Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

1 Miss Marple passed through the French windows of her sitting room, walked briskly along the neat garden path, out a gate in the garden, and turned into the vicarage garden.She approached the living room window and tapped softly on the glass. The vicar was busy in his study getting ready for the Sunday sermon, while his pretty young wife admired her son playing on the hearth rug. "Can I come in, Griselda?" "Oh, come in, Miss Marple. Look at David! He's pissed off, because he can only crawl backwards. He tries to get enough, and the harder he tries, the farther he goes, the further he backs into the coal box!"

"He's very strong, Griselda." "He's not bad, is he?" said the young mother, trying to look nonchalant. "Of course I don't care about him. All the books say that children should be left alone as much as possible." "That's sensible, dear," said Miss Marple. "Well, I came to ask if you're currently collecting donations for something special." The pastor's wife looked at her with some surprise. "Oh, there are plenty," she said cheerfully, "always." She counted them on her fingers: "There's the Early Nave Restoration Fund, St. Giles Mission, Good Works Day next Wednesday, Unmarried Mothers' Day, a Boy Scout field trip, the Sewing Guild, the Bishop for the Deep Sea Fishermen's Appeal."

"Anything will do," said Miss Marple. "You see, I think I might take a pad and do a little collection--if you'll let me." "What are you up to? I think you must be busy. Of course I agree. Then raise money for the Day of Kindness. It would be nice to get some real money instead of those messy little sachets and ridiculous wipes." Pen cloth, and depressing children's coats and trench coats, all sorted like dolls." Griselda accompanied the guest to the window, and she continued: "I guess you don't want to tell me what's going on?"

"My dear, I'll tell you later." Miss Marple said and hurried away. The young mother sighed and went back to the hearth rug, where, under strict do-nothing rules, she headbutted her son in the stomach three times, only to have him grab her hair and yell with delight as he tugged at it.Then they rolled around in a mess until the door was opened and the maid announced to the most influential parishioner (who didn't like children): "The madam is here." So Griselda sat up, trying to look dignified to look more like a parson's wife. 2 Miss Marple clutched a small black book tightly in her hand, which contained records written in pencil.She walked briskly down the village street to the crossroads, then turned left, past the Blue Boar Inn, and walked on to Chatsworth, also known as "Mr. Booker's New House."

She turned in the gate, went up and knocked briskly on the front door. The door was opened by a young blonde woman named Dinah Lee.She wasn't as well dressed as usual, in fact she looked a little scruffy in a bright green jumper and gray slacks. "Good morning," said Miss Marple briskly. "May I come in for a moment?" She leaned forward as she spoke, leaving Dinah Lee, somewhat surprised by her visit, no time to make a decision. "Thank you very much," said Miss Marple, smiling kindly at her, and sitting down carefully in an "antique" bamboo chair.

"It's so warm this time of day, isn't it?" said Miss Marple, still in a friendly manner. "Yes, very warm. Oh, very warm." Miss Li said. Not knowing how to deal with the situation, she opened a cigarette case and passed it to the guest. "Er—smoker?" "Thank you very much, but I don't smoke. You see, I'm here to ask for your help with our good deed next week." "A charity event?" Dinah Lee said, as if repeating a foreign word. "At the vicarage," said Miss Marple, "next Wednesday." "Oh:, Miss Li opened her mouth, "I'm afraid I can't—"

"Not at all? Maybe half a crown?" Miss Marple produced her little notebook. The woman's expression immediately relaxed, and she turned her head to search in her handbag. "Oh—uh—well, fine. I think I can do this." Miss Marple looked around keenly. "I see you don't have a hearth rug," she said. Dinah Lee stared back at her.She was aware that the old woman was watching her keenly, but it only aroused her slight displeasure.Miss Marple saw it.She said: "You know, it's dangerous. The sparks splash out and land on the carpet in the room."

"Funny spinster," thought Dinah, and she said, vaguely but kindly, "There used to be one. I don't know where." "I guess," said Miss Marple, "the fluffy, furry kind?" "Wool," said Dinah, "looks like sheep." Now she is amused.She thought she was seeing a queer old fellow. She produced a half-crown coin. "Here you are," she said. "Oh, thank you, dear." Miss Marple took it, and opened the little book. "Er—how should I write my name?" Dinah's eyes suddenly became cold and contemptuous. "A meddling old cat," she thought, "that's what she's here for—to find out about scandals." She said each word with malice and cheerfulness: "Miss Dinah Lee."

Miss Marple looked at her calmly. She said, "This is Basil Blake's house, isn't it?" "Yes, and I am Miss Dinah Lee." She finished defiantly, throwing her head back, her blue eyes sparkling. Miss Marple looked at her very calmly and said, "Even though you may think it impolite of me to do so, may I give you some advice?" "I don't think it's polite to do that. You'd better not say anything." "However," said Miss Marple, "I will say it anyway. I would like to urge you not to continue using your maiden name in the village."

Dinah watched her intently.She said, "What do you mean?" Miss Marple said earnestly: "Soon you may need all the sympathy and good wishes you can find. Also, the right opinion of your husband is very important to him. People are biased. I think you're both pretending to be in this role and enjoying it. Doing so alienates the other person and keeps you from what you call the 'oldies'. Still, oldies have their uses." Dinah asked, "How do you know we're married?" Miss Marple smiled disapprovingly. "Oh dear," she said. Dinah pressed: "No, how do you know? Have you been-- been to Somerset Abbey?"

Miss Marple's eyes lit up for a moment. "Somerset Church? Oh, haven't been. But it's easy to guess. You know you can't keep anything secret in the village. Those quarrels between you are--characteristic of early marriage. Very--very unlike Illegitimate relationship. You know, it's often said (and I think it's true) that you can only really piss him off if you're married to him. If you don't—without a legal bond, people are very cautious, and they're always Convince yourself that everything is so happy and good. They dare not quarrel: and I have noticed that married people enjoy fighting and reconciliation afterward." She stopped, soft light in her eyes. "Well, I—" Dinah laughed.She sat down and lit a cigarette. She went on: "But why do you want us to admit this fact?" Miss Marple said with a serious expression: "Because now your husband may be arrested and imprisoned for murder at any time." 3 Dinah looked at her intently for a moment.Then she said in disbelief: "Basil? Murder? Are you kidding?" "No, it's true. Didn't you read the paper?" Dinah took a breath. "You mean—the girl at the Royal Hotel. You mean they suspect Basil of killing her?" "yes.". "Nonsense!" There was the sound of a car engine and the slamming of a door.The door was pushed open, and Basil Black walked in with several bottles in his arms.He said, "Then gin and vermouth. You—" He stopped and looked in disbelief at the straight-backed, prim visitor.Dinah gasped and said loudly, "Is she crazy? She says you're going to be arrested for murdering that Ruby Keene girl." "Oh my God!" said Basil Black, and the bottle slid from his arm onto the sofa.He staggered up to a chair, slumped in, buried his face in his hands, and kept saying, "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" Dinah rushed to him and grabbed his shoulders. "Basil, look at me! It's not true! I know it's not true! I don't believe it at all!" His hand went up and took hers. "Thank you dear." "But why do they think—you don't even know her. Do you?" "Oh no, he knew her," said Miss Marple. Basil flew into a rage: "Shut up, you ugly old woman. Listen, dear Dinah, I don't know her at all. I only met her once or twice at the Royal Hotel. That's all, I swear that's all." .” Dinah said puzzledly, "I don't understand. But why do people suspect you?" Basil began to groan.He put his hands over his eyes and rocked his body back and forth. Miss Marple said: "What have you done with that fireside rug?" He replied mechanically, "I threw it in the trash." Miss Marple made an annoyed rattle. "Honestly—stupid. People never put good hearth rugs in the bin. I guess there's some tinsel from her clothes on it?" "Yes, I can't get it off." Dinah yelled, "What are you two talking about?" Basil said sullenly, "Ask her. She seems to know everything." "If you like, I can tell you what I guess happened," said Miss Marple. "If I'm wrong, Mr. Black, you can correct me. I think after you and your wife had a big fight at the party, you drove You probably had a lot to drink when you got back here. I don't know when you got home—" Basil Black said angrily: "About two o'clock in the morning. I thought about going into the city, but I changed my mind when I drove into the suburbs. I thought Dinah might come with me here, so I drove there. Here. It was dark all around, and I opened the door and turned on the light, and I saw—I saw—" He choked up.Miss Marple went on: "You saw lying on the fireside rug a girl - a girl in a white evening dress - strangled to death. I didn't know you recognized her without Basil? Blake shook his head vigorously. "After one look I dare not look again - her face is bruised and swollen. She's been dead for some time, right there - in my room 2p, he shudders. Miss Marple said softly, "Of course you couldn't help yourself. You were very drunk and timid. I think you were in a panic and didn't know what to do." "I thought Dinah would come back any moment. She would find me with a dead body - the body of a girl - and would think I had killed her. Then an idea came to me - I don't know why, at the time I thought it was Seems like a good idea—I thought: I'll put her in the library in old Bantry. That damned pompous old man, always looking down at people, laughing at me for being artistic and effeminate. This time, I thought, the pompous He's going to look like a fool when he finds a pretty woman's body on his fireside rug." He was eager to explain again, "I was a little drunk, you know. It seems very interesting to me. Old Bantry and the body of a fair-haired woman." "Yeah, yeah," said Miss Marple, "about the same idea as little Tommy Bond. The little boy was very sensitive and had an inferiority complex. He said the teachers always looked down on him. He put I caught a frog, and then the frog jumped on the teacher from inside." "You too," said Miss Marple, "of course, but with dead bodies more than frogs." Basil began to moan again. "By the morning I was awake. I realized what I had done. I was terrified. Then the police came—another bloody pompous ass—the Chief of Police.My uncle was terrified of him--the only way to hide it was to be extremely rude.Dinah drove back in the middle of negotiating with them. " Dinah looked out the window. "A car drove up ... and there were some men in it," she said. "I think it's the police," said Miss Marple. Basil Black stood up.Suddenly he became very calm, decisive.He even laughed.He said, "Well, I've got to get punished, don't I? It's all right, Dinah baby, keep calm. Get in touch with old Sims - he's the family lawyer - go to mother and tell all about our marriage She. She won't eat you. Do not worry.I didn't kill her.So it's going to be fine, understand?sweetheart? " There was a knock on the door outside.Basil called, "Come in." Inspector Slack came in with another man, who said, "You are Mr. Basil Black?" "yes." "I have here a warrant for your arrest. You are accused of murdering Ruby Keene on the night of September 21st. I remind you that anything you say may be used in interrogation.Please follow me now.We will provide you with every convenience to connect you with your lawyer. " Basil nodded. He looked at Dinah, but did not touch her.He said, "Goodbye, Dinah." "Cold-blooded animal," thought Inspector Slack. He bowed slightly to Miss Marple, said good morning, and thought to himself, "Wise old cat, she already knows: we did a good job finding that fireside rug we got from the guy in the studio car park." Learned he left the party at eleven, not midnight. We don't think his friends were trying to perjure. They were both drunk and Blake insisted the next day that he left at twelve, so they believed him . All right, this time he's completely finished!I think he's mentally ill: no hanging, only Broadmoor.First the Reeves kid, who probably strangled her first, then drove the body to the quarry, then walked back to Danemouth, retrieved his car on some back road, went to the party, and Back to Danemouth, brought Ruby Keene here, strangled her and put her in the old Bantry library, then probably got worried about the car in the quarry and drove back to There, light a fire, and run back here.He's a maniac - full of sex and bloodlust - and luckily the girl escapes.I think it's what they call relapsing mania. " At last only Miss Marple was left in the room, and Dinah Black turned to her and said, "I don't know what you do, but you've got to figure this out - it wasn't Black who did it." Miss Marple said: "I know he didn't do it. I know who did it. But it won't be easy to prove. I have an idea that one of the things you just mentioned might help. It reminds me of that connection I've been trying to find—well, what was that? "