Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie [24]
‘Thank you very much, Miss Marple. Very kind of you. But I think I won’t. Nothing till lunch time, that’s my motto. Now, I want to talk to you about this sad business – very sad business indeed. Upset us all, I’m sure. Well, it seems possible that owing to the position of your house and garden, you may have been able to tell us something we want to know about yesterday evening.’
‘As a matter of fact, I was in my little garden from five o’clock onwards yesterday, and, of course, from there – well, one simply cannot help seeing anything that is going on next door.’
‘I understand, Miss Marple, that Mrs Protheroe passed this way yesterday evening?’
‘Yes, she did. I called out to her, and she admired my roses.’
‘Could you tell us about what time that was?’
‘I should say it was just a minute or two after a quarter past six. Yes, that’s right. The church clock had just chimed the quarter.’
‘Very good. What happened next?’
‘Well, Mrs Protheroe said she was calling for her husband at the Vicarage so that they could go home together. She had come along the lane, you understand, and she went into the Vicarage by the back gate and across the garden.’
‘She came from the lane?’
‘Yes, I’ll show you.’
Full of eagerness, Miss Marple led us out into the garden and pointed out the lane that ran along by the bottom of the garden.
‘The path opposite with the stile leads to the Hall,’ she explained. ‘That was the way they were going home together. Mrs Protheroe came from the village.’
‘Perfectly, perfectly,’ said Colonel Melchett. ‘And she went across to the Vicarage, you say?’
‘Yes. I saw her turn the corner of the house. I suppose the Colonel wasn’t there yet, because she came back almost immediately, and went down the lawn to the studio – that building there. The one the Vicar lets Mr Redding use as a studio.’
‘I see. And – you didn’t hear a shot, Miss Marple?’
‘I didn’t hear a shot then,’ said Miss Marple.
‘But you did hear one sometime?’
‘Yes, I think there was a shot somewhere in the woods. But quite five or ten minutes afterwards – and, as I say, out in the woods. At least, I think so. It couldn’t have been – surely it couldn’t have been –’
She stopped, pale with excitement.
‘Yes, yes, we’ll come to all that presently,’ said Colonel Melchett. ‘Please go on with your story. Mrs Protheroe went down to the studio?’
‘Yes, she went inside and waited. Presently Mr Redding came along the lane from the village. He came to the Vicarage gate, looked all round –’
‘And saw you, Miss Marple.’
‘As a matter of fact, he didn’t see me,’ said Miss Marple, flushing slightly. ‘Because, you see, just at that minute I was bending right over – trying to get up one of those nasty dandelions, you know. So difficult.
And then he went through the gate and down to the studio.’
‘He didn’t go near the house?’
‘Oh, no! He went straight to the studio. MrsProtheroe came to the door to meet him, and then they both went inside.’
Here Miss Marple contributed a singularly eloquent pause.
‘Perhaps she was sitting for him?’ I suggested.
‘Perhaps,’ said Miss Marple.
‘And they came out – when?’
‘About ten minutes later.’
‘That was roughly?’
‘The church clock had chimed the half-hour. They strolled out through the garden gate and along the lane, and just at that minute, Dr Stone came down the path leading to the Hall, and climbed over the stile and joined them. They all walked towards the village together. At the end of the lane, I think, but I can’t be quite sure, they were joined by Miss Cram. I think it must have been Miss Cram because her skirts were so short.’
‘You must have very good eyesight, Miss Marple, if you can observe as far as that.’
‘I was observing a bird,’ said Miss Marple. ‘A golden crested wren, I think he was. A sweet little fellow. I had my glasses out, and that’s how I happened to see Miss Cram (if it was Miss Cram, and I think so), join them.’
‘Ah! Well, that may be so,’ said Colonel Melchett.