Inspector Curry sighed. He said: ‘Mr Gulbrandsen was shot with a small automatic pistol. Do you know if anyone in the house has such a weapon?’
‘I have no idea, I should think it most unlikely.’ Inspector Curry sighed again. He said:
‘You can tell the party that they can all go to bed. I’ll talk to them tomorrow.’
When Serrocold had left the room, Inspector Curry said to Lake: ‘Well – what do you think?’
‘Knows – or thinks he knows, who did it,’ said L, ‘Yes. I agree with you. And he doesn’t lille it a bit.”
CHAPTER 11
Gina greeted Miss Marple with a rush as the latter came down to breakfast the next morning.
‘The police are here again,’ she said. ‘They’re in the library this time. Wally is absolutely fascinated by them.
He can’t understand their being so quiet and so remote.
I think he’s really quite thrilled by the whole thing. I’m not. I hate it. I think it’s horrible. Why do you think I’m so upset? Because I’m half Italian?’
‘Very possibly. At least perhaps it explains why you don’t mind showing what you feel.’
Miss Marple smiled just a little as she said this.
‘Jolly’s frightfully cross,’ said Gina, hanging on Miss Marple’s arm and propelling her into the dining-room. ‘I think really because the police are in charge and she can’t exactly “run” them like she runs everybody else.
‘Alex and Stephen,’ continued Gina severely, as they came into the dining-room where the two brothers were finishing their breakfast, ‘just don’t care.’
‘Gina dearest,’ said Alex, ‘you are most unkind. Good morning, Miss Marple. I care intensely. Except for the fact that I hardly knew your Uncle Christian, I’m far and away the best suspect. You do realize that, I hope.’ ‘Why?’
‘Well, I was driving up to the house at about the right time, it seems. And they’ve been checking up on things, and it seems that I took too much time between the lodge and the house – time enough, the implication is, to leave the car, run round the house, go in through the side door, shoot Christian and rush out and back to the car again.’ ‘And what were you really doing?’
‘I thought little girls were taught quite young not to ask indelicate questions. Like an idiot, I stood for several minutes taking in the fog effect in the headlights and thinking what I’d use to get that effect on a stage. For my new “Limehouse” ballet.’
‘But you can tell them that!’
‘Naturally. But you know what policemen are like.
They say “thank you” very civilly and write it all down, and you’ve no idea what they are thinking except that one does feel they have rather sceptical minds.’
‘It would amuse me to see you in a spot, Alex,’ said Stephen with his thin, rather cruel smile. ‘Now,/’m quite all right! I never left the Hall last night.’
Gina cried, ‘But they couldn’t possibly think it was one of us!’
Her dark eyes were round and dismayed.
‘Don’t say it must have been a tramp, dear,’ said Alex, helping himself lavishly to marmalade. ‘It’s so hackneyed.’
Miss Believer looked in at the door and said:
‘Miss Marple, when you have finished your breakfast, will you go to the library?’
‘You again,’ said Gina. ‘Before any of us.’ She seemed a little injured.
‘Hi, what was that?’ asked Alex.
‘Didn’t hear anything,’ said Stephen.
‘It was a pistol shot.’
‘They’ve been firing shots in the room where Uncle Christian was killed,’ said Gina. ‘I don’t know why. And outside too.’ The door opened again and Mildred Strete came in.
She was wearing black with some onyx beads.
She murmured good morning without looking at anyone and sat down.
In a hushed voice she said:
‘Some tea, please, Gina. Nothing much to eat – just some toast.’
She touched her nose and her eyes delicately with the handkerchief she held in one hand. Then she raised her eyes and looked in an unseeing way at the two brothers.
Stephen and Alex became uncomfortable. Their voices dropped to almost a whisper and presently they got up and left.