Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

1 The courier had recently been ordered to deliver letters to Chipping Cleghorn in the afternoon as well as in the morning, and this bored him very much. On this afternoon he delivered three letters to the paddock at exactly ten minutes to five. One was addressed to Philippa Haymes, in the handwriting of a schoolboy; the other two were from Miss Blacklock.Sitting down at the coffee table with Philippa, she opened the letter.The torrential downpour made Philippa leave the Dayas mansion early today, because as long as she closed the conservatory, there was nothing more to do. Miss Blacklock tore up the first letter, which contained the bill for repairing the kitchen boiler.She snorted angrily.

"Diamond's price is also outrageous, really outrageous. However, I think everyone else is just as bad as him." She opened the second letter, written in a font she had never seen before. Dear Cousin Litty: Hope I'll be no problem coming on Tuesday?I wrote to Patrick two days ago and he didn't reply, so I assume it's ok. Mum is coming to England next month and hopes to see you then. If it is convenient, my train will arrive at Chipping Crigglehorth at 6.15, will that be ok? Miss Julia Simmons Blacklock, who loves you, read the letter again, and she was first shocked and then darkened.She looked up at Philippa, who was reading her son's letter with a smile.

"Do you know if Julia and Patrick are back?" Philippa looked up. "Come back, they followed me as soon as I entered the house. They went upstairs to change. They both got soaked." "Maybe you don't mind calling them down." "Of course I don't mind." "Wait a minute—I want you to read this letter." She handed Philippa the letter she had received. Philippa frowned after reading the letter, "I don't understand..." "I don't understand either, but it's true... I think it's time for me to understand.

Go get Patrick and Juliet, Philippa. " "Patrick! Julia! Miss Blacklock is calling you." Patrick ran downstairs and into the living room. "Don't go, Philippa," said Miss Blacklock. "Hello, Aunt Letty," said Patrick cheerfully, "call me?" "Yes, I called you. Maybe you can explain this to me?" Patrick read the letter with an almost comical dejection on his face. "I was going to telegraph her. What a bastard I am!" "I suppose the letter is from your sister?" "Yes, yes, it is." Miss Blacklock asked sharply: "Then, who is this young woman you have brought here as Julia Simmons, I ask? Who is this woman I understand to be your sister and my cousin?"

"Well--you see, Aunt Letty, the fact is--I can explain--I know I shouldn't have done it--but it doesn't seem to be anything but a joke. If you'll let me explain-- " "I'm waiting for your explanation. Who is this young woman?" "Well, I ran into her at a (again) tailgate shortly after I was demobilized. We got talking, and I told her I was coming here, and—well, I figured if I could bring her along Come on, that's a fantastic idea... You see, Julie Kie, the real Julia, is crazy about stage performances, and Mom is mad at the idea. Still, Julie Kie gets a chance, joins Pace or something A good jolly troupe with a repertoire in the town. She wanted to try her hand, but she wanted to make her mother think she was a good little girl, and came here with me to be educated to be a pharmacist, so that mother cool down."

"I still have to find out who this other young woman is." At this moment, Zhu Liji walked in. She was as calm as usual, with a cold attitude.Seeing her, Patrick quickly turned away with relief. "The balloon popped," he said. Julie Ji raised her eyebrows, and then she sat down, still calm and icy. "Well," she said, "it's all over. I suppose you're very angry?" She looked Miss Blacklock's face with an interest that was almost grim. "I would be too." "who are you?" Julia sighed. "It's time for me to come clean and here it goes. I'm one half of Pip and Emma. My Christian name is Emma Jocelyn Stamfortis, to be exact. Not long after I took that name , Dad never used the name Stanfordis again. I think he later called himself De Gusi.

"Let me tell you, my father and mother split up three years after me and Pip were born. They went their separate ways and broke us up too. I was the part my father took. Overall, he was a Terrible father, albeit a charming one. Whenever my father was penniless or ready for some heinous business, I was sent to a convent, to be educated, to suffer all kinds of abandonment. He often Played like a rich man, paid the first term, then disappeared for a year or two, and dumped me to the nuns. Or, I had a good time with him, walking in urban society. However, the war Totally separated us. I don't know what happened to him. I've had some adventures myself. I had a thrilling time with French Resistance fighters. Long story short, I landed in London and started thinking about my In the future. I know that my mother has an older brother. Although he had a quarrel with his mother, he died a rich man. I checked his will to see if there was anything left for me. It turned out that there was nothing, in other words, nothing directly to me .I made a couple of interviews with his widow and learned that she has become a demented old man on medication but not far from death.Frankly it looks as if you are my best You're going to inherit a hell of a lot of money, and as far as I know, you don't have any heirs to spend a lot of money on. Let me just say it, and the thought crosses my mind that if I can approach you in a friendly way, and if you like me again—well, things have changed a little since Uncle Randall died, haven't they? I mean, all the money we've ever had Lost in that cataclysm in Europe. I thought you might give a poor, unaccompanied orphan a little bit of a gift, perhaps."

"Oh, you got it, you got it, didn't you?" snapped Miss Blacklock. "Yes. Of course, I hadn't seen you then... I thought about crying... Then, by chance, I ran into Patrick here, and he happened to be your nephew. Son or cousin or whatever. But no, this is really a godsend opportunity.Desperately I rushed to Patrick, and he was content to fall for me.The real Juliet was apprehensive about the show, but I told her it was her duty to settle down in some crappy inn in Perth, to train to be a theater star, to be another Sarah Bernhardt, to devote herself to the arts, So she was quickly persuaded.

"You don't have to blame Patrick too much. He felt so sorry for me being all alone that he soon thought it was a wonderful idea to bring me here as his sister and let me do my thing." "And he agreed with you to continue lying to the police?" "Come on, Litty. Can't you see that since the robbery happened--or since it happened--I've been getting attention? Let's face it, I've got good motives for getting rid of you." Drop. Now you can believe that I am not the one trying to murder you. You can't expect me to take murder upon myself. Even if Patrick has nasty thoughts about me now and then, even if he can What on earth would the police think of such a thing? Inspector Craddock gave me the impression that he was a very suspicious man. No, I figured it out, and the only thing I could do was to be a serious Juliette. , and remained calm, and disappeared after the matter calmed down.

"How could I ever count stupid Julie-Kee, the real Julie-Kee, arguing with a producer, and blowing the whole thing up? She wrote to Patrick, asking if she could come here. Not only did he not write back to tell her to 'side' Go' and forget about it 2" She shot Patrick an angry look, "Idiot King Z"' she sighed. "You have no idea what it was like for me in Milchester! Of course I didn't go to the hospital at all. But I had places to go, how many hours I spent at the cinema, watching the scariest movies over and over again." "Pip and Emma," whispered Miss Blacklock, "for all that the Inspector said, I somehow never believed them to be real—"

She looked at Julia tentatively. "You're Emma," she said, "where's Pip?" Julia's clear and innocent eyes met hers. "I don't know," replied Julia, "I don't know at all." "I think you're lying, Julia. When was the last time you saw him?" Did Julia hesitate for a moment before answering? She replied emphatically: "I haven't seen him since we were both three years old—that is, after my mother took him away. I haven't seen him or my mother. I don't know Where are they?" "Is that all you want to say?" Julia sighed again. "I could say I'm sorry. But it's insincere, because I'm going to do it again—though of course I wouldn't do it if I knew there was going to be a murder." "Julia," said Miss Blacklock, "I call you that because I'm used to it. You say you're with the French Resistance?" "Yes, eighteen months." "Then I suppose you've learned how to shoot a gun?" The calm blue eyes met hers again. "I shoot well, I'm a first-rate shooter. I didn't shoot you, Litty, and though I've promised you that, I'll tell you this: if I shoot you , it is absolutely impossible to fail.” 2 The sound of a car driving straight to the door broke the tense atmosphere at the moment. "Who could this be?" asked Miss Blacklock. Mickey poked her shaggy head in, rolling the whites of her eyes. "The police are here again," she said. "It's, it's persecution. Why don't they let us be quiet for a while? I can't stand it. I'm going to write to the Prime Minister. I'm going to write to the Queen." Craddock's hand tossed her aside, forcefully but unceremoniously.The line of his mouth was so grim as he entered that they all looked at him anxiously.It was an unrecognizable Inspector Craddock. He said sternly, "Miss Murgatroyd was murdered. She was strangled—less than an hour ago." His eyes picked Julia out. "You—Miss Simmons— Where have you been all day?" Julia answered cautiously: "At Milchester. I just came in." "And you?" Eyes turned to Patrick. "Same as her." "You two went home together?" "Yes, yes, it is," Patrick replied. "No," said Julie Kie. "It's no good, Patrick. This kind of lie will be caught in no time, and the people on the bus know us well. I came back on the earlier bus, Inspector. It's four o'clock." The one that got here." "Then what did you do?" "I went for a walk." "In the direction of Cobblestone Cottage?" "No. I'm walking across the fields." He stares at her.Julie Ji turned pale, her lips tensed, and she gave him a stare back. Before anyone could speak, the phone rang. Miss Blacklock gave Craddock a questioning look and picked up the phone. "Yes. Who? Oh, Bunch. What? No, no, she's not here, I don't know . . . yes, he's here now." She lowered the receiver and said: "Mrs. Harmon wants to speak to you, Inspector. Miss Marple has not returned to the vicarage, and Mrs. Harmon is very worried about her." Craddock took two steps forward and grabbed the receiver. "I'm Craddock." "I'm worried, Inspector," came Finch's voice with a child's trembling. "Aunt Jane's gone somewhere, but I don't know where. They say Miss Murgatroyd was murdered. Is it true?" Is it?" "Yes, it's true, Mrs. Harmon. Miss Marple was with Miss Hinchcliffe when she found the body." "Oh, so there she is." Bunche's voice softened. "No—no, I'm afraid she's not, not now. She left about—let me see—half an hour ago. Hasn't she come home?" "No—she didn't come home. It's only ten minutes away. Where would she be?" "Perhaps she went to visit your neighbours?" "I've called them all--all of them. She's not here. I'm frightened, Inspector." "Me too," thought Craddock, and he said quickly, "I'll be right over to you." "Hey, come on--there's a note she wrote before she went out. I don't know what it means. . . . It just doesn't make sense to me." Craddock puts down the receiver. Miss Blacklock asked anxiously: "Has something happened to Miss Marple? Oh, I hope not." "I hope not, too." The line of his mouth grew grim. "She's so old - and fragile." "I know." Miss Blacklock stood, pulling her hands at the pearl choker around her neck, and said in a husky voice: "It's going from bad to worse. Whoever did these things must be crazy." , Inspector—and very mad..." "That's exactly what I want to know." The pearl choker about Miss Blacklock's neck snapped at the grasp of her nervous fingers.Smooth white beads rolled all over the floor of the living room. Letitia screamed in agony. "My pearl—my pearl—" The pain in her voice was so great that everyone looked at her in amazement.She put her hand to her throat and rushed out of the living room, sobbing. Philippa went to pick the pearls one by one. "I've never seen her get so mad at anything," she said. "Of course, she wears this necklace all the time. Maybe it was given to her by someone special, don't you think? Maybe it's Randall Godler?" "It is possible," said the inspector slowly. "These pearls can't be—couldn't be—really, are they?" asked Philippa, still on her knees, picking out the shining beads one by one. Craddock picked one up and held it in his hand, and just as he was about to reply dismissively, "Really? Of course not!", he suddenly swallowed the words again. "Yes, is this pearl real?" The grains were large, and each one was so well-proportioned and white that it seemed obvious that it was a fake, but Craddock suddenly remembered a case in which a man bought a genuine bunch of them at a pawnshop for a few shillings. pearl. Letitia Blacklock had assured him that there were no valuable jewels in the house.If it happens that this string of pearls is real, it must be worth a lot of money.If it's from Randall Godler again, just quote what it's worth. The look looks fake -- it sure is -- but what if it's real? Why not?She herself may not have realized the value of the necklace. Or she may have deliberately treated it as a cheap ornament with at most a real gem or two, to protect her treasure.If true, how much is it worth? Priceless... If someone knew the inside story, it would be worth killing for it. Craddock suddenly awoke from his reasoning.Miss Marple was missing, and he had to get to the vicarage. 3 He found Bunche and her husband waiting for him, looking helpless and anxious. "She hasn't come back yet," Bunch said. "When she left Cobblestone, did she say she was coming back?" Julian asked. "She didn't actually say that," Craddock said slowly, trying to recall the last time he had seen Miss Marple in his mind. I remember at that time that her blue eyes, which were usually so gentle, were full of frost, and her lips were so cold. Ruthless, an unrelenting determination...to what?Where are you going? "The last time I saw her, she was talking to Sergeant Fletcher," he said, "at the gate. Then she walked out the gate. I think she came here. I should have driven She—but there was so much going on, and she was going fast. Fletcher might know something! Where's Fletcher?" However, when Craddock called Gravel Heights, he learned that Sergeant Fletcher was not there and had not left a message saying where.It occurred to him that he might have gone back to Milchester for some reason. The inspector suddenly remembered what Bunch had said on the phone earlier, and turned to her. "Where's that note? You say she wrote something on a piece of paper." Bunch handed him the note.He unfolded the note on the table and leaned over to take a closer look. Bunch looked over his shoulder, spelling out the words as he read.The handwriting is illegible and illegible: lamp and then "Violet". Then blank: Where is the aspirin bottle? The next item on this strange note was even more difficult to understand. "Delicious Death," read Bunch, "this is Micky's cake." "Consultation," Craddock read. "Counseling? I want to know what is counseling? What is this? Bravely endure the pain... What is this!" "Iodine," read the Inspector, "pearls. Ah, pearls." "Then Lottie—no, Litty. She wrote an e that looked like an o. Then came Bern. What's that? Pension..." They looked at each other, puzzled. Craddock quickly reconnected the words: "Lamp. Violet. Where's the aspirin bottle? Delicious death." consult.Bravely endure the painful torture.iodine, pearls.Litty.bern. pension. " Bunch asked, "Does this make any sense? Does it make any sense at all? I don't see a connection." Craddock said slowly, "There's a little sparkle—but I can't see it. It's strange that she's writing about pearls." "What about pearls? What are you talking about?" "Hasn't Miss Blacklock always worn that short three-tiered pearl necklace?" "Yeah. We laugh at her sometimes. How fake it looks, doesn't it? I guess she thinks it's trendy." "There may be other reasons." Craddock said slowly. "You don't mean that's true? Oh; it can't be!" "How often do you get a chance to see a real pearl that big, Mrs. Harmon?" "But they look so glassy." "Anyway, they don't matter now. What matters is Miss Marple. We've got to find her." They had to find her before it was too late—maybe it was already too late?These penciled words said she was on the right track...but it was dangerous—very dangerous.Besides, where did Fletcher go? Craddock came out of the vicarage and walked to his car.Search—it was the only thing he could do—search. A voice came from the hanging laurel branches. "Sir!" Sergeant Fletcher called hastily, "Sir..."