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“What is it?”
“Ru you ever heard of,” replied her husband “Body of a young woman found up at the Hall In the Colonel’s library”
“Murdered?”
“Strangled, so he says”
“Who was she?”
“The Colonel says he doesn’t know her from Adam”
“Then as she doing in ’is library?”
Police-Constable Palk silenced her with a reproachful glance and spoke officially into the telephone
“Inspector Slack? Police-Constable Palk here A report has just co wo at seven-fifteen—”
IV
Miss Marple’s telephone rang when she was dressing The sound of it flurried her a little It was an unusual hour for her telephone to ring So well ordered was her prim spinster’s life that unforeseen telephone calls were a source of vivid conjecture
“Dearinstrument with perplexity “I wonder who that can be?”
Nine o’clock to nine-thirty was the recognized tihbours Plans for the day, invitations and so on were always issued then The butcher had been known to ring up just before nine if so the day spash it was considered bad forht It was true that Miss Marple’s nepheriter, and therefore erratic, had been known to ring up at the ht But whatever Ray was not one of them Neither he nor anyone of Miss Marple’s acquaintance would be likely to ring up before eight in the ht
Too early even for a telegraht
“Itnumber”
Having decided this, she advanced to the i up the receiver “Yes?” she said
“Is that you, Jane?”
Miss Marple was much surprised
“Yes, it’s Jane You’re up very early, Dolly”
Mrs Bantry’s voice caitated over the wires
“Thehas happened”
“Oh, my dear”
“We’ve just found a body in the library”
For a one mad
“You’ve found a what?”
“I know One doesn’t believe it, does one? I ue for hours with Arthur this o down and see”
Miss Marple tried to collect herself She demanded breathlessly: “But whose body is it?”
“It’s a blonde”
“A what?”
“A blonde A beautiful blonde—like books again None of us have ever seen her before She’s just lying there in the library, dead That’s why you’ve got to come up at once”
“You want me to come up?”
“Yes, I’ the car down for you”
Miss Marple said doubtfully:
“Of course, dear, if you think I can be of any comfort to you—”
“Oh, I don’t want coood at bodies”
“Oh no, indeed My little successes have been mostly theoretical”
“But you’re very good at led What I feel is that if one has got to have a ht as well enjoy it, if you knohat I mean That’s why I want you to come and help me find out who did it and unravel the , isn’t it?”
“Well, of course, my dear, if I can be of any help to you”
“Splendid! Arthur’s being rather difficult He seems to think I shouldn’t enjoy myself about it at all Of course, I do know it’s very sad and all that, but then I don’t know the girl—and when you’ve seen her you’ll understand what I mean when I say she doesn’t look real at all”
V
A little breathless, Miss Marple alighted from the Bantry’s car, the door of which was held open for her by the chauffeur
Colonel Bantry came out on the steps, and looked a little surprised
“Miss Marple?—er—very pleased to see you”
“Your wife telephoned to me,” explained Miss Marple
“Capital, capital She ought to have soood face on things at the moment, but you knohat it is—”
At this moment Mrs Bantry appeared, and exclaimed:
“Do go back into the dining rooet cold”
“I thought it ,” explained Colonel Bantry
“He’ll be here soon enough,” said Mrs Bantry “That’s why it’s iet your breakfast first You need it”
“So do you Much better co Dolly—”
“I’ll come in a minute,” said Mrs Bantry “Go on, Arthur”
Colonel Bantry was shooed back into the dining room like a recalcitrant hen
“Now!” said Mrs Bantry with an intonation of triumph “Come on”
She
led the way rapidly along the long corridor to the east of the house Outside the library door Constable Palk stood on guard He intercepted Mrs Bantry with a show of authority
“I’m afraid nobody is allowed in, madam Inspector’s orders”
“Nonsense, Palk,” said Mrs Bantry “You know Miss Marple perfectly well”
Constable Palk ad Miss Marple
“It’s very important that she should see the body,” said Mrs Bantry “Don’t be stupid, Palk After all, it’s my library, isn’t it?”
Constable Palk gave way His habit of giving in to the gentry was lifelong The Inspector, he reflected, need never know about it
“Nothing must be touched or handled in any way,” he warned the ladies
“Of course not,” said Mrs Bantry impatiently “We know that You can come in and watch, if you like”
Constable Palk availed himself of this permission It had been his intention, anyway
Mrs Bantry bore her friend triu old-fashioned fireplace She said, with a dramatic sense of climax: “There!”
Miss Marple understood then just what her friend had irl wasn’t real The library was a rooe and shabby and untidy It had big sagging armchairs, and pipes and books and estate papers laid out on the big table There were one or two good old family portraits on the walls, and so scenes There was a big vase of Michaelmas daisies in the corner The whole roo occupation and familiar use and of links with tradition
And across the old bearskin hearthrug there was sprawled so new and crude and melodramatic
The flairl with unnaturally fair hair dressed up off her face in elaborate curls and rings Her thin body was dressed in a backless evening dress of white spangled satin The face was heavily rotesquely on its blue swollen surface, thethickly on the distorted cheeks, the scarlet of the lips looking like a gash The fingernails were enamelled in a deep blood-red and so were the toenails in their cheap silver sandal shoes It was a cheap, tawdry, flaruous in the solid old-fashioned comfort of Colonel Bantry’s library