Agatha Christie – A Murder Is Announced

‘I’m sorry. I—I lost control.’

‘That’s all right, Aunt Letty,’ said Patrick affectionately. ‘I’ll look after you.’

‘You?’ was all Letitia Blacklock said, but the disillusionment behind the word was almost an accusation.

That had been shortly before dinner, and Mitzi had then created a diversion by coming and declaring that she was not going to cook the dinner.

‘I do not do anything more in this house. I go to my room. I lock myself in. I stay there until it is daylight. I am afraid—people are being killed—that Miss Murgatroyd with her stupid English face—who would want to kill her? Only a maniac! Then it is a maniac that is about! And a maniac does not care who he kills. But me, I do not want to be killed. There are shadows in the kitchen—and I hear noises—I think there is someone out in the yard and then I think I see a shadow by the larder door and then it is footsteps I hear. So I go now to my room and I lock the door and perhaps even I put the chest of drawers against it. And in the morning I tell that cruel hard policeman that I go away from here. And if he will not let me I say: “I scream and I scream and I scream until you have to let me go!”’

Everybody, with a vivid recollection of what Mitzi could do in the screaming line, shuddered at the threat.

‘So I go to my room,’ said Mitzi, repeating the statement once more to make her intentions quite clear. With a symbolic action she cast off the cretonne apron she had been wearing. ‘Goodnight, Miss Blacklock. Perhaps in the morning, you may not be alive. So in case that is so, I say goodbye.’

She departed abruptly and the door, with its usual gentle little whine, closed softly after her.

Julia got up.

‘I’ll see to dinner,’ she said in a matter-of-fact way. ‘Rather a good arrangement—less embarrassing for you all than having me sit down at table with you. Patrick (since he’s constituted himself your protector, Aunt Letty) had better taste every dish first. I don’t want to be accused of poisoning you on top of everything else.’

So Julia had cooked and served a really excellent meal.

Phillipa had come out to the kitchen with an offer of assistance but Julia had said firmly that she didn’t want any help.

‘Julia, there’s something I want to say—’

‘This is no time for girlish confidences,’ said Julia firmly. ‘Go on back in the dining-room, Phillipa.’

Now dinner was over and they were in the drawing-room with coffee on the small table by the fire—and nobody seemed to have anything to say. They were waiting—that was all.

At 8.30 Inspector Craddock rang up.

‘I shall be with you in about a quarter of an hour’s time,’ he announced. ‘I’m bringing Colonel and Mrs Easterbrook and Mrs Swettenham and her son with me.’

‘But really, Inspector…I can’t cope with people tonight—’

Miss Blacklock’s voice sounded as though she were at the end of her tether.

‘I know how you feel, Miss Blacklock. I’m sorry. But this is urgent.’

‘Have you—found Miss Marple?’

‘No,’ said the Inspector, and rang off.

Julia took the coffee tray out to the kitchen where, to her surprise, she found Mitzi contemplating the piled-up dishes and plates by the sink.

Mitzi burst into a torrent of words.

‘See what you do in my so nice kitchen! That frying pan—only, only for omelettes do I use it! And you, what have you used it for?’

‘Frying onions.’

‘Ruined—ruined. It will have now to be washed and never—never—doI wash my omelette pan. I rub it carefully over with a greasy newspaper, that is all. And this saucepan here that you have used—that one, I use him only for milk—’

‘Well, I don’t know what pans you use for what,’ said Julia crossly. ‘You choose to go to bed and why on earth you’ve chosen to get up again, I can’t imagine. Go away again and leave me to wash up in peace.’

‘No, I will not let you use my kitchen.’

‘Oh, Mitzi, you are impossible!’