Agatha Christie – A Murder Is Announced

‘Safer?…Yes, I see.’

He left the room. The Chief Constable said doubtfully, but tactfully:

‘Well, Miss Marple, you’ve certainly given us something to think about.’

III

‘I’m sorry about it, I am really,’ said Myrna Harris. ‘It’s ever so nice of you not to be ratty about it. But you see Mum’s the sort of person who fusses like anything. And it did look as though I’d—what’s the phrase?—been an accessory before the fact’ (the words ran glibly off her tongue). ‘I mean, I was afraid you’d never take my word for it that I only thought it was just a bit of fun.’

Inspector Craddock repeated the reassuring phrase with which he had broken down Myrna’s resistance.

‘I will. I’ll tell you all about it. But you will keep me out of it if you can because of Mum? It all started with Rudi breaking a date with me. We were going to the pictures that evening and then he said he wouldn’t be able to come and I was a bit standoffish with him about it—because after all, it had been his idea and I don’t fancy being stood up by a foreigner. And he said it wasn’t his fault, and I said that was a likely story, and then he said he’d got a bit of a lark on that night—and that he wasn’t going to be out of pocket by it and how would I fancy a wrist-watch? So I said, what do you mean by a lark? And he said not to tell anyone, but there was to be a party somewhere and he was to stage a sham hold-up. Then he showed me the advertisement he’d put in and I had to laugh. He was a bit scornful about it all. Said it was kid’s stuff, really—but that was just like the English. They never really grew up—and of course, I said what did he mean by talking like that about Us—and we had a bit of an argument, but we made it up. Only you can understand, can’t you, sir, that when I read all about it, and it hadn’t been a joke at all and Rudi had shot someone and then shot himself—why, I didn’t know what to do. I thought if I said I knew about it beforehand, it would look as though I were in on the whole thing. But it really did seem like a joke when he told me about it. I’d have sworn he meant it that way. I didn’t even know he’d got a revolver. He never said anything about taking a revolver with him.’

Craddock comforted her and then asked the most important question.

‘Who did he say it was who had arranged this party?’

But there he drew a blank.

‘He never said who it was that was getting him to do it. I suppose nobody was, really. It was all his own doing.’

‘He didn’t mention a name? Did he say he—or she?’

‘He didn’t say anything except that it was going to be a scream. “I shall laugh to see all their faces.” That’s what he said.’

He hadn’t had long to laugh, Craddock thought.

IV

‘It’s only a theory,’ said Rydesdale as they drove back to Medenham. ‘Nothing to support it, nothing at all. Put it down as old maid’s vapourings and let it go, eh?’

‘I’d rather not do that, sir.’

‘It’s all very improbable. A mysterious X appearing suddenly in the darkness behind our Swiss friend. Where did he come from? Who was he? Where had he been?’

‘He could have come in through the side door,’ said Craddock, ‘just as Scherz came. Or,’ he added slowly, ‘he could have come from the kitchen.’

‘She could have come from the kitchen, you mean?’

‘Yes, sir, it’s a possibility. I’ve not been satisfied about that girl all along. She strikes me as a nasty bit of goods. All that screaming and hysterics—it could have been put on. She could have worked on this young fellow, let him in at the right moment, rigged the whole thing, shot him, bolted back into the dining-room, caught up her bit of silver and her chamois and started her screaming act.’