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By Root 535 0

foolishly asked someone to take a parcel for me and post it, and I had put the wrong address on it. I was very upset by this. The post-mistress very kindly said she remembered the parcel, but the address on it was not the one I was mentioning. It was this one, the one I have just given to you. I explained that I had been very foolish and written the wrong address on it, confusing it with another one I sometimes send things to. She told me it was too late to do anything about it now because the parcel, naturally, had gone off. I said it was quite all right, that I would send a letter to the particular charity to which the parcel had been sent, and explain that it had been addressed to them by mistake. Would they very kindly forward it on to the charity that I had meant to receive it.’

‘It seems rather a roundabout way.’

‘Well,’ said Miss Marple, ‘one has to say something. I’m not going to do that at all. You are going to deal with the matter. We’ve got to know what’s inside that parcel! I have no doubt you can get means.’

‘Will there be anything inside the parcel to say who actually sent it?’

‘I rather think not. It may have a slip of paper saying “from friends” or it may have a fictitious name and address — something like Mrs Pippin, 14 Westbourne Grove — and if anyone made enquiries there, there’d be no person of such a name living there.’

‘Oh. Any other alternatives?’

‘It might possibly, most unlikely but possible, have a slip saying “From Miss Anthea Bradbury-Scott” — ’

‘Did she —?’

‘She took it to the post,’ said Miss Marple.

‘And you had asked her to take it there?’

‘Oh no,’ said Miss Marple. ‘I hadn’t asked anyone to post anything. The first I saw of the parcel was when Anthea passed the garden of the Golden Boar where you and I were sitting talking, carrying it.’

‘But you went to the post office and represented that the parcel was yours.’

‘Yes,’ said Miss Marple, ‘which was quite untrue. But post offices are careful. And, you see, I wanted to find out where it had been sent.’

‘You wanted to find out if such a parcel had been sent, and if it had been sent by one of the Bradbury-Scotts — or especially Miss Anthea?’

‘I knew it would be Anthea,’ said Miss Marple, ‘because we’d seen her.’

‘Well?’ He took the paper from her hand. ‘Yes, I can set this in motion. You think this parcel will be interesting?’

‘I think the contents of it might be quite important.’

‘You like keeping your secrets, don’t you?’ said Professor Wanstead.

‘Not exactly secrets,’ said Miss Marple, ‘they are only probabilities that I am exploring. One does not like to make definite assertions unless one has a little more definite knowledge.’

‘Anything else?’

‘I think — I think that whoever’s in charge of these things, ought to be warned that there might be a second body to be found.’

‘Do you mean a second body connected with the particular crime that we have been considering? A crime that took place ten years ago?’

‘Yes,’ said Miss Marple. ‘I’m quite sure of it, as a matter of fact.’

‘Another body. Whose body?’

‘Well,’ said Miss Marple, ‘it’s only my idea so far.’

‘Any idea where this body is?’

‘Oh! Yes,’ said Miss Marple, ‘I’m quite sure I know where it is, but I have to have a little more time before I can tell you that.’

‘What kind of a body? Man’s? Woman’s? Child’s? Girl’s?’

‘There’s another girl who is missing,’ said Miss Marple. ‘A girl called Nora Broad. She disappeared from here and she’s never been heard any more of. I think her body might be in a particular place.’

Professor Wanstead looked at her.

‘You know, the more you say, the less I like leaving you here,’ he said. ‘Having all these ideas — and possibly doing something foolish — either — ’ He stopped.

‘Either it’s all nonsense? — ’ said Miss Marple.

‘No, no, I didn’t mean that. But either you know too much — which might be dangerous…I think I am going to stay here to keep an eye on you.’

‘No, you’re not,’ said Miss Marple. ‘You’ve got to go to London and set certain things moving.’

‘You spoke as though you knew a good deal now, Miss Marple.’

‘I think I