The Midnight Peacock. Katherine Woodfine
First published in Great Britain 2017
by Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Copyright © Katherine Woodfine, 2017
Illustrations copyright © Karl James Mountford, 2017
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted
First e-book edition 2017
ISBN 978 1 4052 8290 1
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1749 6
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
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For Anna and Sara –
Three Amigos forever!
The Sinclair’s Mysteries
The Clockwork Sparrow
The Jewelled Moth
The Painted Dragon
The Midnight Peacock
CONTENTS
PART I: The Mystery of the Haunted Mansion
PART II: The Case of the Hidden Passage
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PART III: The Body in the Library
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
PART IV: The Clue in the Secret Plans
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
PART V: Murder at the Ball
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PART VI: Montgomery Baxter’s Casebook
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Mystery of the Haunted Mansion
‘Who goes there? Show yourself!’ declaimed Montgomery Baxter, the courageous boy detective.
Tilly knew quite well that there were no such things as ghosts. She said so, very plainly – much to the annoyance of Lizzie Hughes, who had come rushing into the Servants’ Hall, eager to pour out her tall tale.
Some people would do anything to get out of a spot of dusting, Tilly thought.
‘The East Wing’s not haunted,’ she said, from where she was sitting at the table, finishing off a bit of mending. ‘That’s just a lot of old nonsense.’
Lizzie turned on her at once, hands on hips, nose in the air. ‘That’s all very well for you to say. You weren’t there. I’ll have you know I heard it myself – with my own ears!’
Sarah and Ella, the scullery maids, were both staring at Lizzie. ‘What was it?’ Ella asked.
Lizzie lowered her voice to an important whisper. ‘The sound of the ghost’s footsteps!’ she announced.
‘Oooh!’ they exclaimed together.
‘What did they sound like?’ gasped Sarah. Her eyes were as big and round as the plates in Her Ladyship’s best dinner service.
‘Loud – and echoing – and coming closer and closer by the minute! Then the most terrible chill swept over me. It was as if my blood froze! I dropped my duster and ran away as fast as my legs could carry me!’ Lizzie collapsed into