Postern of Fate (Tommy and Tuppence Series) - Agatha Christie [92]
‘So far,’ said Tommy, ‘everything seems to work out in lists of names. Names from the past but names, naturally, that don’t mean anything to me. They can’t.’
‘All hearsay?’
‘Mostly. My wife has listened to a lot of it and made some lists. I don’t know whether any of them mean anything. I’ve got one list myself. It only came into my hands yesterday, as a matter of fact.’
‘Oh. What’s your list?’
‘Census,’ said Tommy. ‘You know, there was a census on–I’ve got the date written down so I’ll give it to you–and the people who were entered up that day because they spent the night here. There was a big party. A dinner-party.’
‘So you know on a certain date–and perhaps quite an interesting date–who was here?’
‘Yes,’ said Tommy.
‘It might be valuable. It might be quite significant. You’ve only just moved in here, haven’t you?’
‘Yes,’ said Tommy, ‘but it’s possible we might just want to move out of here.’
‘Don’t you like it? It’s a nice house, and this garden–well, this garden could be made very beautiful indeed. You’ve got some fine shrubs–wants a bit of clearing out, superfluous trees and bushes, flowering shrubs that haven’t flowered lately and may never flower again by the look of them. Yes, I don’t know why you’d want to go and move.’
‘The associations with the past aren’t terribly pleasant here,’ said Tommy.
‘The past,’ said Mr Crispin. ‘How does the past tie up with the present?’
‘One thinks it doesn’t matter, it’s all behind us. But there’s always somebody left, you know. I don’t mean walking about but somebody who comes alive when people tell you about her or him or it or them. You really would be prepared to do a bit of–’
‘Bit of jobbing gardening for you? Yes, I would. It would interest me. It’s rather a–well, it’s rather a hobby of mine, gardening.’
‘There was a Miss Mullins who came yesterday.’
‘Mullins? Mullins? Is she a gardener?’
‘I gather something in that line. It was a Mrs–a Mrs Griffin, I think it was–who mentioned her to my wife and who sent her along to see us.’
‘Did you fix up with her or not?’
‘Not definitely,’ said Tommy. ‘As a matter of fact we’ve got a rather enthusiastic guard dog here. A Manchester Terrier.’
‘Yes, they can be very enthusiastic at guarding. I suppose he thinks your wife is his business and he practically never lets her go anywhere alone. He’s always there.’
‘Quite right,’ said Tommy, ‘and he’s prepared to tear anyone limb from limb who lays a finger on her.’
‘Nice dogs. Very affectionate, very loyal, very self-willed, very sharp teeth. I’d better look out for him, I suppose.’
‘He’s all right at the moment. He’s up in the house.’
‘Miss Mullins,’ said Crispin thoughtfully. ‘Yes. Yes, that’s interesting.’
‘Why is it interesting?’
‘Oh, I think it’s because–well, I wouldn’t know her by that name, of course. Is she between fifty and sixty?’
‘Yes. Very tweedy and countrified.’
‘Yes. Got some country connections, too. Isaac could have told you something about her, I expect. I heard she’d come back to live here. Not so very long ago, either. Things tie up, you know.’
‘I expect you know things about this place that I don’t,’ said Tommy.
‘I shouldn’t think so. Isaac could have told you a lot, though. He knew things. Old stories, as you say, but he had a memory. And they talked it over. Yes, in these clubs for old people, they talk things over. Tall stories–some of them not true, some of them based on fact. Yes, it’s all very interesting. And–I suppose he knew too much.’
‘It’s a shame about Isaac,’ said Tommy. ‘I’d like to get even with whoever did him in. He was a nice old boy and he was good to us and did as much as he could to help us here. Come on, anyway, let’s go on looking round.’
Chapter 15
Hannibal Sees Active Service with Mr Crispin
Albert tapped on the bedroom door and in answer to Tuppence’s ‘Come in’ advanced his head round the side of it.
‘The lady as came the other morning,’ he said. ‘Miss Mullins. She’s here. Wants to speak to you for a minute or two. Suggestions about the garden, I understand.