Down in the Kitchen

Ms. Ryan led me ___ the dark hall and ___ the steps ___ a large kitchen that was warm

the oven. "Mrs. Munsing, Detective Smith would like to talk___you___dinner. I hope he won't be ___ your way."

The old woman shot a nervous look ___ my direction and gave a slight nod ___ the direction ___ Ms. Ryan. Ms. Ryan turned ___ me and said she would see me ___ dinner and left. Mrs. Munsing made herself busy ___ preparing the food. I saw ___ the table the basket ___ leaves and herbs that Sonia had collected. The parsley was spread out ___ the table. I had never asso­ciated death ___ that innocent plant. But the more I was ___ this house, the more everything be­gan to be associated ___ death. First appearances can be deceiving.

Mrs. Munsing had still not turned around. I started the conversation ___ asking, "What do you think ___ Ms. Ryan?" It proved to be a good opener.

"Oh, Mr. Smith, sir. She's an evil woman, that one. She acts all sweet and nice, but she's hard as nails. Don't trust her, Mr. Smith. Don't trust her." She grabbed the knife___the table top and be­gan to chop the tops ___ the carrots. Pointing ___ her knife, she continued, "There has been nothing but trouble ever since she came ___ this house. He got her to take care ___ poor little Sonia, but she began to act as if she owned the house. You'd think she was the wife or something. Later, when Mr. Fitch married, she acted all sweet ___ the new wives, but here ___ the kitchen she would complain ___ them getting ___ the way. And none ___ them had anything to do ___ poor little Sonia. If it hadn't been ___ the nun who comes ___ the morning to give her lessons, no one would pay any attention ___ her, except me and Darjo. Why, that little girl would be sitting ___ here ___ that table eating, and those women would come ___ here and ignore her. They would think because she was blind, they didn't have to notice her."

Questions about the Story

1. Where is the kitchen?

2. When did Ms. Ryan expect to see Dwight again?

3. Why didn't Mrs. Munsing like Ms. Ryan?

4. How did the new wives treat Sonia?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Parsley by the Bed

Directions: Read the passage and note the prepositions.

Sitting in the Dark

I wanted to find out why Mrs. Munsing had come to see the police. "Mrs. Munsing, why did you come to the police station?"

"Because of her, because of her.. .something has to be done about her before she does it again, be­fore she kills someone else."

"Who, Mrs. Munsing? Who do you suspect of...?"

"Is dinner ready yet, Mrs. Munsing?" Ms. Ryan had entered the kitchen again. She no longer had the pleasant smile on her face. Her eyes were set hard and her shoulders squared.

"Why do you come asking? You know what time dinner is. It's always at 6 p.m." The old woman was defiant.

To me it was obvious why Ms. Ryan had come asking. She must have been listening at the door. I excused myself and went to find Mr. Fitch.

Mr. Fitch was sitting in the dark in one of the rooms off the dining room. He was staring out the window. I approached from behind his chair and followed his gaze out the window. I saw the same figure with the hat disappear into the shadows of the forest.

"Who's that?"

"What? Oh, Mr. Smith. You gave me a start. I didn't see anyone come in."

"What was that in the distance?"

"Where? I don't see anything."

"It's gone now. But when I came this afternoon, I saw a figure with a straw hat disappear into the forest. And I thought I just saw it again."

"You must have seen one of the famous Indian ghosts that the people are always talking about. Don't trust your eyes, Mr. Smith. This mountain light will always fool you. "He turned on a lamp on the table beside him and motioned for me to bring a chair next to him.

"Mr. Smith, I'm glad you've come. There has been a lot of uneasiness up here lately. This used to be a very quiet place. No problems, everyone got along very well. But lately, everyone is full of sus­picions. I know what some of the town rumors are, and I guess you do, too. That's probably why you were doing that investigative work in the town newsroom. Surprised I know that, eh? Well, Mr. Smith, very little happens in this town that I don't know about. But I can tell you that I loved all three of my wives; I did not marry them for their money, nor did I kill them for their money."

Questions about the Story

1. Where was Ms. Ryan while Dwight talked to Mrs. Munsing?

2. Where did Dwight find Mr. Fitch?

3. What was Mr. Fitch doing?

4. What did Mr. Fitch say was different about the household now?

5. Why did Mr. Fitch marry?

Directions: Read the passage and fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition. (Not all of the prepositions have been deleted.)

For Money or Love?

"Money doesn't mean that much ___ me. It never means much ___ someone who has always had enough to get by. The only people who like money are those ___ a lot ___ it and those ___ none ___ it. My wives always had a lot ___ it, and they were always worried that some­one was going to take it away ___ them. I shouldn't say that ___ my first wife though. She was going to give up everything ___ our marriage. Her father thought I was just a fortune hunter. He was only reconciled her when the baby was burn. He loved his grandchild. He left every­thing ___ her, this land and all the holdings ___ town, ___ the condition that Amelia and I would never live together. Shortly after her father died, Amelia died ___ an airplane crash. Or ___ least we assume she died, she was never seen again.

"The little girl was only three. I couldn't raise a child myself, especially a blind child. I found Ms. Ryan and Mrs. Munsing to help out___the child. As it turned out, Ms. Ryan actually dislikes children and Mrs. Munsing is far too possessive ___ the child. Fortunately there is a nun who lives __ the convent ___ this property who comes and gives Sonia her school lessons. She is a very normal child ___ spite ___ the fact that she has never been ___ this land and has never played ___ children her own age."

___ the next room I could hear classical music coming ___ a record player. I recognized it as Albinoni's Adagio ___ G Minor.

"Your daughter is fond ___ music?"

"Yes. When you can't see, you tend to listen. The nun has taught her much ___ music. I know nothing ___ it."

Suddenly the music stopped, and I heard the unpleasant sounds ___ two women arguing next door. Then I heard running and a door slam ___ the distant part ___ the house.

The next instant the door opened, and Ms. Ryan came in and announced dinner. She explained that Sonia wasn't feeling well; she had a headache.

Mrs. Munsing also must have had a headache since she stayed ___ the kitchen and did not serve dinner. Conversation ___ the dinner table was kept ___ safe topics ___ the difference ___ life Flagstaff and New York City. After dinner we all headed ___ our rooms. My room was __ the top floor. Below me was Ms. Ryan. Across the hall was Sonia's room. Mr. Fitch slept ___the second floor___Sonia's room.

The first thing I saw when I came ___ the room was a bouquet ___ parsley ___ the bedside table.

Questions about the Story

1. When did Amelia die?

2. How did Amelia die?

3. Why may Sonia not be a normal child?

4. What did Dwight hear when the music stopped?

5. Where did Dwight find a bouquet of parsley?

CHAPTER NINE

Lost in Thought

Directions: Read the passage and note the prepositions.

A Review of the Case

I did not sleep well that night. I listened to every sound. And there were lots of them. I decided I would not spend another night in that house. I planned to finish my investigation and leave that morning. I would let the chief figure out who killed the wives. But I knew he didn't really want to know. Nobody wanted to know. And maybe they weren't murdered. It all could have been acciden­tal: a missing plane, food poisoning, a fall. But what if someone fixed the motor in the plane so it would malfunction at a certain point; what if someone put some poisonous leaves in the food; what if the third wife was pushed from the cliff rather than fell? Did the same person kill all three? Or was the first an accident and the second two murders? Were the last two wives killed by one person or by two different people?

I tried to summarize what I knew.

Darjo: He hated change. He hated the fact that these other two women were taking the attention away from the memory of Amelia Fitch. Maybe he had another motive, though, for getting rid of Amelia Fitch. Maybe she knew something about his past that she planned to reveal and he would lose the security of his job. That doesn't seem likely considering they were both flyers. But yet maybe he was jealous of her since she could fly and he no longer could. I will have to find out more about him, even though he doesn't like talking to people.. especially to me.

Sonia Fitch: Who would suspect a lovely fifteen-year-old capable of murder, especially a lovely, blind girl? She does know an incredible amount about poisonous plants, and she could easily have arranged to put some poisonous substance in the second Mrs. Fitch's food. And she was the one walking with the third Mrs. Fitch when she fell to her death. Her motive was like Darjo's: She didn't like change... especially when change meant a new mother. It could be the typical difficulties be­tween stepmother and stepdaughter carried to an extreme.

Ms. Ryan: Here again competition is the motive. She is a very powerful woman, very determined in her manner. She effectively controls the house, the business, and Mr. Fitch. She obviously wasn't pleased at the prospect of sharing her power with another woman. She could have easily arranged for some poisonous substance to be put in the food of Mrs. Fitch, Number Two, and could as easily have pushed Number Three over the cliff. Yet, Sonia would have been there to hear the struggle, the scream, and the extra footsteps. With her sensitive ears she could have detected the person from their footsteps. Unless of course she wanted to protect the murderer. But why would she want to protect Ms. Ryan? The fight between them last night seemed a continuation of a long struggle.

Mr. Fitch: Yes", finally Mr. Fitch. The man who has the most to profit from the deaths of three rich wives. Of course he would give lots of money to the town. It helps to have friends at city hall if you plan to murder your wives and do not want an investigation. But why would he call up the police chief and ask that an investigation be carried out? Did he think that people would listen to the crazy Mrs. Munsing?...She is probably not crazy, but overcome by fear. Does she think she will be the

next one on the list?.. .or will it be me? Why was the parsley put by my bed last night? Did he call me here to get rid of a curious police detective that he has no financial control over? Did he suspect that the police chief would not do an investigation into the mysterious death of the young detective from New York? In that he would probably be right.

Questions about the Story

1. What did Dwight decide to do?

2. What did Darjo think of the second and third wives?

3. How could Sonia have killed her stepmothers?

4. How could Sonia have detected a person near her?

5. Why might Mr. Fitch have given money to the town?

Directions: Read the passage and fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition. (Not all of the prepositions have been deleted.) Some blanks may use more than one word.

All's Quiet at the Convent

The sound ______ a small plane ______ my head interrupted my thoughts. The plane

was very close to the earth ______ the airstrip ______ the valley. I took my binoculars

______ their case and focused on the plane below. It rolled to a stop ______ one ______

the buildings ______ the convent. To my surprise a woman got out dressed ______ a long

black dress ______ a straw hat ______ her head.

She tied the plane down and headed into the convent. I decided to pay a visit ______ the

convent.

As I approached the convent, I found a young nun working ______ the garden ______

the main house. She looked ______ me with suspicion. I greeted her and explained I was a

guest of Mr. Fitch. Her manner changed, and, without speaking, she invited me into the house.

There was a group ______ nuns sitting around a table waiting ______ someone or

something. It looked very strange: five nuns sitting ______ a table with nothing ______ it

but a record player.

They looked up, and the young nun gestured toward the Fitch home to explain ______ words where I had come from. The nuns nodded but no one spoke. The young nun took a seat _______the table. There was one empty chair, but no one invited me to sit ______ it. I stood in awkward silence and they sat ______ thoughtful calm.

I noticed some records ______ a shelf; all were religious songs, but one had no label. I picked it up out ______ curiosity. The second I picked it up, every nun lifted her finger ______ her lips to warn me to be silent. I imitated the gesture and put the record ______ the table. Now I was really curious to know what the record was.

I wondered if this was a group ______ nuns that never spoke. If that was so, how did they

teach Sonia? How could the mute teach the blind? In the distance a bell began to ring; all the nuns rose ______ their chairs and left the room and me. No one made a motion for me to follow them so I stayed ______ the table.

The record player ______ the middle of the table ______ this room with no other

furnishings seemed out ______ place. I picked up the record ______ a label again. I placed

it _______ the machine and started it. I heard the familiar sounds _______ the Adagio that I

had heard in the Fitch home coming from Sonia's record player. Someone else heard it too. A door quickly opened and a woman walked directly ______ the record player; she lifted the record from the machine. She turned to me and said, "This is the quiet hour," and then left the room. The woman in the black dress with the straw hat had spoken.

CHAPTER TEN

The Garden in the Valley

Directions: Read the passage and note the prepositions.

Mrs. Munsing's Missing

I thought that when quiet hour was over someone might come and speak to me. I walked out to the garden and read the names of the plants written on labels stuck in the earth. The garden was arranged in the same manner as the one at the Fitch house. It was full of medicinal plants. I could easily see where Sonia had learned so much.

The young nun I had seen earlier came out of a back door and walked into the garden with a basket. She tried not to look at me. I tried to start a conversation, but she would not respond.

"There's no use talking to her. The nuns at this convent are not allowed to speak."

I turned and saw the woman in the straw hat.

"In fact there's no use talking to anyone here, Mr. Smith. I suggest you go back to the main house."

She turned and disappeared from sight. The young nun had also gone. It seemed I had no choice but to leave. Who is that woman? Why can she speak? How does she know my name? Is she a nun? Why does she have a plane?

I hoped Mrs. Munsing would be able to give me the answers. I also wanted to find out who the 'she' was that Mrs. Munsing mentioned last night in the kitchen.

I returned to the main house, changed into my own clothes and found Mr. Fitch and Ms. Ryan together in the library. They seemed barely aware that I had come into the room.

"Has something happened ?"

They both looked at me sharply. "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith," Mr. Fitch answered. "It seems Mrs. Munsing has gone. She took all her clothes and goods and left in the middle of the night. We don't seem to..."

"You don't seem to. You don't seem to. Everything will be ruined now," Ms. Ryan yelled. "It's all his fault." She pointed at me. "If you hadn't brought him up here we could have gone on just as before. But now..." Too angry to continue, Ms. Ryan stormed from the room.

"You will have to excuse her, Mr. Smith. She thinks Mrs. Munsing is mentally ill and might do something foolish on the outside. Ms. Ryan even thinks Mrs. Munsing might have had a hand in the death of my last two wives because she was jealous of their relationship with Sonia. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must make sure Ms. Ryan is all right."

I didn't need one more suspect at this time. Mrs. Munsing could have killed the other two women as easily as the others could have. Jealousy is as strong a motive as money.

Questions about the Story

1. How did Dwight know the names of the plants in the convent garden?

2. How was the convent garden the same as Sonia's?

3. Where did Dwight find Ms. Ryan and Mr. Fitch?

4. When did Mrs. Munsing leave?

5. What did Ms. Ryan suspect Mrs. Munsing of?

Directions: Read the passage and fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition. (Not all of the prepositions have been deleted.)

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 3238