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There wasas the car careat roar, and the beautiful whiteup the street

“She’ll kill someone,” said Father, “she’ll kill a lot of people…even if she doesn’t kill herself”

“I wonder,” said Miss Marple

“She’s a good driver, of course A daood driver Whoof, that was a near one!”

They heard the roar of the car racing aith the horn blaring, heard it grow fainter Heard cries, shouts, the sound of brakes, cars hooting and pulling up and finally a great screa exhaust and—

“She’s crashed,” said Father

He stood there very quietly waiting with the patience that was characteristic of his whole big patient form Miss Marple stood silent beside hi the street A man on the pavement opposite looked up at Chief-Inspector Davy and ns with his hands

“She’s had it,” said Father heavily “Dead! Went about ninety s No other casualties bar a few slight collisions Magnificent driving Yes, she’s dead” He turned back into the room and said heavily, “Well, she told her story first You heard her”

“Yes,” said Miss Marple “I heard her” There was a pause “It wasn’t true, of course,” said Miss Marple quietly

Father looked at her “You didn’t believe her, eh?”

“Did you?”

“No,” said Father “No, it wasn’t the right story She thought it out so that it would meet the case exactly, but it wasn’t true She didn’t shoot Michael Gorman D’you happen to knoho did?”

“Of course I know,” said Miss Marple “The girl”

“Ah! When did you begin to think that?”

“I alondered,” said Miss Marple

“So did I,” said Father “She was full of fear that night And the lies she told were poor lies But I couldn’t see a motive at first”

“That puzzled e was bigairl do murder for that? Not nowadays! I suppose there was a money side to it?”

“Yes, it was money,” said Chief-Inspector Davy “Her father left her a colossal fortune When she found out that her mother was e to Coniston hadn’t been legal She thought that h she was his daughter, she wasn’t legiti like that before Depends on the ter her by naht, but she didn’t know that And she wasn’t going to let go of the cash”

“Why did she need it so badly?”

Chief-Inspector Davy said grimly, “To buy Ladislaus Malinowski He would have married her for her money He wouldn’t have irl She knew that But she wanted him on any terms She was desperately in love with him”

“I know,” said Miss Marple She explained: “I saw her face that day in Battersea Park…”

“She knew that with the et him, and without the money she’d lose him,” said Father “And so she planned a cold-blooded murder She didn’t hide in the area, of course There was nobody in the area She just stood by the railings and fired a shot and screa down the street from the hotel, she shot hi She was a cool hand She’d no idea of incri Ladislaus She pinched his pistol because it was the only way she could get hold of one easily; and she never dreamed that he would be suspected of the criht She thought it would be put down to so Yes, she was a cool hand But she was afraid that night—afterwards! And her mother was afraid for her…”