Because it involves — how can I put it — a kind ofmalevolence…” “Yes,” said Gwenda. “Malevolence is just right. Even, I think, something that isn’t quite sane…” She shivered.
“That is indicated, I think,” said Miss Marple. “You know, there’s a great deal of–well, queemess about–more than people imagine. I have seen some of it…” Her face was thoughtful.
“There can’t be, you see, any normal explanation,” said Giles. “I’m taking now the fantastic hypothesis that Kelvin Halliday didn’t kill his wife, but genuinely thought he had done so. That’s what Dr. Penrose, who seems a decent sort of bloke, obviously wants to think. His first impression of Halliday was that here was a man who had killed his wife and wanted to give himself up to the police. Then he had to take Kennedy’s word for it that that wasn’t so, so he had perforce to believe that Halliday was a victim of a complex or a fixation or whatever the jargon is — but he didn’t really like that solution. He’s had a good experience of the type and Halliday didn’t square with it. However, on knowing Halliday better he became quite genuinely sure that Halliday was not the type of man who would strangle a woman under any provocation. So he accepted the fixation theory, but with misgivings.
And that really means that only one theory will fit the case — Halliday was induced to believe that he had killed his wife, by someone else. In other words, we’ve come to X.
“Going over the facts very carefully, I’d say that that hypothesis is at least possible. According to his own account, Halliday came into the house that evening, went into the dining-room, took a drink as he usually did — and then went into the next room, saw a note on the desk and had a blackout — ” Giles paused and Miss Marple nodded her head in approval. He went on: “Say it wasn’t a blackout — that it was just simply dope — knock-out drops in the whisky. The next step is quite clear, isn’t it? X had strangled Helen in the hall, but afterwards he took her upstairs and arranged her artistically as a crime passionel on the bed, and that’s where Kelvin is when he comes to; and the poor devil, who may have been suffering from jealousy where she’s concerned, thinks that he’s done it. What does he do next? Goes off to find his brother-in-law — on the other side of the town and on foot. And that gives X time to do his next trick. Pack and remove a suit-case of clothes and also remove the body—though what he did with the body,” Giles ended vexedly, “beats me completely.” “It surprises me you should say that, Mr. Reed,” said Miss Marple. “I should say that that problem would present few difficulties. But do please go on.” “WHO WERE THE MEN IN HER LIFE?” quoted Giles. “I saw that in a newspaper as we came back in the train. It set me wondering, because that’s really the crux of the matter, isn’t it? If there is an X, as we believe, all we know about him is that he must have been crazy about her — literally crazy about her.” “And so he hated my father,” said Gwenda. “And he wanted him to suffer.” “So that’s where we come up against it,” said Giles. “We know what kind of a girl Helen was — ” he hesitated.
“Man mad,” supplied Gwenda.
Miss Marple looked up suddenly as though to speak, and then stopped.
“—and that she was beautiful. But we’ve no clue to what other men there were in her life besides her husband. There may have been any number.” Miss Marple shook her head.
“Hardly that. She was quite young, you know. But you are not quite accurate, Mr.
Reed. We do know something about what you have termed ‘the men in her life’.
There was the man she was going to out marry — ” “Ah yes — the lawyer chap? What was his name?” “Walter Fane,” said Miss Marple.
“Yes. But you can’t count him. He was out in Malaya or India or somewhere.” “But was he? He didn’t remain a teaplanter, you know,” Miss Marple pointed “Say it wasn’t a blackout — that it was just simply dope — knock-out drops in the whisky. The next step is quite clear, isn’t it? X had strangled Helen in the hall, but afterwards he took her upstairs and arranged her artistically as a crime passionel on the bed, and that’s where Kelvin is when he comes to; and the poor devil, who may have been suffering from jealousy where she’s concerned, thinks that he’s done it. What does he do next? Goes off to find his brother-in-law — on the other side of the town and on foot. And that gives X time to do his next trick. Pack and remove a suit-case of clothes and also remove the body—though what he did with the body,” Giles ended vexedly, “beats me completely.” “It surprises me you should say that, Mr. Reed,” said Miss Marple. “I should say that that problem would present few difficulties. But do please go on.” “WHO WERE THE MEN IN HER LIFE?” quoted Giles. “I saw that in a newspaper as we came back in the train. It set me wondering, because that’s really the crux of the matter, isn’t it? If there is an X, as we believe, all we know about him is that he must have been crazy about her — literally crazy about her.” “And so he hated my father,” said Gwenda. “And he wanted him to suffer.” “So that’s where we come up against it,” said Giles. “We know what kind of a girl Helen was — ” he hesitated.