‘I found it in the piano stool. It has recently been fired.
We haven’t had time to check on it fully yet, but I should say that it is almost certainly the weapon with which Mr Gulbrandsen was shot.’
She frowned.
‘And you found it in the piano stool?’
‘Under some very old music. Music that I should say had not been played for years.’
‘Hidden, then?’
‘Yes. You remember who was at the piano last night?’ ‘Stephen Restarick.’ ‘He was playing?’
‘Yes. Just softly. A funny melancholy little tune.’ ‘When did he stop playing, Mrs Serrocold?’ ‘When did he stop? I don’t know.’
‘But he did stop? He didn’t go on playing all through the quarrel.’
‘No. The music just died down.’
‘Did he get up from the piano stool?’
‘I don’t know. I’ve no idea what he did until he came over to the study door to try and fit a key to it.’
‘Can you think of any reason why Stephen Restarick should shoot Mr Gulbrandsen?’
‘None whatever.’ She added thoughtfully, ‘I don’t believe he did.’
‘Gulbrandsen might have found out something dis-creditable about him.’
‘That seems to me very unlikely.’
Inspector Curry had a wild wish to reply:
‘Pigs may fly but they’re very unlikely birds.’ It had been a saying of his grandmother’s. Miss Marple, he thought, was sure to know it.
III Carrie Louise came down the broad stairway and three people converged upon her from different directions, Gina from the long corridor, Miss Marple from the library, and Juliet Be[lever from the Great Hall.
Gina spoke first.
‘Darling!’ she exclaimed passionately. ‘Are you all right? They haven’t bullied you or given you third degree or anything?’
‘Of course not, Gina. What odd ideas you have!
Inspector Curry was charming and most considerate.’
‘So he ought to be,’ said Miss Believer. ‘Now, Carrie, I’ve got all your letters here and a parcel. I was going to bring them up to you.’
‘Bring them into the library,’ said Carrie Louise.
All four of them went into the library.
Carrie Louise sat down and began opening her letters.
There were about twenty or thirty of them.
As she opened them, she handed them to Miss Believer, who sorted them into heaps, explaining to Miss Marple as she did so:
‘Three main categories. One – from relations of the boys. Those I hand over to Dr Maverick. Begging letters I deal with myself. And the rest are personal – and Cara gives me notes on how to deal with them.’
The correspondence once disposed of, Mrs Serrocold turned her attention to the parcel, cutting the string with scissors.
Out of the neat wrappings there appeared an attractive box of chocolates tied up with gold ribbon.
‘Someone must think it’s my birthday,’ said Mrs Serrocold with a smile.
She slipped offthe ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a visiting card. Carrie Louise looked at it with slight surprise.
‘With love from Alex,’ she said. ‘How odd of him to send me a box of chocolates by post on the same day he was coming down here.’
Uneasiness stirred in Miss Marple’s mind.
She said quickly:
‘Wait a minute, Carrie Louise. Don’t eat one yet.’ Mrs Serrocold looked faintly surprised.
‘I was going to hand them round.’
‘Well, don’t. Wait while I ask – Is Alex about the house, do you know, Gina?’
Gina said quickly: ‘Alex was in the Hall just now, I think.’
She went across, opened the door, and called him.
Alex Restarick appeared in the doorway a moment later.
‘Madonna darling! So you’re up. None the worse?’
He came across to Mrs Serrocold and kissed her gently on both cheeks.
Miss Marple said:
‘Carrie Louise wants to thank you for the chocolates.’ Alex looked surprised.
‘What chocolates?’
‘These chocolates,’ said Carrie Louise.
‘But I never sent you any chocolates, darling.’ ‘The box has got your card in,’ said Miss Believer.
Alex peered down.
‘So it has. How odd. How very odd… I certainly didn’t send them.’
‘What a very extraordinary thing,’ said Miss Believer.
‘They look absolutely scrumptious,’ said Gina, peering into the box. ‘Look, Grandam, there are your favourite Kirsch ones in the middle.’