Nest of Vipers

‘So, although you thought of Miss Minnie as a poor lonely old thing who did not get much fun out of life, you never took her for a drive?’

‘No. Oh, well, no, not for a drive, but sometimes, when I was driving to the station I used to go up to Town by train because of parking problems and because Billie used to fuss because she said it was too far to go to London and back in a day—’

‘And on the way to the station you happened to pass Miss Minnie—’

‘She was supposed to be going out to do her shopping, so, yes, I used to pull in and pick her up. She had to go to the bus stop otherwise and that’s a good mile and a half from Weston Pipers – and the buses are very irregular.’

‘She appears to have avoided contact with all the other inhabitants of Weston Pipers. Why do you think she made an exception of you?’

‘I suppose it was easier to go into the town by car than wait for the bus, that’s all. I suppose she had to come back by bus, but there was nothing I could do about that.’

Dame Beatrice said, ‘Could not Mrs Evans have picked her up? Anyway, the journey to the station from which you caught your train is about ten miles from Weston Pipers, I believe, so if we subtract the distance she walked before you picked her up, Miss Minnie would have been in the car with you for about twenty minutes, I suppose.’

‘A bit more. The roads round here twist and turn and are pretty narrow, and you can’t drive fast on them. Besides I promised Billie I wouldn’t, not even if it meant missing my train.’

‘She seems to take every care of you.’

‘She’s worse than a fussy maiden aunt! Of course, she’s older than I am.’

‘That would explain it. She may be a frustrated mother. Some, of course, keep dogs or cats—’

‘And in this case, you mean, she keeps me! Only she doesn’t, you know. I can pay my way very nicely, thank you. Hers, too, if I wanted to, or she’d let me. She’s rather a long time on that telephone.’

‘I fancy that she is keeping out of our way while I question you. Did you drop Miss Minnie at the railway station each time?’

‘No, I never took her as far as that, because the shops were on the way to it, so she got off before we reached the station.’

‘Did she chat to you on the short journey?’

‘Not to say chat. She asked me whether I ever took hot sea water baths, I remember.’

‘And do you?’

‘Heavens, no! The hot water from the bathroom tap is quite good enough for me. The papers said she was drowned in sea water, though. Did Piper do it?’

‘What is your opinion?’

‘Niobe Nutley might have done it. He wouldn’t.’

‘You think that, do you?’

‘She’s potty on him and if she thought poor old Minnie was going to have the law on him and try to get Weston Pipers and the money herself, Niobe would remove her from the scene of operations without a qualm, and it’s my firm belief that’s what she did, not realising it would land Piper in the soup.’

‘Interesting. Did Miss Minnie ever confide such an intention to you – that she meant to contest the will?’

‘No, and, if she had, the last person I would have retailed it to would have been Niobe. She got rid of Billie and me, you know – anonymous letters.’

‘That, according to my information, was Mrs Constance Kent.’

‘Oh, I know all about Connie Kent. The letters from Niobe were ever so much worse. Billie doesn’t know about them because they used to come while I was in the flat and Billie was working. I’ve never told her about them. I insisted, though, that we had better get out.’

‘How do you know that Miss Nutley wrote them?’

‘I thought it was obvious. Her reason was the same as Connie Kent’s. Both of them were horribly envious just because Billie and I were happy together and they were not happy at all. Connie makes Evesham Evan’s life a misery, and her own, too, and Niobe can’t get Piper, although she chases him all the time.’

‘But you and Miss Kennett were not entirely happy together, I think – not lately, at any rate.’

‘You mean because I went off with Polly? Well, Billie is so bossy, you know, and when she told me I was burning my fingers with Polly, I thought, Right. I’ll burn my whole hand.’

‘Very childish.’

‘Besides, I wanted a man.’

‘Ah, yes, very natural, of course.’

‘I expect Billie was jealous. She got to know, of course. I can’t stand jealous people. Can you?’

‘I am extremely sorry for them.’

‘Well, they’re hell to live with, anyway.’

‘No doubt. Do you happen to know which shops Miss Minnie patronised?’