CHAPTERONEMrsElspethMcGillicuddyhurriedalongPlatform3atPaddingtonStation

aftertheporterwhowascarryinghersuitcase.MrsMcGillicuddywasshortandtheporterwastall.MrsMcGillicuddywasalsocarryingalotofpackagesafteradayofChristmas shopping.So the porter had already turned the corner at theendoftheplatformwhileshesearchedherbagfortheticketattheentrancegate.

At thatmoment, a voice sounded above her head, 'The train standing atPlatform 3, is the 4.50 for Brackhampton,Milchester,Waverton, Roxeter andstations to Chadmouth. Passengers for Brackhampton andMilchester travel atthebackofthetrain.'

MrsMcGillicuddy foundher ticketandshowed it to themanat thegatewhosaid,'Ontheright,attheback.'

MrsMcGillicuddycontinueduptheplatformandfoundherporterwaitingoutsidethedoorofathird-classcarriage.

'I'mtravellingfirst-class,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy.'Youdidn'tsayso,'saidtheporter.MrsMcGillicuddy,hadsaidso,butwas

tootiredtoargue.Theportercarriedhersuitcasetothenextcoach,whereMrsMcGillicuddy

satdownaloneandopenedhermagazine.Fiveminuteslater,whistlesblew,andthetrainstarted.ThemagazineslippedfromMrsMcGillicuddy'shand,herheaddropped sideways and threeminutes later shewas asleep.She slept for thirty-fiveminutesandawokefeelingmuchbetterasshesatlookingoutofthewindowat the countryside flying past. It was almost dark now and the train passedthroughastation,thenbegantoslowdown,andthenitstoppedforashortwhilebeforeitbegantomoveforwardagain.

A trainpassed them,going in theopposite direction.Then another train,going in thesamedirection,passedfrighteninglyclose to them.Fora time thetwotrainsranparallel,andMrsMcGillicuddylookedfromherwindowintothewindowsoftheothercarriages.Mostoftheblindsweredown,butoccasionallyshecouldseepeopleinthecarriages,althoughmanyofthemwereempty.

Suddenly,whenthetwotrainsseemedtohavestoppedbecausetheywerebothmoving at the same slow speed, a blind flew up andMrsMcGillicuddylookedintothelightedfirst-classcarriagethatwasonlyashortdistanceaway.

Thenshegaspedandstoodup.

Standingwithhisback to thewindowwasaman.Hishandswereroundthe throat of awoman, andhewas slowly stranglingher.Her eyeswerewideopenandherfacewaspurple.AsMrsMcGillicuddywatched,thewomansbodycollapsed.At the same time, the other train began to go forward faster and amomentlater,ithadpassedMrsMcGillicuddy'strainanddisappeared.

Thenthedoorofhercarriageopenedandamansaid,'Ticket,please.'MrsMcGillicuddyturnedtohim, 'Awomanhasbeenstrangledinatrain

thathas justpassedours. I saw it - through there.'Shepointed to thewindow.'Youmustdosomethingatonce!'

The ticket collector coughed. 'You don't think that you may have beenasleepand-er-?'

'Ihavebeenasleep,butifyouthinkthiswasadream,you'rewrong.Isawit,Itellyou.'

Theticketcollectorlookedathiswatch.'WeshallbeinBrackhamptoninsevenminutes.Iwillreportwhatyouhavetoldme.Perhapsyoucouldgivemeyournameandaddress...'

MrsMcGillicuddygavehim theaddresswhere shewouldbestaying forthenextfewdaysandherhomeaddressinScotland.

Thetrainwasslowingdownnow,andrunningthroughthebrightlightsofa large town. As it moved towards a crowded platform, the usual voice wassaying, 'The train now arriving at Platform 1 is the 5.38 for Milchester,Waverton,Roxeter,andstationstoChadmouth...'

Hermindwentbacktothesceneontheothertrain.Awful,reallyawful...andiftheblindofthecarriagehadnotbychanceflownup...thenshewouldnothavebeenawitnesstothecrime.

Voices shouted,whistlesblew,doorswerebanged shut.The5.38movedslowlyoutofBrackhamptonstation.AnhourandfiveminuteslateritstoppedatMilchester.MrsMcGillicuddycollectedherpackagesandher suitcaseandgotout.

Outside the station, a taxi driver came forward, 'Are you MrsMcGillicuddy?ForStMaryMead?'

Itwas a nine-mile drive, but at last the taxi reached the familiar villagestreet and finally stopped.MrsMcGillicuddygot out andwalkedup thebrick

pathtothedoor,whichwasopenedbyaservant.Whilethedriverputherbagsinside,MrsMcGillicuddywalkedstraightthroughthehalltowhere,attheopensittingroomdoor,stoodafragileoldlady.

'Elspeth!''Jane!'Theykissedandthen,withoutapause,MrsMcGillicuddycried,'Oh,Jane,

I'vejustseenamurder!'

CHAPTERTWOMissMarpledidnot look surprised as she said, 'Mostupsetting foryou,

Elspeth.Ithinkyoushouldtellmeaboutitatonce.'ThatwasexactlywhatMrsMcGillicuddywantedtodo.Soshesatdown

bythefireandtoldherstorywhileMissMarplelistened.Whenshehadfinished,MissMarplespoke,'Thebestthing,Ithink,isfor

youtogoupstairsandhaveawash.Thenwewillhavedinner-duringwhichwewill not discuss this at all.After dinnerwe candiscuss it fromeverypoint ofview.'

So the two ladies had dinner, discussing life inStMaryMead, and alsotheirgardens.Thentheysettled themselvesby thefireagain,andMissMarpletook out two beautiful old glasses from a corner cupboard, and from anothercupboardtookoutabottle.

'Nocoffee tonight foryou,Elspeth.Youare alreadyoverexcited (andnowonder!)soIsuggestyouhaveaglassofmyhome-madewine.'

'Jane,' said Mrs McGillicuddy, as she took an enjoyable sip, 'you don'tthink,doyou,thatIimaginedit?'

'Certainlynot,'saidMissMarple.'Thankgoodness.Becausethatticketcollector,hethoughtso.Verypolite,

but...''Ithink,Elspeth,thathebehavedquitenormally.Itsounds-andindeedis-

averystrangestory.ButIdonotdoubtatallthatyousawwhatyou'vetoldmeyousaw.Themanhadhisbacktoyou,soyoudidn'tseehisface?'

'No.''Andthewoman,canyoudescribeher?Young,old?''Betweenthirtyandthirty-five,Ithink.''Goodlooking?''Idon'tknow.Herface,yousee,wasall...'MissMarplesaidquickly,'Yes,yes,Iunderstand.Howwasshedressed?''Shehadonapale-colouredfurcoat.Nohat.Herhairwasblonde.''Andtherewasnothingparticularthatyoucanrememberabouttheman?'

MrsMcGillicuddy tooka little time to thinkbefore she replied. 'Hewastall-anddark,Ithink.Hehadaheavycoaton.'

MissMarplepaused.'Weshallknowmore,Iexpect,inthemorning.''Inthemorning?''Well,itwillbeinthemorningnewspapers.Afterthismanhadkilledher,

hewouldbe leftwithabody.Sohewouldprobably leavethe trainat thenextstation-canyourememberifthecarriagehadacorridor?'

'No,itdidnot.''Then it was a train that was not going far, so it would stop at

Brackhampton.He left the train atBrackhampton,perhaps, after arranging thebodyinacornerseat.Butofcourseshewillsoonbediscovered-andthenewswillalmostcertainlybeinthemorningpapers.'

Butitwasnotinthemorningpapers.MissMarple andMrsMcGillicuddy, after making sure of this, finished

their breakfast in silence. ThenMrsMcGillicuddy stood up and turned to herfriend.

'Well?''Ithink,'saidMissMarple,'weshouldwalkdowntothepolicestationand

talktoSergeantCornish.IknowhimverywellsoIthinkhe'lllisten-andpasstheinformationontotherightdepartment.'

Frank Cornish was friendly and respectful. He listened to MrsMcGillicuddy's story and after she had finished he said, 'That sounds verystrange.'

ButMissMarplebelievedthatherfriendwastellingthetruth,andheknewallaboutMissMarple.Shelookedsoftandfragile,butreallyshewasassharpandascleverasitwaspossibletobe.

Hesaid,'Ofcourse,youmayhavemadeamistake-I'mnotsayingyoudid- but a lot of joking goes on - itmight not have been serious and thewomanmightnothavebeendead.'

'IknowwhatIsaw,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy.Cornishsaid,'Youhavedoneeverythingcorrectlyandyoucantrustmeto

start inquiries.'HeturnedtoMissMarple. 'Whatdoyouthinkhashappenedto

thebody?''There seem to be only two possibilities,' said Miss Marple. 'The most

likelyonewasthat thebodywasleft in thetrain,but thatseemsunlikelynow,foritwouldhavebeenfoundlastnight.Theonlyotherthingthemurderercouldhavedonewouldbetopushthebodyoutofthetrainontothetrack.Soitmustbeonthetracksomewhere-thoughthatalsoseemsunlikely.'

'Yes,' said Cornish. 'The body, if there is a body, ought to have beendiscoveredbynow,orwillbeverysoon.'

But that day passed and the next day. On that evening Miss MarplereceivedanotefromSergeantCornish.

Considering thematteraboutwhichyouspoke tome, full inquirieshavebeenmade,withnoresult.Nowoman'sbodyhasbeenfound.Isuggestthatyourfriendmayhavewitnesseda scene just as shedescribed,but that itwasmuchlessseriousthanshethought.

CHAPTERTHREE'Less serious? Nonsense!' said Mrs McGillicuddy. 'It was murder!' She

lookedatMissMarpleandMissMarplelookedbackather. 'Goon,Jane,sayIimaginedthewholething!That'swhatyouthinknow,isn'tit?'

'Anyonecanbemistaken,'MissMarplesaidgently.'AlthoughIthinkthatyouwereprobablynotmistaken...But I don't think there's anythingmoreyoucando.'

'That's a relief, in a way,' said Mrs McGillicuddy, 'as I'm going out toCeylonafterChristmastostaywithmysonRoderick,andIdonotwanttoputoffthatvisit.Soifthepolicechoosetobestupid

MissMarple shook her head. 'Oh, no, the police aren't stupid. And thatmakesitinteresting,doesn'tit?'

MrsMcGillicuddylookedsurprised.'Onewantstoknow,'saidMissMarple, 'whokilledthewoman,andwhy,

andwhathappenedtoherbody.''That'sforthepolicetofindout.''Exactly-andtheyhaven'tfoundout.Whichmeansthatthemanwasvery

clever.Ican'timaginehowhegotridofit.Youkillawomaninsuddenanger-itcan't have been planned, youwould never choose to kill someone just beforearrivingatabigstation.Soyoustrangleher-andthenwhatcanyoudo...?'MissMarplepaused.

MrsMcGillicuddy said, 'Well, I am going to stop thinking about it andstart thinkingabout the trains toLondontomorrow.Wouldtheafternoonbeallright?I'mgoingtomydaughterMargaret'sfortea.'

'Iwonder,Elspeth,ifyouwouldmindtakingthe12.15?Wecouldhaveanearlylunch.AndIwonder,too,ifMargaretwouldmindifyoudidn'tarrivefortea-ifyouarrivedaboutseven,perhaps?'

Mrs McGillicuddy looked at her friend curiously. 'Are you planningsomething,Jane?'

'Isuggest,Elspeth,thatIcouldtraveluptoLondonwithyou,andthatwecould then travel back to Brackhampton in a train at the same time as youtravelledtheotherday.YoucouldthenreturntoLondonandIwouldcomeonhereasyoudid.I,ofcourse,wouldpaythefares,'MissMarplesaidfirmly.

'Whatdoyouexpect,Jane?Anothermurder?''Certainlynot.ButIwouldliketoseeformyselfexactlywherethecrime

wascommitted.'And so the next day Miss Marple and Mrs McGillicuddy sat in two

opposite corners of a first-class carriage speeding out of London on the 4.50fromPaddington.Butonthisoccasionnotrainpassedclosetothemgoinginthesame direction. A few trains flashed past them towards London. On twooccasionstrainsflashedpastthemgoingtheotherway.

'We'redueinBrackhamptoninfiveminutes,'saidMissMarple.A ticket collector appeared in the doorway.MissMarple looked atMrs

McGillicuddy, who shook her head. It was not the same ticket collector. Helookedattheirtickets,andmovedonalittleunsteadilyasthetrainswungrounda long curve and slowed down as it did so. There were lights flashing pastoutside,buildings,anoccasionalsightofstreetsandbuses.

'We'llbethereinaminute,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy,'andIcan'treallyseethisjourneyhasbeenanygoodatall.'

'Butthistrainisafewminuteslate.WasyoursontimeonFriday?''Ithinkso.'The train ran slowly intoBrackhampton station.Doors opened and shut,

peoplegot in andout.Easy, thoughtMissMarple, for amurderer to leave thestationamongstall thosepeople,oreven tofindanothercarriageandgoon inthetraintotheendofitsjourney.Butnotsoeasytomakeabodydisappearintotheair.Thatbodymustbesomewhere.

MrsMcGillicuddyhadgotoutandspokenowthroughtheopenwindow.'Takecareofyourself,Jane.Anddon'tlet'sworryourselvesanymoreaboutallthis.We've done what we could.'MissMarple nodded. 'Goodbye, Elspeth. AhappyChristmastoyou.'

Awhistleblewandthetrainbegantomove,butMissMarpledidnotleanbackas it increasedspeed. Insteadshesatupright.MrsMcGillicuddyhadsaidthattheyhadbothdoneallthattheycoulddo.ItwastrueofMrsMcGillicuddy,butaboutherselfMissMarpledidnotfeelsosure.

LikeaGeneralplanningapossiblebattle,MissMarplethoughtthroughthefactsforandagainstfurtheraction.Forfurtheractionwerethefollowing:

1.Mylongexperienceoflifeandhumannature.2.SirHenryClitheringandhisgodson(nowatScotlandYard),whowasso

veryniceintheLittlePaddockscase.3. My nephew Raymond's second boy, David, who works for British

Railways.4.Griselda'sboy,Leonard,whoknowssomuchaboutmaps.'But I can't go here, there and everywhere,making inquiries and finding

outthings.I'mtoooldforanymoreadventures,'shethought,watchingoutofthewindowthecurvinglineofanembankment...

Acurve...Veryfaintlysomethingcameintohermind...Justaftertheticketcollector

hadseentheirtickets...Itsuggestedanidea.Acompletelydifferentidea...SuddenlyMissMarpledidnotfeeloldatall!The nextmorningMissMarplewrote to her great-nephew,DavidWest,

askingforimportantinformation.Fortunatelyshewasinvited,asusual, to thevicaragewhereGriseldaand

her family lived, for Christmas dinner, and here she was able to ask youngLeonardaboutmaps.

LeonardlovedmapsofallkindsanddidnotwonderwhyMissMarplewasinterestedinalarge-scalemapofaparticulararea.Heevenfoundoneamongsthiscollectionandlentittoher.

SoonMissMarplereceivedaletterfromDavidWest.Itsaid:

DearAuntJane,I'vegottheinformationyouwanted.Thereisonlyonetrainthatitcanbe-

the 4.33,which is a slow train and stops atHalingBroadway,BarwellHeath,BrackhamptonandthenstationstoMarketBasing.

So, do I smell somevillage scandal?Didyou, returning fromChristmasshopping inLondon by the 4.50, see the vicar'swife being kissed by theTaxInspector?Butwhydoesitmatterwhichtrainitwas?

Yoursever,David

MissMarplesmiled.Itseemedthatsomemoretravellingwasnecessary.ShewentuptoLondonasbeforeonthe12.15,butthistimereturnednot

bythe4.50,butbythe4.33inanemptyfirst-classcarriage.Asthetraincamenear toBrackhampton, running around a curve,MissMarple pulled down theblindandthenstoodwithherbacktothewindow.

Yes,shedecided,thesuddencurvingofthelinedidthrowonebackagainstthe window and the blind might very easily fly up. She looked out of thewindow.Itwasonlyjustdark,buttoseethingsclearlyshemustmakeadaylightjourney.

Thenextdayshewentup toLondonby theearlymorning train.Thenaquarterofanhourbefore she reachedBrackhampton,MissMarplegotout themapwhichLeonardhadlenther.Shecouldseeexactlywhereshewasjustasthetrainbegantoslowdownforacurve.ItwasaverybigcurveandMissMarpledividedher attentionbetweenwatching thegroundbeneathher and lookingatthemapuntilthetrainfinallyranintoBrackhampton.

That night shewrote a letter toMiss FlorenceHill, at 4MadisonRoad,Brackhampton.Andthenextmorningshewenttothelibrarytoreadaboutthelocalhistoryofthearea.Herideaofwhathadhappenedwaspossiblebuttherewasnothingtoproveityet.Andthatwouldneedaction,thekindofactionshewas not strong enough to take. If her theory were to be definitely proved ordisproved,shemusthavehelp.Thequestionwas -who?MissMarple thoughtforalongtime.Thensuddenlyshesmiledandsaidaloudaname.

'Ofcourse!LucyEyelesbarrow!'

CHAPTERFOURLucyEyelesbarrowwasthirty-two.ShehadtakenaFirstinMathematicsat

Oxford, and was expected to have a successful academic life. But LucyEyelesbarrow, aswell as being very clever,was also very sensible. She knewthatscholarswerenotwell-paid,andshelikedmoney.Andtomakemoneysheknewthatonemustdoworkthatishighly-valuedbecausetherearealwaystoofewpeopletodoit.So,tothegreatsurpriseofherfriendsandfellowscholars,Lucy Eyelesbarrow decided to become a highly-skilled professional athousework.

Hersuccesswasimmediate.Now,afterabouttenyears,shewasknownalloverBritain.Itwasquiteusualforwivestosayjoyfullytohusbands,'Itwillbeall right. I cangowithyou toAmerica. I'vegotLucyEyelesbarrow!'Becauseonceshecame intoahouse,all theworryandhardworkwentoutof it.LucyEyelesbarrowdid everything.She lookedafteroldpeople andyoungchildren,got on well with servants, and was wonderful with dogs. She also cookedperfectly.Best of all she nevermindedwhat she did. Shewashed the kitchenfloor,dugthegarden,andcarriedcoal!

Oneofherruleswasnevertoacceptanyjobforalongtime:twoweeksorfouratthemost.

Lucy read the letter fromMissMarple. She hadmet her two years agowhenRaymondWest, the novelist, had paid for her to look after his old auntwhohadbeenill.LucyhadlikedMissMarpleverymuchandnowtheoldladywasaskingifshecoulddoacertainjobforher-ratheranunusualone.PerhapsMissEyelesbarrowcouldmeethersotheycoulddiscussit.

So the next day they met alone in a small, dark writing room of LucyEyelesbarrow's club in London. She said, 'I'm rather busy at themoment, butperhapsyoucantellmewhatitisyouwantmetodo?'

'It'sverysimple,really,'saidMissMarple.'Unusual,butsimple.Iwantyoutofindabody.'

'Whatkindofabody?'askedLucyEyelesbarrowwithadmirablecalm.'Thebodyofawoman,'saidMissMarple,'whowasstrangledinatrain.''Well,that'scertainlyunusual.Tellmeaboutit.'MissMarpletoldher.LucyEyelesbarrowlistenedwithoutinterrupting.At

theendshesaid,'Well,whatdoyouwantmetodo?'

'I'vegotatheory,'saidMissMarple.'Thebody'sgottobesomewhere.Ifitwasn'tfoundinthetrain,thenitmusthavebeenpushedoutofthetrain-butithasn'tbeenfoundanywhereontheline.SoItravelleddownthesamewaytoseeiftherewasaplacewherethebodycouldhavebeenthrownoffthetrainandyetnot on to the line - and therewas.The railway linemakes a big curvebeforegetting intoBrackhampton,on theedgeof ahighembankment. If abodywasthrownout there,when the trainwas leaning toone side, I think itwould fallrightdowntheembankment.'

'Butsurelyitwouldstillbefound-eventhere?''Oh,yes.Itwouldhavetobetakenaway...Here'stheplace-onthismap.'LucystudiedtheplacewhereMissMarple'sfingerpointed.'It is right on the edge of Brackhampton now,' said Miss Marple, 'but

originally it was a country house with large grounds and it's still there,untouched - surrounded by housing estates. It's calledRutherfordHall. Itwasbuilt by a man called Crackenthorpe, a very rich manufacturer, in 1884. TheoriginalCrackenthorpe'sson,anelderlyman,islivingtherestillwith,Ihear,adaughter.Therailwayencircleshalfoftheproperty.'

'Andyouwantmetodo-what?''Iwantyoutogetajobthere.Butitmight,youknow,bedangerous.''Idon'tknow,'saidLucy'Idon'tthinkdangerwouldworryme.''Ididn'tthinkitwould,'saidMissMarple.'WhatdoIlookforexactly?''Anysignsalongtheembankment,apieceofclothing,brokenbushes-that

kindofthing.''Andthen?'Lucyasked.'Ishallbestayingnearby,'saidMissMarple.'Withanoldservantofmine,

Florence,wholivesinBrackhampton.I thinkyoushouldmentionyouhaveanauntlivingintheneighbourhoodandthatyouwantajobthatisclosetoher,andalsothatyouneedsomesparetimesothatyoucangoandseeher.'

'Iwasgoingonholidaythedayaftertomorrow,'Lucysaid.'Thatcanwait.ButIcanonlystaythreeweeks.Afterthat,Ihaveanotherjob.'

'Ifwecan'tfindoutanythinginthreeweeks,wemightaswellgiveupthe

wholething,'saidMissMarple.After Miss Marple had gone, Lucy rang up an Employment Office in

Brackhampton,andexplainedsheneededajobintheneighbourhoodtobenearher'aunt'.Aftersayingnotoseveralmoredesirableplaces,RutherfordHallwasmentioned.

'ThatsoundsexactlywhatIwant,'saidLucy.Two days later, driving her own small car, Lucy Eyelesbarrow passed

between two large iron gates.A long drivewoundbetween dark bushes up toRutherfordHall,whichwaslikeasmallcastle.Butthestonestepsinfrontofthedoorwerebrokenandthedrivewasgreenwithweeds.

She pulled an old bell, and an untidy woman opened the door. 'MissEyelesbarrow?'

'That'sright,'saidLucy.Thehousewasverycoldinside.Thewomanledheralongadarkhalland

opened a door. To Lucy's surprise, it was a rather pleasant sitting room,withbooksandprettychairs.

'I'll tellMissCrackenthorpeyou'rehere,'saidthewoman,andwentawayshuttingthedoor.

After a fewminutes thedooropenedagain.EmmaCrackenthorpewas amiddle-agedwoman,neithergood-lookingnorplain,sensiblydressedinwarmclothes,withdarkhairandlightbrowneyes.

'Miss Eyelesbarrow?' She held out her hand. Then she looked doubtful.ShehadclearlybeenexpectingsomeoneverydifferentfromLucy.'Iwonder,ifthis job is really right foryou? Idon'twant someone just toorganize things, Iwantsomeonetodothework.'

Lucy said, 'You want cooking and washing-up, and housework. That'swhatIdo.'

'It'sabighouse,youknow,andweonlyliveinpartofit-myfatherandmyself. I have several brothers, but they are not here very often.Twowomencome in, aMrsKidder in themorning, andMrsHart three days aweek.' Shepaused.'Myfatherisoldandalittle-difficultsometimes.Iwouldn'tlike-'

Lucysaidquickly,'I'mveryusedtooldpeople,andIalwaysmanagetogetonwellwiththem.'

Emma Crackenthorpe looked thankful. Lucy was given a large darkbedroomwithasmallelectricheater,andwasshownroundthehouse.Astheypassedadoorinthehallavoiceshouted,'Isthatyou,Emma?Haveyougotthenewgirlthere?Bringherin.Iwanttolookather.'

The twowomen entered the room.OldMrCrackenthorpewas stretchedoutinachair.Hewasabig,butthinmanwiththickgreyhair,alargechinandsmall,livelyeyes.'Let'shavealookatyou,younglady.'

Lucyadvanced,confidentandsmiling.'There'sonethingyoumustunderstandstraightaway.Justbecausewelive

inabighousedoesn'tmeanwe'rerich.We'renotrich.Welivesimply-doyouhear?-simply!IliveherebecausemyfatherbuiltthehouseandIlikeit.'

'Yourhomeisyourcastle,'saidLucy.'You'relaughingatme?''Of course not. I think it's very exciting to have a real country place all

surroundedbyatown.''Exactly.Fieldswithcowsinthem-rightinthemiddleofBrackhampton.'Lucy and Emma left the room and Lucy asked the times of meals and

inspectedthekitchen.Thenshesaidcheerfully,'Justleaveeverythingtome.'Lucy got up at six the next morning. She cleaned the house, prepared

vegetables, cooked and served breakfast.WithMrsKidder shemade the bedsandateleveno'clocktheysatdownforsometeainthekitchen

MrsKidderwasasmall,thinwoman.'MissEmmahastoputupwithalotfrom her father,' she said. 'He's so mean. But she's not weak. And when thegentlemencomedownshemakessurethere'ssomethinggoodtoeat.'

'Thegentlemen?''Yes.Itwasabigfamily.Theeldest,MrEdmund,hewaskilledinthewar.

Then there's Mr Cedric, he lives abroad somewhere. He paints pictures. MrHaroldworksintheCity,inLondon-hemarriedalord'sdaughter.Thenthere'sMr Alfred, he seems very nice, but he's been in trouble once or twice - andthere'sMissEdith'shusband,MrBryan,eversonice,heis-shediedsomeyearsago,andthere'sMasterAlexander,theirlittleboy.He'satschool,butcomesherefortheholidays.'

Lucylistenedcarefullytoallthisinformation.WhenMrsKidderhadgone,

she cooked lunch andwhen she had cleared it away andwashed up, shewasreadytostartexploring.

First, shewalkedround thegardens.Aflowerbordernear thehousewastheonlyplace thatwas freeofweeds.Thegardenerwasaveryoldman,whowas only pretending to work in the kitchen garden. Lucy spoke to himpleasantly.Helivedinacottagenearbyandbehindhiscottagewasadrivethatledthroughthepark,andunderarailwayarchintoaroughpath.

Every fewminutes a train ranover the arch.Lucywatched the trains asthey sloweddown togo round the sharp curve surrounding theCrackenthorpeproperty.Shepassedundertherailwayarchandoutintotheroad.Ononesidewas the railway embankment, on the otherwas a highwall and some factorybuildings. Lucywalked along the path until it came out into a street of smallhouses.AwomanwaswalkingpastandLucystoppedher.

'Excuseme,canyoutellmeifthereisapublictelephonenearhere?''There'soneatthePostOfficeatthecorneroftheroad.'Lucythankedher

andwalkedalonguntilshecametothePostOffice.Therewasatelephoneboxatoneside.Shewentintoit,dialledandaskedtospeaktoMissMarple.

Awoman'svoicesaid,'She'sresting.AndI'mnotgoingtowakeher!WhoshallIsaycalled?'

'MissEyelesbarrow.JusttellherthatI'vearrivedandthatI'llletherknowwhenIhaveanynews.'

CHAPTERFIVEThenextdayinthesittingroomafterlunchLucysaidtoEmma,'Willitbe

allrightifIjustpractiseafewgolfshotsinthepark?''Oh,yes,certainly.Howcleverofyoutoplaygolf.''I'mnotmuchgood,but it'sapleasanterformofexercise than justgoing

forawalk.''There's nowhere to walk outside this place,' said Mr Crackenthorpe.

'Nothingbutpavementsandmiserablelittleboxhouses.They'dliketobuymylandandbuildmoreofthem.Buttheywon'tuntilI'mdead.AndI'mnotgoingtodie to please anybody. I can tell you that! I know what they're waiting for.Cedric, andHarold, andAlfred... I'msurprisedhehasn't tried toget ridofmealready.Andperhapshedid,atChristmas-time.ThatwasaverystrangestomachupsetIhad.DrQuimperaskedmealotofquestionsaboutit.'

'Everyonegetsstomachupsetssometimes,Father,'saidEmma.'All right, all right, say that I ate toomuch!That'swhat youmean.And

whydidIeattoomuch?Becausetherewastoomuchfoodonthetable.Andthatreminds me - you, young woman, you sent in five potatoes for lunch. Twopotatoesareenoughforanybody.Sodon'tsendinmorethanfourinfuture.Theextraonewaswastedtoday.'

'It wasn't wasted,Mr Crackenthorpe. I am going to use it in a Spanishomelettetonight.'

As Lucywent out of the room she heard him say, 'She's always got ananswer!Shecookswell,though-andshe'sagood-lookinggirl.'

LucyEyelesbarrow took a golf clubout of the set she hadbroughtwithher,andwalkedoutintothepark.Shehittheballafewtimesuntilitlandedontherailwayembankment,thenwentupandbegantolookaboutforit.Duringtheafternoonshesearchedaboutathirdoftheembankment.Nothing.

Then,onthenextday,shedidfindsomething.Arosebushgrowingabouthalfwayup thebankhadbeenbroken.Caughton itwasa smallpieceofpalebrownfur.Lucytooksomescissorsoutofherpocketandcutitinhalf.Thehalfshehadcutoffsheputinanenvelope.

Asshecamedownthesteepslope,shelookedcarefullyatthelonggrassandatthebottomoftheembankmentjustbelowthebrokenrosebushshefound

apowdercompact.Sheputitinherpocket.On the following afternoon, Lucy got into her car and went to see her

'aunt'.Number4MadisonRoadwasasmall,greyhouseinasmall,greystreet,butithadaverycleandoorstep.ThedoorwasopenedbyatallwomandressedinblackwhotookhertoMissMarple,whowasinthesittingroombythefire.

'Well!' Lucy said. 'It looks as though youwere right.' She showedMissMarplewhatshehadfoundandtoldherhowshehadfoundthem.

Miss Marple felt the small piece of fur. 'Elspeth said the woman waswearingalight-colouredfurcoat.Isupposethecompactwasinthepocketofthecoatandfelloutasthebodyrolleddowntheslope.Youdidn'ttakeallthefur?'

'No,Ilefthalfofitonthebush.''Verygood.Thepolicewillwanttocheckit.''Youaregoingtothepolice-withthesethings?''Well-notyet...Itwouldbebetter,Ithink,tofindthebodyfirst.''Butwon't thatbeverydifficult?Imean, themurderermayhave taken it

anywhere.''Not anywhere,' said Miss Marple. 'Because then he might much more

easilyhavekilledthegirlinsomeremoteplaceanddriventhebodyawayfromthere.Youhaven'tunderstood...'

Lucyinterrupted.'Doyoumean-thatthiscrimewasplanned?''Ididn'tthinksoatfirst,'saidMissMarple.'Butisn'tithardtobelievethat

amansuddenlykilledawoman,thenlookedoutofthewindowandsawthetraingoing roundacurveexactlyataplacewherehecouldpush thebodyout,andwherehe couldgo later and remove it! If hehad just thrownherout therebychance, he wouldn't have done anything else and the body would have beenfound. I think that he must have known all about Rutherford Hall, itsgeographicalposition,Imean-anislandsurroundedbyrailwaylines.'

'Itisexactlylikethat,'saidLucy.'So if the murderer came to Rutherford Hall that night, before anyone

coulddiscoverthebodythenextday,howwouldhecome?'Lucy thought. 'There's a rough path, beside a factory wall. He would

probablycomethatway,turninundertherailwayarchandalongthebackdrive.

Thenhecouldgotothebottomoftheembankment,findthebody,andcarryitbacktothecar.'

'Andthen,'continuedMissMarple,'hetookittosomeplacehehadalreadychosennearRutherfordHall.Theobviousthing,Isuppose,wouldbetoburyitsomewhere.'

'Itwouldn't be easy,' saidLucy. 'He couldn't bury it in thepark, becausesomeonewouldnoticeit.'

'Theninsomefarmbuilding?''Thatwouldbesimpler...Therearealotofoldbuildingsthatnobodyever

goesnear.'SothenextafternoonLucylookedaroundsomeoftheoldfarmbuildings.

Suddenly sheheard someonecoughand turned to see thegardener, lookingather.

'Youshouldbecareful'he said. 'That floor isnot safe.Andyouwereupthosestepsjustnowandtheyaren'tsafeeither.'

'Iwasjustwonderingifthisplacecouldbeusedforgrowingthings,'Lucysaidcheerfully.'Everythingseemstobeinruins.'

'That'sbecausetheMasterwon'tspendanymoney.''Buttheplacecouldmakemoney-ifthebuildingsweremended.''He doesn'twant tomakemoney.He knowswhatwill happen after he's

dead-theyounggentlemenwillsellthewholeplaceasfastastheycan.They'regoingtogetalotofmoneywhenhedies.'

'Isupposehe'saveryrichman?'saidLucy.'Crackenthorpe's Delights, that's what the business was called. Mr

Crackenthorpe's father started it and made his fortune. His two sons wereeducated tobegentlemenand theyweren't interested in their father'sbusiness.Theyoungeronewaskilled inacaraccident.Theolderonewentabroada lotwhenhewasyoung, andbought a lot ofold statues andhad themsenthome.Theydidn'tgetonwell,himandhisfather.'

'But after his father died, the older Mr Crackenthorpe came and livedhere?'

'Himandhisfamily,yes,in1928.'

LucywentbacktothehouseandfoundEmmaCrackenthorpestandinginthehall,readingaletter.'MynephewAlexanderwillbeheretomorrow-withaschoolfriend.Alexander'sroomisthefirstoneatthetopofthestairs.Theonenexttoitwilldoforhisfriend,JamesStoddart-West,'shesaid.

'Yes,MissCrackenthorpe,I'llpreparebothrooms.''They'llarrivebeforelunch.'Emmapaused.'Iexpectthey'llbehungry.''Roastchicken,doyouthink?'saidLucy.'Andappletart?'Alexander'svery

fondofappletart.'The two boys arrived the nextmorning.Alexander Eastley had fair hair

and blue eyes, Stoddart-West was dark and wore glasses. During lunch theytalked seriously about sport, and occasionally about space travel. The roastchickenwaseatenveryquicklyandeverybitofappletartdisappeared.

MrCrackenthorpesaid, 'Youtwowillsooneatallmymoney.'Alexanderlooked at him. 'We'll have bread and cheese if you can't afford meat,Grandfather.'

'OfcourseIcanafforditbutIdon'tlikewaste.''Wehaven'twastedany,sir,'saidStoddart-West,lookingdownathisempty

plate.Aftershehadwashedup,Lucywentout.Shecouldheartheboyscalling

to each other on the lawn. Shewent down the front drive and began to huntamongstthebusheswiththehelpofhergolfclub.SuddenlythepolitevoiceofAlexanderEastleymadeherturn.

Areyoulookingforsomething,MissEyelesbarrow?'Agolfball,'saidLucy.'Severalgolfballsinfact.''We'llhelpyou,'saidAlexander.'That'sverykindofyou.Ithoughtyouwereplayingfootball.''Onecan'tgoonplayingfootball,'explainedStoddart-West. 'Onegetstoo

hot.Doyouplayalotofgolf?''Idoenjoyit,butIdon'tgetmuchopportunity.''There'saclockgolfsetinthehouse,'Alexandersaid. 'Wecouldfixitup

onthelawnandhaveagame.'EncouragedbyLucy,theboyswentofftogetit.Later,asshereturnedto

thehouse,shefoundthemsettingitoutonthelawn.'It's a pity the set is so old,' said Stoddart-West. 'You can hardly see the

numbers.''Itneedssomewhitepaint,'saidLucy.'Youcouldgetsometomorrow.''Goodidea.'Alexandersaid.'ButIthinktherearesomeoldpotsofpaintin

theLongBarn.Shallwegoandlook?''What'stheLongBarn?'askedLucy.Alexanderpointedtoalong,stonebuildingnearthebackdrive. 'Alotof

grandfather'sstatuecollectionisinthere.AnditissometimesusedforWomen'sInstituteevents.Comeandseeit.'

Lucy followed the boys to the barn, which had a big wooden door.Alexandertookakeyfromanailnearthetopofthedoor,thenheturneditinthelock.Insidetherewerethreebig,uglystatues,andanevenbiggersarcophagus.Besidesthese,thereweretwofoldingtablesandsomepilesofchairs.Alexanderfound twopotsofpaintandsomebrushes inacorner, then theboyswentoff,leavingLucyalone.

She stood looking at the furniture, at the statues, at the sarcophagus...whichhadaheavy,close-fittinglid.Shelookedaroundandonthefloorfoundabigcrowbar.

It was not easy, but she worked with determination and slowly the lidbegantorise,enoughforLucytoseewhatwasinside...

CHAPTERSIXAfewminuteslatersheleftthebarn,lockedthedoor,putthekeybackon

thenail,thendrovedowntothetelephonebox.'IwanttospeaktoMissMarple.''She'sresting,andI'mnotgoingtowakeher.''Youmustwakeher.It'surgent.'Florencedidnot argueanymore.SoonMissMarple'svoice spoke. 'Yes,

Lucy?''I'vefoundit.''Awoman'sbody?''Yes.Awomaninafurcoat.It'sinasarcophagusinabarnnearthehouse.

IthinkIoughttoinformthepolice.''Yes.Youmustinformthepolice.''Butthefirstthingthey'llwanttoknowiswhyIwasliftingupthatgreat

heavylid.Doyouwantmetoinventareason?''No,'saidMissMarple,youmusttellthetruth.''Aboutyou?''Abouteverything.'Lucysuddenly smiled. 'Thatwillbeeasy forme!'She saidgoodbyeand

rangthepolicestation.ThenshedrovebacktoRutherfordHallandwenttothelibrary,whereMissCrackenthorpewasreadingtoherfather.

'CanIspeaktoyouMissCrackenthorpe?'Emmalookedup,alittlenervously.'Well, speakup,girl, speakup,' saidoldMrCrackenthorpe.Lucysaid to

Emma,'I'dliketospeaktoyoualone,please.''Just amoment, Father.' Emma got up andwent out into the hall. Lucy

followedherandshutthedoorbehindthem.Emmasaid, 'Ifyouthinkthere'stoomuchworkwiththeboyshere,Ican

helpyouand-''It's not that,' said Lucy. 'But I didn't want to speak before your father

because itmightgivehimashock.Yousee, I've justdiscovered thebodyofamurderedwomaninthatsarcophagusintheLongBarn.'

'Inthesarcophagus?Amurderedwoman?It'simpossible!''I'mafraidit'strue.I'vetoldthepolice.Theywillbehereverysoon.'Emma's face went a little red. 'You should have told me first - before

tellingthepolice.''I'm sorry,' said Lucy, as they heard the sound of a car outside and the

doorbellrangthroughthehouse.'I'mverysorrytohaveaskedyoutodothis,'saidInspectorBaconasheled

EmmaCrackenthorpeoutofthebarn.Emma's face was pale, but she walked steadily. 'I have never seen the

womanbefore.''Thankyou,MissCrackenthorpe.That'sallIwantedtoknow.''Imustgotomyfather.ItelephonedDrQuimperassoonasIheardabout

this.'DrQuimpercameoutofthelibraryastheycrossedthehall.Hewasatall

friendly-lookingman.'Youwererighttocallme,Emma,'hesaid.'Yourfather'sall right. Just go in and see him, then get yourself a glass of brandy. That'sdoctor'sorders.'

Emmasmiledathimgratefullyandwentintothelibrary.'She'soneofthebest,'hesaid,lookingafterher.'Apityshenevermarried.''Shecarestoomuchforherfather,Isuppose,'saidInspectorBacon.'Shedoesn'tcarethatmuch-butherfather likesbeinganinvalid,soshe

lets him be an invalid. She's the samewith her brothers. Cedric thinks he's agood painter, Harold believes he is good with money, and Alfred enjoysshockingherwithhisstoriesofhiscleverdeals.Well,doyouwantmetohavealookatthebodynowthepolicedoctorhasfinished?'

'I'd likeyou tohavea look,yes,Doctor.Wewant together identified. Isuppose it's impossible for old Mr Crackenthorpe? It would upset him toomuch?'

'Upsethim?Nonsense.He'dneverforgiveyouifyoudidn'tlethimhavealook.It'sthemostexcitingthingthat'shappenedtohimforyears-anditwon't

costhimanything!''There'snothingreallywrongwithhimthen?''He'sseventy-two.That'sallthat'swrongwithhim.Comeon,let'sgoand

seethisbodyofyours.Unpleasant,Isuppose?''Thepolicedoctorsaysshe'sbeendeadfortwoorthreeweeks.''Veryunpleasant,then.'DrQuimperstoodbythesarcophagusandlookeddownat thebody. 'I've

neverseenherbefore.Shemusthavebeenquitegoodlookingonce.Whofoundher?'

'MissLucyEyelesbarrow.'Theywentoutagainintothefreshair.'Whatwasshedoing,lookinginsideasarcophagus?''That,'saidInspectorBacon,'isjustwhatIamgoingtoaskher.Now,about

MrCrackenthorpe.Willyou-?''Disgusting!'MrCrackenthorpecameoutofthehouse.'Ibroughtbackthat

sarcophagusfromRomein1908-orwasit1909?''Calmyourself,'thedoctorsaid.'Thisisn'tgoingtobenice,youknow.''Imaybeill,butI'vegottodomyduty,haven'tI?'A very short visit inside theLongBarnwas, however, long enough.Mr

Crackenthorpecameoutintotheairagainwithsurprisingspeed.'I'veneverseenher before! It wasn't Rome - I remember now - it was Naples. A very fineexample.And some stupidwoman is found dead in it!'He put a hand on hischest.'Oh,myheart...Doctor...'

Doctor Quimper took his arm. 'You'll be all right after you have had asmallbrandy.'Theywentbacktogethertowardsthehouse.

'Andnow,'Baconsaidtohimself,'forMissLucyEyelesbarrow!'Lucy had just finished preparing potatoes for dinner when she was

informedthatInspectorBaconwantedtoseeher.Soshefollowedthepolicemantoaroomwherehewaswaiting.

'Now,MissEyelesbarrow,'InspectorBaconsaid. 'YouwentintotheLongBarntofindsomepaint.Isthatright?Andafteryoufoundthepaintyouforced

upthelidofthissarcophagusandfoundthebody.Whatwereyoulookingforinthesarcophagus?'

'Iwaslookingforabody,'saidLucy.'Youwere looking forabody -andyou foundone!Doesn't that seem to

youaveryextraordinarystory?''Oh,yes,itisanextraordinarystory.'AndLucytoldittohim.TheInspectorwasshocked.'Areyoutellingmethatyouwereaskedbyan

oldladytogetajobhereandtosearchthehouseandgroundsforadeadbody?''Yes.''Whoisthisoldlady?''MissJaneMarple.Sheisatthemomentlivingat4MadisonRoad.'TheInspectorwroteitdown.'Doyoureallyexpectmetobelievethis?'Lucysaid,'Not,perhaps,untilafteryouhavespokentoMissMarple.''Ishallspeaktoherallright.Shemustbemad.'Lucy did not reply to this. Instead she said, 'What are you going to tell

MissCrackenthorpe?Aboutme?''Whydoyouask?''Well,I'vedonewhatIcameherefor.ButI'mstillsupposedtobeworking

for Miss Crackenthorpe, and there are two hungry boys in the house andprobablysomemoreofthefamilywillarriveafterallthisupset.Sheneedshelp,butifyoutellherthatIonlytookthisjobinordertohuntfordeadbodies,she'llprobablytellmetoleave.'

The Inspector looked hard at her. 'I'm not saying anything to anyone atpresent,becauseIdon'tyetknowwhetheryourstatementistrue.'

Lucygotup.'Thankyou.ThenI'llgobacktothekitchenandgetonwiththings.'

CHAPTERSEVEN'So,you thinkwe shouldask thepolice inLondon tohelpuswith this?'

TheChiefConstablelookedatInspectorBacon. 'YouthinkweshouldspeaktoScotlandYard?'

'The woman wasn't from the local area, sir,' Bacon said. 'We believe -becauseofherunderwear-thatshemighthavebeenforeign.ButofcourseI'mnotsayinganythingaboutthatuntilaftertheinquesttomorrow.OthermembersoftheCrackenthorpefamilywillbehereforitandthere'sachanceoneofthemmightbeabletoidentifyher.'

'There is no reason, is there, to believe the Crackenthorpe family areconnectedwiththecrimeinanyway?'theChiefConstableasked.

'Not apart from the fact that the body was found on their land,' saidInspectorBacon.'WhatIcan'tunderstandisthisnonsenseaboutthetrain.'

'Ah,yes.You'vebeentoseethisoldlady,this-er-''MissMarple, sir. Yes, she's certain aboutwhat her friend saw. I'm sure

she's just imagining it,butshedidask thisyoungwoman to lookforabody-whichshedid.'

'Andfoundone,' said theChiefConstable. 'MissJaneMarple - thenameseemsfamiliarsomehow...Anyway,I'llspeaktoScotlandYard.Ithinkyouarerightaboutitnotbeingalocalcase.'

Theinquestwasaformalaffair.Noonecameforwardtoidentifythedeadwoman. Lucy was asked to give evidence of finding the body and medicalevidencewasgivenaboutthecauseofdeath-shehadbeenstrangled.

Itwasacold,windydaywhentheCrackenthorpefamilycameoutofthehall.Therewerefiveofthem,Emma,Cedric,Harold,Alfred,andBryanEastley,the husband of the dead daughter, Edith. There was also Mr Wimborne, thefamily'sLondonlawyer.Theyallstoodforamomentonthepavement.Asmallcrowdhadgathered there; thestoryof the 'Body in theSarcophagus'hadbeenfullyreportedinboththeLondonandthelocalPress.

Voiceswereheardsaying,'That'sthem...'Emma said sharply, 'Let's get away.' She got into the big hired carwith

Lucy.MrWimborne,CedricandHaroldfollowed.BryanEastleysaid,'I'lltakeAlfredinmycar.'

TheDaimlerwasabout to leavewhenEmmacried, 'Oh, stop!There aretheboys!'

Alexander and James had been left behind at Rutherford Hall, but nowthey suddenly appeared. 'We came on our bicycles,' said Stoddart-West. 'Thepolicemanwasverykindandletusinatthebackofthehall.'

'Butitwasratherdisappointing,'saidAlexander.'Alloversosoon.''Wecan'tstayheretalking,'saidHaroldangrily.'There'sallthosemenwith

cameras.'Hegaveasigntothedriver,whodroveawaydowntheroad.'All over so soon!' said Cedric. 'That's what they think, the young

innocents!It'sjustbeginning.''It'smostunfortunate,'Haroldsaid. 'BythewayMiss-er-Eyelesbarrow,

whywereyoulookinginthatsarcophagus?'TheyalllookedatLucy.Shehadwonderedwhenoneofthefamilywould

askherthisandhadalreadypreparedheranswer.'Idon'tknow...Ididfeelthatthe whole place needed to be cleaned. And there was,' she paused, 'a veryunpleasantsmell...'

Mr Wimborne said, 'Yes, yes, of course... but this unfortunate youngwomanwasnothingtodowithanyofus.'

'Ah,butyoucan'tbesosureofthat,canyou?'saidCedric.Lucylookedathim with interest. She had already noticed that the three brothers were verydifferent.Cedricwasabigmanwithuntidydarkhairandacheerfulmanner.Hewasstillwearingtheclothesinwhichhehadarrivedfromtheairport;oldgreytrousers,andanoldbrownjacket.Helookedbohemianandproudofit.

His brother Harold was the opposite; the perfect picture of a Citygentleman.Hewastall,withsmooth,darkhair,andwasdressedinasuitandapalegreytie.Hesaid,'Really,Cedric,thatseemsamostunnecessaryremark.'

'Why?Shewasinourbarn,sowhatdidshecometherefor?'MrWimbornecoughed.'Possiblysome-er-romanticmeeting.Ihaveheardthatallthelocalsknewthatthekeywaskeptoutsideonanail.'

Emmasaid,'Yes,itwasfortheWomen'sInstitutepeople.'MrWimbornecoughedagain.'Itseemsprobablethatthebarnwasusedin

thewinterbylocallovers.Therewasadisagreementandsomeyoungmanlostcontrolofhimself.Thenhe saw the sarcophagusandhe realized that itwould

makeanexcellenthidingplace.''IfIwasagirlcomingtomeetmyyoungman,Iwouldn'tlikebeingtaken

toafreezingcoldbarn,'Cedricreplied. 'I'dwantanicewarmcinema,wouldn'tyou,MissEyelesbarrow?'

'Dowereallyneedtodiscussallthis?'Haroldsaid.But as he asked the question, the car stopped outside the front door of

RutherfordHall.

CHAPTEREIGHTAs he entered the library Mr Wimborne looked past Inspector Bacon

whomhehadalreadymet,tothefair-haired,good-lookingmanbehindhim.'This isDetectiveInspectorCraddockofScotlandYard,' InspectorBacon

said.DermotCraddock smiled atMrWimborne. 'As you are representing the

Crackenthorpe family, I think that we should give you some confidentialinformation.WebelievethatthedeadwomantravelleddownherefromLondonand that she had recently come from abroad. Probably from France. Now Iwouldliketohaveaquicktalkwitheachmemberofthefamily...'

'Ireallycannotsee...''What theycan tellme?Probablynothing. Iexpect Icangetmostof the

informationIwantfromyou.Informationaboutthishouseandthefamily.''Andhowcanthatpossiblybeconnectedwithanunknownwomancoming

fromabroadandbeingkilledhere?''Well, that's the question,' saidCraddock. 'Why did she come here?Had

sheoncehadsomeconnectionwiththishouse?Hadshebeen,perhaps,aservanthere?OrdidshecometomeetsomeoneelsewhohadlivedatRutherfordHall?Canyougivemeashorthistoryofthefamily?'

'There is very little to tell,' saidWimborne. 'Josiah Crackenthorpemadesweet and savoury biscuits. He became very rich.He built this house. LutherCrackenthorpe,hiseldestson,livesherenow.'

'And the present Mr Crackenthorpe has never thought of selling thehouse?'

'Heisunabletodoso,'saidthelawyer.'Becauseofhisfather'swill.''Perhapsyou'lltellmeaboutthewill?''JosiahCrackenthorpelefthisgreatfortuneintrust,theincomefromitto

be paid to his son Luther for life, and after Luther's death, the capital to bedivided equally between Luther's children, Edmund, Cedric, Harold, Alfred,EmmaandEdith.Edmundwaskilledinthewar,andEdithdiedfouryearsago,so that on Luther Crackenthorpe's death, the money will be divided betweenCedric,Harold,Alfred,EmmaandEdith'ssonAlexanderEastley.'

'Andthehouse?'

'ThatwillgotoLutherCrackenthorpe'seldestlivingsonorhischildren.''WasEdmundCrackenthorpemarried?''No.''Sothepropertywillactuallygo-?''Tothenextson-Cedric,'saidMrWimborne.'Soatpresentthenextgenerationhavenoincomeexceptwhattheymake

orwhattheirfathergivesthem,andtheirfatherhasalargeincomebutnocontrolofthecapital.'

'Exactly.'MrWimbornestoodup.'IamnowgoingbacktoLondon.Unlessthereisanythingmoreyouwishtoknow.'

Lucyhadgonestraighttothekitchenwhenshegotbackfromtheinquest,andwasbusypreparinglunchwhenBryanEastleycamein.

'CanIhelpinanyway?'heasked.Lucygavehimaquicklook.Bryanhadarrivedaloneattheinquestinhis

smallM.G. sports car, and shehadnothadmuch time to studyhim.Shenowsawafriendly-lookingman,aboutthirtyyearsold,withfairhairandblueeyes.

'Theboysaren'tbackyet,'hesaid,sittingontheendofthekitchentable.Lucy smiled. 'Theyweredeterminednot tomiss anything.Doyoumind

gettingoffthetable,MrEastley?Iwanttoputthishotdishdownthere.'Bryanobeyed.'Doyoumindmetalkingtoyou?''Ifyoucameintohelp,I'dratheryouhelped.'Lucytookanotherdishfrom

theoven. 'Here-turnallthesepotatoesoversothattheywillgetbrownontheotherside.'

Bryan did as he was told. Then he watched Lucy pour the Yorkshirepuddingmixtureintothedish.'Thisisfun.Itremindsmeofbeinginourkitchenathome-whenIwasaboy.'

There was something strangely sad about Bryan Eastley, Lucy thought.Lookingcloselyathim,sherealizedthathemustbenearerfortythanthirty.Heremindedherofthemanyyoungpilotsshehadknownduringthewarwhenshehadbeenonlyfourteen.Shehadgoneonandgrownupintoapost-warworld-but she felt that Bryan had not gone on, but had been left behind. Sherememberedwhat Emma had told her. 'Youwere a fighter pilot,weren't you?

You'vegotamedal.''Yes, and if you've got amedal, people try tomake things easy for you.

Theygiveyouajob,whichisverygoodofthem.Butthey'reallofficejobs,andI'mjustnotanygoodatthatsortofthing.I'vehadideasofmyownbut...ifIhadabitofcapital...'Hepaused.

AtthatmomentAlexanderandStoddart-Westarrived.'Hello, Bryan,' said Alexander to his father. 'Oh, what a good piece of

meat.IsthereYorkshirepudding?''Yes,thereis,'saidLucy.'She'sanexcellentcook.'AlexanderspoketoBryanlikeakindlyfatherto

hisson.'Canwehelpyou,MissEyelesbarrow?'askedStoddart-West.'Yes,youcan.Alexander,goandringthebell.James,willyoucarry this

dishintothediningroom?Andwillyoutakethemeatin,MrEastley?I'llbringthepotatoesandtheYorkshirepudding.'

When Lucy came out into the hall, Mr Wimborne was standing thereputtingonhiscoat,Emmawascomingdownthestairs,andtwopoliceofficerswerecomingoutofthelibrary.

MrWimborne tookEmma'shandinhis. 'Nowthis isDetectiveInspectorCraddockfromScotlandYardwhohascometotakechargeofthecase.Andhehasjusttoldmethatthisalmostcertainlywasnotalocalcrime.TheythinkshecamefromLondonandwasprobablyforeign.'

EmmaCrackenthorpesaidsharply,'WassheFrench?'

CHAPTERNINEAfter lunch, the police officers asked if they could talk to Mr Cedric

Crackenthorpe.InspectorCraddocksaid,'IhearyouhavejustcomefromIbiza?Youliveoutthere?'

'It'sbetterthanthisboringcountry.''You get more sunshine than we do, I expect,' said Inspector Craddock.

'Butyoucamehomenotvery longago- forChristmas.Whatmadeyoucomebackagainsosoon?'

Cedricsmiled.'Igotacallfrommysister.We'veneverhadamurderherebeforeandIdidn'twanttomissanything.AlsoIthoughtpoorEmmamightneedabitofhelp-managingtheoldmanandthepoliceandeverything.'

'Isee.Althoughhertwootherbrothershavealsocometobewithher.''Butnottocheerherup,'Cedricsaid.'Haroldisveryangryaboutit.It'snot

at all suitable for a City man to be mixed up with the murder of a strangefemale.'

'Wasshe-astrangefemale?'InspectorCraddockasked.'Ithoughtperhapsyoumight be able to guesswho shewas?' Cedric shook his head. 'I have noidea.'

Craddockleanedbackinhischair.'Asyouheardattheinquest,thetimeofdeathwasbetweentwoandfourweeksago-whichmakesitsomewherearoundChristmas.WhendidyouarriveinEnglandandwhendidyouleave?'

Cedricthought. 'IgothereontheSaturdaybeforeChristmas-thatwouldbethe21st.'

'Youflewstraighthere?''Yes,andgothereatmidday.IflewbackonthefollowingFriday,the27th.''Thankyou.'Cedric smiled. 'That puts me well within the time of the murder,

unfortunately.Butreally,Inspector,stranglingyoungwomenisnotmyfavouriteformofChristmasfun.'

'Sowhatdoyouthinkofhim?'CraddockaskedBaconasCedricshutthedoorbehindhim.

'Idon'tlikethattype,'Baconsaid.'Dirtytrousers,anddidyouseehistie?

Itlookedasthoughitwasmadeofcolouredstring.He'sjustthetypewhowouldstrangleawomanandthinknothingaboutit.'

'Well, he didn't strangle this one - if he didn't leave Ibiza until the 21st.Andthat'sathingwecaneasilycheck.'

Baconlookedathim.'Inoticethatyou'renottellingthemtheactualdateofthecrime.'

'No,we'llkeepquietabout that forabit.Nowwe'll seewhatourcorrectCitygentlemanhastosayaboutitall.'

HaroldCrackenthorpehadvery little to sayabout it.No,hehadno ideawho thedeadwomanwas.Yes,hehadbeenatRutherfordHall forChristmas.HehadbeenunabletocomedownuntilChristmasEve-buthadstayedonoverthefollowingweekend.

InspectorCraddockthenaskedtoseeAlfred,andwhenhecameinto theroomCraddock felt that hehad seenhim somewherebefore.He askedAlfredwhatjobhedid.

'I'm in insurance at the moment. Until recently I've been interested inputtinganewtypeoftalkingmachineonthemarket.Ididverywelloutofthat.'

InspectorCraddocksmiled-buthewasnoticinghowAlfred'ssuit,whichhadlookedsmartwhenhecamein,wasreallyverycheap.Cedric'sclotheshadbeen dirty, but they had been made of excellent material. Alfred's cheapsmartness told its own story. Craddock began to ask his usual questions andAlfredseemedinterested.

'It'squiteanidea,thatthewomanmightoncehavehadajobhere.ButasEmmadidn'trecognizeher,Ithinkthat'sunlikely.AndifthewomancamefromLondon...WhatmadeyouthinkshecamefromLondon,bytheway?'

InspectorCraddocksmiledandshookhishead.'Not telling, eh?' Alfred said. 'Did she have a return ticket in her coat

pocket,isthatit?'InspectorCraddockthankedAlfredandlethimgo.'Idon'tsupposeyouwanttoseeme,'saidBryanEastley,comingintothe

room.'Idon'treallybelongtothefamily.''YouwerethehusbandofMissEdithCrackenthorpe,whodiedfiveyears

ago?'InspectorCraddockasked.

'That'sright.''Well,it'sverykindofyou,MrEastley,especiallyifyouknowsomething

thatcouldhelpus.''ButIdon't.IwishIdid.Isittruethatshewasforeign?''ShemayhavebeenFrench,'saidInspectorBacon.Bryan'sblueeyessuddenlylookedinterested.'Really?'InspectorCraddock

said,'HasanybodyinthefamilygotanyFrenchconnections,thatyouknowof?'Bryanshookhishead. 'I'mnotbeingveryhelpful,amI?'Hesmiled. 'But

AlexanderandJamesareouteverydayhuntingforclues.They'llprobablyfindsomethingforyou.'

InspectorCraddocksaidhehopedtheywould,thensaidhewouldliketospeaktoMissEmmaCrackenthorpe.

InspectorCraddocklookedmorecarefullyatEmmaCrackenthorpethanhehaddonebefore.HewasstillwonderingabouttheexpressiononherfacebeforelunchwhenWimbornehadsaidthemurderedwomanwasforeign.

'Asyouhaveheard,webelievethedeadwomancamefromabroadwhichmakesitmoredifficultforustoidentifyher.'

'But didn't she have anything - a handbag?Papers?'Craddock shook hishead.

'Youhavenoideaofhername-ofwhereshecamefrom-anythingatall?'She'sveryanxioustoknowwhothewomanis,Craddockthought.'Weknownothingabouther,'hesaid.'Canyouthinkofanyoneshemight

be?''Ihavenoideaatall.'TherewasahardnessinInspectorCraddock'svoiceasheasked,'WhenMr

Wimborne toldyou that thewomanwasforeign,whydidyouassumethatshewasFrench?'

Emmaremainedcalm. 'DidI?Idon'treallyknowwhy-exceptthatmostforeignersinthiscountryareFrench,aren'tthey?'

'Oh, I really don't think so, Miss Crackenthorpe. People from so manycountries come here, Italians, Germans, Belgians...' Craddock looked atInspectorBaconwho showedher a small powder compact. 'Doyou recognize

this,MissCrackenthorpe?''No.It'snotmine.''You'venoideawhoseitis?''No.''ThenIdon'tthinkweneedworryyouanymore-forthepresent.''Thankyou.'Shesmiled,gotup,andlefttheroom.'Doyouthinksheknowsanything?'askedBacon.InspectorCraddocksaid,'Ioftenthinkthateveryoneknowsmorethanthey

wanttotellyou,but...'ButsuddenlythedoorwasthrownopenandoldMrCrackenthorpecame

in,lookingextremelyangry.'SoScotlandYardcomeshereanddoesn'thavethegoodmannerstotalktotheheadofthefamilyfirst!Tellme,whoistheMasterofthishouse?'

'Youare,ofcourse,MrCrackenthorpe,' saidCraddock, standingup. 'Butwethought thatyouhadalreadytoldInspectorBaconallyouknow,andasDrQuimpersaid...'

'Yes, yes, I am not a strong man... but Dr Quimper is like a silly oldwomansometimes.Andtherehasbeenamurderinmyownhouse-well,inmyownbarn!So,whatdoyouwanttoknow?What'syourtheory?'

'It'sabitearly for theories,MrCrackenthorpe.Wearestill trying to findoutwhothewomanwas.'

'Foreign,yousay?''Wethinkso.''Andyouthinkshewasinvolvedwithoneofmysons?Ifso,shewouldbe

Alfred'swoman.Andsomeviolentfellowfollowedherdownhere,thinkingshewascomingtomeetAlfredandkilledher.How'sthat?'

'ButMrAlfredCrackenthorpedidnotrecognizeher,' InspectorCraddocksaid.

'He'saliar,alwayswas!'Andhelefttheroom.'Alfred'swoman?' saidBacon. 'I don't thinkAlfred iswhowe're looking

for-butIdidjustwonderaboutthatAirForcefellow.'

'BryanEastley?''Yes. I've met one or two like him. They had danger and death and

excitement too early. Now they find life boring and they don't mind riskingthings. If Eastley weremixed up with a woman and wanted to kill her...' Hestopped 'But if you do kill a woman, why put her in your father-in-law'ssarcophagus?No,noneofthisfamilyhadanythingtodowiththemurder.'Baconstoodup.'Anythingmoreyouwanttodohere?'

Craddocksaidtherewasn't,sohewasgoingtocallonanoldfriend.

CHAPTERTENMissMarple, sittingvery straightonFlorence's sofa, smiled at Inspector

DermotCraddock.'I'msogladthatyouhavebeenaskedtohelpwiththecase.Ihopedyouwouldbe.'

'WhenIgotyourletter,'saidCraddock, 'I tookitstraight totheA.C., theAssistantCommissioner.AndhehadjustheardfromtheBrackhamptonpeopleaskingforourhelp.TheA.C.wasveryinterestedinwhatIhadtotellhimaboutyou.Hehadheardaboutyoufrommygodfather.'

'DearSirHenry,'saidMissMarple.'Sohesentmetolookintothecase,andhereIam!Ofcourse,thismeeting

isnotanofficialone. I'mhopingyoucanputyourself in themurderer'splace,andtellmewhereheisnow?'MissMarpleshookherhead.'IwishIcould.ButI've no idea. Although hemust be someone who knows all about RutherfordHall.'

'Iagree.But that includessomanypeople.Alotofwomenhaveworkedthere.And there's theWomen's Institute and other groups. They all know theLongBarnandwherethekeywaskept.Alsowe'llneverbegintosolvethecrimeuntilweidentifythebody.'

'Andthat,too,maybedifficult?''Oh,we'llgetthere-intheend.We'recheckinguponalldisappearancesof

awomanofthatage.HerfurcoatisacheaponeboughtinLondon.MostofherotherclotheswereboughtinParis.'

'Thepowdercompactwasn'tanyhelp?''Unfortunately,no.HundredsofthemaresoldinParis.Haveyouanymore

ideasforme?''I was thinking about theatrical companies,' said Miss Marple. 'Moving

fromplacetoplace.Oneofthoseyoungwomenwouldbemuchlesslikelytobemissed.'

CHAPTERELEVEN'Ican'tunderstandyou.'CedricCrackenthorpesteppeddownfromthewall

ofanoldpigstyandlookedatLucyEyelesbarrow.'Whatcan'tyouunderstand?''Whatyou'redoinghere?''I'mdoingmyjob.''Asaservant?''Servant,indeed!I'maProfessionalHouseholdHelp.''Youcan'tlikeallthethingsyouhavetodo.'Lucylaughed. 'Noteverything,perhaps,butcookingsatisfiesmywish to

becreative,andIreallyenjoymakingthingstidy.''Idon'tlikethingstobetidy,'saidCedric.'Yes,Icanseethat.'SomebricksfelloutofthepigstyandCedricturnedtolookinsideit.'Dear

oldMadgeused to livehere.Shewas sucha friendlyanimalandsuchagoodmother.Weusedtocomehereandscratchherbackwithastick.Shelovedit.'

'Whyhas thiswholeplacebeenallowed toget into sucha state? It can'tonlybethewar.'

'You'dliketotidythisup,too,Isuppose?'Hepaused.'No,it'snotonlythewar. It'smyfather.He refuses tospendanymoneyon theplace.Ofcoursehehatesallofus-exceptperhapsEmma.That'sbecauseofmygrandfather'swill.Althoughnowhe'sgotnearlyasbigafortuneasmygrandfatherleft,whileallofus...'HestoppedasEmmacamethroughthedoorofthekitchengarden.'Hello,Emma.You'relookingabitupset.'

'Iwanttotalktoyou,Cedric.''Imustgetbacktothehouse,'saidLucy.Cedric'seyesfollowedherasshewalkedaway.'Goodlookinggirl.Whois

shereally?''Oh,she'squitewell-known,' saidEmma. 'But forgetLucyEyelesbarrow,

thepolicethinkthatthedeadwomanwasforeign,perhapsFrench.Cedric,youdon'tthinkshecouldpossiblybe-Martinet'

ForamomentortwoCedricjustlookedather.'Martinet'

'Yes. She sent that telegram at about the same time... Do you think shemight,afterall,havecomedownhereand...'

'Nonsense. Why would Martine come down here and go to the LongBarn?'

'Youdon'tthink,perhaps,thatIoughttotellInspectorBacon-ortheotherone?'

'Tellhimwhat?''Well-aboutMartine.Aboutherletter.''Nowdon'tstartmakingthingscomplicated,Emma.Iwasneversurethat

letterwasfromMartine,anyway.''Iwas.AndIreallyamworried.Idon'tknowwhatIoughttodo.''Nothing,' said Cedric. 'Never go halfway to meet trouble, that's my

advice.'Emmaturnedandwentslowlybacktothehouse.Asshereachedthedrive,

DoctorQuimpercameoutandwalkedtowardsher.'Well,Emma,murderhasgivenyour fatheranew interest in life. Imust

tellthattomyotherpatients.'Emmasmiledbuthereyesremainedtroubled.'Issomethingwrong?'DrQuimperasked.'Iamworried,yes.''Doyouwanttotellmeaboutit?''Yes,becauseIdon'tknowwhattodo.YourememberwhatIoncetoldyou

aboutmybrotherEdmund-theonewhowaskilledinthewar?''Youmeanthathehadmarried-orhadwantedtomarry-aFrenchgirl?''Yes.Almost immediately after I got that letter, hewas killed.Wenever

heardanythingaboutthegirl.Allweknewwasherfirstname.Wethoughtshewouldcontactus,butshedidn't.Weneverheardanything-untilaboutamonthago,justbeforeChristmas.'

'Yougotaletter,didn'tyou?''Yes.SayingshewasinEnglandandwouldliketocomeandseeus.Itwas

all arranged and then, suddenly, she sent a message that she had to return to

France.''Well?''Thepolicethinkthatthemurderedwoman-wasFrench.''Theydo,dothey?Areyouworriedthatshemightbeyourbrother'sgirl?''Yes.''Ithinkit'sunlikely,'saidDrQuimper.'I'm wondering if I ought to tell the police about it all. Cedric and the

otherssayit'sunnecessary.Whatdoyouthink?'DrQuimperwas silent for amoment, then he said, 'It'smuch simpler if

yousaynothing.Icanunderstandwhatyourbrothersfeelaboutit.But...''Yes?'Helookedatherandsmiled.'Iwouldjusttellthem.You'llkeepworrying

ifyoudon't.Iknowyou.'Emma'sfacewentalittlepink.'I'mprobablybeingsilly.''Youdowhatyouwanttodo,Emma-andforgettherestofthefamily!I

wouldbackyourjudgmentagainstthemanyday.'

CHAPTERTWELVE'Girl!You,girl!Comeinhere.'Lucyturnedherhead,surprised.OldMrCrackenthorpewascallingtoher

loudlyfromasmallroom.Hetookholdofherarmandpulledherinside.'Iwanttoshowyousomething.'

Lucylookedroundher.'Doyouwantmetocleanthisroom?'Theywereinastudy,buttherewerepilesofdustypapersonthedeskandspidersincornersoftheceiling.

OldMrCrackenthorpe shookhis head. 'No! I keep it locked up. It'smyroom.Seethesestones?They'reveryold.'

Lucylookedatthepilesofstones.'Mostinteresting.''You'reaclevergirl.Theyareinteresting.I'llshowyousomemorethings.''It'sverykindofyou,butIreallyhavealottodo.Withsixpeopleinthe

house...''Costingme a fortune in food. That's all they dowhen they come down

here!Eat.Allwaiting forme to die. Emma thinks I'm an oldman.You don'tthinkI'mold,doyou?'

'Ofcoursenot,'saidLucy.'Sensiblegirl.NowI'mgoingtoshowyousomething.'Hetookakeyfrom

hispocketandunlockedthedoorofadarkwoodencupboard.Fromthishetookout a surprisingly new-looking money box, which he also unlocked. 'Do youknowwhattheseare,mydear?'Hetookoutsomegoldcoins.'Sovereigns.Worthalotmorethansillypiecesofpaper.Emmadoesn'tknow-nobodyknows.It'soursecret,see,girl?DoyouknowwhyI'mtellingyou?'

'Why?''Because there's still lotsof life inmeandyou'rea spiritedgirl, sodon't

throwyourselfawayonayoungman.Youngmenarestupid!'Youwait...'His fingerspressed intoLucy's arm. 'Wait. I'mgoing to live

longer than all of my children. And then we'll see! Oh, yes. Harold's got nochildren.CedricandAlfredaren'tmarried.Emma-she'llnevermarrynow.SheratherlikesQuimper-butQuimperwillnevermarryEmma.There'sAlexander,ofcourse.Yes,there'sAlexander...I'mfondofAlexander...'Hepausedlookingworried.'Well,girl,whataboutit?'

'MissEyelesbarrow...'Emma'svoicecamefaintlythroughthecloseddoor.Lucysaidquickly,'MissCrackenthorpe'scallingme.Imustgo...''Don'tforget-oursecret...''Iwon'tforget,'saidLucy,andhurriedoutintothehall,notsurewhetheror

notMrCrackenthorpehadjustaskedhertomarryhim.Dermot Craddock sat at his desk at Scotland Yard talking into the

telephone,inFrench.'Itwasonlyanidea,youunderstand.''Yes,' said the voice from the Paris police.And alreadywe have two or

threepossibilities.Itisapitythatthephotographyousentmeissodifficultforanyonetorecognize.ButIwillcontinuetomakeinquiries.'

AsCraddock said goodbye, a piece of paperwas placed on his desk. Itsaid:

MissEmmaCrackenthorpe.ToseeDetectiveInspectorCraddock.

AsEmmacameinheofferedherachair. 'MissCrackenthorpe,youhavebeenworried about something, haven't you?Do you perhaps think you knowwhothedeadwomanwas?'

'No,no,not really that.But...'Emmapaused. 'Youhavemet threeofmybrothers.Ihadanotherbrother,Edmund,whowaskilledinthewar.Justbeforehewaskilled,hewrotetomefromFrance.'Sheopenedherhandbag,tookoutaletterandreadfromit:

'Ihopethiswon'tbeashocktoyou,Emma,butI'mgettingmarried-toaFrenchgirl.Iknowyou'lllikeMartine-andlookafterherifanythinghappenstome.PleasebecarefulhowyoutellFather.He'llprobablygomad.'

She continued, 'Two days after receiving this,we had amessage sayingEdmundwasMissing,believedkilled.Laterhewasdefinitelyreportedkilled.Itwas just beforeDunkirk - and a time of great confusion.Therewas noArmyrecord of hismarriage so Iwas very surprised to receive a letter just about amonthago,signedMartineCrackenthorpe.'

'Doyouhaveit?'

EmmatooktheletterfromherbagandhandedittoCraddockwhoreadit.

DearMademoiselle,Ihopeitwillnotbeashocktoyoutogetthisletter.Idonotevenknowif

yourbrotherEdmundtoldyouthatweweremarried.Hewaskilledonlyafewdaysafterwards.Afterthewarended,IdecidedthatIwouldnotcontactyou.Ihadmadeanewlifeformyselfbutnowthingshavechanged.It is formysonthatIwritethisletter.Heisyourbrother'sson,yousee,andIcannolongergivehimtheadvantagesheoughttohave.IamcomingtoEnglandearlynextweek.WillyoutellmeifIcancomeandseeyou?Myaddressforlettersis126ElversCrescent,N10.

Yourssincerely,MartineCrackenthorpe

Craddock gave the letter back to Emma. 'What did you do when youreceivedthis?'

'I wrote to the address she gave, and invited her to come down toRutherfordHall.AfewdayslaterIreceivedamessagefromLondon:VerysorryhadtoreturntoFranceunexpectedly.Martine.Therewerenomoreletters.'

'Allthishappened-when?''JustbeforeChristmas.''And you believe that the woman whose body was found in the

sarcophagusmightbethisMartine?''No,ofcourseIdon't.Butwhenyousaidshewasprobablyforeign-well,I

couldn'thelpwondering...'Craddocksaid,'Youwerequiterighttotellmeaboutthis.We'llmakesome

inquiries.' He paused. 'Did you tell your father and your brothers about theletter?'

'Ihad to tellmyfather,ofcourse.Hegotveryangry,' shesmiled faintly.'Hewassureitwasallmadeuptogetmoneyoutofus.Ialsotoldmybrothers.Harold thought itwasmade up, too and that I should be very careful.Alfredthoughtthesame,butalsothatitwasratherfunny.Cedricjustwasn'tinterested.ButweallthoughtthatthefamilyshouldmeetMartine,andthatourlawyer,Mr

Wimborne,shouldbewithus.''Didyoutrytocontactherafteryoureceivedthemessage?''Yes. I wrote to the address in London with Please forward on the

envelope,butIhavehadnoreply.''Rather a strange business...' He looked at her sharply. 'What were your

feelingsaboutit,ifthisgirlreallywasyourbrother'swidow?'Emma's face softened. 'Edmundwasmy favourite brother, so it seemed

rightforMartinetoaskhisfamilyforhelpashehadwantedhertodo.Theletterseemedrealtome-but,asHaroldsaid,ifitwaswrittenbysomeonepretendingto beMartine, theymust have known her verywell for people to believe thelettercamefromher.Butstill...'Shestopped.

'Youwantedittobetrue?'saidCraddockgently.'Yes,Iwantedittobetrue.IwouldbesohappyifEdmundhadleftason.'Craddock nodded. 'As you say, the letter sounds genuine. What is

surprising iswhat followed.Youhadrepliedkindly toher, sowhyeven if shehad to go back to France, did she not write again? That is if she really wasEdmund's widow. Did perhaps one of your brothers make inquiries thatfrightenedher?Butofcourse,ifEdmundCrackenthorpeleftason,hewouldbeoneoftheheirstoyourgrandfather'sestate?'

Emmanodded.'Well, don't worry. There is probably no connection at all between the

woman who wrote the letter and the woman whose body was found in thesarcophagus.'

Emmastoodup.'I'msogladItoldyou.'When she had gone, Craddock rang for Detective Sergeant Wetherall.

'Bob, Iwant you to go to 126ElversCrescent,N10.Take photographs of thedead woman with you. Ask about a woman calling herself Mrs MartineCrackenthorpewhowaseitherlivingthere,orcallingforlettersthere,betweenthe15thtotheendofDecember.'

'Right,sir.'Craddockwasoccupiedwithothermattersfortherestofthedaybutwhen

hereturnedtohisoffice,hefoundamessagefromParisonhisdesk.

DetailsgivenbyyoumightfitAnnaStravinskaofBalletMaritski.Suggestyoucomeover.Dessin.

Craddocksmiled.Atlast!ForgetMartineCrackenthorpe.HewouldgotoParistonight.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN'It's so very kind of you to have askedme to tea,' saidMissMarple to

EmmaCrackenthorpe.Lookinglikeapictureofasweetoldlady,shesmiledroundher-atHarold

in his dark suit, at Alfred handing her sandwiches, at Cedric standing by thefireplacewearingaveryoldjacket.

'Wearepleasedthatyoucouldcome,'saidEmmapolitely.Thiswasn'treallytrue.Whenshehadsaidtoherbrothers,'Oh,ItoldMiss

Eyelesbarrow that she could bring her aunt to tea today,' they had not beenpleased.

'Tellhernottocome,'saidHarold. 'We'vestillgotalottotalkaboutanddon'twantstrangershere.'

'Letherhaveteainthekitchenwiththegirl,'saidAlfred.'Oh,lethercome,'saidCedric.'WecanaskheraboutthewonderfulLucy.

I'mnotsurethatItrusther.She'smuchtooclever.''She's quite genuine, I've made inquiries about her,' said Harold, then

added,'Emma,youmusthavebeenmad,tellingthepolicethatthedeadwomanmightbeEdmund'sFrenchwife. Itwillmake them think thatoneofuskilledher.'

'I told her not to,' saidCedric. 'ThenDrQuimper encouraged her to tellthem.'

'Andnowthisoldwoman iscoming to tea.Justwhenwewant to think,'saidHarold.

ButMissMarplenowsatbythefiresmilingupatEmma.'Whatabeautifulhouseyouhave.Andhowdelightful tohaveyourbrotherswithyou.Sooftenfamiliesareseparated.'

'TellusaboutLucyasachild,MissMarple,'saidCedric.'Lucywasalwayssoclever,'shesaid.'Yes,youwere,dear-particularlyat

arithmetic.Why,Irememberwhenthebutcheroverchargedmeforachicken...'MissMarple'smemorieswere interruptedbyBryanandtheboyscoming

in.ThenteawasbroughtandwithitcameDrQuimper.'Ihopeyourfather'snotill,Emma?'

'Oh,no-hewasjustalittletiredthisafternoon.''Avoidingvisitors, Iexpect,'saidMissMarplewithasmile.DrQuimper,

whowaseatingcoffeecakewithgreatenthusiasmsaid,'Whatagoodcookyouare,Emma!'

'Notmine.MissEyelesbarrow's.''Youmakethemjustasgood,'saidQuimperloyally.'WillyoucomeandseeFather?'Shegotupandthedoctorfollowedher.MissMarplewatchedthemleavetheroom.'MissCrackenthorpeisavery

lovingdaughter.''Ican'timaginewhy,'saidCedric.'Fathercaresaboutherverymuch,' saidHaroldquickly. 'Well,heknows

thatEmmawillalwaystakecareofhim.She'llnevergetmarried.'MissMarple'seyeswidened.'Really?IthinkthatMissCrackenthorpewill

probablymarrylateinlife-andsuccessfully.''That'snotverylikelylivinghere,'saidCedric. 'Shenevermeetsanybody

shecouldmarry.'MissMarple's eyes widened even more. 'There are always vicars - and

doctors.'Shelookedateachofthemanditwasclearthatwhatshehadsuggesteddid not please them. She stood up. 'So kind of you to invite me. I've beenwondering just what your home was like - so that I can imagine dear Lucyworkinghere.'

Lucy tookMissMarplehome.Onherwayback,a figure steppedoutofthedarknessandstoodintothelightfromthecarjustasshewasturningintothebacklane.HehelduphishandandLucyrecognizedAlfredCrackenthorpe.

'That'sbetter,'hesaid,ashegotin.'RutherfordHallissodull.IthoughtI'dlikeanicewalk,butit'scold!Howdoyoumanagestayinghere,Lucy?Youdon'tmindifIcallyouLucy,doyou?'

'Notatall.Idon'tfinditdull.''But you're a clever girl. Too clever to waste yourself cooking and

cleaning.''Thankyou,butIprefercookingandcleaningtoofficework.''Butyoucoulddosomethingmuchmoreexciting.'

'Likewhat?''Well,Icoulduseyouinmybusiness.'Hishandtouchedherarm.'You'rea

verybeautifulgirl.I'dlikeyouasapartner.''Thankyou.'Lucydrovethecarintotheyardandstopped.'Youmean, no. But think about it. I'll get somemoney quite soon.My

fathercan'tliveforever.Whataboutit,Lucy?''Whataretheterms?''Marriageifyoulike.''Oh.'She laughedandopened thecardoor. 'This isno timefor romance.

There'sdinnertothinkabout.'TheyenteredthehouseandLucyhurriedtothekitchen.After dinner, she came out into the hall to find Harold Crackenthorpe

waitingforher.'MissEyelesbarrow,canIspeaktoyouaboutsomething?'Heopenedthe

doorofthesittingroomandshefollowedhimin.'Ishallbeleavingearlyinthemorning,butIwant to tellyouthatI feel thatyouare toogoodtobeworkinghere.'

'Doyou?Idon't.'Well,hecan'taskmetomarryhim,thoughtLucy.He'sgotawifealready.

'Whenyouhavefinishedhere,comeandseemeinLondon.WecouldusesomeoneofyourabilityinthecompanyandIcanofferyouaverygoodsalary.'

Lucysaid,'Thankyou,MrCrackenthorpe,I'llthinkaboutit.''Don'twaittoolongoryoumightmisstheopportunity.Goodnight,Miss

Eyelesbarrow.'Thenonherwayuptobed,LucymetCedriconthestairs.'Lucy,there'ssomethingIwanttosaytoyou.''DoyouwantmetomarryyouandcometoIbizaandlookafteryou?'Cedriclookedverysurprised.'No.''Sorry.Mymistake.''Ijustwantedtoknowifyouhaveatraintimetableinthehouse?'

'Isthatall?There'soneonthehalltable.''Youknow,'saidCedric,'youshouldn'tthinkeveryonewantstomarryyou.

You'reagoodlookinggirlbutnotasgoodlookingasallthat.Infact,you'rethelastgirlintheworldIwouldwanttomarry.'

'Really?'saidLucy.'Perhapsyou'dprefermeasastepmother?''What?'Cedriclookedather.'Youheardme,'saidLucy,andwentintoherroomandshutthedoor.

CHAPTERFOURTEENDermotCraddockhadarrivedattheParisPoliceStation.ArmandDessin said, 'Ihaveapictureof theballetdancershere - that is

her,thefourthfromtheleft-doyourecognizeher?'A strangled young woman is not easy to recognize. 'It could be her,'

InspectorCraddocksaid.'Whatdoyouknowabouther?''Almostnothing,'Dessinsaidcheerfully. 'Shewasnotimportant,yousee.

AndtheBalletMaritski-itisnotimportant,either.Ithasnofamousballerinas.ButIwilltakeyoutoseeMadameJoiletwhoorganizesit.'

MadameJoiletwasabusiness-likeFrenchwoman.'Idonotlikethepolice!''No,no,Madame,youmustnotsaythat,'saidDessin.'Nowaboutthisgirl,

AnnaStravinska.''Whatabouther?'saidMadame.'IssheRussian?'askedInspectorCraddock.'No.ButtheyallgivethemselvesRussiannames.Shedidnotdancewell,

shewasnotgoodlooking.''WassheFrench?''Perhaps.ButshetoldmethatshehadanEnglishhusband.''Washealive-ordead?''Dead,orhehad lefther.Thesegirls - there isalwayssome troublewith

men.''Whendidyoulastseeher?''I took my company to London for six weeks. Then we came back to

France,butAnnadidnotcome.Shesentamessage thatshewasgoing to livewithherhusband'sfamily.Ididnotthinkitwastrue.Ithoughtthatshehadmetaman,youunderstand.'

InspectorCraddocknodded.'Whenwasthis?''WereturnedtoFrancetheSundaybeforeChristmas.AndAnnalefttwo-

or three~daysbefore that.'Madame Joiletpaused. 'Whydoyouwant to findher?'

'Wethinkshemayhavebeenmurdered.'Madame Joilet turned away. 'It happens. Ah, well! She was a good

Catholic.''Didyouknow,Madame,ifshehadason?''Ifso,Iknownothingaboutit.'MadameJoilethadnothingmoretotellthem.Whentheyshowedherthe

powdercompact,shesaidAnnahadonelikethat,butsohadmostoftheothergirls.

TheytheninterviewedsomeofthegirlswhohadworkedwithAnna.'Shelikedtopretendthings,'oneofthemsaid.'Shetoldstoriesaboutbeing

afilmstarinHollywood.'Anothergirlsaid, 'InLondon,shetalkedaboutaveryrichmanwhowas

goingto takeheronaholidayaroundtheworld,becausesheremindedhimofhisdaughterwhohaddiedinacaraccident.'

None of this was helpful. The only fact they knew was that on 19thDecemberAnnaStravinskahaddecidednottoreturntoFrance,andthatonthe20thDecemberawomanlookingalittlelikeherhadtravelledtoBrackhamptonbythe4.33trainandhadbeenstrangled.AndifthewomaninthesarcophaguswasnotAnnaStravinska,wherewasAnnanow?

To that, Madame Joilet's answer was simple. 'With a man!' And it wasprobablycorrect,Craddockthought.Buttherewasoneotherpossibilitythathadtobeconsidered-becauseAnnahadoncesaidthatshehadanEnglishhusband.HadthathusbandbeenEdmundCrackenthorpe?

It seemed unlikely, considering Anna's character.What was much moreprobablewasthatAnnahadknownMartineandsoitmighthavebeenAnnawhowrotethatlettertoEmmaCrackenthorpe.

When Craddock got back to the police station, Sergeant Wetherall waswaitingwithhisreport.

'126 Elvers Crescent is rented to students. Nobody could recognize thephotographasthatofawomanwhohadcalledforletters.'

Craddocknodded.ThenheranguptheCrackenthorpes'lawyersandaskedforanappointmentwithMrWimborne.

Thenextdayhewas taken intoa roomwhereMrWimbornewas sittingbehindalargedesk.

'WhatcanIdoforyou,Inspector?''Thisletter...'CraddockpushedMartine'sletteracrossthetable.MrWimbornelookedatit. 'Yes,MissEmmaCrackenthorpeinformedme

aboutthisyesterdaymorning.Extraordinary!Ishouldhavebeenaskedaboutitwhen it arrived! I had never heard anything aboutEdmundgettingmarried orhavingason.'

'Whatwouldsheandthesonexpecttoinherit,legally-ifshecouldproveherclaim?'Craddockasked.

'Well, if she could prove that the boy was the son of EdmundCrackenthorpe,bornaftertheyweremarried,thenhewouldreceivehisshareofJosiahCrackenthorpe'smoneyonthedeathofLutherCrackenthorpe.Morethanthat,hewouldinheritRutherfordHall,sincehe'sthesonoftheeldestson.'

'Withoutthatproof,whenLutherCrackenthorpedies,thenCedricgetsit?''Yes,astheeldestlivingson.''ButHaroldandAlfredCrackenthorpeseemtohavebeenmoreupsetthan

Cedricbythisletter.Isittruethatthey'rebothabitshortofmoney?'Craddockasked.

MrWimbornelookedathimsharply.'Oh!Sothepolicehavebeenmakinginquiries? Yes, Alfred is always short of money. And Harold is at present insomedifficulty.Butnobody'smurderedLutherCrackenthorpe,whichistheonlymurder that would do the family any good. So, really, Inspector, I don't seewhereyourideasareleadingyou.'

Theworstofitwas,InspectorCraddockthought,thathewasn'tverysurehimself.

CHAPTERFIFTEENInspector Craddock arranged to see Harold Crackenthorpe at his office,

andwent therewithSergeantWetherall.Theofficewas in theCityand insideeverythinglookedveryexpensiveandbusinesslike.

Haroldwassittingbehindaleather-toppeddeskinhisprivateroom.'Goodmorning, Inspector. I hope thismeans that you have some real news for us atlast?'

'I am afraid not,MrCrackenthorpe. I'd just like to ask you a fewmorequestions.'

'Well,whatisitthistime?''Could you tell me exactly what you were doing on the afternoon and

eveningof20thDecemberlast-saybetweenthehoursof3p.m.andmidnight.'Crackenthorpe's face went an angry red. 'That seems to be a most

extraordinaryquestion.''Itisaquestionforseveralotherpeopleaswellasyou.'saidCraddock.'Well,ofcourse-IwouldliketohelpinanywayIcan.'Hespokeintoone

ofthetelephonesonhisdeskandaneatyoungwomanentered. 'MissEllis,theInspectorwouldliketoknowwhatIwasdoingontheafternoonandeveningofFriday,20lhDecember.'

'Oh,yes.'MissEllislefttheroom,returnedwithadiary.'Youwereintheoffice on themorning of 20thDecember.You had ameetingwithMrGoldieabouttheCromartiebusiness,youlunchedwithLordForthville-'

'Ah,itwasthatday,yes.''You returned to the office about three o'clock and later you went to

Sotheby'swhereyouwereinterestedinsomerarebookswhichwerebeingsoldthatday.Youdidnot return to theoffice,butyouwereattending theCateringClubdinnerthatevening.'MissEllislefttheroom.

'Yes,'saidHarold.'IwenttoSotheby'sbutthebooksIwantedwentfortoohighaprice.IhadteainasmallplaceinJermynStreet-Russells,Ithinkitwascalled, then went home - I live at 43 Cardigan Gardens. The Catering Clubdinnerwasatseven-thirty,andafteritIreturnedhometobed.'

'What time was it when you returned home to dress for the dinner,MrCrackenthorpe?'

'Justaftersix,Ithink.''Andafteryourdinner?''Itwas,Ithink,half-pastelevenwhenIgothome.''Didaservantletyouin?OrperhapsLadyAliceCrackenthorpe...?''MywifeisintheSouthofFrance.Iletmyselfin.''Sothereisnoonewhocansaythatyougothomewhenyousayyoudid?'Haroldlookedathimcoldly.'Iexpecttheservantsheardmecomein.But,

really,Inspector-''Please, Mr Crackenthorpe, I know these questions are annoying, but I

havenearlyfinished.Doyouownacar?''Yes,butIdon'tuseitmuchexceptatweekends.''But you use it when you go down to see your father and sister in

Brackhampton?''NotunlessIamgoingtostaythereforawhile.IfIjustgodownforone

night-as,forexample,totheinquest-Ialwaysgobytrain.''Wheredoyoukeepyourcar?''IrentagaragebehindCardiganGardens.Anymorequestions?''That'sallfornow,'saidInspectorCraddock,smiling.When they were outside, SergeantWetherall, said, 'He didn't like those

questionsatall.''Ifyouhavenot committedamurder, it naturallyannoysyou if it seems

someone thinks thatyouhave,' said InspectorCraddock. 'Butwhatwehave tofind out is if anyone saw Harold Crackenthorpe at the rare book sale thatafternoon, and at the tea-shop. He could easily have travelled by the 4.33,pushedthewomanoutofthetrainandcaughtatrainbacktoLondonintimetoappearatthedinner.Hecouldalsohavedrivenhiscardownthatnight,movedthebodytothesarcophagusanddrivenbackagain.Makeinquiriesinthestreetwherehisgarageis.'

'Yes,sir.Doyouthinkthat'swhathediddo?''Howdo I know?' askedCraddock. 'He's a tall dark-hairedman, like the

oneMissMarple'sfriendsawonthetrain.NowforBrotherAlfred.'

Alfred Crackenthorpe had a flat in West Hampstead, in a big modernbuilding.Buttheflatwassmall,withjustatable,asinglebed,andsomechairs.CraddockexplainedwhyhehadcomeandaskedAlfredwhathehadbeendoingontheafternoonandeveningof20thDecember.

'That's over threeweeks ago. I never remember times or places. ExceptChristmasDay.EveryoneknowswheretheywereonChristmasDay,andIwaswithmyfatheratBrackhampton.'

'Andthisyearyourfatherwasill,wasn'the?''Yes.Causedbyeatinganddrinkingmorethanhewasusedto.''ButIheardthathisdoctorwas-worried.''Ah,thatstupidQuimper.It'snouselisteningtohim.''Heseemedarathersensiblemantome.''Well, he's not. So when father felt ill, Quimper was here all the time

asking questions about everything he'd eaten and drunk.Thewhole thingwasmad!'

Craddockdidn'tsayanything,soAlfredaskedangrily, 'WhydoyouwanttoknowwhereIwasonaparticularFriday,threeorfourweeksago?'

'SoyoudorememberthatitwasaFriday?''Ithoughtyousaiditwas.''PerhapsIdid,'saidInspectorCraddock.'Anyway,Friday20thisthedayI

amaskingabout.''Why?Haveyoufoundoutsomethingmoreaboutthemurderedwoman?''Ourinformationisnotyetcomplete.'Alfredgavehimasharplook.'Ihopeyoudon'tbelievethismadtheoryof

Emma'sthatshemighthavebeenEdmund'swidow.That'snonsense.Emma,ofcourse,arrangedameetingwiththewoman.'

'Verywise,'saidCraddock.'Wasthereadatefixedforthismeeting?''ItwastobesoonafterChristmas-theweekendofthe27th...'hestopped.'Ah,'saidCraddockpleasantly.'Soyoudoremembersomedates.Butyou

can'ttellmewhatyouweredoingonFriday,20thDecember?''Sorry -no. Iprobably justwanderedaround.Businessgetsdone inbars

morethananywhereelse.Ican'ttellyouwhatIwasdoingthatday,butIcantellyouwhatIwasn'tdoing.Iwasn'tmurderinganyoneintheLongBarn.'

'Whydoyousaythat,MrCrackenthorpe?''Come on, Inspector. You're investigating this murder, aren't you? Did

somebodyseethedeadwomangoingintothebarnthatafternoon?Shewentinandshenevercameout?Isthatit?'

Thesharpblackeyeswerewatchinghim,butInspectorCraddocksaid,'I'mafraidwe'llhavetoletyouguessaboutthat.'

'Thepolicearesosecretive.''Notonlythepolice.Ithink,MrCrackenthorpe,youcouldrememberwhat

youweredoingonthatFridayifyoutried.Ofcourseyoumayhavereasonsfornotwishingtoremember.'Theinspectergotup.'I'msorryyoucouldn'tbemorehelpful,MrCrackenthorpe.'

'I'msorry too! It's all so silly.Even if thebody is thebodyofEdmund'swidow,whywould any of uswish to kill her?We'd all have enjoyedmakingFathergivehermoneyandpaytosendhersontoagoodschool.'

'Sir, that chap, I've seen him before,' Sergeant Wetherall said. 'He wasinvolvedwithDickyRogersandsomeofthesoholotwhostolejewellery.'

Ofcourse!CraddockrealizedwhyAlfred'sfacehadseemedfamiliar.Theyhadallbeensmallcrimes,andnothinghadeverbeenproved.

'Doyouthinkhedidit,sir?''Idon'tknow.Butitexplainswhyhecouldn'tgivehimselfanalibi.''Soyouthinkhe'sallright?''Noone'sallrightjustyet,'saidInspectorCraddock.

CHAPTERSIXTEENWhenCraddockgotto4MadisonRoad,hefoundLucyEyelesbarrowwith

MissMarple.'I'mnotondutythisafternoon,MissEyelesbarrow,soI'vecometoseethetrueexpertonmurder!'

Miss Marple looked at him and laughed. 'I told you, Lucy, Sir HenryClithering,hisgodfather,isaveryoldfriendofmine.'

'Yes, and he described her as the best detective in the world. Not onlycould she tell you what might have happened, and even what actually didhappen!Butalsowhyithappened.'

MissMarple'sfacewaspink. 'Really...Ijustknowalittle,perhaps,abouthumannature...living,youknow,inavillage

'Doyou feel that ifyousaw thepersonwhohaddone themurder,you'dknow?'askedLucy.

'Oh,Iwouldn'tsaythat,dear.Allonecandoistoobservepeopleandseeofwhomtheyremindyou.'

'LikeCedricandthebankmanager?''Thebankmanager'sson,dear.MrEadehimselfwasfarmorelikeHarold-

alittletoofondofmoney-thesortofman,too,whowoulddoanythingtoavoidscandal.'

Craddocksmiled.'AndwhodoesAlfredremindyouof?''Mr Jenkins at the garage. He didn't exactly steal tools, but he used to

exchangeabrokenoneforagoodone.AndEmma,'continuedMissMarple,'sheremindsmeofGeraldineWebb-alwaysveryquiet-andbossedaroundbyherelderlymother.ItwasagreatsurprisewhenthemotherdiedandGeraldinewentoffonholiday,andcamebackmarriedtoaverynicelawyer.'Lucysaid, 'WhatyousaidaboutEmmamarryingseemedtoupsetthebrothers.'

MissMarplenodded.'Yes.Solikemen-unabletoseewhat'sgoingoninfrontofthem.Idon'tthinkyounoticedeither.'

'No,'Lucyreplied.'Theybothseemedtome...''So old?' saidMissMarple. 'ButDrQuimper isn'tmuch over forty.And

Emma Crackenthorpe is under forty. The doctor's wife died young having ababy,soIhaveheard.Hemustbelonely.'

'Areweinvestigatingcrime,orarewearrangingamarriage?'askedLucy.MissMarplesmiled. 'I'mafraidIamratherromantic.Andnowyouhave

finishedwhat youwere doing forme atRutherfordHall, if you reallywant aholiday...'

'And leave Rutherford Hall? Never! I'm the complete detective now.Almost as bad asAlexander and James.They spend all their time looking forclues. They looked all through the rubbish bins yesterday. So if they come toyou, Inspector,with a bit of paperwithMartine - if you value your life keepawayfromtheLongBam!onit,you'llknowthatIfeltsosorryforthemthatIhiditinthepigsty!'

Inspector Craddock looked at her. 'Miss Eyelesbarrow, I'd like youropiniononsomething.WhatdoesthefamilythinkaboutthisMartinebusiness?'

'They're all furiouswithEmma for going to you about it,' Lucy replied.'AndwithDrQuimper,whoencouragedher.HaroldandAlfredthinktheletterwasn'treallyfromMartine.Emmaisn'tsure.Cedricagreeswithhisbrothersbuthedoesn'tthinkit'sasseriousastheydo.Bryan,though,seemssurethatMartinewrotetheletter.'

'Why,Iwonder?''Well,Bryanjustacceptsthingswithoutquestion.He'srathersweet,likea

dogthatwantstobetakenforawalk.''And do you take him for a walk, dear?' asked Miss Marple. 'To the

pigsties,perhaps?'Lucylookedathersharply.'You'resuchagoodlookinggirl,Iexpectallthegentlemengiveyoualot

ofattention.Gentlemenareallverymuchalikeinsomeways-eveniftheyarequiteold...'

'Youareextraordinary!'saidLucy.'Howdoyouknowthesethings?ButIdon'tthinkit'smygoodlooks-theymustthinkIknowsomething.'Shelaughed.

ButInspectorCraddockdidnotlaugh.'Becareful.Theymightmurderyouinsteadofaskingyoutomarrythem.'

Lucywas suddenly serious. 'I keep forgettingwhat happened. The boyshavebeenhavingsuchfunthatIbegantothinkofitallasagame.Butit'snotagame.'

'No,' saidMissMarple. 'Murder isn'tagame.'Shepaused. 'Will theboysgobacktoschoolsoon?'

'Yes,nextweek.TomorrowtheygotoJames'shomeforthelastfewdaysoftheholidays.'

'I'mgladof that,' saidMissMarple. 'Iwouldnot likeanything tohappenwhiletheyareatRutherfordHall.'

Craddock lookedather thoughtfully. 'Youdon'tbelieve thatanunknownwoman was murdered by an unknown man? You think that the crime wasconnectedtoRutherfordHall?'

'Ithinkthere'sadefiniteconnection,yes.''Allweknowaboutthemurdereristhathe'satalldarkman.Onthedayof

the inquest,when I cameout, the threebrotherswere standingwaiting for thecar.Icouldonlyseetheirbacks,nottheirfaces,anditwasremarkablehow,intheir heavy overcoats, they looked all alike. Three tall, dark men. And yet,actually,they'reallquitedifferent.Itmakesitverydifficult.'

'I wonder,' said Miss Marple. 'Whether it might perhaps be all muchsimplerthanwethink.Murderssooftenaresimple-withanobviousunpleasantmotive...'

'IfMartineexists,'saidCraddock,'thereisamotive.HerreappearancewithasonwouldmaketheCrackenthorpeinheritancesmaller-they'reallveryshortofmoney.'

'EvenHarold?'askedLucy.'He's been involved in some rather risky deals. A large sum of money,

soon,mightsavehim.''Butifso...'saidLucy,andstopped.'I know, dear,' saidMissMarple. 'It's thewrongmurder, that'swhat you

mean.''Yes. Martine's death wouldn't help Harold - or any of the others. Not

until...''NotuntilLutherCrackenthorpedied.Exactly.''And he'll go on for years,' said Lucy. 'Although he was rather ill at

Christmas-time.Hesaidthedoctormadealotoffussaboutit-"Anyonewould

thinkI'dbeenpoisonedbythefusshemade."That'swhathesaid.''Yes,'saidCraddock.'IwanttoaskDrQuimperaboutthat.'

CHAPTERSEVENTEENThedoctorlookedverytiredthateveningasheofferedCraddockadrink

andpouredoneforhimselfaswell.'Well,howcanIhelpyou?''First,thankyouforadvisingMissCrackenthorpetocometomewiththe

letterthatsaiditwasfromherbrother'swidow.''Oh,Ididn'texactlyadvisehertocome.Shewantedto.'DoyouthinkitreallywasfromMartine?''Idon'tknow.Ineversawit,butIthinkitwasprobablyfromsomeonewho

knewthefactsandwastryingtogetsomemoneyfromthefamily.'Hepaused.'Butwhyaskme?I'vegotnothingtodowithit?'

'Ireallycametoaskyousomethingelse...'DrQuimperlookedinterested.'Ihaveheard thatatChristmasMrCrackenthorpewassuddenlyrather ill

withastomachupset.''Yes.''MrCrackenthorpementionedyou.I'msorry,Doctor-hesaidyoumadea

sillyfussaboutit.'Quimper smiled. 'He said youhad askedhim lots of questions, not only

aboutwhathehadeaten,butaboutwhoprepareditandservedit.'Thedoctorwasnotsmilingnow.'Goon.''He said you talked as though you believed someone had poisoned him.

Didyoubelievethat?'Quimpersaid, 'Doyouthinkadoctorcansuggest thatsomeonehasbeen

poisonedwithoutanyproof?''I'djustliketoknowifyoususpectedhehadbeenpoisoned.'Dr Quimper said, 'Old Crackenthorpe usually eats very little.When the

family comes down, Emma increases the amount of food. Result - gastro-enteritis.'

'Soyouwerenotatall-puzzled?''Allright.Yes,Iwaspuzzled!Doesthatpleaseyou?''Itinterestsme,'saidCraddock.'Whywereyoupuzzled?'

'Because there were certain signs that weremore like arsenic poisoningthanordinarygastro-enteritis.Althoughthetwothingsareverymuchalike.'

'Andwhatwastheresultofyourinquiries?''ThatwhatIsuspectedcouldnotpossiblybetrue.MrCrackenthorpetold

methathehadhadsimilarupsetsbeforeIhadbeenhisdoctor,andalwayswhenhehadeatentoomuchrichfood.'

'Whichwaswhenthehousewasfull?Withthefamily?Orguests?''Yes. So I wrote to Dr Morris. He was my older partner who stopped

working soon after I joined him. I asked about the earlier upsets that MrCrackenthorpehadbad.'

'Andwhatdidhesay?'Quimpersmiled.'Hetoldmenottobesosilly.''Iwonder.Crackenthorpeisahealthyoldman,doyouthinkhemightlive

tobeninety?''Easily.''Andhissons-anddaughter-areallgettingoldertoo,andtheyallneed

money?''You leaveEmmaoutof it.She's nopoisoner.Theseupsetsonlyhappen

whentheothersarethere-notwhensheandhearealone.''Verywiseofherifshewasthepoisoner,'theInspectorthought,butdidnot

say so. He paused. 'But suppose arsenic was put in his food, hasn'tCrackenthorpebeenveryluckynottodie?'

'Wellyes,' said thedoctor. 'It's obviouslynot a caseof small amountsofarsenicgivenregularly-which is theusualmethodofarsenicpoisoning.So ifthese upsets are not from natural causes, it looks as though the poisoner isgetting it wrong every time. Why hasn't he increased the amount? It doesn'tmakesense.'

'Iagree,'theInspectorsaid.'Itdoesn'tseemtomakesense.''InspectorCraddock!'Theexcitedwhispermadehimjump.Craddockhadjustbeengoingtoring

the front-door bell when Alexander and Stoddart- West appeared from theshadows.

'We'vefoundaclue,'Alexandersaid.'Comewithus.'Alittleunwillingly,hefollowedthemroundthecornerofRutherfordHall

andintoayardwhereStoddart-Westpushedopenaheavydoor.'It really is a clue, sir,' said Stoddart-West, his eyes shining behind his

spectacles.'Wefounditthisafternoon.''You see that big rubbish bin,' said Alexander. 'Hillman keeps it full of

wastepaperforwhentheboilergoesoutandhewantstostartitagain.''Anyoddpaperthat'sblowingabout.Hepicksitupandputsitinthere...''Andthat'swherewefoundit...''FoundWHAT?'Craddockinterrupted.'Theclue.Showhim,James.'Stoddart-West took fromhispocket anenvelopewhichhehanded to the

Inspector.Theduehadbeenthroughthepost,therewasnoletterinside,itwasjusta

tornenvelope-addressed toMrsMartineCrackenthorpe,126ElversCrescent,N10.

'Yousee?'saidAlexander.'Itshowsshewashere-UncleEdmund'sFrenchwife...'

Stoddart-Westinterrupted.'Don'tyouthink,sir,thatitmusthavebeenherinthesarcophagus?'

'You'lltestitforfingerprints,won'tyou,sir?''Ofcourse,'saidCraddock.'Goodluckforus,wasn'tit?'Stoddart-Westsaid.'Onourlastday,too.''I'm going to James's place tomorrow,' saidAlexander. 'His parents have

gotabeautifulhouse-builtinthetimeofQueenAnne,wasn'tit?''WilliamandMary.''Ithoughtyourmothersaid...''Mum's French,' said Stoddart-West. 'She doesn't really know about

Englishhouses.'Craddockwasexaminingtheenvelope.HowcleverofLucyEyelesbarrow

toputapostmarkonit.Greatfunfortheboys.'Comeon,'hesaid,'You'vebeen

veryhelpful.'

CHAPTEREIGHTEENThe boys led Craddock through the back door into the house. In the

kitchenLucywasrollingoutpastry.LeaningagainstthewallwasBryanEastley.'Hello,Dad,'saidAlexanderkindly.'Yououthereagain?''I like it out here,' said Bryan. 'Have you come to inspect the kitchen,

Inspector?''Notexactly.I'dliketospeaktoMrCedricCrackenthorpe.''I'llgoandseeifhe'sin,'saidBryanandlefttheroom.'Isitnearlysupper-time?'askedAlexander.'No,'saidLucy.'There'ssomechocolatecakeinthefoodcupboard.'Theboysrushedtogetheroutofthedoor.'Youareveryclever,'saidCraddock.'Why?''Becauseofhowyoudidthis!'Heshowedhertheenvelope.'Whatareyoutalkingabout?'Shelookedathim.Craddocksuddenly feltabit faint. 'Didn'tyouput this in thebin, for the

boystofind?''What!Doyoumeanthat...?'CraddockputtheenvelopequicklybackinhispocketasBryanreturned.'Cedric'sinthelibrary.'CedricseemeddelightedtoseetheInspector.'Sohaveyoufoundoutwho

thedeadwomanwas?''Wehaveagood idea.Butwewant togetsomestatements. Iwould like

youtotellmeexactlywhatyouweredoingonFriday,20thDecember.'Cedricleanedback.'Well,asI'vealreadytoldyou,IwasinIbiza,andone

daythereissolikeanother.Paintinginthemorning,sleepintheafternoon.Afterthatsomekindofameal.MostoftheeveninginScotty'sBarwithfriends.Willthatdo?'

'I'dratherhavethetruth,MrCrackenthorpe.'Cedricsatup.'That'samostoffensiveremark,Inspector.'

'Really?YoutoldmethatyouleftIbizaon21stDecemberandarrivedinEnglandthatsameday?'

'Yes,Idid.''Youmust thinkwe are very stupid,' said Craddock pleasantly. 'If you'll

showmeyourpassport'Ican'tfindit,'saidCedric.'Ithinkyoucouldfindit,butit'snotreallynecessarybecausetherecords

show that you entered this countryon the eveningof19thDecember.Perhapsyouwillnow tellmewhatyoudidbetween that timeuntil lunch-timeon21stDecemberwhenyouarrivedhere.'

Cedric looked very angry. 'You can't do anything youwant to anymore!Somebody'salwaysaskingquestions.Andwhat'sspecialaboutthe20th?'

'Itisthedaywebelievethemurderwascommitted.'Well,yes,'Cedricsaid.'IleftIbizaonthe19th.Therewasaveryattractive

womanontheplane...wegottoLondonandstayedattheKingswayPalace,incaseyourspieshaven'tfoundthatoutyet!IcalledmyselfJohnBrown.'

'Andonthe20th?''Istayedinbedallmorning,asI'dhadratheralottodrink.''Andtheafternoon?''IwentintotheNationalGallery.ThenIsawafilm.ThenIhadadrinkor

twointhebar,andataboutteno'clockIwentoutwiththegirlfriendtovariousnightclubs-can'tremembermuchmoretillIwokeupthenextmorning-whenthegirlfriendranofftocatchherplanetoAmericaandIpouredcoldwaterovermyhead,andthenleftforthisplace.'

'Cananyofthisbeproved,MrCrackenthorpe?Saybetween3p.m.and7p.m.'

'Mostunlikely,'saidCedriccheerfully.ThedooropenedandEmmaenteredtheroomwithadiaryinherhand.'I

believe you want to know what everyone was doing on 20th December,InspectorCraddock?'

'Er-yes,MissCrackenthorpe.''Well,IwentintoBrackhamptonforachurchmeeting.Thatfinishedabout

a quarter to one and I lunched with Lady Adington andMiss Bartlett at the

CadenaCafe.After lunch IdidsomeChristmasshopping. Ihad teaataboutaquartertofiveintheShamrockTeaRoomsandthenwenttothestationtomeetBryan.'

'Thank you,MissCrackenthorpe, that is very helpful.' Craddock did nottellherthatasshewasawoman,heightfivefootseven,hermovementswerenotimportant.Insteadhesaid,'Yourothertwobrotherscamedownlater?'

'AlfredcamedownlateonSaturdayevening.HesayshetriedtophonemethatafternoonbutIwasout.HarolddidnotcomedownuntilChristmasEve.'

Craddocktooktheenvelopefromhispocket.'Doyourecognizethis?''But...'Emmalookedathim,shocked.'That'stheletterIwrotetoMartine.

Didshe...?Haveyoufoundher?''It is possible thatwe have - found her.This empty envelopewas found

here.''Then-itwasMartine-inthesarcophagus?''Itseemsverylikely,'saidCraddockgently.Itseemedevenmorelikelywhenhegotbacktotownandfoundamessage

fromArmandDessin.'OneofherfriendshashadapostcardfromAnnaStravinska.Theholiday

storywastrue!ShehasreachedJamaicaandishavingawonderfultime!'Craddockcrushedthemessageandthrewitintothewastepaperbasket.

CHAPTERNINTEEN'Notveryhelpful,'saidSergeantWetherall.CraddockwasreadingthroughthereportonHaroldCrackenthorpe'salibi

for20thDecember.Hehadbeen noticed at Sotheby's at about three-thirty, but had left soon

afterthat.HisphotographhadnotbeenrecognizedatRussell'stea-shop,buthismanservantsaidthathehadreturnedtoCardiganGardenstodressforhisdinnerpartyataquartertoseven-ratherlate,sincethedinnerwasatseven-thirty.Hedidnot rememberhearinghimcomein thatevening,butheoftendidnothearhim.The garagewhereHarold kept his carwas rented and so no one noticedwhocameandwentthere.

'He was at the Catering Club Dinner, but left before the end of thespeeches.'saidWetherall.

Craddockstretchedouthishandfor the informationonCedric.Thatalsowasnegative,thoughataxidriversaidhemighthavetakenhimtoPaddingtonstation that afternoon. 'Dirty trousers and untidy hair. He swore a bit becausefareshadgoneupsincehewaslastinEngland.'

'Andhere'sAlfred,'saidtheSergeant.SomethinginhisvoicemadeCraddocklookup.Wetherallhadthepleased

lookofamanwhohaskeptthebestnewsuntiltheend.Thecheckwasmainlynegative.Alfredcameandwentatdifferenttimes.

Most of his neighbourswere out at work all day. But towards the end of thereport,Wetherall'slargefingerpointedtothefinalwords.

Sergeant Leakie, who had been working on cases of things stolen fromlorries, had been at a cafe on theWaddington-BrackhamptonRoad,watchingcertainlorrydrivers.Hehadnoticedatanearbytable,ChickEvans,oneoftheDickyRogersmob.WithhimhadbeenAlfredCrackenthorpe.Time,9.30p.m.,Friday,20thDecember.

AlfredCrackenthorpehadgotonabusa fewminutes later,going in thedirection of Brackhampton. William Baker, ticket collector at Brackhampton,had checked the ticket of a gentleman whom he recognized as one of MissCrackenthorpe's brothers, just before the 11.55 train left for Paddington. Herememberedthedaybecausetherehadbeenastoryofsomemadoldladywhosaidshehadseensomebodymurderedinatrainthatafternoon.

'Itputshimrightattheexactplace,there,'Wetherallsaid.Craddocknodded.Yes,Alfred could have travelled downby the 4.33 to

Brackhampton,committingmurderontheway.Thenhecouldhavegoneoutbybustothecafe.Hecouldhaveleftthereatnine-thirtyandwouldhavehadplentyof time togo toRutherfordHall,move thebody from the embankment to thesarcophagus, and get into Brackhampton in time to catch the 11.55 back toLondon.

AtRutherfordHalltherehadbeenagatheringoftheCrackenthorpefamilyandverysoonvoiceswereraised.

Lucydecidedtomixsomecocktailsinajugandthentookthemtowardsthelibrary.Thevoicessoundedclearlyinthehall.

Dr Quimper came out of the study where he had been with MrCrackenthorpe.HesawthejuginLucy'shand.'What'sthis?Acelebration?'

'Morelikeacalmingmedicine.They'rehavingabigargumentinthere.''Blamingeachother?''MostlyEmma.''Arethey?'DrQuimpertookthejugfromLucy'shand,openedthelibrary

doorandwentin.'Goodevening.''Ah,DrQuimper,'Harold said. 'Iwould like to knowwhy you involved

yourselfinafamilymatter,andtoldmysistertogotoScotlandYardaboutit.'DrQuimpersaidcalmly,'MissCrackenthorpeaskedmyadvice.Igaveitto

her.''Youdareto...''Girl!'MrCrackenthorpelookedoutofthestudydoorjustbehindLucy.'I

wantcurryfordinnertonight.Youmakeaverygoodcurry.It'sagessincewe'vehadcurry.'

'Allright,MrCrackenthorpe.'Lucywentback to thekitchen andbegan topeel somemushrooms.The

frontdoorbangedandfromthewindowshesawDrQuimperwalkangrilytohiscaranddriveaway.

Itwas3a.m.whenDrQuimperdrovehiscar intohisgarage.Well,MrsJoshSimpkinsnowhadahealthybaby.Hewentupstairstohisbedroom.Hewas

tired-verytired.Helookedwithpleasureathisbed.Thenthetelephonerang.'DrQuimper?''Yes.''This is Lucy Eyelesbarrow fromRutherfordHall. Please can you come

over.Everybodyheresuddenlyhasanupsetstomach.''I'llbeoverimmediately.'Hehurrieddowntohiscaragain.ItwasthreehourslaterwhenthedoctorandLucysatdownatthekitchen

tabletodrinklargecupsofblackcoffee.'Well, I think they'll be all right now,' he said. 'But how did it happen?

That'swhatIwanttoknow.Whatdidtheyhavefordinner?''Mushroomsoup.Curriedchickenandrice.Fruitjelly.''Allright-somostpeoplewouldsay"Itmusthavebeenthemushrooms".''Itwasn'tthemushrooms.IhadsomeofthesoupmyselfandI'mallright.''Yes,you'reallright.''Ifyoumean...''No.You'reaclevergirl.Youwouldbepretendingtobeill,too,ifyouhad

putpoison in the food.Anyway, Iknowallaboutyou. Imadesome inquiries.Andyou'renotagirlfriendofeitherCedric,HaroldorAlfred-helpingthemtodounpleasantthings.'

'Doyoureallythink...?''Ithinkquitealotofthings,'saidQuimper.'ButIhavetobecarefulwhatI

say.Now,curriedchicken.Didyouhavesomeofthat?''No.Whenyou'vecookedacurry,thesmellmakesyoufeelyou'vealready

eatenit.Itastedit,ofcourse.AndIhadsomejelly.''Howdidyouservethejelly?''Inseparateglasses.''Andhowmuchofallthishasbeenwashedup?''Everything.''Apity,'DrQuimpersaid.'Isthereanyofthefoodleft?''There'ssomeofthecurry,andsomesoup.Nojelly.'

'I'lltakethecurryandthesoup.'Hestoodup.'Andifyoucanmanageuntilthemorning,I'llsendanurseherebyeighto'clock.'DrQuimperputahandonhershoulder.'Lookaftertwopeopleinparticular.Emma-well,Emmameansalottome.Andlookaftertheoldman.Ican'tsaythathe'severbeenmyfavouritepatient,butheismypatient,andI'mnotgoingtolethimberushedoutof theworldbecauseoneofhisunpleasantsonswantshismoney.'

InspectorBaconwaslookingupset.Arsenic?'hesaid.Arsenic?''Yes.Itwasinthecurry.''Sothere'sapoisoneratwork?''Itseemsso,'saidDrQuimper.Andthey'veallbeenill,yousay-exceptthatMissEyelesbarrow.That'sa

bitstrange...''IfMissEyelesbarrowwasfeedingthefamilyarsenic,shewouldbecareful

toeataverysmallamountofthepoisonedcurry,andthenbehaveasthoughshewasextremelyill.'

'Andyouwouldn'tbeabletotellthatshe'dhadlessthantheothers?''Probablynot.''Thentheremightbeoneofthefamilynowwho'smakingmorefussthan

heneed?''Yes.ButIdon'tthinkthatanyonehashadenougharsenictokillthem.''Didthepoisonermakeamistake?''No.I think that the ideawas toputenougharsenic in thecurry tocause

signs of food poisoning - which everyone would say was because of themushrooms.Thenonepersonwouldprobablysuddenlygetworseanddie.'

'Becausehehadbeengivenmorepoison?'The doctor nodded. 'So, perhaps you can go toRutherfordHall and tell

themall that they're suffering fromarsenic poisoning.Thatwill probably stopthepoisonercarryingouttherestofhisplan.'

ThetelephonerangontheInspector'sdesk.Hepickeditup.'OK.Yes.'HesaidtoQuimper,'It'syournurse.'Hehandedhimthereceiver.

'Quimperspeaking...Isee...Yes,we'llbewithyouverysoon.'HeputthereceiverdownandturnedtoBacon.'It'sAlfred.He'sdead.'

CHAPTERTWENTY'Alfred?'Craddocksaidoverthephone.Alfred?'InspectorBaconsaid,'Youdidn'texpectthat?''No, not at all. In fact I thought he was the murderer!' There was a

moment's silence. Then he asked, 'Therewas a nurse in charge.How did sheallowittohappen?'

'Wecan'tblameher.MissEyelesbarrowwasverytiredandwenttobedforabit.Thenursehadfivepatientstolookafter,andoldMrCrackenthorpestartedmakingabigfuss,soshehadtogoandquietenhimdownandthentookAlfredinsometea.Hedrankitandthatwastheend.'

'Arsenicagain?''Itseemsso.''Iwonder,'saidCraddock,'whetherAlfredwasmeanttobethevictim?''Youmeantheteamighthavebeenmeantfortheoldman.''Aretheysurethatthearsenicwasinthetea?''No. The nurse washed the cups and everything. But it seems the only

likelymethod.''So,'saidCraddock,'oneofthepatientswasn'tasillastheothers?Sawhis

chanceandpoisonedthecup?''Well,therewon'tbeanymoreofthat,'saidInspectorBacon.'I'vegottwo

menthere.Areyoucomingdown?''AsfastasIcan!'LucyEyelesbarrowcameacrossthehalltomeettheInspector.Shelooked

pale.'You'vebeenhavingabadtime,'saidCraddock.'It'sbeenlikeabaddream.''Aboutthiscurry-''Itwasthecurry?''Yes,arsenicwasfoundinit.''Thenitmustbeoneofthefamilywhodidit.'

'Thereisnootherpossibility?''No, you see, I only started making the curry late - after six o'clock -

becauseMrCrackenthorpespeciallyaskedforcurry.''Whichofthemhadthechancetodosomethingtothecurrywhileitwas

cooking?'Lucy thought. 'Anyone could have come into the kitchen while I was

layingthetableinthediningroom.''Sowhowashereinthehouse?MrCrackenthorpe,Emma,Cedric...''HaroldandAlfred.Oh,andBryanEastley.Butheleftjustbeforedinner.''Well,lookafteryourself,'saidCraddock.'There'sapoisonerinthishouse,

remember,andoneofyourpatientsprobablyisn'tasillashepretendstobe.'LucywentupstairsagainafterCraddockhadgoneandasshepassedMr

Crackenthorpe'sroomsheheardhimcalling,'Girl-girl-comehere.'Lucyenteredtheroom.MrCrackenthorpewassittingupinbedlookingverycheerful. 'SoAlfred

won'tgetanyof themoney.They'veallbeenwaitingformetodie-Alfredinparticular. Now he's dead. That's rather a good joke.' He laughed. 'I'll outlivethemall.'

CHAPTERTWENTYONELucy was busy arranging trays to take to the various sick people. She

pickedupthefirstoneandtookitupstairs.'What'sthis?'saidMrCrackenthorpe.'Teaandricepudding,'saidLucy.'Takeitaway.ItoldthatnurseIwantedmeat.What'sEmmadoing?Why

doesn'tshecomeandseeme?''She'sstillinbed,MrCrackenthorpe.''Women are soweak.But you're a good strong girl.And I've got a nice

storeofmoneyandIknowwhoI'mgoingtospenditonwhenthetimecomes.'Hesmiledandtriedtoholdherhand.

Lucywentratherquicklyoutoftheroom.ThenexttrayshetookintoEmma.'Oh,thankyou,Lucy.ButI'mworriedaboutyouraunt,'shesaidasLucy

putthetrayonherknees.'Youhaven'thadanytimetogoandseeher.''Oh,don'tworry.Sheunderstandshowdifficultthingshavebeen.'Butasshewentdowntofetchthenexttray,Lucydecidedthatshewould

ringMissMarpleupassoonasshehadtakenCedrichismeal.Cedricwassittingup inbedwriting. 'Hello,Lucy,whatawful foodhave

yougotformetoday?Iwishyouwouldgetridofthatnurse.Shecallsme"we"forsomereason."Andhowarewethismorning?Havewesleptwell?"'

'Youseemverycheerful,'saidLucy.'Andbusy.Whatareyouwriting?''Plansforwhattodowiththisplacewhentheoldmandies.IfIsellallthe

land,I'llhavemoremoneythanIknowwhattodowith.''Ithoughtyoudislikedmoney.''Of course Idislikemoneywhen Ihaven't got any,' saidCedric. 'What a

lovelygirlyouare,Lucy,ordoIjustthinksobecauseIhaven'tseenanygoodlookingwomenforsuchalongtime?'

'Iexpectthat'sit,'saidLucy.BeforegettingherownlunchshewenttothetelephoneandrangupMiss

Marple.'I'mverysorryIhaven'tbeenabletocomeover,butI'vebeensobusy.'

'Of course,my dear, but there's nothing that can be done just now.AndElspethMcGillicuddywillbehomeverysoon.Iwrotetohertocomeatonce.'

'Youdon'tthink...'Lucystopped.'Thattherewillbeanymoredeaths?Oh,Ihopenot.Butoneneverknows,

doesone?Whensomeoneisreallyevil.Imean.'Lucyrangoffandtookhertrayintothesmallstudy.Shewasjustfinishing

hermealwhenthedooropenedandBryanEastleycamein.'Hello,'shesaid.'Thisisveryunexpected.''Isupposeitis,'saidBryan.'Howiseverybody?''Oh, much better. Harold's going back to London tomorrow. Have you

cometostay?''Well,I'dliketo,ifitwon'tbetoomuchworkforyou.''No,wecanmanage,'saidLucy,pickingupthetray.'I'll do that,' said Bryan, taking it from her. They went into the kitchen

together. 'Shall I help you wash up? I do like this kitchen. In fact I like thiswholehouse.'Hepickedupaclothandbegantowipethespoonsandforks. 'Itseems a waste, it all going to Cedric. He'll just sell it and go abroad again.Harold wouldn't want this house either, and of course it's much too big forEmma.ButifitcametoAlexander,heandIwouldbeashappytogetherhereastwochildren.ButbeforeAlexandercouldgetthisplaceallofthemwouldhavetodie,andthat'snotlikely,isit?'

CHAPTERTWENTYTWOThenext daywhenLucyheard thedoorbell ring, shewent to answer it,

expecting tosee thedoctor.But itwasnot thedoctor.On thedoorstepstoodatall,stylishwoman.InthedrivewasaRollsRoyce.

'Can I seeMiss Emma Crackenthorpe, please?' It was a pleasant voice,Frenchperhaps.

'I'msorry,MissCrackenthorpeisillandcan'tseeanyone.''Iknowshehasbeenill,yes;butitisveryimportantthatIseeher.Youare

MissEyelesbarrow,Ithink.Mysonhastoldmeaboutyou.IamLadyStoddart-West.'

'Oh,Isee,'saidLucy.Lady Stoddart-West continued, 'I need to speak to Emma because of

somethingthattheboyshavesaidtome.Please,willyouaskher?''Come in.' Lucy took her visitor into the sitting room, then she went

upstairs,knockedonEmma'sdoor. 'LadyStoddart-West ishere.Shewants toseeyouaboutsomethingtheboyshavetoldher.'

'Oh.Well...perhapsIoughttoseeher.'Lucyledthevisitorupstairs,openedthebedroomdoorforhertogoinand

thenshutit.Lady Stoddart-West moved across the room. 'Miss Crackenthorpe? We

havemetbefore,Ithink,atthesportsdayattheschool.''Yes,'saidEmma,'Pleasesitdown.'LadyStoddart-Westsat inachairbeside thebed. 'Youmust thinkitvery

strangeofmetocomelike this,but theboyshavebeenveryexcitedabout themurderthathappenedhere.'

Emmasaid,'Youthinkweoughttohavesentyoursonhomeearlier?''No,no,thatisnotwhatIthink.Oh,thisisdifficultforme!Buttheboys

toldme that the police think that themurderedwomanmay be a French girlwhomyoureldestbrotherknewduringthewar.Isthatright?'

'Itispossible,'saidEmma.'ButwhydotheythinkthatsheisMartine?Didshehaveletterswithher?'

'No.Butyousee,Ihadaletter,fromthisMartine.''Youhadaletter-fromMartine?''Yes,sayingshewouldliketocomeandseeme.Iinvitedherhere,butgot

amessagesayingshewasgoingbacktoFrance.Butthenanenvelopewasfoundhereaddressedtoher,so...'

LadyStoddart-Westsaidquickly,'WhenIheardthis,IhadtocomeandtellyousomethingthatIneverintendedtotellyou.Yousee,IamMartineDubois.'

Emmastaredather.'You!YouareMartine?''But,yes.ImetyourbrotherEdmundinthefirstdaysofthewar.Hewas

staying at our house. We fell in love. We intended to be married, and thenEdmundwaskilled.Iwillnotspeaktoyouofthattime.ButIwillsaytoyouthatI loved your brother very much... Then the Germans occupied France and IhelpedEnglishmengetfromFrancetoEngland.ThatwashowImetmypresenthusband.HewasanAirForceofficer.WhenthewarwasoverIhadanewlifeanddidnotwanttothinkaboutthepast.'Shepaused.'ButitgavemeastrangepleasurewhenIfoundoutthatmyson'sbestfriendathisschoolwasEdmund'snephew.'

'I can hardly believe it,' said Emma, 'that you are theMartine that dearEdmundtoldmeabout.Butwasityou,then,whowrotetome?'

LadyStoddart-Westshookherhead. 'No,no,ofcourseIdidnotwrite toyou.'

'Then...'Emmastopped.'ThentherewassomeonepretendingtobeMartine,whowantedperhapsto

getmoney from you?Butwho can it be? I have never said anything about itsinceIcametoEngland.'Emmasaid,'WewillhavetotellInspectorCraddock.'Shelookedwithsuddenlygentleeyesathervisitor.'I'msogladtoknowyouatlast,mydear.'

'AndIyou.'Emmaleanedback. 'Thankgoodness, Idon'tknowwho thepoorwoman

was,butifshewasn'tMartine,thenshecan'tbeconnectedtous!'

CHAPTERTWENTYTHREETheneatsecretarybroughtHaroldCrackenthorpehisusualafternooncup

oftea.'Thanks,MissEllis,Ishallbegoinghomeearlytoday.''Idon'treallythinkyoushouldhavecomeinatall,MrCrackenthorpe.You

don'tlookwell.''I'mallright,'saidHarold,buthedidnotfeelwell.He shouldn't really have come into the office, but he hadwanted to see

how the business was going. All this - he looked round him - appearedsuccessful.But now itwouldn't be long before his business failed. If only hisfather had died instead ofAlfred, therewouldn't have been anything toworryabout.

ButwithAlfredgone, themoney fromhisgrandfatherwouldbedividednotintofivesharesbutintofour.Lookingmorecheerful,Haroldgotup,lefttheofficeanddrovehome.

Darwin,hisservant,openedthedoor.'Herladyshiphasjustarrived,sir.'ForamomentHaroldstaredathim.Alice!WasitreallytodaythatAlice

wascomingbackfromtheRiviera?Hehadforgottenallaboutit.Hehadneverbeeninlovewithher,ofcourse,butherrichfamilyhadbeen

useful.Thoughnotperhapsasusefulas theymighthavebeen,becauseheandAlicehadneverhadanychildren.

Hewentupstairsintothesittingroom.'Mydear,howwasSanRaphael?'AlicetoldhimhowSanRaphaelwas.Shewasathinwomanwithsandy-

coloured hair, and pale grey eyes. She also asked about her husband's health.'Emma'stelegramratherfrightenedme.Ireadinthepapertheotherdayoffortypeople inahotelgetting foodpoisoning.All these refrigeratorsaredangerous.Peoplekeepthingsinthemtoolongandforgetaboutthem.'

'Possibly,'saidHarold.'Oh,andInearlyforgottotellyouthere'saparcelforyouonthehalltable.''Is there? Ididn'tnotice it.'Haroldwentandpickedup theparcel,which

was small and very carefully wrapped. He took it back into the sitting roomwhereheopenedit.Insidewasasmallpillboxwith'Twotobetakeneachnight'

written on it. With it was a small piece of paper from the chemist's inBrackhamptonwith'SentbyrequestofDoctorQuimper'writtenonit.

'Whatisit,dear?'saidAlice.'Youlookworried.''Oh,it'sjust-somepills.ButI'msurethedoctorsaidIneednottakeany

more.'Hiswifesaidcalmly,'Heprobablysaiddon'tforgettotakethem.''Perhaps he did.' Harold looked across at her and for a moment he

wonderedexactlywhatshewasthinking.Thatcalmexpressiontoldhimnothing.Hereyeswerelikewindowsinanemptyhouse.WhatdidAlicefeelabouthim?Hadsheeverbeeninlovewithhim?

'IthinkIshallgotobed,'hesaid.'It'sbeenmyfirstdaybackintheCity.''Yes,Ithinkthat'sagoodidea.Anddon'tforgettotakeyourpills,dear.'Hewentupstairs.Yes,itwouldbewrongtostoptakingthepillssosoon.

Hetooktwoandswallowedthemwithaglassofwater.

CHAPTERTWENTYFOUR'Nobody could possibly havemademoremistakes than I have.' Dermot

CraddocksatinFlorence'ssittingroomlookingtiredandupset.'I'veletawholefamily be poisoned. Alfred Crackenthorpe's dead and nowHarold's dead too.Whatgoingonhere?'

'Poisonedpills,'saidMissMarplethoughtfully.'Yes.Veryclever.They looked just like thepills thathehadbeen taking.

ButQuimper never ordered them.And the chemist knewnothing about them,either.No.ThatboxofpillscamefromRutherfordHall.'

'DoyouknowitcamefromRutherfordHall?''Yes.It'stheboxthatheldEmma'ssleepingpills.''Oh,Isee.Emma's...''Yes. It'sgother fingerprintson itand the fingerprintsofboth thenurses

andthefingerprintsofthechemist.Nobodyelse's,ofcourse.'Andthesleepingpillswereremovedandsomethingelseputinthebox?''Yes.''WhatwerethepillsHaroldtook?'MissMarpleasked.'Aconite.Theyare

usuallykeptinapoisonbottle.Idon'tknowwhopoisonedHarold,Idon'tknowwhopoisonedAlfred,andnowtherealMartine turnsout tobe thewifeofSirRobertStoddart-West!So,who'sthewomaninthebarn?Idon'tknow.AtfirstIwassure itwasAnnaStravinska,but thenshe'soutof it-'MissMarplegaveasmallcough.'Butisshe?'

'Well,thatpostcardfromJamaica...''Yes,' saidMissMarple, 'but anyonecanget apostcard sent fromalmost

anywhere,don'tyouthink?''Yes,'saidCraddock.'Andofcoursewewouldhavecheckedthatpostcard

ifithadn'tbeenfortheMartinebusinessfittinginsowell.TheenvelopeoftheletterEmmawrote toherwasevenfoundatRutherfordHall,showingshehadactuallybeenthere.'

'Butthemurderedwomanhadn'tbeenthere!'MissMarplesaid.'Notinthesenseyoumean.SheonlycametoRutherfordHallaftershewasdead.'

'Oh,yes.'

'What the envelope really proves is that the murderer was there.Presumablyhetookthatenvelopeoffherwithherotherthings,andthendroppeditbymistake-or-Iwonder,wasitamistake?Yourmenmusthavesearchedtheplace,buttheydidn'tfindit.Itonlyturneduplaterinthebin.'

'Youthinktheboysweremeanttofindit?''Well,itstoppedyouthinkingaboutAnnaStravinskaanymore,didn'tit?''ButthemainfactisthatsomeonewasgoingtopretendtobeMartine,'said

Craddock.'Andthenforsomereason-didn't.Why?''That'saveryinterestingquestion,'saidMissMarple.'Somebody sent a note saying Martine was going back to France, then

arrangedtotraveldownwiththegirlandkillherontheway.Youagree?''Not exactly,' said Miss Marple. 'I don't think, really, you're making it

simpleenough.''Simple! So do you or do you not think you know who the murdered

womanwas?''It's sodifficult toexplain,'MissMarple said. 'Imean, Idon'tknowwho

shewas,butI'msurewhoshewas,ifyouknowwhatImean.''Knowwhatyoumean?'Craddockshookhishead.'Ihaven'tanyidea.'He

lookedoutthroughthewindow.'There'sLucyEyelesbarrowcomingtoseeyou,soI'llgo.Myconfidence isvery lowthisafternoonandmeetingsuchacleveryoungwomanistoomuchforme.'

CHAPTERTWENTYFIVE'Isupposeitwasalwayssuretocausetrouble,'saidLucy,walkingupand

downtheroom.'Awillleavingmoneytoseveralpeople,butsayingthatif,whenthetimecameforittobehandedout,therewasonlyonepersonleft,hewouldgetthelot.Andyet-therewassuchalotofmoney,youwouldthinkitwouldbeenough...'

'Thetroubleis,'saidMissMarple, 'thatpeoplealwayswantmoremoney.Somepeople.Theydon'tstartwithwantingtocommitmurder,theyjuststartbywantingmorethanthey'regoingtohave.'

'Butwe'venowhadthreemurdersandthatonlyleaves twoto inherit themoney,doesn'tit?'

'YoumeanCedricandEmma,'saidMissMarple.'Not Emma. Emma isn't a tall darkman. No. I mean Cedric and Bryan

Eastley. I never thought of Bryan because he's fair, but the other day...' Shepaused.

'Goon,'saidMissMarple.'ItwaswhenLadyStoddart-Westwasleaving.Shewasgettingintothecar

whenshesuddenlyasked,"Whowasthattall,darkmanwhowasstandingonthelawnasIcamein?"

'Ididn'tknowwhoshemeantatfirst,becauseCedricwasstillinbed.SoIsaid, "You don't mean Bryan Eastley?" and she said, "Of course, SquadronLeaderEastley.Hewas hidden in our house in France once during thewar. Irememberedthewayhestood".'

MissMarplesaidnothing.Andthen,laterIlookedathim...Hewasstandingwithhisbacktomeand

Isawthatevenwhenamanisfair,hishaircanlookdarkifhesmoothsitdownwith cream.Soyou see, itmighthavebeenBryan that your friend saw in thetrain.Itmight...'

'Yes,'saidMissMarple.'Ihadthoughtofthat.''ButthemoneywouldgotoAlexander,nottohim.''IfanythinghappenedtoAlexanderbeforehewastwenty-one,thenBryan

wouldgetthemoney,'MissMarplesaid.

Lucy lookedshocked. 'Hewouldneverdo that.Nofatherwouldeverdothat.'

MissMarple shookherhead. 'Peopledo,mydear. It'sverysadandveryawful, but they do.' She added gently, 'But you mustn't worry. ElspethMcGillicuddywillbehereverysoonnow.'

'Idon'tseehowthatwillhelp.''No,dear,perhapsnot.ButIthinkit'simportant.'Then,withaquicklook

atLucy,shesaid,'There'ssomethingelsethat'sworryingyou.''Yes.SomethingthatIdidn'tunderstanduntiltwodaysago.Bryancouldin

facthavebeenonthattrain.''Onthe4.33fromPaddington?''Yes. You see, Emma, when talking about her movements on 20th

December,saidshewenttomeetBryanatthestation.Thetrainshemetwasthe4.50fromPaddington,buthecouldhavebeenontheearliertrainandpretendedtocomeonthelaterone.Itdoesn'treallyproveanything.Theawfulthingisnotknowingwhathappened.Andperhapsweneverwillknow!'

'Ofcoursewewillknow,dear,'saidMissMarple.'TheonethingIdoknowabout murderers is that they can never leave things alone. Particularly afterthey've committed a second murder. And the great thing is that ElspethMcGillicuddywillbehereverysoonnow!'

CHAPTERTWENTYSIX'Now,Elspeth,youdoknowwhatIwantyoutodo?''Yes,Iknow,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy,'butwhatIsaytoyouis,Jane,thatit

seemsverystrange.''It'snotstrangeatall,'saidMissMarple.'ToarriveatthehouseandtoaskalmostimmediatelywhetherIcan-er-

goupstairs?''It'sverycoldweather.''IfyouwouldjusttellmewhyImustgoupstairs,Jane.''That'sjustwhatIdon'twanttodo,'saidMissMarple.'How annoying you are. First you make me come all the way back to

Englandbefore...''I'msorryaboutthat,butsomeonemaysoonbekilled.Soyousee,Elspeth,

itwasyourdutytocomeback.Andthat's thetaxinow,'sheadded,asasoundwasheardoutsidethehouse.

SoMrsMcGillicuddyput onher coat and the two ladiesweredriven toRutherfordHall.

'Who can this be?' Emma asked, looking out of thewindow, as the taximovedpastit.'Idobelieveit'sLucy'soldaunt.'

'Whatabore,'saidCedric.'Tellheryou'renotathome.'ButatthatmomentthedoorwasopenedbyMrsHart,whowastherethat

afternoon to clean the silver, andMissMarple came in, with another womanbehindher.

'I do hope,' said Miss Marple, taking Emma's hand, 'that this is notinconvenient.ButI'mgoinghomethedayaftertomorrow,andsoIwantedtosaygoodbye...Oh,mayIintroducemyfriend,MrsMcGillicuddy,whoisvisiting?'

AtthismomentLucyenteredtheroom.'AuntJane,Ihadnoidea...''IhadtocomeandthankMissCrackenthorpe,'saidMissMarple,'whohas

beensovery,verykindtoyou,Lucy.''It'sLucywho'sbeenverykindtous,'saidEmma.'Oh, yes,' said Cedric. 'We've certainly made her work for her money.

Lookingafteruswhenwewereill,runningupanddownthestairs...'Miss Marple interrupted. 'So dangerous, isn't it, food poisoning?

Mushrooms,Iheard.''Thecauseremainsrathermysterious,'saidEmma.'Nonsense,' said Cedric, 'Arsenic in the curry, that's what it was. Lucy's

auntknowsallaboutit,I'msure.''Well,'saidMissMarple,'Ididjusthear...'ThedooropenedandMrCrackenthorpecamein.'Where'stea?You!Girl!

Whyhaven'tyoubroughtteain?''It'sjustready,MrCrackenthorpe.'Lucywentoutoftheroomthenreappearedwithateatray.BryanEastley

followedher,carryingsandwichesandcake.'What's this?What's this?' Mr Crackenthorpe asked. 'A decorated cake?

Arewehavingaparty?Nobodytoldmeaboutit.'Emma's face went pink. 'Dr Quimper's coming to tea, Father. It's his

birthdaytodayand...''Birthday?Birthdaysareonlyforchildren.Iwon'tletanyonecelebratemy

birthdays.''Emma, what a delightful view you have from this window,' said Miss

Marple,moving across to it. 'Just like apicturewith the cows thereunder thetrees.Ican'tbelievethatIaminthemiddleofatown.'

'Ifthewindowswereopen,youwouldhearfaroffthenoiseofthetraffic,'saidEmma.

'Oh, of course,' saidMissMarple, 'there's noise everywhere, isn't there?EveninStMaryMead.Really,thewaythosejetplanesflyover!Twowindowsinmylittlegreenhousewerebrokentheotherday.Ican'tunderstandwhy.'

'It'squitesimple,really,'saidBryan,comingtothewindow.MissMarpledroppedherhandbagandBryanpolitelypickeditup.Atthe

samemomentMrsMcGillicuddysaidtoEmma,'Iwonder-couldIgoupstairsforamoment?'

'I'lltakeyou,'saidLucy,andtheylefttheroomtogether.

'Itisverycoldoutsidetoday,'saidMissMarple.'Aboutplanesbreakingwindows,'saidBryan.'Oh,look,there'sQuimper.'Thedoctordroveupinhiscar.Hecamein,rubbinghishands.'It'sgoingto

snow,Ithink.Hello,Emma,howareyou?Goodness,what'sallthis?''You toldme todaywas your birthday,' said Emma. 'Sowemade you a

cake.''Butit'syearssinceanyone'srememberedmybirthday.'Helookedalmost

uncomfortablypleased.'Come on, let's have tea,' saidMr Crackenthorpe. 'What are we waiting

for?''Oh, please,' saidMissMarple, 'don't wait for my friend. She would be

mostupsetifyoudid.'Theysatdownandstartedtea.MissMarplereachedforasandwich,then

paused.'Arethey-?''Fish,'saidBryan.'Ihelpedmakethem.'Mr Crackenthorpe laughed. 'Poisoned fish. That's what they are. You've

gottobecarefulwhatyoueatinthishouse,MissMarple.''Don'tlethimstopyou,'saidCedric.'Abitofarsenicisgoodfortheskin,

theysay,ifyoudon'thavetoomuch.''Eatoneyourself,boy,'saidMrCrackenthorpe.'All right,' said Cedric. He took a sandwich and put it whole into his

mouth.MissMarplealsotookasandwichandbitintoit.'Idothinkit'ssobraveof

youalltomakethesejokes.'Thensuddenlyshebegantochoke.'Afishbone,inmythroat.'

Quimper got up quickly. He went across to her, moved her backwardstowardsthewindowandtoldhertoopenhermouth.Thenhelookeddownintothe old lady's throat.At thatmoment the door opened andMrsMcGillicuddy,followedbyLucy,camein.MrsMcGillicuddystoppedasshesawthesceneinfrontofher,MissMarpleleaningbackandthedoctorholdingherthroat.

'Butthat'shim,'shecried.'That'sthemaninthetrain...'WithunbelievablespeedMissMarpleescapedfromthedoctor'shandsand

cametowardsherfriend.'Ithoughtyou'drecognizehim,Elspeth!No.Don'tsayanotherword.'She

turned toDrQuimper. 'Youdidn't know, did you,Doctor,whenyou strangledthatwomaninthetrain,thatsomebodyactuallysawyoudoit?Itwasmyfriendhere.Shewasinanothertrainthatwasrunningparallelwithyours.

'What?'DrQuimpermovedquicklytowardsMrsMcGillicuddy,butagain,withunbelievablespeed,MissMarplewasbetweenthem.

'Yes.Shesawyou,andsherecognizesyou,andshe'llsweartoitincourt.''Youdisgustingold-'DrQuimpersteppedtowardsMissMarple,butCedric

caughthimbytheshoulder.'Soyou'rethemurderer.Ineverlikedyou,butIneversuspectedyou.'BryanEastleycamequickly tohelpCedricandat thatmomentInspector

CraddockandInspectorBaconenteredtheroom.'DrQuimper,'saidBacon,'Imustcautionyouthat...''Youcandowhatyoulikewithyourcaution.Doyoureallythinkanyone's

going to believe what a couple of old women say?' Dr Quimper suddenlylaughed.'WhyshouldIwanttomurderatotallystrangewoman?'

'Shewasn'tastrangewoman,'saidInspectorCraddock.'Shewasyourwife'

CHAPTERTWENTYSEVEN'Soyousee,'saidMissMarple, 'it reallywasvery,verysimple.Somany

menseemtomurdertheirwives.'MrsMcGillicuddylookedatMissMarpleandInspectorCraddock.'Please

explainitalltome.''He saw his chance, you see,' saidMissMarple, 'of having a rich wife,

EmmaCrackenthorpe.Buthecouldn'tmarryherbecausehehadawifealready.Theyhadbeenseparatedforyearsbutshewouldn'tdivorcehim.ThatfittedverywellwithwhatInspectorCraddocktoldmeofagirlcalledAnnaStravinska.ShehadanEnglishhusbandandshewasaCatholic.

'SoDrQuimperdecidedtokillher.Theideaofmurderingherinthetrainandlaterputtingherbodyinthesarcophaguswasratheracleverone,becauseitwould involve theCrackenthorpe family.Before thathehadwrittena letter toEmmawhichsaiditwasfromMartine.EmmahadtoldDrQuimperallaboutherbrother,yousee.ThenheencouragedhertogotothepolicewithherstoryashewantedthedeadwomantobeidentifiedasMartine.IthinkhemayhaveheardthatinquirieswerebeingmadebytheParispoliceaboutAnnaStravinska,sohearrangedtohaveapostcardcomefromherfromJamaica.

'ItwaseasyforhimtomeethiswifeinLondon,totellherthathehopedtheycouldbetogetheragainandthathewouldlikeher tocomeand"meethisfamily".Wewon't talk about the next part of it,which is very unpleasant.Ofcourse all he wanted was money, so perhaps he had already thought aboutmurderingthebrothersbeforehedecidedtomurderhiswife.Anyway,hestartedtheideathatsomeonewastryingtopoisonoldMrCrackenthorpe,toprepareforhisothercrimes.Andthenhegavearsenictothewholefamily.Nottoomuch,ofcourse,becausehedidn'twantoldMrCrackenthorpetodie.'

'But I still don't see how he did that,' said Craddock. 'He wasn't in thehousewhenthecurrywasbeingprepared.'

'Oh,buttherewasn'tanyarsenicinthecurrythen,'saidMissMarple.'Headdedittothecurryafterwardswhenhetookitawaytobetested.Heprobablyputthearsenicinthecocktailjugearlier.Then,ofcourse,itwaseasyforhim,asadoctor,topoisonAlfredCrackenthorpeandalsotosendthepillstoHaroldinLondon.Everythinghedidwasplannedandselfishandcruel.'

'Iagree,'saidInspectorCraddock.

'But I thought,' continued Miss Marple, 'that if Elspeth could see DrQuimperinexactlythesamepositionasshehadseenhiminthetrain,withhisback toher, bentover awomanhewasholdingby the throat, then shewouldrecognizehim.ThatiswhyIhadtopreparemylittleplanwithLucy'shelp.'

'Imustsay,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy,'itdidgivemeashock.Isaid,"That'shim"beforeIcouldstopmyself.YetIhadn'tinfactseentheman'sfaceand...'

'Iwas afraid that youwere going to say so, Elspeth,' saidMissMarple.'Andthatwouldhavebeenawful.Becausehethoughtyoureallydidrecognizehim.Imean,hecouldn'tknowthatyouhadn'tseenhisface.'

'AgoodthingIsaidnothingthen,'saidMrsMcGillicuddy.'Iwasn'tgoingto letyousayanotherword,'saidMissMarple.Craddock

laughed. 'So,MissMarple, what is the happy ending?What happens to poorEmmaCrackenthorpe?'

'She'll soon forget the doctor, and perhaps go off on a holiday andmeetsomeoneelse.AnicermanthanDrQuimper,Ihope.'

'WhataboutLucyEyelesbarrow?Aweddingthere,too?''Perhaps,'saidMissMarple.'Whichofallthemenisshegoingtochoose?'saidDermotCraddock.'Don'tyouknow?'saidMissMarple.'No,Idon't,'saidCraddock.'Doyou?''Oh,yes,Ithinkso,'saidMissMarple.Andshesmiledathim.

-THEEND-Hopeyouhaveenjoyedthereading!

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