Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

'I know,' said Agatha. 'I tried to phone Jimmy.'

Agatha was beginning to wonder why Harry had gone out of his way to make his snow figure so much like Francie. And why had he such ability?

'Thought that snow thing of Harry's was in remarkably bad taste,' said the colonel. He and Daisy and Agatha were sitting in front of the fire in the lounge.

'I'm amazed, however, at his expertise,' said Agatha. 'I thought he was going to make a traditional snowman.'

'I suppose once a sculptor, always a sculptor.'

'What! Harry?' Agatha had fondly imagined that sculptors, however old, would look, well, more bohemian.

'Haven't you ever heard of Henry Berry before?' asked the colonel. 'He was quite famous in his day. Doesn't do it anymore. Says he hasn't the strength.'

'He seems remarkably strong to me.' Agatha remembered the ease with which he had lifted and shaped the heavy snow.

'Anyway, he gave poor Mary a dreadful fright,' said Daisy. She winked meaningfully at Agatha and then jerked her head slightly towards the door. Agatha correctly interpreted that to mean that Daisy wanted her to leave her alone with the colonel. But it had started to snow again and the rooms were cold because the central heating wasn't working. Scrabble was all right. She had placed a hot-water bottle on the bed wrapped in a towel and last seen, Scrabble had been comfortably coiled around it.

The manager came in with a portable radio. 'I thought you might like to hear the news,' he said, putting it down and switching it on. 'There is a thaw forecast for this evening. They hope to have electricity restored by this evening as well. Dear me, so much food wasted. We've had to throw a lot of stuff out of the freezers.'

The colonel cocked his head. 'Listen.'

The voice of the news announcer began a catalogue of disasters, of blocked roads and thousands of homes without power. Daisy shifted in her chair and looked at Agatha angrily. You can glare all you want, thought Agatha, but I am not leaving this warm fire. She longed to be able to phone Jimmy and find out if there was anything sinister in Harry's background.

The colonel at last switched off the radio. 'Thank you, Mr. Martin. It certainly seems as if there is a thaw coming.'

The manager took the radio away. 'I think I'll go to my room and get a book.' The colonel rose to his feet. Daisy watched him with hungry eyes as he left the lounge. She's getting worse, thought Agatha.

When the colonel had gone, Agatha said, 'I know you want me to leave you alone with him, Daisy, but I do not want to go upstairs and sit in a cold bedroom, and it's not as if I can go out for a walk.'

'I only wanted a few moments,' said Daisy sulkily.

Agatha leaned forward. 'If I can give you a bit of advice, Daisy, it's no good being so keen, so needy. It drives the gentlemen away. You'll frighten him off.'

'Are you speaking from personal experience?' asked Daisy nastily.

'Yes,' said Agatha, thinking of James Lacey. She had even pursued him to Cyprus and a fat lot of good that had done.

'You went out with the colonel,' accused Daisy. 'I saw you.'

'It was you. At the theatre.'

'Yes, and he took you out for a drink afterwards, which is more than he did for me.'

Agatha sighed. 'Look here, Daisy, the reason he felt comfortable with me was because he knows I'm not interested in him. What if he had seen you watching us? You know these potions of Francie's. I've got a bit of love potion left.'

'Did you get it to put in the colonel's drink?'

'No, I got it as a bit of a joke, but I'll let you have some.'

'Will it work?'

'Haven't you tried it before?' asked Agatha.

'I thought about it but I wanted him to love me for myself. But if you wouldn't mind...'

Agatha got to her feet. 'I'll get it before he comes back.'

She went up to her room and found the bottle. She must only use a few drops. She wanted to keep some for analysis, along with the hair tonic.

She went back to the lounge. 'Could you put it in for me?' whispered Daisy. 'I'm terrified I'll get caught.'

'Don't rush me,' admonished Agatha. 'I'll need to wait for the right moment.'

* * *

The right moment occurred that very afternoon when they were all gathered round the fire. 'Nothing to do but get drunk,' mourned the colonel. 'Care to join me in a bottle of claret, Harry?'

'Good idea.'

'When it arrives, create a distraction,' Agatha whispered to Daisy.

Agatha and the rest ordered coffee. Agatha slipped the bottle out of her handbag and into her hand.

The waiter came in carrying a bottle of claret and two glasses. Another elderly waiter creaked in under the weight of coffee-pot, milk and sugar on a heavy silver tray. Everything was placed on the coffee-table in front of the fire. A waiter opened the bottle of wine. 'We'll let it breathe for a moment. You lot go ahead with your coffee,' said the colonel.

Jennifer poured. Mary sat silently, twisting a handkerchief in her fingers. 'Are you feeling better, Mary?' asked Agatha.

'Oh, much better,' she said in a weak voice. 'But I had such a shock. I thought it was the ghost of Francie.'

'I didn't set out to make it like anyone,' protested Harry. 'Just made a woman. Let's have that wine.'

The colonel poured two glasses.

'Look!' Daisy jumped to her feet. She ran to the window. 'Oh, do come and look at this.'

With the exception of Agatha, the others rose and went to the window and crowded behind her, saying, 'Where? What?'

Agatha tipped a few drops from the bottle into the colonel's glass. Then she stoppered the bottle and put it in her handbag. She looked quickly at the window. Harry was looking at her. Agatha said, 'Anything there? What is it?'

'A sea-gull,' said Jennifer in disgust. 'Daisy thinks a seagull is a harbinger of sunshine.'

'It's only because I haven't seen any until now,' said Daisy. 'I mean, they haven't been flying in the snow.'

'Sensible bird,' said the colonel tolerantly as he returned to his chair. 'Let's get to that wine, Harry.'

'Let me try it first,' said Harry. 'I'm fussier than you.' He raised his glass and took a sip. He wrinkled his nose. 'Don't have it, Colonel. It's corked.'

'You sure?'

'Yes, and there's nothing worse for the liver than bad wine.' Harry pressed the bell on the wall for the waiter. 'Take this away and bring us a decent one,' he said when the waiter had arrived. 'It's corked.'

The waiter bowed and removed the bottle and glasses. Agatha looked at Harry and he stared blandly back at her. Had he seen anything?

'While he's bringing us another one,' said Harry, getting to his feet again, 'let me see if there's anything in that games cupboard to amuse us. He rummaged in the cupboard and then shouted over his shoulder, 'There's Monopoly here. Fancy a game?'

'Haven't played that in ages,' said Jennifer. 'Bring it over.'

They all began to play Monopoly. The colonel and Harry drank steadily and then ordered another bottle.

The colonel became tipsy and began to flirt with Mary. Daisy was red with anger but Mary seemed to enjoy the flirtation and was giggling with delight.

At last, after several games, the colonel rose and stretched. 'Gottoliedown,' he said, making his sentence one slurred word. 'Whassat?' He pointed at the window.

'It's a snow-plough,' said Agatha, 'and the snow's stopped at last.'