country life.
But as she reached the drab outskirts of Mircester, she began to plan the day ahead. She would need to explain why she had not told the police about listening at the window yesterday afternoon. She would also need to explain why cavalier Charles had suddenly decided to go to his own home, telling her that the police could interview him there.
When she got to the office, Mrs Freedman told her the police had already called and she was to go immediately to Mircester police headquarters to make a statement. Agatha groaned. Facing Bill would have been bad enough, but now she would have to explain herself to his superior.
She noticed Charles's car parked outside the police station. So he had been summoned as well.
She entered the police headquarters. It had recently been refurbished to make it look more 'customer friendly'. Gone was the institutional green, to be replaced with what was meant to be sunny yellow but was the colour of sulphur. Two plastic palms, their fronds already covered in dust, stood in two pots looming over a shiny imitation-leather sofa and two plastic chairs.
Agatha gave her name to the desk sergeant and was told to wait. And wait she did, longing for a cigarette. It was a full half-hour before she was summoned.
She was led to an interview room, noticing it had escaped the redecoration. The same scarred table with coffee-ring marks and old cigarette burns from the days when smoking was allowed. The same dull green walls.
'Sit down, Mrs Raisin,' said Wilkes. Bill was not there. Instead there was a woman in a grey power suit. She had a drab, sallow face, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a thin mouth and hooded eyes.
She put a tape in the recording machine and announced, 'Interview with Mrs Agatha Raisin commencing. Detective Inspector Wilkes and Detective Sergeant Collins conducting the interview. Time ten-five a.m.'
Agatha realized with a sinking heart as the interview began that Collins was going to ask all the questions. She had considered Wilkes severe in times past, but Collins fired questions at her in an aggressive manner and with an accusatory tone.
'Now,' snapped Collins at one point, 'you listened at the dining-room window, according to Sir Charles, and yet you failed to tell the police what you had heard. I have here Sir Charles Fraith's statement. Let me read you a bit.'
She read out an accurate report of what they had both heard as they had listened outside the window.
'Would you agree with this?' asked Collins.
'Yes, that is correct.'
'So why didn't you tell us? Is there anything else you are hiding from us?'
'No,' said Agatha miserably, feeling her face turn red. 'I've told you everything.'
'You consider yourself an experienced detective?' sneered Collins.
Agatha sat silently, glaring at her.
'Very well. We will accept your lame excuse for the moment...'
The questioning went on remorselessly for two hours. Feeling as if she had been mugged, Agatha finally emerged blinking in the sunlight, and looked outside the police station. Charles's car was gone.
She told herself she should be used to his erratic behaviour. Agatha made her way to her office. Her small staff were waiting for her to get the day's instructions.
Agatha was about to begin when there was a knock at the office door and then Alison Tamworthy walked in. Despite the sunny day, she was wearing a tweed skirt and cotton blouse under a Barbour. Her normally pugnacious face showed signs of recent crying.
She stared at Agatha. 'I don't care what the others say,' she said. 'I have to know.'
'Please sit down,' urged Agatha. 'You want us to find out who killed your mother-in-law?'
'That's it. The others say, 'Oh, just let it go.' All they think about is the money. But I can't go on wondering and wondering. They don't know it, but suspicion will hang over the lot of them until this is cleared up. I have my own money.'
Agatha signalled to Mrs Freedman, who came forward with a notebook. 'I'll need all the names and addresses,' said Agatha.
'I can give you that,' said Alison. 'Jimmy lives above the shop but has moved into the manor and will remain there until we decide what to do with the estate. They are all still at the manor. I want you to come back with me. I want to tell them all that I have engaged you.'
'Do you think one of them did it?' asked Agatha.
'I can't believe that. I think it must be one of the troublemakers from the village. Paul Chambers is the ringleader.'
'Right,' said Agatha. 'Mrs Freedman will draw up a contract for you to sign. Toni, get Mrs Tamworthy a coffee.'
While Mrs Freedman prepared the contract and Alison sipped coffee, Agatha gave Phil and Patrick their instructions for the day. Toni looked at her dismally. Agatha appeared to have forgotten her existence.
'Right,' said Agatha when the contract was signed. 'You go ahead to the manor, Mrs Tamworthy, and break the news to them that you have employed me and I will follow after, say, half an hour.'
When Alison had left, Agatha grinned. 'Great! Nice to get something different from divorces. Toni, I want you to come with me to see if that famous luck of yours can dig up something.'
As Agatha drove towards Lower Tapor, Toni sat in the passenger seat in a state of excitement. She, Toni Gilmour, was going to a manor house! Ideas of grandeur culled from Merchant Ivory films floated through her head. Would there be a butler? Tea on the terrace? Croquet on the lawn? She was wearing a denim blouse and jeans and wished Agatha had let her go home to change into something more suitable.
As they approached the gates, Agatha said, 'I want you to study each one of them and give me your impressions. The police will still be there and they won't be happy to see us, but I'm used to that.'
As Agatha parked the car, she could see Bill Wong's head through a window of the mobile police unit. He appeared to be interviewing someone.
Alison met them at the door. 'Sir Henry is being interviewed again. The rest are in the drawing room. Come with me.'
Jimmy, Bert, Sadie and Fran were slumped in chairs in the drawing room. They all stared angrily at Agatha. Bert said, 'I have told my wife that I cannot see what you can do that the police can't. Waste of money.'
'It's my money I'm using,' snapped Alison. 'Well, we're not going to cooperate,' said Fran.
Alison strode to the fireplace and stood facing them with her hands on her hips. 'Don't you all see! If this murder isn't solved, it'll hang over our heads forever. People will look at us and say, 'That's the family that murdered their mother.' Say we decide to sell. People will try to drive the price down because of our shameful reputation.'
The money bit struck a chord, thought Toni, covertly studying the faces in the room.
There was a long silence. Glances were exchanged. At last Bert said with obvious reluctance, 'Oh, go ahead. It shouldn't bother any of us because none of us did it.'
'Mrs Tamworthy--' began Agatha.
'Call me Alison.'
'Very well. If forensics have finished with the kitchen, I'd like to have a look at it.'
'Come with me,' said Alison.
Agatha swung round to Toni. 'Why don't you sit down for a bit,' she ordered the girl. 'I'll be back presently.'
When she had left, Sadie, Fran, Bert and Jimmy all looked at Toni for a long moment. Then Sadie picked up a magazine and began to read, Jimmy walked to the window and stared out, Fran began to stitch at a tapestry frame and Bert opened a newspaper.
Toni looked around the room. The manor house was not what she had expected. There was no feeling of antiquity. From the outside, it looked like an old building, maybe eighteenth century, made of mellow Cotswold stone. To judge from the drawing room, it looked as if everything old had been ripped out of the house, and an interior designer brought in. The sofa and chairs were chintz-covered and without any sign of comfortable wear. Toni thought it looked like a hotel which had been decorated to look like a manor house.
Her gaze fell on Jimmy. He was standing at the window chewing his fingernails. There was an air of defeat
