‘Why not?’
‘Well, I watched ’er goin’ the other way, didn’t I?’
‘How was that?’
‘Well, Mrs Chayleigh went one way and Miss Crimp went the other, over towards Farmer Cranby’s.’
‘Are you sure of this?’
‘Well, yes. I had to be careful, didn’t I, seein’ I was sneakin’ off to the beach.’
‘But you did see Miss Crimp leave the hotel?’
‘Oh, yes, I seen her go.’
‘And Mrs Chayleigh, too?’
‘Oh, yes, but about ’arf an hour after. I thought at the time it was funny.’
‘How so?’
‘Well, with the boat comin’ in, and all that, it seemed funny them both goin’ out of the ’otel like that.’
‘Why didn’t you tell the police about it?’
‘That inspector never asked me, and I didn’t want it to come out as I’d been out of the ’otel myself just when they think poor Mrs Chayleigh got killed.’
‘Well, you must certainly tell them now.’
‘Well, this is the first bit of evidence we have that Miss Crimp was out of the hotel at what must have been the crucial time,’ said the inspector. ‘We questioned all the servants, of course, but it’s always a busy time when the summer boats come in, and nobody could say for certain whether Miss Crimp was in or out until you got a definite statement from this girl. I’ll talk to her and get her evidence down in writing. At your suggestion we’ve managed to trace Miss Potter. It seems that while she and her friend, Mrs Lovelaine’s cousin, were over last year, Miss Potter wormed her way into Eliza Chayleigh’s good graces by pleading extreme poverty owing to the fact that Mrs Chayleigh had been given the inheritance which she thought should have been enjoyed by herself and Farmer Cranby, as old Miss Chayleigh’s nearest relatives. She had heard nothing about Eliza’s death when she left her friend’s house. She had saved the money Eliza gave her and fled because Miss Crimp, who certainly seems a right one, had been threatening to accuse her of blackmailing Eliza on the score of the smuggling. It was nothing but impudent bluff, of course, but people like Miss Potter are easily frightened. Well, when I’ve got this girl’s evidence down on paper, I’ll face Miss Crimp with it, and we’ll see how she reacts. She’ll have to produce chapter and verse as to where she went and what she did on that particular morning.’
‘And the pig?’
‘Oh, yes, the pig came from Cranby’s farm. There hadn’t been a pig in Dimbleton’s sty for years. We tackled Cranby. His wife’s away again and he’s had to confess he doesn’t know where she is. He says the pig “disappeared” and that’s all we can get out of him.’
‘Well, when you’ve found Mrs Cranby and confronted her with Miss Crimp, I think you will find you have Eliza Chayleigh’s murderers,’ said Dame Beatrice.
‘Think they’ll rat on one another, madam?’
‘Time will show,’ said Dame Beatrice; and it did.
—«»—«»—«»—
[scanned anonymously in a galaxy far far away]
[A 3S Release— v1, html]
[November 13, 2006]
