Overture to Death

“One of those fragments of rubber,” he said, “was found on the point of a nail on the inside of the box. The others were caught behind projecting splinters also on the inside of the box.”

He opened an envelope and from it he shook a torn surgical finger-stall.

“The fragments of rubber,” he said, “correspond with the holes in this stall.”

Miss Prentice electrified the company by clapping her hands with great violence.

“Oh, inspector,” she cried shrilly, “how perfectly, perfectly wonderful you are!”

iii

Alleyn turned slowly and met her enraptured gaze. Her prominent eyes bulged, her mouth was open, and she nodded her head several times with an air of ecstasy.

“Then you acknowledge,” he said, “that you put this box outside the window on Saturday afternoon?”

“Of course!”

“And that you stood on it in order to look through the window?”

“Alas, yes!”

“Miss Prentice, why did you do this?”

“I was guided.”

“Why did you not admit you recognised the box when Inspector Fox asked you about it?”

With that unlovely air of girlishness she covered her face with her fingers.

“I was afraid he would ask me what I saw.”

“This is absolute nonsense!” said Templett angrily.

“And why,” continued Alleyn, “did you tell me you were indoors all Saturday afternoon?”

“I was afraid to say what I’d done.”

“Afraid? Of whom?”

She seemed to draw herself inwards to a point of venomous concentration. She stretched out her arm across the table. The finger pointed at Mrs. Ross.

“Of her. She tried to murder me. She’s a murderess. I can prove it. I can prove it.”

“No!” cried the squire. “No! Good God, Alleyn — ”

“Is there any doubt in your mind, Mr. Alleyn,” said Mrs. Ross, “that this woman is mad?”

“I can prove it,” repeated Miss Prentice.

“How?” asked Alleyn. “Please let this finish, Mr. Jernigham. We shall see daylight soon.”

“She knew I saw her. She tried to kill me because she was afraid.”

“You hear that, Mrs. Ross? It is a serious accusation. Do you feel inclined to answer it? I must warn you, first, that Dr. Templett has made a statement about this incident.”

She looked quickly at Templett.

He said, “I thought you hadn’t considered me over the other business. I told the truth.”

“You fool,” said Mrs. Ross. For the first time she looked really frightened. She raised her hands to her thin neck and touched it surreptitiously. Then she hid her hands in her lap.

“I do not particularly want to repeat the gist of Dr. Templett’s statement,” said Alleyn.

“Very well.” Her voice cracked, she took a breath and then said evenly, “Very well. I recognised Miss Prentice. I’ve nothing whatever to fear. One doesn’t kill old maids for eavesdropping.”

“Mr. Jernigham,” said Alleyn, “did Mrs. Ross tell you of this incident this afternoon?”

The squire was staring at Mrs. Ross as if she was a sort of Medusa. Without turning his eyes, he nodded.

“She suggested that Miss Prentice had come down to the hall with the intention of putting the automatic in the piano?”

“So she had. I’ll swear,” said Mrs. Ross.

“Mr. Jernigham?”

“Yes. Yes, she suggested that.”

“She told you perhaps, that you could trust her?”

“Oh, my God!” said the squire.

“I arrived too late at this place,” said Mrs. Ross, “to be able to do anything to the piano.” She looked at Dinah. “You know that.”

“Yes,” said Dinah.

“It was soon after that,” said Miss Prentice abruptly, “that she began to set traps for me, you know. Then I saw it all in a flash. She must have seen me through a glass darkly, and because I witnessed the unpardonable sin she will destroy me. You understand, don’t you, because it is very important. She is in league with The Others, and it won’t be long before one of them catches me.”

Templett said, “Alleyn, you must see. This has gone on long enough. It’s perfectly obvious what’s wrong here.”

“We will go on, if you please,” said Alleyn. “Mr. Copeland, you told me that on Friday night you expected Miss Prentice at the rectory.”

The rector, very pale, said, “Yes.”

“She didn’t arrive?”

“No. I told you. She telephoned.”

“At what time?”

“Not long after ten.”

“From Pen Cuckoo?”

“It was my hand, you know,” said Miss Prentice rapidly. “I wanted to rest my hand. It was so very naughty. The blood tramped up and down my arm. Thump, thump, thump. So I said I would stay at home.”

“You rang up from Pen Cuckoo?”

“I took the message, Mr. Alleyn,” said Dinah. “I told you.”

“And what do you say, Miss Copeland, if I tell you that on Friday night the Pen Cuckoo telephone was out of order from 8.20 until the following morning?”

“But — it couldn’t have been.”

“I’m afraid it was.” He turned to Henry Jernigham. “You agree?”

“Yes,” said Henry without raising his head.

“You can thank The Others for that,” said Miss Prentice in a trembling voice.

“The Others?”

“The Others, yes. They are always doing those sort of tricks; and she’s the worst of the lot, that woman over there.”

“Well, Miss Copeland?”

“I took the message,” repeated Dinah. “Miss Prentice said she was at home and would remain at home.”

“This contradiction,” said Alleyn, “takes us a step further. Mrs. Ross, on Friday night you drove down to Chipping by way of Church Lane?”

“Yes.”

“You have told me that you saw a light in this hall.”

“Yes.”

“You think it was in Mr. Jernigham’s dressing-room?”

“Yes.”

“The telephone is in that room, Miss Dinah, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” whispered Dinah. “Oh, yes.”

Alleyn took a card from his pocket and scribbled on it. He handed it over to Henry.

“Will you take Miss Dinah to the rectory?” he said. “In half an hour I want you to ring through to here on the extension. Show this card to the man at the door and he will let you out.”

Henry looked fixedly at Alleyn.

“Very well, sir.” he said. “Thank you.”

Henry and Dinah went out.

iv

“Now,” said Alleyn, “we come to the final scene. I must tell you — though I dare say you have heard it all by now — that at 6.30 Miss Gladys Wright used the piano and pressed down the soft pedal. Nothing untoward happened. Since it is inconceivable that anybody could remove the pot plants and rig the automatic after 6.30, we know that the automatic must have been already in position. The safety-catch, which Mr. Henry Jernigham showed to all of you, and particularly to Mrs. Ross, accounts for Gladys Wright’s immunity. How, then, did the guilty person manage to release the safety-catch after Gladys Wright and her fellow-helpers were down in the front of the hall? I will show you how it could have been done.”

He went down to the footlights.

“You notice that the curtain falls on the far side of the improvised footlights and just catches on the top of the piano. Now, if you’ll look.”

He stooped and pushed his hand under the curtain. The top of the piano, with its covering of green and yellow bunting, could just be seen.

“This bunting is pi

Above the sound of rain and wind they all heard a small click.

“I have pushed over the safety-catch,” said Alleyn. “The automatic is now ready to shoot Miss Campanula between the eyes.”