[Mrs Bradley 55] - Nest of Vipers

week to a beautiful clean beach over on the other side of the bay. She used to say she wanted to get away from all the noise and mess while the workmen were doing the repairs and alterations to the house. This, as I understand, was before Mr Piper returned from France. After he came back she never asked to be taken to the seaside at all and she certainly never bathed from the beach here.'

'But that is not all you have to tell me, or you would not have asked me whether I had anything to go on in formulating my theory. There is one other point. I wonder whether they ever get trespassers? At low tide it must be quite easy for people to walk on the sands and find this bit of beach. Still, a complete stranger would hardly have murdered Miss Minnie. What else?'

'In a word, madam, although the beach here was not used by any of the residents except Mr Piper, Miss Minnie was a great believer in sea water baths. It seems she suffered from rheumatism and she believed that hot sea water baths gave her relief.'

'Ah, splendid! So that accounts for the sea water. I take it that this man Penworthy supplied it to the bungalow.'

'Three times a week, for a small emolument, he was commissioned to bring her four buckets of sea water which she used to let stand for a day to let any sand settle and then she boiled three bucketfuls in kettles and a large iron saucepan kept for the purpose, and the other bucketful was used to cool the hot sea water when she had poured it into the bath.'

'How does he know all this?'

'I deemed it better not to enquire, madam.'

'I suppose he took a peep through the kitchen window. I notice it is uncurtained. He could hardly have peered into the bathroom itself, as the window is of frosted glass. Possibly, of course, she described the process to him. She seems to have been a lonely person and may have been glad of someone to talk to. I suppose he didn't murder her himself and make off with her money and valuables.'

'He does not strike me as the type, madam,' replied George gravely.

'I was not entirely serious when I asked the question, George.'

She left the bungalow and, knowing that Constance was out, went to call on Evesham Evans. She found him frying sausages and bacon and apologised for disturbing him.

'That's all right,' said Evesham. 'Make yourself at home. I'm only frying for the need of something to do. Constance has gone up to Town to chivvy her publisher as usual, so, again, I'm on my own. Take a seat if you can find a sitting-room chair that isn't cluttered, and I'll bring this panful along. Any good inviting you to join me? I know it's a bit early in the day, but I've got stuck with my book and can't get on, so I thought I'd cook a bit of lunch while I waited for inspiration.'

Dame Beatrice said that she had been having cocktails and a snack in the bungalow and was hardly ready for her lunch. She asked whether she might come back later.

'Sure, sure. Glad to see you,' said Evesham, relieved, she thought, that he had no need to share his meal with her. 'Come at three. I'll have the place squared up a bit by then. Did you,' he added suddenly, as she reached the door, 'did you call about anything special?'

'Yes,' she replied, 'but it may take a little time. I want to know all that you know about the death of Miss Minnie. Perhaps you would be willing to go over the salient facts in your mind while you are eating your lunch.'(5)

'Do I take it that you're a relative?' asked Evesham, when she arrived at three.

'No, I am not a relative.' She produced her official card. Evesham put on a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles which, coupled with two tufts of hair which stuck up like two little ears, gave him the appearance of a tolerant and sagacious owl, and studied the morsel of pasteboard. 'Lestrange Bradley? Consultant psychiatrist to the Home Office, eh? So they think young Piper's non compos, do they? I wouldn't have thought that, you know. Still, I expect Broadmoor or Rampton, or whatever, is a shade preferable to the ordinary gaol, although personally I'd opt to be incarcerated with the thugs rather than with the loonies. All the same, I wouldn't have thought Piper was either. A very decent, quiet fellow I found him. Not at all the type to resort to violence.'

'Was Miss Minnie the kind of woman to invite violence?'

'I wouldn't have thought that, either, but I hardly knew her. Kept herself very much to herself, you know. Not exactly one of the gang.'

'Do you look upon yourselves as a kind of family unit, then? Do people like to feel that they are members of a party? Was that, for instance, what made you choose to come here to live?'

'Constance chose to come here. Suits her work, she says, although why she thinks so, when she's always pinching the car and careering off to London, I can't understand. Personally, I'd much prefer a flat more in the centre of things. Liverpool, now. I'd like to live in Liverpool. I like to be where there's some action. I like noise and ships and docks and hordes of people.'

'But your wife prefers Weston Pipers, and you are chivalrous enough to do as she wishes.'

'Well,' said Evesham, handing back the card and removing his glasses, 'she earns about ten times as much money as I do, so she reckons to call the tune. Not that I'd want to write her kind of bilge, mind you. In fact, I doubt whether a man could write it.'

'Mr Hempseed seems to do very well with his page on a woman's paper, I believe.'

'Oh, yes, but Polly writes tongue in cheek.