A Murder Is Announced_ A Miss Marple Mystery - Agatha Christie [39]
“Still, you have some income, Miss Blacklock, and your nephew and niece would come into it.”
“And so Patrick and Julia would plan to murder me? I simply don’t believe it. They’re not desperately hard up or anything like that.”
“Do you know that for a fact?”
“No. I suppose I only know it from what they’ve told me … But I really refuse to suspect them. Some day I might be worth murdering, but not now.”
“What do you mean by some day you might be worth murdering, Miss Blacklock?” Inspector Craddock pounced on the statement.
“Simply that one day—possibly quite soon—I may be a very rich woman.”
“That sounds interesting. Will you explain?”
“Certainly. You may not know it, but for more than twenty years I was secretary to and closely associated with Randall Goedler.”
Craddock was interested. Randall Goedler had been a big name in the world of finance. His daring speculations and the rather theatrical publicity with which he surrounded himself had made him a personality not quickly forgotten. He had died, if Craddock remembered rightly, in 1937 or 1938.
“He’s rather before your time, I expect,” said Miss Blacklock. “But you’ve probably heard of him.”
“Oh, yes. He was a millionaire, wasn’t he?”
“Oh, several times over—though his finances fluctuated. He always risked most of what he made on some new coup.”
She spoke with a certain animation, her eyes brightened by memory.
“Anyway he died a very rich man. He had no children. He left his fortune in trust for his wife during her lifetime and after death to me absolutely.”
A vague memory stirred in the Inspector’s mind.
IMMENSE FORTUNE TO COME TO FAITHFUL SECRETARY
—something of that kind.
“For the last twelve years or so,” said Miss Blacklock with a slight twinkle, “I’ve had an excellent motive for murdering Mrs. Goedler—but that doesn’t help you, does it?”
“Did—excuse me for asking this—did Mrs. Goedler resent her husband’s disposition of his fortune?”
Miss Blacklock was now looking frankly amused.
“You needn’t be so very discreet. What you really mean is, was I Randall Goedler’s mistress? No, I wasn’t. I don’t think Randall ever gave me a sentimental thought, and I certainly didn’t give him one. He was in love with Belle (his wife), and remained in love with her until he died. I think in all probability it was gratitude on his part that prompted his making his will. You see, Inspector, in the very early days, when Randall was still on an insecure footing, he came very near to disaster. It was a question of just a few thousands of actual cash. It was a big coup, and a very exciting one; daring, as all his schemes were; but he just hadn’t got that little bit of cash to tide him over. I came to the rescue. I had a little money of my own. I believed in Randall. I sold every penny I had out and gave it to him. It did the trick. A week later he was an immensely wealthy man.
“After that, he treated me more or less as a junior partner. Oh! they were exciting days.” She sighed. “I enjoyed it all thoroughly. Then my father died, and my only sister was left a hopeless invalid. I had to give it all up and go and look after her. Randall died a couple of years later. I had made quite a lot of money during our association and I didn’t really expect him to leave me anything, but I was very touched, yes, and very proud to find that if Belle predeceased me (and she was one of those delicate creatures whom everyone always says won’t live long) I was to inherit his entire fortune. I think really the poor man didn’t know who to leave it to. Belle’s a dear, and she was delighted about it. She’s really a very sweet person. She lives up in Scotland. I haven’t seen her for years—we just write at Christmas. You see, I went with my sister to a sanatorium in Switzerland