INTRIGUE at the Ink Plotters Club
THE STORY SO FAR: Reverend Bree Plummer is taking part in a crime-writing weekend at Kellett Hall, organised by the resident Lady Kellett, with celebrated crime novelist Carl Casper as guest of honour. When Lady Kellett mysteriously vanishes, leaving only a dropped earring as a clue, Bree is the first to realise that her disappearance mirrors a plot in one of Carl’s own books. He admits that he and Lady Kellett faked her disappearance to spice up the weekend for the amateur writers. Later, one of Bree’s fellow writers, Lydia, reveals to Bree that she discovered a complete set of Carl’s novels in the sitting room of Lady Kellett’s housekeeper, Mrs Stagg. Bree is puzzled because Mrs Stagg has already told her she has no interest in his books. Meanwhile, something about Carl’s reasons for appearing at the writing weekend isn’t adding up and Bree is starting to suspect that Carl came to the Hall with an ulterior motive.
When Mavis Stagg returned with fresh coffee to keep the crime writers alert, Bree saw her chance to follow Lady Kellett’s live-in housekeeper back to the kitchen, sneaking away while the others were chatting over elevenses.
There was still no sign of Carl. Bree kept an eye out for him as she followed Mavis to her ‘below stairs’ lair. ‘Mrs Stagg – Mavis! – might I
