J.T. Edson - Blonde Genius

“Sure,” Fioreili growled suspiciously, for that amount of dollars and francs had been part of the sum taken from his safe.

“You’ll be pleased to learn that I have retrieved my property,” Miss Benkinsop went on. “Mr. Saunders had conscience twinges and returned it, jewellery and money. Wasn’t that good of him?”

“It was,” Anacropolis grinned. “You’d better take the money and go down to join the party, Alf.”

“I trust that this won’t have too much of an effect upon Mr. Fiorelli’s career.” Miss Benkinsop remarked, after Fiorelli and the enforcers had left with the money in the document case. “After all, he did add ten thousand pounds to your Syndicate’s balance sheet.”

“And lost ten,” Anacropolis pointed out. “Not counting the ten Saun—!”

“Yes?” prompted Miss Benkinsop as the senior executive broke off what would have been an indiscreet comment.

“Ten thousand taken by Saunders, if you’ve guessed right,” grinned Anacropolis. “Ten you paid us back. Plus ten which we’d’ve owed you if Penelope hadn’t been nobbled. Making thirty thousand in all. And that’s how much went from our safe, How did you do it, Amelia?”

“Do what?” Miss Benkiusop asked innocently.

“Look, nobody could have broken in and opened that safe,” Anacropolis stated, looking at the School Swot. “Much less mopped up all our staff. But it happened. And Amanda here has a habit of doing the impossible.”

“You’ll turn the girls head with such outrageous flattery,” Miss Benkinsop warned, while Amanda looked suitably demure and modest. “I really don’t know what you mean, Aristocle.”

“All right,” grinned Anacropolis. “I give up. May I escort you to the garden party, Amelia?”

“I would count it an honour, Aristocle,” Miss Benkinsop agreed. “By the way, Amanda has taken certain precautions to ensure that we don’t have a repetition of Mr. Saunders’ visit. And you bad better tell your board of directors that I have not the slightest intention of accepting their offer.”

“I will,” Anacropolis promised. “Unless, of course, you and Amanda would like to take the Syndicate over?”

“Good heavens, no,” the headmistress protested as she led the way from her study. “We have far too much to do running the school.”

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Scanned and Proofed by Amigo da Onзa

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CORGI BOOKS

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BLONDE GENIUS

A CORGI BOOK 0 552 09160 X

First publication in Great Britain

PRINTING HISTORY

Corgi edition published l975

Copyright © J. T. Edson & Peter Clawson 1973

This Book is set in Baskerville 10/11 Pt.

Corgi Books are published by Transworld Publishers, Ltd.,

Cavendish House, 57-59 Uxbridge Road, Ealing,

London, W.5.

Made and printed in Great Britain by

Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk.

NOTE: The Australian price appearing on the back cover is the recommended retail price.

For Doreen Clawson, who helped by typing out the manuscript and screen play, but who hasn’t been paid for doing it yet. Don’t sue, Doreen. we haven’t forgotten.