ch6) earlier 4.30pm

Licking her lips happily Zobe thanked Gladys again and walked towards the library. She pushed the revolving doors and stepped out the other side into a maze. Luckily it was only about 18 inches high so she found her way out quickly, jumped over the stream and hopped towards the manor house where an inspector was waiting for her.

“Professor Plum, left food red.”

She met him at the door and apologised for her lateness. The inspector looked grave and led her silently into the conservatory, where the body was found. Zobe put the wig on and thought hard.

“Miss Scarlet, right hand green.”

She walked, apparently aimlessly, around the room as the inspector watched her sceptically.

“Reverend Green, left hand blue.”

“Hmmm,” said Zobe.

“Mrs White, left foot red.”

She decided to have a look round the rest of the house and question some of the suspects, but after 20 minutes of this she still had no clue, so the narrator quietly slipped her a note. Zobe read this and ran back to the inspector.

“Colonel Cowardy Custard, right hand yellow.”

“It was Mrs. White, in the conservatory, with the piano!” she said, proudly.

“Mrs Peacock, tail feathers blue.”

Mrs. White looked up shocked from the twister mat and started shouting. “How dare you! What evidence have you got? I’ll call my lawyer! This is an absolute disgrace!” and other such exclamations.

Zobe said calmly, “I think, inspector, that you will find a piano in Mrs. White’s pocket, slightly damaged from the impact with the victim’s head.”

The inspector checked and by gum she was right! Another mystery solved. He threw the piano onto the couch as he handcuffed Mrs. White. As he left to take her to the station (they needed to catch the 18:32 to Exeter) he thanked Zobe for her help.

“You can go now, if you like. You’ve been a wonderful help.”

After he left she looked at the piano. It was pretty high quality, with genuine ivory keys. She slipped it in her pocket, hoping they wouldn’t need it for the investigation (also hoping that her eliphant friends at the party later wouldn’t see it), and went outside.

“Spider Malice, all eight feet blue.”