“Oh yes, I would,” said Miss Marple placidly. “Practically every day.”
“Oh, come, come. That’s a bit fantastic.”
“If a man gets a formula that works—he won’t stop. He’ll go on.”
“Brides in the bath—eh?”
“That kind of thing, yes.”
“Major let me have that snap just as a curiosity—” Major Palgrave began fumbling through an overstuffed wallet murmuring to himself: “Lots of things in here—don’t know why I keep all these things . . .”
Miss Marple thought she did know. They were part of the Major’s stock in trade. They illustrated his repertoire of stories. The story he had just told, or so she suspected, had not been originally like that—it had been worked up a good deal in repeated telling.
The Major was still shuffling and muttering. “Forgotten all about that business. Good-looking woman she was, you’d never suspect— Now where— Ah—that takes my mind back—what tusks! I must show you— He stopped, sorted out a small photographic print and peered down at it. “Like to see the picture of a murderer?” He was about to pass it to her when his movement was suddenly arrested. Looking more like a stuffed frog than ever. Major Palgrave appeared to be staring fixedly over her right shoulder—from whence came the sound of approaching footsteps and voices. “Well, I’m damned— I mean—” He stuffed everything back into his wallet and crammed it into his pocket. His face went an even deeper shade of purplish red— He exclaimed in a loud, artificial voice. “As I was saying, I’d like to have shown you those elephant tusks. Biggest elephant I’ve ever shot. An’, hallo!” His voice took on a somewhat spurious hearty note.
“Look who’s here! The great quartet—Flora and Fauna—what luck have you had today—eh?” The approaching footsteps resolved themselves into four of the hotel guests whom Miss Marple already knew by sight. They consisted of two married couples and though Miss Marple was not as yet acquainted with their surnames, she knew that the big man with the upstanding bush of thick grey hair was addressed as “Greg”, that the golden blonde woman, his wife, was known as Lucky—and that the other married couple, the dark lean man and the handsome but rather weather-beaten woman, were Edward and Evelyn. They were botanists, she understood, and also interested in birds.
“No luck at all,” said Greg. “At least no luck in getting what we were after.”
“Don’t know if you know Miss Marple? Colonel and Mrs. Hillingdon and Greg and Lucky Dyson.”
They greeted her pleasantly and Lucky said loudly that she’d die if she didn’t have a drink at once or sooner. Greg hailed Tim Kendal who was sitting a little way away with his wife poring over account books.
“Hi, Tim. Get us some drinks.” He addressed the others. “Planters Punch?”
They agreed.
“Same for you. Miss Marple?” Miss Marple said thank you, but she would prefer fresh lime. “Fresh lime it is,” said Tim Kendal “and five Planters Punches.”
“Join us, Tim?”
“Wish I could. But I’ve got to fix up these accounts. Can’t leave Molly to cope with everything. Steel band tonight, by the way.”
“Good,” cried Lucky. “Damn it,” she winced, “I’m all over thorns. Ouch! Edward deliberately rammed me into a thorn bush!”
“Lovely pink flowers,” said Hillingdon.
“And lovely long thorns. You’re a sadistic brute Edward.”
“Not like me,” said Greg, grinning. “Full of the milk of human kindness.”
Evelyn Hillingdon sat down by Miss Marple and started talking to her in an easy pleasant way. Miss Marple put her knitting down on her lap. Slowly and with some difficulty, owing to rheumatism in the neck, she turned her head over her right shoulder to look behind her. At some little distance there was the large bungalow occupied by the rich Mr. Rafter. But it showed no sign of life.
She replied suitably to Evelyn’s remarks (really, how kind people were to her!) but her eyes scanned thoughtfully the faces of the two men.
Edward Hillingdon looked a nice man. Quiet but with a lot of charm . . . And Greg—big, boisterous, happy-looking. He and Lucky were Canadian or American, she thought. She looked at Major Palgrave, still acting a bonhomie a little larger than life. Interesting . . .