Spider's Web - Agatha Christie [20]
‘No, no, he may not be dead,’ Clarissa replied evasively. ‘I’ll see. Now go on, Pippa. Do as I tell you.’
Pippa, still sobbing, left the room and ran upstairs. Clarissa watched her go, and then turned back to the body on the floor. ‘Supposing I were to find a dead body in the drawing-room, what should I do?’ she murmured to herself. After standing for a moment in thought, she exclaimed more emphatically, ‘Oh, my God, what am I going to do?’
Chapter 8
Fifteen minutes later, Clarissa was still in the drawing-room and murmuring to herself. But she had been busy in the meantime. All the lights were now on, the panel in the wall was closed, and the curtains had been drawn across the open French windows. Oliver Costello’s body was still behind the sofa, but Clarissa had been moving the furniture about, and had set up a folding bridge-table in the centre of the room, with cards and markers for bridge, and four upright chairs around the table.
Standing at the table, Clarissa scribbled figures on one of the markers. ‘Three spades, four hearts, four no trumps, pass,’ she muttered, pointing at each hand as she made its call. ‘Five diamonds, pass, six spades–double–and I think they go down.’ She paused for a moment, looking down at the table, and then continued, ‘Let me see, doubled vulnerable, two tricks, five hundred–or shall I let them make it? No.’
She was interrupted by the arrival of Sir Rowland, Hugo, and young Jeremy, who entered through the French windows. Hugo paused a moment before coming into the room, to close one half of the windows.
Putting her pad and pencil on the bridge table, Clarissa rushed to meet them. ‘Thank God you’ve come,’ she told Sir Rowland, sounding extremely distraught.
‘What is all this, my dear?’ Sir Rowland asked her, with concern in his voice.
Clarissa turned to address them all. ‘Darlings,’ she cried, ‘you’ve got to help me.’
Jeremy noticed the table with the playing cards spread out on it. ‘Looks like a bridge party,’ he observed gaily.
‘You’re being very melodramatic, Clarissa,’ Hugo contributed. ‘What are you up to, young woman?’
Clarissa clutched Sir Rowland. ‘It’s serious,’ she insisted. ‘Terribly serious. You will help me, won’t you?’
‘Of course we’ll help you, Clarissa,’ Sir Rowland assured her, ‘but what’s it all about?’
‘Yes, come on, what is it this time?’ Hugo asked, somewhat wearily.
Jeremy, too, sounded unimpressed. ‘You’re up to something, Clarissa,’ he insisted. ‘What is it? Found a body or something?’
‘That’s just it,’ Clarissa told him. ‘I have–found a body.’
‘What do you mean–found a body?’ Hugo asked. He sounded puzzled, but not all that interested.
‘It’s just as Jeremy said,’ Clarissa answered him. ‘I came in here, and I found a body.’
Hugo gave a cursory glance around the room. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he complained. ‘What body? Where?’
‘I’m not playing games. I’m serious,’ Clarissa shouted angrily. ‘It’s there. Go and look. Behind the sofa.’ She pushed Sir Rowland towards the sofa, and moved away.
Hugo went quickly to the sofa. Jeremy followed him, and leaned over the back of it. ‘My God, she’s right,’ Jeremy murmured.
Sir Rowland joined them. He and Hugo bent down to examine the body. ‘Why, it’s Oliver Costello,’ Sir Rowland exclaimed.
‘God almighty!’ Jeremy went quickly to the French windows and drew the curtains.
‘Yes,’ said Clarissa. ‘It’s Oliver Costello.’
‘What was he doing here?’ Sir Rowland asked her.
‘He came this evening to talk about Pippa,’ Clarissa replied. ‘It was just after you’d gone to the club.’
Sir Rowland looked puzzled. ‘What did he want with Pippa?’
‘He and Miranda were threatening to take her away,’ Clarissa told him. ‘But all that doesn’t matter now. I’ll tell you about it later. We have to hurry. We’ve got very little time.’
Sir Rowland held up a hand in warning. ‘Just a moment,’ he instructed, coming closer to Clarissa. ‘We must have the facts clear. What happened when he arrived?’
Clarissa shook her head impatiently. ‘I told him that he and Miranda were not going to get Pippa, and he went