Read Agatha Raisin: As The Pig Turns for Free Online

excitedly as Agatha came in.
    ‘What’s up?’ demanded Agatha, taking off her coat.
    ‘We’ve got a client,’ said Toni, ‘and you’ll never guess who it is.’
    ‘Enlighten me,’ said Agatha crossly, irritated with herself for being late.
    ‘Gary Beech’s ex-wife,’ said Toni. ‘She’s employing us to find out who murdered her ex-husband.’
    ‘And you didn’t even phone me? You let her get out of the office before I arrived?’
    Phil smoothed his silver hair and said quietly, ‘She’s waiting for you at her home address. We thought we’d wait until you arrived.’
    ‘And why aren’t you all out working?’
    ‘It’s such good news,’ said Patrick, looking more like a tired bloodhound than ever. ‘Toni wanted us all to wait until we told you. Gary’s wife is now a Mrs
Richards, married to a supermarket owner. She’s prepared to pay a lot.’
    Agatha felt mean and petty. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It was good of all of you to wait for me. Do you know why she wants to find the murderer of her ex? If she divorced
him, she can’t care that much about who killed him.’
    ‘Get this,’ said Toni excitedly. ‘ He divorced her!’
    ‘Give me the address and I’ll get round there,’ said Agatha, putting on her coat.
    Mrs Richards lived in a large villa in the better part of town. Snow began to fall again in feathery flakes, swirling hypnotically in front of Agatha’s eyes as she drove
up the short drive and parked her car.
    I should have asked how much she’s paying, thought Agatha. She rang the bell and listened to the dulcet tones of the Westminster chimes.
    The door opened. Agatha blinked. ‘Is Mrs Richards at home?’
    ‘I’m Mrs Richards. You can call me Amy. You’re Agatha Raisin?’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Come in.’
    Amy Richards was a petite blonde with a genuine tan and a perfect figure. She had a heart-shaped face and wide blue eyes. When she let Agatha into a living room on the ground floor and the white
light from the snow outside fell on Amy’s face, Agatha realized that she was older than she looked and that she’d probably had a face-lift. It was because of Amy’s eyes. Clever
plastic surgery can restore an appearance of youth, but nothing changes the expression of age and experience in the eyes. She was wearing a blue cashmere sweater, the exact colour of her eyes
– no, not her eyes, thought Agatha, her contact lenses – and form-fitting grey cashmere trousers over ankle boots with high heels.
    ‘Take a pew,’ said Amy in a soft Gloucestershire accent. ‘Drinkie?’
    ‘Nothing,’ said Agatha. She pulled a notebook out of her capacious handbag. ‘I was amazed to learn that your husband divorced you. Why?’
    ‘I think there was someone else.’
    Agatha looked at the vision in front of her and then thought of the squat and ugly Beech.
    ‘I find that hard to believe,’ she said. ‘I saw your ex when he gave me a ticket. Hardly an Adonis.’
    ‘Wait. I want to show you something.’
    Amy left the room and returned after a few minutes with a photograph, which she handed to Agatha. ‘That’s me and Gary on our wedding day.’
    The Amy in the photograph was small and plump, with brown hair and teeth that stuck out. ‘I was hardly a beauty,’ she said.
    ‘How did the transformation take place? Was it due to your present husband?’
    ‘No, it was like this. Gary was mean. He used to beat me. But I did love him. I’ve always fallen for masterful men. But he gave me a good lot of money in the divorce settlement. I
was that broke up, I went to Florida on a holiday. The airline had made a mistake with my booking, so as a compensation, they upgraded me to first class. I met this businessman, Art, ever so kind
he was. His wife had just dumped him. He was going to finalize the divorce when he got to Miami. I told him all about Gary and he said, “Get a makeover and let him see what he’s been
missing.” I said that surely it cost a lot of