‘Welcome, everyone,’ Hugh said into the microphone. ‘Thank you for joining us on this beautiful day. We’d like to especially welcome our guest of honour, Her Majesty, Queen Georgiana.’

The crowd clapped and cheered just as Alice-Miranda felt a hand grip her arm.

‘What do you think you’re doing, little girl?’ the man hissed in her ear. ‘Where is it?’

‘And without further ado, Her Majesty would like to speak about a charity very close to her heart, the Paper Moon Foundation.’

‘What?’ Desmond looked up at the podium. He released his hold of Alice-Miranda’s arm and began to shrink backwards into the mass of people.

Aunty Gee spoke for several minutes about the important work the foundation did with the children’s hospitals and how incredible the doctors were. ‘And Hugh tells me that one of those very clever doctors is actually here today. I’d personally like to pay tribute to Dr Adrienne Treloar, who has just been announced as the new Head of Paediatrics for the children’s hospital in Chattering, and whose brilliance also put a stop to the recent Kennington’s strife. I’d like Dr Treloar to come to the stage and accept this token of our great appreciation.’

Adrienne Treloar was in no mood for this. Had she known she was going to be paraded about like a show pony, there was no way she would have agreed to come to this silly garden party. She reluctantly walked onto the stage.

Alice-Miranda glanced back at Imogen and was ready to pounce as soon as the formalities were over. She’d tried to catch Marjorie’s gaze several times, but the woman seemed to be watching everywhere else.

Hugh handed Adrienne an enormous bunch of flowers and Queen Georgiana presented her with a small parcel.

‘Would you like to say a few words, Dr Treloar?’ Hugh asked.

‘Not especially,’ she mumbled, trying to hide behind the blooms.

‘Oh, now is not time for modesty. You’ve solved a very perplexing mystery and I’m sure we’d all love to know how you did it,’ Queen Georgiana cajoled the woman.

‘Your Majesty, I was just doing my job,’ Adrienne said curtly.

Alice-Miranda’s eyes widened. That was it – the voice! The one in her dreams. She pulled Leo’s drawing from her pocket and stepped forward.

‘It was you,’ she said loudly. ‘You were in my room in the hospital and you were saying lots of mean things about Daddy and how it served him right that something terrible should happen. It wasn’t a dream, it was real.’

Adrienne Treloar looked at the child as if she were mad. ‘No, of course I didn’t. I’ve never met you before today. You’re lying.’

Cecelia Highton-Smith jumped up. ‘No, I saw you too. You came into Alice-Miranda’s room the first night she was in hospital.’

‘Liars, all of you,’ Adrienne snapped. She had bottled up her feelings about Hugh Kennington-Jones for years and right now her own internal Mount Vesuvius was set to explode. ‘You,’ she said, pointing at Hugh. ‘If you hadn’t stolen my husband’s work, things would be very different for us.’

Hugh held up his hands. ‘Steady on, Dr Treloar. I paid your husband well for his invention. And when he came back to me after his own research failed, I was happy to take him on and go fifty-fifty in any new discoveries he makes.’

‘Are you lying about that too?’ Adrienne’s face crumpled.

Bentley was shaking his head. ‘I didn’t tell you – I wanted to make something happen and then you could be proud of me.’

Alice-Miranda looked at Bentley. ‘But it wasn’t just Dr Treloar, was it? It was you too.’

‘What are you talking about, you ridiculous child?’ Adrienne was getting up a right head of steam.

‘Miss Plunkett, you need to see this.’ Alice-Miranda held out the paper and the woman hurried over to take it.

From the look on Bentley’s face, he knew exactly what Alice-Miranda was about to show her.

‘I’m afraid I don’t understand. Dolly, are you out there?’ Marjorie called, scanning the crowd.

Mrs Oliver charged towards the stage. ‘Here I am, dear. What is it?’ She studied the page. ‘Good heavens. It’s a very clever formula for cyanide poisoning – and if I’m not mistaken, it’s the poison that was created at the local packaging plant. Where did you get this?’

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.’