The Body in the Library

Again Josie shook her head.

‘Or a Mr Basil Blake?’

She frowned slightly.

‘I think I’ve heard that name. Yes, I’m sure I have—but I don’t remember anything about him.’

The diligent Inspector Slack slid across to his superior officer a page torn from his note-book. On it was pencilled:

‘Col. Bantry dined at Majestic last week.’

Melchett looked up and met the Inspector’s eye. The Chief Constable flushed. Slack was an industrious and zealous officer and Melchett disliked him a good deal. But he could not disregard the challenge. The Inspector was tacitly accusing him of favouring his own class—of shielding an ‘old school tie.’

He turned to Josie.

‘Miss Turner, I should like you, if you do not mind, to accompany me to Gossington Hall.’

Coldly, defiantly, almost ignoring Josie’s murmur of assent, Melchett’s eyes met Slack’s.

CHAPTER 4 (#u2cce7421-31e6-5e80-8586-e223aa9ca429)

St Mary Mead was having the most exciting morning it had known for a long time.

Miss Wetherby, a long-nosed, acidulated spinster, was the first to spread the intoxicating information. She dropped in upon her friend and neighbour Miss Hartnell.

‘Forgive me coming so early, dear, but I thought, perhaps, you mightn’t have heard the news.’

‘What news?’ demanded Miss Hartnell. She had a deep bass voice and visited the poor indefatigably, however hard they tried to avoid her ministrations.

‘About the body in Colonel Bantry’s library—a woman’s body—’

‘In Colonel Bantry’s library?’

‘Yes. Isn’t it terrible?’

‘His poor wife.’ Miss Hartnell tried to disguise her deep and ardent pleasure.

‘Yes, indeed. I don’t suppose she had any idea.’

Miss Hartnell observed censoriously:

‘She thought too much about her garden and not enough about her husband. You’ve got to keep an eye on a man—all the time—all the time,’ repeated Miss Hartnell fiercely.

‘I know. I know. It’s really too dreadful.’

‘I wonder what Jane Marple will say. Do you think she knew anything about it? She’s so sharp about these things.’

‘Jane Marple has gone up to Gossington.’

‘What? This morning?’

‘Very early. Before breakfast.’

‘But really! I do think! Well, I mean, I think that is carrying things too far. We all know Jane likes to poke her nose into things—but I call this indecent!’

‘Oh, but Mrs Bantry sent for her.’

‘Mrs Bantry sent for her?’

‘Well, the car came—with Muswell driving it.’

‘Dear me! How very peculiar …’

They were silent a minute or two digesting the news.

‘Whose body?’ demanded Miss Hartnell.

‘You know that dreadful woman who comes down with Basil Blake?’

‘That terrible peroxide blonde?’ Miss Hartnell was slightly behind the times. She had not yet advanced from peroxide to platinum. ‘The one who lies about in the garden with practically nothing on?’

‘Yes, my dear. There she was—on the hearthrug—strangled!’

‘But what do you mean—at Gossington?’

Miss Wetherby nodded with infinite meaning.

‘Then—Colonel Bantry too—?’

Again Miss Wetherby nodded.

‘Oh!’

There was a pause as the ladies savoured this new addition to village scandal.

‘What a wicked woman!’ trumpeted Miss Hartnell with righteous wrath.

‘Quite, quite abandoned, I’m afraid!’

‘And Colonel Bantry—such a nice quiet man—’

Miss Wetherby said zestfully:

‘Those quiet ones are often the worst. Jane Marple always says so.’

Mrs Price Ridley was among the last to hear the news.

A rich and dictatorial widow, she lived in a large house next door to the vicarage. Her informant was her little maid Clara.