"Agatha Christie's Miss Marple" "A Pocketful of Rye Part One" "# Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye" "# Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" "# When the pie was opened the birds began to sing" "# Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before... #" "Good morning, Mr. Fortescue." " For you." " Oh, thank you, sir." "Morning." "Yes, Mr. Fortescue?" " Tea." " Tea, Mr. Fortescue?" "Tea, tea, tea!" "Mr. Fortescue's tray, please, Miss Griffith." "Yes, I know, but he did ask for it." "I think..." "I think..." "I think..." "Inspector Neele." "Come on, dear." "I'm sorry, Inspector Neele, he didn't regain consciousness." "Nasty death." "What do you think?" "We'll have to do a post-mortem." "But I think..." "You think it's poisoning." "I'll bet you a week's wages it's some form of alkaloid poisoning." "We don't know how." "He didn't drink anything at the office." "There are many alkaloids apart from strychnine." "Some quite slow-acting." "He could have taken it at breakfast." "Breakfast." "This way, Inspector." "Oh, there you are, sir." "Well, well, whither bound?" "Back to Fortescue's office." "Got all his clothes?" "And more, sir." "From the deceased's Savile-Row-tailor worsted, sir." "Hold out your hand." "There." "Seed." "Where was it?" "In his jacket pocket." "What do you reckon?" "Barley?" "No." "Rye." "I think it's rye." "Did Mr. Fortescue feed the pigeons?" "Him?" "No." "I don't think so." "He didn't have a pet of any sort?" "Pet?" "No." "So if I told you he had a pocketful of seed in his jacket when he died, you'd have no explanation for it?" "Seed?" "No." "Right." "Thank you, Miss Grosvenor." "I wonder if you'd ask Miss Griffith to come in." "All right." "Hay." "Keep your libido to yourself." "Have you got anything?" "Oh, yes, sir." "A right little viper's nest, sir." " Guess who." " His daughter?" "His wife." "First one dies 20 years ago." "He married this one a couple of years back." " Not very well received." " Hardly surprising." "The sons hate each other." "The older one, Percival, works in the family business." "Bit straight-laced." "The younger one, Lance, is a tearaway." "Quarrelled with his father and went to Africa." " And Percival?" " Lives at home." "Baydon Heath." "Went up to Leeds yesterday on business, I gather." " They want to see you next." " Oh." "Yes, of course." " Now?" " When else?" "Recently, he'd suddenly become...odd." "Positively gossiping and, quite frankly, flinging his money about." "Mr. Percival was worried." "The business was going wrong." "I understand there was a real dust-up." "Well, he swore at Mr. Percival." "In the outer office, in front of the girls." "Really abused him." "Called him a miserable, pettifogging little clerk." "Mr. Percival went bright red." "Mr. Fortescue said he would get Mr. Lance home again." "Mr. Lance was worth ten of him, he said." "Mr. Lance had some guts, he said, and he'd married well." "He married the widow of Lord Frederick Anstice, you know." "What do you think of Lance Fortescue?" "Oh, Mr. Lance is rather different." "We all like Mr. Lance." "My God, there's some money about." "Yeah." "Look what they spend it on." "These are not nice houses." " Who'd you make contact with?" " Housekeeper." "Superior young female, very cool." "Miss Dove?" "Done Mrs. Fortescue's carpet." "She asked me, so I did it." "One moment, Ellen." "Have you heard the news?" "She's a widow now." "The Lord hath taken away." "What she was waiting for." "The circumstances of Mr. Fortescue's death were not uncomplicated." "I see." "The police will be here shortly, asking questions." " I thought you ought to know." " It's a stain gone." "The world's a cleaner place today, Miss Dove." "One thorough scrub and he'll be forgotten, and the better for it." "Yew Tree Lodge." "I was brought up in a lodge." "If that's a lodge, ours was a shoebox." "Has Mrs. Fortescue been told, by the way?" "She's playing golf." "Can't be contacted." "That's gonna be fun, breaking it to her." "Yeah." "But if you're gonna be a widow, better be a rich one, eh?" "I thought he'd been a bit peculiar lately." "But I never reckoned..." "Poor Mr. Fortescue." "Had a fit." "Brainstorm." "You never know, do you?" "I wonder what brought it on, eh?" "Could make a good guess." "You've a mind like a sink trap, Reginald Crump." "Yeah, you're right." " Perhaps it was something he ate." " Don't you start!" "Oh, Gladys!" "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "Not again, Gladys." "I'm sorry, Miss Dove." "What's the matter with Gladys the rabbit?" "We're none of us ourselves." "Crump, could you...?" "I'd better go and find Gladys." "Good morning, sir." "Detective Inspector Neele, Detective Sergeant Hay." "Miss Dove is expecting us." "Oh, yes, of course, Inspector." "GladysI" "Gladys?" "What on earth's the matter?" "I am a good girl, Miss Dove." "I am, so I am." "Pull yourself together, Gladys." "Nobody is cross." "It was only breakfast china." "Inspector Neele." "Yes, Miss Dove." "Thank you, Miss Dove." "Oh, I'm a good girl." "There's plenty as'll say it." "I'm going down the village to see Mrs Edie's youngest." "She's got croup again." "So very tiresome, isn't it?" "Oh, yes, Daisy." "Oh, that's very nice." "Yes, very much better." "No nasty mess on the paint." "Yes, very good." "Oh, got a little on the keyhole, dear, haven't you?" " Sorry, ma'am." " Oh, that's all right." "You'll get it off in a jiffy." "No, there's a very great improvement." "Well done." "Oh, Miss Marple?" "Miss Marple!" " Miss Marple!" " Oh, good afternoon, Mrs. Brogan." "Look, Miss Marple, look." "Stop press, look." "That's where our Gladys went." " Gladys?" " Gladys, what you trained up so nicely." "After she was at the café at Danemouth." "It's her new place." "Mr. Fortescue of Baydon Heath." "Fortescue?" "Oh, yes." "I think you must be right." "Yes, I remember writing the reference." ""Mystery death", it says." "It's not much help." "Course, it's only the lunchtime edition." "There'll be more later." "Would you like I bring one round for you, Miss Marple?" "Oh, thank you so much, Mrs. Brogan." "Yes, I'd appreciate that." "Thank you, yes." "Good afternoon, Dolly." "Good." "Stand still now." "All facing me." "Very well." "Good afternoon, Mrs. Lewty." "# Up and down the city road" "# In and out the Eagle" "# That's the way the money goes" "# Pop goes the weasel #" "I've been looking for you." "What do you think you're doing?" "Hurry up!" "Come along, there's work to do!" "Hurry up!" "At a time like this!" "# Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye" "# Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" "# When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing" "# Now, wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?" "#" " Yes." " No, thank you." "Crump is a problem." "But his silver's all right and his waiting at table isn't too bad." "I supervise his valeting and I keep the key of the wine cellar." "The admirable Miss Crichton." "For a woman in my circumstances, Inspector, the alternative is to drudge in an office." "You may think it servile but it allows me to be my own woman." "That wasn't a criticism." "St Jude's hospital calling." "You wanna take it?" "Yes." "Excuse me." "Thank you." "Neele here." "What's the verdict?" "Mr. Fortescue died from alkaloid poisoning as I suspected." " It's a very interesting case." " Why?" "It's a very rare poison, in that it's been administered to a human in concentrated form." "Are you certain that that is the case?" "That it was administered?" "It couldn't just have been a mistake?" "No." "Unless the deceased was in the habit of chewing trees." " What?" " The poison was taxine." "It's an alkaloid derived from the foliage and berries of Taxus baccata, the yew tree." " Hello?" " Yes, yes." "That is, er, interesting." "Any ideas how it could be administered?" "In any strong-tasting beverage." " Coffee?" " Yes." " Tea?" " No." "It's slightly bitter." "Yes, yes, I see." "What about the timing?" "Two to two and a half hours." "Sometimes acts quicker but he'd eaten a full breakfast." "Miss Dove." "Do you take meals with the family?" "No." "I supervise them." "I'm in and out of the kitchen and dining room." "Good." "I'd like you to describe this morning's breakfast to me, if you would." " I thought so." "He was poisoned, wasn't he?" " Yes." "Forgive me if I seem callous, Inspector, but Mr. Fortescue was an odious man." "In fact, the entire family are most unpleasant people." " About this morning's breakfast." " Of course." "Well, I'm normally in the dining room before the family come down just to make sure everything's in order." "That's at about 7:15." "No, Gladys." "Mr. Fortescue likes the coffee-pot with the long spout." "Yes, Miss Dove." "You can tell Mrs. Crump to start the toast-making and have the coffee standing by." "Yes, Miss Dove." "Mrs. Fortescue is invariably the first down." "This morning was no exception." "Good morning, Mrs. Fortescue." " Mrs. Crump is making the toast now." " Thanks, Miss D." "She married Mr. Fortescue for his money, of course." "You might think she's just a sexy piece but she's not an entire fool." "He likes her to look wonderful at breakfast, so she does." "I don't think he makes many demands, if you know what I mean." "Good morning, Miss Henderson." "Breakfast is ready." "Mr. Fortescue's sister-in-law by his first marriage is addicted to the scriptures." "She sees the house, perhaps correctly, as a den of iniquity and hardly ever leaves her room." "Percival's wife Jennifer was pretending she wasn't there." "Good morning, Mrs. Percival." "Good morning, Miss Dove." "Thank you, sweetie pie." "Now, you eat it up like a good boy." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I apologise." "Why don't you go and help Miss Henderson with the stairs?" "Yes, Miss." "The only help my sister-in-law will accept with anything is God's help." " Haven't you got anything better to do, girl?" " Sorry, ma'am." "Devil finds work for idle hands." "Morning, Aunt Effie." "If there's anything else, Miss D, leave a message at the clubhouse." "Clubhouse?" "Whorehouse." "Rogers has brought the car around, Mr. Fortescue." "Good morning, sister-in-law." "Good morning...brother-in-law." "And a few hours later, he was dead." "What did Miss Henderson mean by her remark about Adele Fortescue?" "Mrs. Fortescue has a regular golfing partner." "A man of her own age and, um, inclinations." "Mr. Vivian Dubois." "Whether their sport is exclusively golf is open to interpretation." " I see." "That could well be her now." "NonsenseI Everyone's out Anyway, so what?" " I can't stay long." " Oh, Vivian!" "For God's sake!" "Don't be silly!" "Oh!" "This is Detective Inspector Neele of Scotland Yard." "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." "What?" "It's about your husband." "He was taken seriously ill this morning." " Is he in hospital?" " He was." "I'm afraid he died there." "Preposterous." "Histrionics!" "Oh." "Miss Dove, have you any idea why Mr. Fortescue would be carrying some loose grain in his pocket when he died?" "Grain?" "Like wheat or something?" " Yes." " No idea at all." "None." "Excuse me." "Hello?" "Yes." "I'll take it." " She'll be all right." " Yes." "Uh, I feel a bit of a heel, but I really have to go." " I'm at the Dormy House Hotel." " Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Telegram." "For the murdered man." ""Your letter delayed." "With you at teatime."" ""Shall expect fatted calf for dinner." "Lance."" "So, the prodigal has been summoned home." "It's from Paris." "It's all very well for you to say "describe him", Pat," "I'm a rotten hand at descriptions." "Oh, have a go." "Go on." "Quite frankly, the Governor's a bit of an old crook." "Not an out-and-out swindler but he knows how to put over a fast one." " But then..." " What?" "All those years with the racing fraternity, you'll be used to that." "Oh, yes." "I wish I weren't." " You're fond of him." " Do you know, darling, I believe I am." "I suppose this is a genuine olive branch from the Governor." "I suppose he really does want me back." "Cos I'll have a devil of a job settling into this 9-to-5 routine." "Why shouldn't it be?" "I've been deceived by my family often enough." "I sometimes think that's part of why I wanted to marry you." "I knew you wouldn't let me down." "And the other part?" "I'll tell you later." "On the account, please, Phillips." "Jennifer!" "Oh, Jennifer!" "What is it?" "Rex is dead." "I can't believe it." "So, that's that." "Yes." "That's that." "Isn't it funny?" "It hardly seems to make any difference." "The police are here." "That's an insinuation, that is!" "I know an insinuation when I hear one and that was one!" "Coming and making insinuations about my food," "I'll have the law on you, law or no law!" "My food's never done no-one no harm, and you prove me different!" "Ah, there you are, Hay." "You found the girl yet?" "Run along, Gladys." "Talk to the gentleman." "Yes, Mrs. Crump." "Oh, no!" "Don't you go creeping out of there, my lad!" "I got words to have with you." "That's right, Hay." "You talk to the lady." "We got one or two things to sort out." " Now..." " I didn't do it!" "I don't know anything about it." "No, of course you don't." "I'm just trying to get a general picture of how things go here." "You're obviously a very good, observant girl, and I think you can help me." "Sit down." "Now, you laid breakfast, didn't you?" "When you brought in the toast, Miss Dove was here, wasn't she?" "Like she usually is?" "Good." "There, you see?" "You're being very helpful, aren't you?" "What did you mean, darling, about your family deceiving you?" "I've no proof." "It doesn't matter." "Well, it obviously does." "It's my brother." "Percival the pious, Percy primrose." "Always civil, sober, and serious." " What about him?" " Well, he loathes me, all I represent." "It threatens him, so he got rid of me." "HE did?" "How?" "Oh, he wrecked things between me and Father." "He got me branded as untrustworthy." "He knew the Governor and I were pretty similar in lots of ways, and he didn't like it." "I don't think I like brother Percival." "I shouldn't worry about it." "They've always wished that I didn't exist." "That'll be Percival." "Well, he won't be much help, dear." "Oh, good evening, sir." "Welcome home." "Oh, Percival!" "Thank heavens you're back!" " I'm fine." "I'm fine." "Who's this?" " Detective Inspector Neele, sir." "Oh, good." "Very good." " Have you an explanation of this, Inspector?" " Explanation, sir?" "Who gave them this information?" "The only people privy to this tragedy were the police and my family." "I think I can vouch for my family, which lays it at your door, I'd say." "What information particularly, sir?" "Have you any conception what this can do to a business like ours?" "They're even suggesting there's some sort of black magic involved." "Here. "Police will be following up the mysterious clue" ""of the handful of grain found in the victim's pocket." ""Was this some kind of ritual murder hither to undiscovered?"" "I am very sorry it upset you, sir." "You can't legislate for the bad taste of journalists." "But..." "It's not good enough, Inspector." "Not good enough." "Percival, just a minute." "Wait a minute, please." "I just want to talk to..." "For God's sake, woman, leave me alone!" "It was murder, Miss Marple, Mr. Rex Fortescue's." "Really?" "Oh, mercy me." "The latest edition." "Murder definitely." ""Was this some kind of ritual murder, hitherto undiscovered?"" "A ritual murder, did you say?" "May I see?" "Of course." "Here, see?" ""Police believe that the mysterious presence"" ""of a handful of grain in the dead man's pocket"" ""may point to the revival of an ancient fertility rite"" ""and the deceased may have been the victim of a ritual murder."" "Do they say what kind of grain?" "No." "No, they don't." "Rex Fortescue." " Yes?" " Hmm." " What is it?" " Oh, I really don't know." "There was something but, er, now it's gone." "I..." "Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Brogan, for bringing this along yourself." " Most thoughtful of you." " My pleasure, Miss Marple." "Good night." ""Did the macabre murder today of Mr. Rex Fortescue,"" ""the Merchant Street financier,"" ""have connections with ancient witchcraft?"" "Witchcraft?" "# Sing a song of sixpence" "# A pocketful of rye" "# Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" "# When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing" "# Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?" "#" "I've had enough of this place for one day." "Couldn't put it more delicately myself, sir." "I think he was poisoned at breakfast." "And as far as I can gather, it was the wife who stood to gain the most." "Really?" "Before she hooked Fortescue, you know she was a manicurist from Brighton?" "You're a right little fund, aren't you, Hay?" " Hello?" " Adele, it's me." " Ah, Vivian." " Hello." "I notice you scarpered at the first sign of trouble." "Yes." "Sorry about that." "I thought it might be, you know, wiser." " How's it been?" " Bloody grim!" " I'm sorry." " When are you going to come over?" " You're crazy!" " Why?" "I can't come over." "Have you seen the evening papers?" " When am I going to see you, then?" " I don't know." "When it's all died down." "When it's all over." "I promise." " Listen, darling?" " What?" "You did get rid of them, didn't you?" "You burnt them as you promised?" "Of course I did, darling." "Stop panicking." "Listen." "When this thing's all died down, let's go away for a few days, shall we?" "Hmm." "That'd be lovely." "Good night, then." "The gentlemen of the police are here again, sir." "Show them to the billiard room." "What would be most helpful to us, Mr. Fortescue, would be if you could give us some idea of your father's testamentary dispositions." "Yes." "My father made a new will on the occasion of his marriage two years ago." "He leaves £100,000 to his wife absolutely." "Later he added a codicil leaving £40,000 to my wife, Jennifer, in her own right," " Legenda não traduzida - although I am the residuary legatee." "To your wife?" "Was that to avoid death duties?" "No, quite frankly." "Just a whim." "Did it please you that your wife should be thus favoured?" "It was a matter of indifference to me." "I thought it unnecessary." "Did you argue about it?" "Of course not." "We never argued over family matters." "Only business matters." "Occasionally." "Not seriously." "Would it be unfair of me to suggest that if your father had lived another few months, the business would have gone bankrupt and his death, from that point of view, could be said to be timely?" "Yes, it would be unfair of you to suggest that, Inspector." "Did your father make provision for your brother in his will?" "He was cut out of it years ago when he went to Africa." "20% of the business is all he may claim." "So he's come back too late?" "For reinstatement in my father's trust, yes." "Check out brother Lance." "I'll talk to the AC, you sort out the inquest." "Fortescue was in the AC's Masonic lodge." " It's gotta be the money." " Don't think it was a sex crime, sir." "Mrs. Rex Fortescue gets £100,000," "Mrs. Percival Fortescue gets £40,000." "A lot of money." " How much does Mr. Percy lay his hands on?" " On little." "Eh?" "Something was going wrong with the company." "Rex Fortescue was running the show," "Percival didn't like the way he was doing it." " That's a good enough motive." " Except he was in Leeds." "Not so good an opportunity, I grant you." "Mrs. Fortescue gets the money." "She also gets a partner to help her with her grip." "Dubois." "I agree." "Come on." "Let's get over to Northolt." "I can't pretend to a great deal of grief." "I've hardly seen my father since I went to Africa." "But I thought..." "Well, I'd been led to believe that things were on the mend between us." "Can you tell me about that, sir?" "Of course." "When my marriage to Pat was in the gossip columns, he wrote to me." "Pat was the widow of a lord, you see, and the Governor was a bit of a social climber." "Social steeplejack, actually." "So there was some kind of reconciliation?" "Oh, not quite as dramatic as that." "Let's say it looked as if a thaw was possible." "I visited him this summer and he suggested that I might like to go back into the firm." "I told him I'd think about it." "It was Pat's decision, too." "Well, we decided to take him up on his offer, didn't we, darling?" "I spent the last few months winding up my affairs in Africa." " Whereabouts in Africa?" " Tanganyika, sir." "I told the old boy I'd wire him the date of my actual arrival in England." "Here we are." "No-one seems to know you were coming back, sir." "Not even your brother." "No." "The Governor was going behind his back." "Kept the whole thing very cloak-and-dagger." "No-one was to know I was coming over and we were to meet in private." "As you may have learned, Inspector, a cautious man." "Look, darling, I'll go to Yew Tree Lodge today but we'd better set you up with a hotel." " No, darling." "I'll come with you." " I'd rather you didn't." " We'll get you a civilised hotel in London." " But why can't I come?" "I'd like to be sure of my welcome, darling, that's all." " I'll go down this evening." "Besides which..." " What?" "I don't want to risk you in a house with a poisoner at large." "Where's Gladys?" "She's gone out." "Telephone." "Said she won't be long." "Better not be." "Sandwiches don't cut themselves." "Best nylons today, I noticed." " And I know why." " I'll bet you do." " To telephone?" "Nylons?" " Makes her feel good." "Like I take my apron off to answer the phone." "It'll be that man she tries to keep quiet about." "I reckon he's married." "I don't know what bloke would look at her." "Great useless chump." "Don't you be unkind!" "You're not exactly God's gift, Reginald Crump." " Gladys!" " Yes, Miss Dove?" " Where have you been?" " Out to the telephone." "Weren't long." "Well, I suppose it's all right." "Not the best afternoon to choose." "Mr. Lance will be here at teatime." "Anyway, off you go." "Hello!" "Don't tell me, you must be the excellent Miss Dove." "This is awful!" "We should not be laughing like this!" "Oh, stuff!" "Are you going?" "Smashing tea, Mrs Fortescue and Fortescue Mrs," " but duty calls." "Gritos, rather." " Duty?" "Auntie Effie is my favourite aunt." "I must see how potty she's got in the interim." "Stepmother, may I say how pleased I am to meet you at last?" "Stepson, may I say how pleased I am to welcome you home?" "We badly need another man in the house." "See you both at dinner." "Hello, Aunt Effie." "They tell me downstairs you're getting very peculiar." "I always was very peculiar." "So you've turned up again..." "like a bad penny." " Got your wife with you?" " No." "It's not the place for her." "Shows some sense, at least." "Who is she, this wife of yours?" "Patricia Anstice." "Her first chap was killed in a spitfire." "And then..." "Anstice." "Lord Anstice, wasn't it?" "Blew his brains out." "Couldn't face the jockey club." "That's the one." "Well, you married some property at least." "No, I didn't." "Pat hasn't a bean." "That's why I came back." "Probably have to 9-to-5 it from now on." "Let's not talk about that, it's too depressing." "How are you?" "What's been going on here?" "Godless things." "Your father was a rogue and he married a harlot." "They used to stone women of her kind." "Yesterday she was just an adulteress." "Now she's a rich adulteress." "What's that supposed to mean?" "The journey from vice to evil is but a step." "Oh, come off it, Aunt Effie." "I don't know where she is." "The girl's a fool." "She's been twitching all day, doing nothing right." "And now she's gone off again." "Not so much as a by-your-leave." " How am I supposed to manage?" " We'll manage." "I'll clear the tea." "If she's not back in time, Mr Crump and I will serve at table." " You, Miss?" " Yes." "Won't we, Mr. Crump?" "Mrs. Fortescue?" "I just thought I'd clear the tea tray." "Ah, Miss Dove." "Oh, my God." " Good evening, ma'am." " Oh, hello, Daisy." " There was a telephone call for you, ma'am." " Oh, yes." "Were there any messages?" "No, ma'am." "She was very upset you was out." "Said she'd ring back." "Good." "Well, that seems satisfactory." "Who was it?" " What?" " Who was it, dear?" "Oh, it was Gladys, ma'am." "From Baydon Heath, the Fortescues." "Gladys Martin." "Ithasjustbeenreported that a second tragedy has followed the murder yesterday of financier Mr. Rex Fortescue." "His young widow, Mrs. Adele Fortescue, has been found dead, apparently poisoned by the tea she was taking in her own sitting room." "Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye." "# The king was in his counting house..." "Rex, the king." "# The queen was in the parlour..." "The queen was in the parlour" "# Eating bread and honey" "The maid..." "# The maid was in the garden..." "Gladys." "# Hanging out the clothes... #" "Gladys." "Agatha Christie's Miss Marple" "A Pocketful of Rye Part Two" "Ah, Miss Dove." "Oh, my God." "Your taxi, Miss Marple." "Now, remember to lock up, Daisy, and don't forget the pantry window." " Good night, ma'am." " Thank you." "Baydon Heath." "Directly, ma'am." " Excuse me, sir." " What is it, Hay?" "The gate, sir." "Swarming with press." "Shake the trees, photographers'll be dropping like ripe plums." "Tell the local station I want some extra men fast." " What did the doc say, sir?" " Another poisoning." "Cyanide, this time, in the tea." "Instantaneous." "Ah, Miss Dove." "Good." "Thank you." " Are you all right?" " Yes." "It was you that found her, wasn't it?" "Yes." "Do sit down." "I want you to tell me what happened." " Out you go." " I was only trying to do me job!" "Come on." "Out you go." " Officer!" " Officer!" "Gentlemen!" "And lady." "If you do not respect the integrity of this property, we shall make arrests." "Final warning." "I can only repeat, there is no evidence to confirm" "Mrs. Fortescue's death is connected with that of her husband." "I'll keep you in touch with all developments." "Now, gentlemen, please." " Relative of the family, is it, madam?" " Not exactly, no." " It's the maid Gladys I'm connected with." " Only relatives are allowed, madam." "But it's very important." "Her name is Gladys." "I..." "Well, I understand from the papers that Inspector Neele is in charge of the case." " Could you get a message to him?" " Yes, madam." "Will you tell..." "Now, this is very important." "No, I'll tell you what." "No, I'll write..." "I'll write him a note." "Yes, madam." "Yes?" " Yes?" " Sorry, sir." "Someone just arrived at the gate." "A Miss Marple." "Going on about the maid Gladys, sir." " Legenda não traduzida " " So?" " Says she wants to be let in, sir." " For God's sake." " Fair enough." "But I was to give you this, sir." "The old lady was most insistent." "So, you ordered tea for 4.30 and then you went upstairs." " What time did you come downstairs again?" " Teatime." "When I got onto the landing, something in the garden caught my attention." "Yew Tree Lodge." "Yes." "Yes, it is." "Oh, no." "Yes." "You're no bloody use in any other way, believe me!" "Stupid, stupid woman!" " Who was it, Gladys?" " Wrong number, Miss Dove." "Is tea ready?" "Mr. Lance will be here any minute." "Yes, Miss Dove." "As I was spared any further matrimonial warfare between Percival and poor Jennifer," "I went back to sort out the guest room before coming down to clear the table for tea." "Gladys still hadn't arrived." "Adele was getting impatient." "Where is everyone this afternoon?" "Where's Jennifer?" "I think she's..." "She and Mr. Percival had a disagreement." "What a surprise!" "Rex has left her 40 grand." "Did you know?" "I expect you do." "Anyway, Percy is registering his displeasure." "A wife with independent means. (TUTS)" "Anyway, go and fetch her, there's a duck, Miss Dove, will you?" "I've got to teach her to stand up to that husband of hers." "Mind you, how do you stand up to a glass of cold water?" "Mrs. Fortescue is expecting you, Mrs. Percival." "Thank you, Miss Dove." "Oh, Gladys!" "Why Gladys had abandoned the tea tray, I can't imagine." "No doubt I'll be treated to a string of excuses later on." "Hello!" "Don't tell me, you must be the excellent Miss Dove." "Yes, I am the excellent Miss Dove." "You must be Mr. Fortescue." "Do you have any more luggage?" " Just this." "Here." " Really, there's no need." "This was heading for the drawing room, I believe." "Mrs. Fortescue and Mrs. Fortescue, what a pleasure." "I come bearing gifts." "The foie gras sandwiches are spectacularly absent, but we have bread, honey, fondants and fancies." "We'll manage, I dare say." "Oh, Lance, it is good to see you." "You must be my beautiful stepmother, Adele." "And after tea, Fortescue left the room first?" "Yes." "Lance left first." "I gather he went up to see Miss Henderson, his aunt." "I heard Mrs. Percival leave almost immediately." " So Mrs. Fortescue was left alone?" " Presumably." "And the man in the garden?" "I assume that must've been Lance Fortescue." "No, couldn't have been." "His train was late." "Didn't arrive until 4.34." "It's five minutes by taxi at least from the station." "Tell me, the person you heard moving about upstairs..." "I'm almost certain it was Adele's room." "Quite honestly, it sounded like a man." "Oh, dear." "Oh, dear." "Well, my only poor consolation, and it is a very poor one," "I'm almost certainly too late anyway." " So you'll be leaving now, ma'am, will you?" " Oh, no, no, no." "Certainly not." "Come in." "Hello, Percival." "Still swotting?" "I wish I had something to take my mind off this horrible business." " Are they ever gonna serve supper?" " Oh, I expect so." "Pat has insisted on coming down tonight." "Is that all right?" "I hope you don't mind." "It's your house now, isn't it?" " Of course your wife's welcome." " Thanks." "There." "We're being civil to each other, at least." "Yes, we are." "What'd the old pussy outside the gates want?" "Oh, God knows." ""Sing a song of sixpence."" "What's that supposed to mean?" "I think the old girl's got an attic to rent, frankly." "Ah!" "Mrs. Adele Fortescue." "Love letters." "Scented or steamy?" ""Always in my thoughts, Vivian."" "Dubois." "So that's what he was after." "Dubois." "A man in the garden." "What a gold-rush." " Where's the Mrs.?" " She's remembered the washing." "Oh!" "Oh, sirs!" "She's dead!" " Strangled out the back!" " Who are you talking about?" "Gladys!" "Our Gladys!" "On her nose, she's got a clothes-peg." "Mrs. Crump, what are you saying?" "They put a...clothes-peg on her." "Lance." "It's all right." "Come on." "Hay, have you got the note from the old lady?" ""The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes."" ""Along came a blackbird and pecked off her nose."" ""The murderer rising in the light killeth the poor and needy."" ""And in the night is as a thief."" ""Where a testament is..."" ""There must also of necessity be the death of the testator."" "Yes." "Poor Gladys." "I trained her, you know." " Want us to book you into a hotel, madam?" " Nonsense." "She'll be staying here." "That's most kind of you." " There you are, Miss Marple." " Oh, thank you very much." "Gladys came to me from the orphanage." "She was very keen on men, poor girl." "But I'm afraid men didn't take much notice of her and the other girls rather made use of her." "She enjoyed going to the cinema and she was always dreaming." "Things that couldn't possibly happen to her." "The poor girl had obviously seen something or noticed something." "I feel to blame." "It makes me very, very angry." "Especially that business of the clothes-peg." "What a cruel and contemptuous gesture." "You understood the significance of the nursery rhyme, Inspector, did you?" "In its broad outline, eventually." "Rex, meaning king, in his counting house." "By extension, of course, his wife becomes the queen." ""The queen was in the parlour."" " Was she eating bread and honey?" "I don't know." "The poor maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes." "The first verse is the difficulty." "We have the pocketful of rye but I don't understand the blackbirds." "I can see no point in them." "However, they must mean something, don't you think?" ""The birds began to sing."" "Honey, Miss Marple?" "At teatime?" "Come to think of it, no." "There's usually some savoury sandwiches, occasionally bread and jam, then some cake." "And biscuits only when Mrs. Crump has been baking." "No." "I think it's the only time we'd had honey." "That's very interesting." "Thank you, Miss Dove." " I've cleared Adele's desk, sir." " Who benefits?" "That is the question." "From killing Gladys, nobody, as far as I can see." "Rex?" "Well, Adele was going to get £100,000 from his will, but... ..who else?" "Percival gets most of the estate." "Things were going wrong with the business and it looks as if the old man was responsible." "Yep." "Percival benefits." "And his missus." "Yeah." "Not too keen on her husband, stands to get £40,000 in her own right." "That would buy her freedom from old Perce." "Lance Fortescue gets 20 per cent of the residue, which may not be all that much when all's said and done." "Besides, he was out of the country when the first murder took place." "Dubois?" "Certainly." "If he knew Adele was gonna get £100,000." "She's not exactly discreet, he must have known." "He benefits from killing Rex." "But where's the benefit in killing the lovely Adele?" "Did she leave a will?" "Did you find anything?" "No, sir." "It's at Ansell and Worral's, just off the high street." "Adele didn't trust the family solicitor." "I don't blame her." "Bloody Billingsby's in Percy's pocket." "Do you happen to know what was in Mrs. Fortescue's will, madam?" "Well, if I were you, I'd try the Dormy House Hotel or the golf club." "Listen, does anybody fancy a nightcap?" "Oh, all right." "Be boring, then." "# The king was in his counting house" "# Counting out his money" "# The queen was in the parlour" "# Eating bread and honey" "# The maid was in the garden... #" "I suppose it had been going on for, oh, over a year, anyway." "Then..." "last summer, someone scooped out the inside of one of Mrs. Crump's raised pies and stuffed it with dead birds." "And they were blackbirds, too, were they?" "I suppose so." "It was quite revolting." "Nobody was particularly concerned to establish the species." ""Wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?" Yes." "Oh, good morning, Mr. Fortescue." " Dormy House Hotel?" " Hole in one." "You left the hotel about 3.30 and you returned about 5?" "Yes." "And your route took you nowhere near Yew Tree Lodge?" "As I told you, I went across the heath, round by the sandpits and back through Curzon Woods." "As you told us." " And you take this walk for your pleasure?" " Yes." "I wanted to think." "About Mrs. Fortescue." "What was your relationship with Mrs. Fortescue?" " We were friends." " Friends?" "She led me to believe that she was quite fond of me." "I liked her, but she was married." " You didn't see much future for the affair." " No, quite frankly, I didn't." "So it was an affair we're talking about." "Tell me, Mr. Dubois, what did you mean when you wrote," ""When things are different,"" ""all this will seem very small and far away"?" " Where the hell did you get that?" " What things would be different?" "You wrote this two weeks ago." "Presumably you can remember." "Quite frankly, it suggests to me a future without Mr. Fortescue." "And that means one of two things." "Either Mrs. Fortescue will leave her husband, or her husband will somehow depart from the scene." "Wouldn't you agree?" "You can't build up a case against me, Inspector." "She made a will, you know." "Left you all her money, everything she possessed." "I don't want the money." "I didn't want a penny of it." "Of course, it isn't very much." "Jewellery, a few furs." "I imagine very little cash at all." "But I thought her husband..." "Did you, Mr. Dubois?" "That's very interesting." "I wondered if you knew the terms of Rex Fortescue's will." " Oh!" "Oh, Inspector." " Yes, Miss Marple." "Blackbirds." " Yes, ma'am." " You are interested in blackbirds, I take it?" "Well, I'm more interested in Mr. Dubois at present." "Oh, dear me, no." "Forgive me, Inspector, but you must get to the bottom of this blackbird business." "Rex Fortescue was the victim of a series of disgusting practical jokes." "Someone put dead blackbirds, some of them quite decayed, on his desk or on his pillow, where they could." "So the blackbirds must mean something." "Do you know they even put some in a pie?" "I'll make some inquiries, ma'am." "Oh, yes." "That is a relief." "Thank you, Inspector." "Oh, Inspector!" "I wonder if you would allow me to have a brief look at Gladys's room?" " How could I say no?" " Oh, thank you." "Yes." "And I know that you'll find the blackbirds very well worth your while." "Yes." "I'm beginning to wonder who's in charge of this case." "I'll take the family, you take the staff." "I wonder, can you tell me anything about blackbirds, Mrs. Fortescue?" "Blackbirds?" "Blackbirds, Inspector?" "What kind of blackbirds?" "Just blackbirds, Mrs. Fortescue, dead, alive, or indifferent." "I've been told they figured in the life of this household." "In a pie, for example." "I don't know anything about that." "A very nasty practical joke, I suppose." "It annoyed Rex." "It really did." "He had Heidrich, that's the gardener, patrol the grounds with a shotgun." "He was afraid of something, not just annoyed?" "Oh, quite." "I just think it was a silly joke." "Can you tell me why your late father-in-law left you so much money in your own right?" "I asked him for it." " Asked him for it?" "Just like that?" " Yes." " And he gave it to you?" " Yes." "I said,"Rex, when you die," ""will you leave me a little money of my own because Percival is so mean!"" "And Rex said yes." " So you're gonna get your money?" " Yes." "Isn't it nice?" "Tell me, your late father-in-law's death, what were your feelings about that?" "I think I was quite pleased, really." "We were..." "I was going to get my money after all." "After all?" "Sorry?" "I was going to get my money." "I see." " So you weren't sorry?" " Oh, no." "He was a horrid man, you know." "No wonder it's called the gutter press." "I can't believe it's us they're writing about." "I'm sorry, my darling." "I'm bad luck." "I warned you, you know." "Don't say that." "You're not to say that." "It's bloody nonsense!" "You're the best luck I ever had." "What is it, darling?" "Nothing." "What is it, Lance?" "Look here, old thing." "I don't think I can face this idea of being a desk wallah, you know?" "I really don't." "It's clear that Percival doesn't want me around the place." "I see." "Then what are you going to do?" "I want to go back to Africa, Pat." "I hate this place!" "Let's go back." "But how would we manage?" "Come in." "Ah, good." "Mr. Fortescue, I wonder if you could help me." "Will you excuse me, Inspector?" " Why don't you join us later, Lance?" " What?" "Miss Marple and me." "For coffee." "Oh, yes, good." "Why not?" "Yes, Inspector." "What is it?" "Well, sir, I've been asking everybody this." "I might as well ask you, even though you've been abroad." "I wonder, could you... could you tell me anything about blackbirds?" "Blackbirds?" "Oh, you must mean the old Blackbird Mine, the one that Father caught a cold over." "He got taken for a ride by some old digger up on the high veld or somewhere." "There was no gold in the thing and Father damn near died of malaria." "There was some scandal about his partner, who actually did die of malaria." "His widow tried to sue him." "I think." "Well, Aunt Effie will know the details." "I don't believe this was ever a happy house, in spite of all the money that's been spent." "But only money, I suspect." "No real affection." "No." "Have you noticed how nothing is really what it seems?" "The furniture is supposed to be Louis XVI but it's been made in Birmingham." "The paintings are supposed to be Venetian but were probably knocked up in Chelsea." "Nothing is solid or real." "As if the whole house and everything in it were some kind of gigantic fake." " What did you say, my dear?" " About it being a fake?" "The whole house and everything that goes on in it..." "I said everything in it, not that goes on in it." "Oh, yes, of course." "Stupid of me." "I wondered if you could tell me anything about the Blackbird Mine." "Oh." "You've got on to that, have you?" "That was the Marple woman, wasn't it?" "I'll tell you." "My late brother-in-law went into it with a man called Mackenzie." "They went out to Africa together and Mackenzie died there." "Rex came home." "He subsequently admitted that the thing was worthless." "Hurt his pride, I think." "But then, pride and grace ne'er dwelt in one place." " Where was the mine?" " I don't know." "Africa somewhere." "Percival will know." "The, er, Mackenzies didn't let it rest, I gather." "Oh, you want the hearsay as well, do you?" "I'd be most grateful, ma'am." "Mrs. Mackenzie was an unbalanced sort of woman." "Ended up in an asylum, I believe." "She came here, you know, dragging along a couple of young children who looked scared to death." "Accused Rex of murdering her husband." "Said she'd bring up her children to take their revenge." "Old sins cast long shadows." "The children." "How about this?" "As a motive, at least." "Rex Fortescue swindles some bloke called Mackenzie out of his share of a gold-mine and Mackenzie dies." "One way or another, the widow reckons that Fortescue killed him." "She becomes obsessed by revenge." "She brings up the children to avenge the father." " What happened to the mother?" " She ended up in a loony bin." "She may still be there." "We've got to find her." "If she's alive, I wanna know where she is." "That's an absolute priority." "The Mackenzie children, could one of them be here, in the house?" "Yeah." "Or nearby." "Dubois, Mary Dove, Jennifer Fortescue, they're all about the right age." " Reckon you know who it is?" " Yes." "I do." "Mackenzie's Blackbird Mine?" "What or where is that?" "I think you know very well, Miss Dove." "I assure you, I'm quite in the dark." "You know, Inspector, that it's up to you to prove I am this Miss Mackenzie, whoever she is." "At least I will have the pleasure of your company while you probe the mystery of my identity." " Please don't mock me, Miss Dove." " I wasn't intending to." "As a matter of fact, I meant it." "Despite the fact that you're keen to implicate me, however obscurely, in murder." "If you continue to look into my affairs and are extremely clever, you will find certain minor discrepancies in the household accounting." "I have no intention of begging like Jennifer or selling myself like poor Adele." "However, if I find you are near the heart of my secret," "I shall be able to replace the money and then it will be impossible to prosecute." "Do you find that immoral, in such a place as this?" "I wish you hadn't done it." "Here, Sarge." "Marmalade." "I suppose we can get it analysed." "It's bitter enough to disguise the poison." "Rex was the only one who ever touched the stuff." "Yeah, I know that, but anyone who's able to organize that part of it isn't gonna get rid of the evidence by chucking it out the pantry window into the bushes." "Yes sir, But we were onto the taxine so quickly." "They may have thought they had a day or two in hand." "Yeah." "And if we do find taxine in it, that opens it up a bit, don't it?" " How?" " Anyone could have done it." "It was in the house after the previous day's breakfast was put away." "Yeah, but who does that include who wasn't involved before?" "Percival Fortescue." "All right, if you're saying that my father's death was in my immediate financial interest, yes, you're right." "But I have no motive for killing Adele." "I happen to know she willed her £100,000 out of the family." "What would be the point?" "Come on, sir." "If you know that, then you must have known she had to outlive her husband by a month to inherit or else the money reverted to the estate." "In other words, you, sir." "There was point, all right." "Point in killing them both." "With respect." "So you thought that Gladys had gone out to meet her young man?" "Well, I don't know." "She seemed..." "She seemed well, kind of waiting for something." "Looking out the window, you know what I mean?" "Yes, I do." "Got it!" "Before she took the tea through, she answered the telephone." "Gladys did." "She didn't as a rule, but this time she fair plummeted through that door after it." " And did she say who it was?" " No." "She said,"Wrong number."" "Indeed, yes." "Most interesting, Mrs. Crump." "Now," "I wonder, would you think me very greedy if I helped myself to another biscuit?" "So, what percentage of the company capital would you estimate all the African holdings to be?" "Come off it, man." "God knows." "I thought I was digging you out of a hole." "Make no mistake," "I want to get out but I need some prospects." "I've got Pat to consider." "Can't be as much as 20 per cent." "All right." "All right, yes, perhaps that was a bit churlish of me." "So, you want the balance of your 20 per cent in cash, do you?" "We thought if you could secure us a loan or lend us £1,500 a year for the next five years." "Five years?" "All right, four." "I just thought you might have things on a better footing by then." "That's true." "Um...do you want this wretched Blackbird Mine, as well?" "Sure, sure." "Throw it all in." "What on earth are those?" "My birthright." "Tight little Percy just assigned them to me." "A chunk of the dark continent which Percival thinks is worth tuppence!" "Oh, Percy, Percy, when you find out!" "Come on, gorgeous!" "We've got a plane to catch." " You're not just taking it?" " Certainly." "Percival's the organised one, he can organise it back from the airport." "Oh!" " Got anything?" " Mrs. Mackenzie." " Good." "Where is she?" " You can walk it in a quarter of an hour." "What?" "A mile by road, but cut through the woods..." "Burnham Ridley, the Pine Sanatorium." "Come on." "Let's go talk to the Mackenzie woman." " How big is this place?" " It's a converted private house..." " Oh, Inspector." " Yes, Miss Marple?" "Oh, you weren't thinking of the sanatorium?" "Visiting there, by any chance?" " Not that that's important." " What isn't?" " Mrs. Mackenzie." "More to the point..." " What do you know about Mrs. Mackenzie?" "Just everything there is to know." "Not that there's much, I'm afraid." "I went there this morning." "The poor dear's mind is gone." "No, what is much more important is that" "I think I saw Lance Fortescue and his wife driving away." "Now, he must be stopped, I'm afraid." "He had business in Paris." "No reason to detain him." "He wasn't in the country when the first..." "Yes, I know, but I think they ought to be stopped." "Well, don't ask me why." "I can tell you the how." "Well, not the precise how but the general how." "The why escapes me." "Except, of course, that it's greed, one knows that, naturally, but..." "No, I expect the precise why will emerge in due course." "Oh, dear." "You think they should be stopped, Miss Marple?" "He should." "Yes." "Well, Miss Marple, I failed to listen to you once and I regretted it." "Put out a call for Fortescue's car." "They'll be heading for Northolt." "Right, sir." "Now, Miss Marple, perhaps you could elaborate." "Oh, yes." "Yeah." "Bentley." "Registration GXA 579." "General surveillance only." "Right." "We found the marmalade in the garden but I can't believe..." "Oh, so that was how it was done." "Yes." "Yes, very simple." "Of course." "Yes, but it's such a stupid way of getting rid of the evidence." "Oh, but the killer of Rex Fortescue wasn't very bright, I'm afraid." " Who was that?" " It was Gladys Martin, of course." "Oh, she didn't mean to." "She put the taxine in the marmalade" " but she didn't think it was poison." " What did she think it was?" "I imagine she thought it was some form of a truth drug, you know." "Something like that." "She was told to put it in just as she was told to put a handful of rye in Rex Fortescue's pocket and just as she was told to serve honey for tea." "You have to keep constantly in mind that poor Gladys was not attractive." "She was a lump, I'm afraid, and, more importantly still, very credulous." "It would have been easy to believe in a truth drug if told her by a personable young man." " And who was that?" " Well, he called himself Albert Evans." "He met her at a holiday camp." "He flattered her, made love to her and told her a story of injustice." "That was where the truth drug came in." "It was to have taken effect when Rex Fortescue arrived at his office." "There, forced by this miracle of modern science, he was to have admitted the truth before witnesses." "Her Albert got her to apply for a job here and, I must say, she had very good references, even though I do say it myself." "And when she knew that she had caused his death..." "What was the first thing that she said to you when you questioned her?" " She said,"I didn't do it."" " Exactly." "That's exactly what she would say." "If ever she broke a vase or something she would always say," ""I didn't do it, Miss Marple." "I can't think how it happened." Poor dear." "Besides, Albert was meeting her the next day and she knew he would explain everything to her." "That was the telephone call she took before tea." "So she brought the tray into the hall, she saw him outside, she left the tray, she went out to meet him and he killed her." "Yes, exactly." "And her Albert?" "Oh, I'm so sorry, didn't I say?" "Lance Fortescue." "There she blows." "Oh, no." "Please, no." "It was that poor sad girl Pat who put me onto it." "Blackbird business and the pocketful of rye." "The way things fitted into the rhyme were all a complete fake, like much in this house, used by Lance Fortescue, who had heard about the blackbirds." "What's happening, Lance?" "What have you done?" "Have you swindled Percival or something?" "What the hell do we do now?" "We're observing him." "We were told to keep him under observation and we are." "He told me to go to hell." "And he meant it." "He meant hell." "Who did?" "His own son." "The bloody sadist." "Well, he's finished hurting people." "He thought the only way to get his hand on the money was to kill his father." "He used the nursery rhyme to cover his tracks." "Just as he used poor Gladys." "After I saw Aunt Effie," "I slipped down the back stairs and round to the sitting room to see Adele." "I knew the lazy cat would be there." "She said as much just by looking at me." "She was waiting." "I could have laced her tea five times over." "It must have been more than greed to plan all that." "Oh, yes." "And of course, his real madness was thinking he could do what he did and keep the love of a girl like Pat." "It was for us, you see." "I wanted for us to be all right." "You're the only thing I've ever really loved, the only person who really cared." "I knew you'd see it through, you see." "You're..." "You're the one." "I mean you..." "Pat." "I told you." "I'm bad luck." "I can't." "Then get out!" "Get out!" "Rex Fortescue was about to pull off the most spectacular coup of his life." "All those dud African properties, including the famous Blackbird Mine, were practically next door to each other." "In 12 months, he'd accumulated a small mountain range of high-grade uranium ore." "It's worth millions." "All businessmen are the victims of greed some way or another, I fear." "I'd like to thank you, Miss Marple." "I don't think I'd have got there without you." "Yes." "Men like Lance, you know, always prove their own hangman." "Yes, you would have got there." "I just happened to know Gladys and I happened to hear Mrs. Parson's little children singing." "Oh, excuse me, Inspector." "Did you want a word, Mrs. Fortescue?" "Oh, no." "No, no." "Was it your mother's idea or yours?" "The nurses said you were very kind to her." "Poor Mammy." "Yes, it was her idea." "I mean, her idea." "But it was you who thought of marrying Percival." "Sort of." "It sort of happened, really." "And the blackbirds?" "Was that your idea of avenging your father?" "Mammy made me." "She did." "Nevertheless, it was very naughty." "Rex deserved it." "He was a horrid man." "That's not the point." "No." "Well, you'll be leaving your husband now, will you?" "Yes." "Yes." "Well, goodbye, Mrs. Fortescue." "Goodbye." "Thank you." "Well, so the Mackenzies got their money after all." "At least, £40,000 worth of it." "That's what she meant." "Yes, I see." "All she had to do was ask." "Old Rex just gave it to her." "Oh, do you think so?" "I think he knew who she was." "But there we shall never know now, will we?" " Well, goodbye, Inspector." " Goodbye." "Now, Inch..." "Thank you." "Saint Mary Mead." "Yes, ma'am."