Agatha Christie – A Murder Is Announced

He explained the circumstances of his discovery in the attic.

‘It’s rather a touching collection of letters,’ he said. ‘Miss Blacklock poured out everything in the hopes of sustaining her sister’s interest in life and keeping her health good. There’s a very clear picture of an old father in the background—old Dr Blacklock. A real old pig-headed bully, absolutely set in his ways, and convinced that everything he thought and said was right. Probably killed thousands of patients through obstinacy. He wouldn’t stand for any new ideas or methods.’

‘I don’t really know that I blame him there,’ said Miss Marple. ‘I always feel that the young doctors are only too anxious to experiment. After they’ve whipped out all our teeth, and administered quantities of very peculiar glands, and removed bits of our insides, they then confess that nothing can be done for us. I really prefer the old-fashioned remedy of big black bottles of medicine. After all, one can always pour those down the sink.’

She took the letter that Craddock handed her.

He said: ‘I want you to read it because I think that that generation is more easily understood by you than by me. I don’t know really quite how these people’s minds worked.’

Miss Marple unfolded the fragile paper.

Dearest Charlotte,

I’ve not written for two days because we’ve been having the most terrible domestic complications. Randall’s sister Sonia (you remember her? She came to take you out in the car that day? How I wish you would go out more). Sonia has declared her intention of marrying one Dmitri Stamfordis. I have only seen him once. Very attractive—not to be trusted, I should say. R.G. raves against him and says he is a crook and a swindler. Belle, bless her, just smiles and lies on her sofa. Sonia, who though she looks so impassive has really a terrific temper, is simply wild with R.G. I really thought yesterday she was going to murder him!

I’ve done my best. I’ve talked to Sonia and I’ve talked to R.G. and I’ve got them both into a more reasonable frame of mind and then they come together and it all starts over again! You’ve no idea how tiring it is. R.G. has been making enquiries—and it does really seem as though this Stamfordis man was thoroughly undesirable.

In the meantime business is being neglected. I carry on at the office and in a way it’s rather fun because R.G. gives me a free hand. He said to me yesterday: ‘Thank Heaven, there’s one sane person in the world. You’re never likely to fall in love with a crook, Blackie, are you?’ I said I didn’t think I was likely to fall in love with anybody. R.G. said: ‘Let’s start a few new hares in the City.’ He’s really rather a mischievous devil sometimes and he sails terribly near the wind. ‘You’re quite determined to keep me on the straight and narrow path aren’t you, Blackie?’ he said the other day. And I shall too! I can’t understand how people can’t see when a thing’s dishonest—but R.G. really and truly doesn’t. He only knows what is actually against the law.

Belle only laughs at all this. She thinks the fuss about Sonia is all nonsense. ‘Sonia has her own money,’ she said. ‘Why shouldn’t she marry this man if she wants to?’ I said it might turn out to be a terrible mistake and Belle said, ‘It’s never a mistake to marry a man you want to marry—even if you regret it.’ And then she said, ‘I suppose Sonia doesn’t want to break with Randall because of money. Sonia’s very fond of money.’

No more now. How is father? I won’t say Give him my love. But you can if you think it’s better to do so. Have you seen more people? You really must not be morbid, darling.

Sonia asks to be remembered to you. She has just come in and is closing and unclosing her hands like an angry cat sharpening its claws. I think she and R.G. have had another row. Of course Sonia can be very irritating. She stares you down with that cool stare of hers.