeons. Mademoiselle Blanche, the new French teacher, was walking on the large grass lawn. She looked w ith admiration at the strong young m an cutting the hedge. She now looked at the cars parked in front o f the school.

They were all very good cars. M eadowbank must certainly be m aking lots of money. She had an eager, ugly looking face and her hair was always untidy. It seems years since. Miss R ow an was thin and dark, while Miss Blake was plump and fair. She stared at them in an unfriendly way and quickly walked away.

They both felt a little upset. Miss Bulstrode, the head teacher of M eadowbank, was in her room , which had window s looking out in tw o directions. One w indow had a view of the drive and the lawn, and from the other w indow she could see the large hedge and the path behind the house. Miss Bulstrode was a tall, impressive w om an, w ith carefully styled grey hair, grey eyes and a firm m outh.

It was because o f her that M eadow bank was one o f the most successful — and expensive — schools in England. She treated her pupils as individuals, though she also believed in discipline —and she did not accept anyone w ho was stupid or badly behaved.

Miss Bulstrode now greeted the new arrivals. Shaista was fashionably dressed and wore a lot o f perfum e, and although she was only fifteen, she looked older. She had good m anners and spoke excellent English. W hen Shaista and the secretary had gone, the next people to arrive were Mrs U pjohn and her daughter, Julia.

Mrs U pjohn was a pleasant, agreeable young wom an in her late thirties with light hair and freckles. Julia was a plain, freckled child, who looked intelligent and cheerful. Miss Bulstrode turned w ith a smile to M rs Upjohn. I sometimes think — W ell! This had happened before. Lady Veronica was a charm ing wom an, except w hen she was drunk.

She was usually looked after by her cousin, but today it seemed that she had escaped. H er tw in daughters had arrived by train earlier, but no one had expected Lady Veronica.

Just as Miss Bulstrode was planning w hat to do, she saw Miss Chadwick appear, slightly out of breath. Miss Bulstrode watched w ith relief—she could always rely on her dear Chaddy! I worked in an office most o f the time. But sometimes it was quite funny —all the secret agents in Geneva knew each other, and often w ent to the same bar. Miss Bulstrode frow ned. She had a feeling that she had missed som ething im portant. This was the first day o f sum m er term , and her school was a great success.

Miss Bulstrode had no idea that in a few weeks M eadowbank w ould be the scene of confusion and m urder. In the Palace o f R am at, tw o young m en sat smoking. O ne m an was dark, w ith large, sad looking eyes.

The tw o men had been at school together and were very close friends. Perhaps you can go to the British Embassy —shall I talk to my friend who works there?

The rebels w ould probably drag me from the building. And yet he is still adm ired and respected! And I? I have built hospitals, schools and houses. So why are they rebelling against m e? The most im portant thing is to get you safely out o f the country. Is there anybody in the Arm y you can trust? They hear everything —they know everything. He caught someone trying to sabotage the plane —someone we.

So, if you want to leave the country, Ali, we must go soon. I am quite certain now that if I stay I will be killed. W hen? He took out a small leather bag from under his shirt, and poured its contents on the table. Bob held his breath for a mom ent. Before him was a pile of beautiful precious jew els. Are they real? They are w orth about a m illion pounds. Like a fairy story. I would not trust any w om an w ith these jewels.

But I w ill trust you. I do not know w hen the rebellion will take place, but I may not live to reach the airstrip this afternoon. Take the jewels and do the best you can. W hen we were at school, you always had clever ideas. I w ill give you the nam e and address o f a m an who deals w ith such things for me - in case I do not survive. Do not look so w orried, Bob. Do the best you can, that is all I ask. I shall not blame you if you fail.

It is as Allah w ills. I believe in fate, that is all. H e felt that everyone knew he was carrying a m illion pounds in his pocket. As he walked along he tried to think. W here was he going? W hat was he planning to do? H e had no idea, and not m uch time. H e w ent into a local cafe and ordered some lem on tea. As he drank it, he slowly began to feel better.

T he atm osphere of the cafe was calm ing. At a nearby table, an elderly Arab was peacefully sitting and drinking his hot tea, and behind him tw o m en played a gam e o f dice. It was a good place to sit and think. A nd he had to think. W hat was he going to do? W hat he needed was an ordinary person who was leaving the country - a businessman or a tourist w ould be best. Then suddenly Bob thought o f his sister, Joan Sutcliffe — of course! Joan had been in R am at for tw o m onths w ith her daughter Jennifer, w ho was recovering from an illness.

Joan was the ideal person, Bob thought. Yes, he could trust Joan, even w ith jewels. But wait a m inute. Joan was honest, yes, but she would talk —talk about the jewels.

Bob looked at his watch, stood up and left the cafe. Outside everything seemed so norm al —there was nothing to show that rebels were planning a revolution. Cat Among the Pigeons. T he hotel clerk behind the desk knew Bob well and smiled at him. Do you w ant your sister? G olf clubs lay across a chair and tennis racquets had been throw n on the bed. Clothes were lying around, and the table was covered w ith rolls of film, postcards, books and souvenirs.

Bob now had a problem. There was nothing suspicious in com ing to see his sister, but if he left her a package and a note, the package w ould be opened and the note would be read. If only he had more time! H e looked around the room.

W ith a smile, he took from his pocket the little tool kit he always carried. H e saw that his niece Jennifer had some plasticine —that w ould help. He worked quickly. O nce he looked up at the open w indow — he felt that someone was watching him. But no, there was no balcony outside this room. W hen he finished, he nodded in approval. W hen he had cleared up he w rote an ordinary note to his sister.

He w ould leave a message w ith someone else to give to Joan in England. W hat about tomorrow? Can you meet me somewhere when you finish work? Joan and Jennifer were travelling on a slow boat back to England, which would take six weeks. By that tim e the revolution in R am at would have either succeeded or failed, and Ali Yusuf m ight be safely in Europe —or they m ight both be dead.

Bob looked carefully around the room before he left. It looked exactly the same —peaceful and untidy. His harmless note to Joan was on the table. There was no one in the corridor w hen Bob left the room. There was a m irror in her hand. She had gone out on the balcony to look at her face closely in the clear sunlight. T hen she saw som ething else. She was holding her m irror so that it reflected the m irror o f the w ardrobe in the room next to hers - and in the w ardrobe m irror she saw a m an doing som ething very strange and unexpected.

She stood still, watching the m an. H e could not see her from where he was, and she could only see him because o f the double reflection in the tw o mirrors.

Once, the m an did look up suddenly towards the w indow, but since there was no one there, he lowered his head again. W hen he had finished w hat he was doing he w rote a note, which he left on the table. T hen she heard the door close. The w om an waited a few m inutes and then opened her door. The door o f the next room was locked, but she opened the lock quickly and expertly w ith a small knife. She w ent in, closing the door behind her, and picked up and read the note.

Just as she put the note down, she heard voices and ran to the window. Below, Joan Sutcliffe was com plaining in a loud voice to a young m an from the British Embassy. I never heard such nonsense! I refuse to change m y plans and fly back to England in this silly hurry. W e can load everything and leave right away. She looked at the address on one of the luggage labels, and then w ent quickly back to her ow n room.

A few m oments later Joan Sutcliffe arrived at the door o f her room , followed by the hotel clerk. H ow careless people are. Com e on, Jennifer, get your things ready quickly. Behind a desk sat Colonel Pikeaway, a fat, m iddle-aged man wearing an untidy suit.

The Colonel always looked half asleep, and he smoked a lot o f cigars. You were at the British Embassy in R am at at the tim e of the revolution. They said you —er —wanted to see m e. T he plane crashed into a m ountain and the wreckage has only just been found —w ith tw o bodies. W e know that Bob Raw linson and Ali Yusuf were great friends. Did Raw linson say anything to you before he flew out of R am at?

Bob rang me and used the code on the day the revolution started. I arranged to m eet him outside the m ain bank, but I never got there because there was fighting and the police closed the road.

Bob flew Prince Ali out the same afternoon. She was m uch older than Bob. D o you think that Bob R aw linson would have told his sister an im portant secret?

T he Colonel grinned. His closest living relative is his cousin, Princess Shaista, who starts at M eadowbank in the summer term.

I want you to watch her closely and report to me if anyone seems interested in her. Good gardeners are hard to find at the moment, and I know you have a lot of experience. And you need to hurry —summer term starts soon. Go and invent a new past history for yourself and then get to M eadow bank as soon as possible. M r R obinson is always on tim e. H e and Colonel Pikeaway greeted each other politely.

T he plane was sabotaged by a man called Achm ed, the senior mechanic. Rawlinson trusted him , but A chm ed now has a well-paid jo b w ith the new R am at governm ent. He could have written his note in three minutes. W hat did he do the rest o f the time? I w ill not say any m ore —these matters are private. O n the other side was a schoolteacher, I believe. And there was another m an on the train.

All fourteen pieces o f luggage are here. After a few minutes there was a knock at the door. It was a young m an in a dark blue uniform, carrying a tool bag. Yes, M rs Sutcliffe speaking.

Can I come up to your room , Mrs Sutcliffe? D o you have any news? O h, I see. Yes, come up. She knew what the news must be. Soon there was a knock on the door and Mrs Sutcliffe let in another young m an. There was no definite news until a few days ago, but now the wreckage o f the plane has been found. He and Prince Ali must have died immediately. H er voice shook a little but she was in control of herself. He was always doing such dangerous things.

W hy do you think that? H e came to your hotel the day the revolution started. Perhaps I left it in the other room. H e w ent through the bedroom door and stopped as he saw a young m an bending over a suitcase. H e quickly picked up his tool bag and left. Have you just sent up an electrician? I still have all my money. Can I order you a drink, M rs Sutcliffe, while I pack up again? Are you staying in London long?

But if anything strange happens, call the police straight away. Police arrested him as he tried to escape from the house, and nothing was taken. Ball admitted that he was guilty o f trying to steal, saying that he had no work and was looking for money. Loved each and every part of this book. I will definitely recommend this book to mystery, fiction lovers. Your Rating:.

Your Comment:. Read Online Download. It features Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot , who makes a very late appearance in the final third of the novel. The emphasis on espionage in the early part of the novel relates it to Christie's international adventures.

At the start of the summer term at Meadowbank School for Girls, the most prestigious prep school in England, Miss Bulstrode, the popular but aging headmistress, has no reason to believe that the challenges facing her on parent's day will be more than the occasional irate or inebriated parent. She scarcely listens when Mrs Upjohn, a parent, who just happened to have worked in military intelligence, looks out the window and recognizes on the school campus someone whom she recognised and whose presence at the school apparently surprised but did not alarm her.

Mrs Upjohn is still talking but the crucial moment has passed. After Mrs Upjohn leaves, Miss Bulstrode has a sudden feeling that she has missed something important to which she should have paid more attention but then dismissed the notion. Read by Hugh Fraser.