'Mrs Tamworthy had ruthlessly taken Hugh away from his fiancee the minute he had that pools win. Then there was something about her being teacher's pet at school, and then the teacher going off her and subsequently dying.'
'Oh, that evidence,' said Agatha weakly. 'Yes, we both began to decide that Phyllis was a much nastier person than we had even begun to imagine. That was why I encouraged my detective to go ahead and dig up that privy.'
And then Wilkes said those words Agatha had been beginning to dread. 'Let's begin at the beginning, Mrs Raisin.'
Agatha wearily described their trip to the north and told him about everyone they had spoken to and what they had said, right up until Toni found the skeleton.
'You see,' she ended by saying, 'I thought it might have something to do with Phyllis's past. When will you get the DNA result from the skeleton?'
'Don't think we'll need it,' said Wilkes. 'Susan Mason's handbag was down the hole with her bank book in it, and some fragments of clothing, and with a bit of luck we'll match the dentistry done on the teeth today sometime. What makes you think Phyllis might be the culprit? What about Hugh Tamworthy?'
'If he was weak enough to let Phyllis bully him into marrying her, then I can't see him having the guts or the reason to bump off Susan, a girl he genuinely seems to have been in love with. Oh, and when she was at school, Phyllis fell out with her schoolteacher. Said schoolteacher died shortly afterwards.'
'We'll look into that. I think it would be better if you kept well out of it from now on, Mrs Raisin.'
'What!' screeched Agatha. 'You wouldn't ever have found that skeleton if it hadn't been for a brilliant piece of deduction.' Agatha became aware that Charles was looking at her cynically. '...by Toni,' she added. 'Besides, I'm being employed by the family.'
'All right. Confine your investigations to the family and to whoever murdered Mrs Tamworthy,' said Wilkes. 'But suspend your activities for a week or so and leave the police to do their job.'
Agatha showed them out. The postman was just arriving. Agatha waited hopefully until he handed her a small pile of correspondence. She flicked through and found a highly coloured postcard of Tonga. She turned it over and read: 'Working hard on the latest travel book. Will be back for Christmas. You'd love the sunshine here. Love, James.'
She smiled with delight. She would make it a Christmas to remember.
Back in the kitchen, she put the postcard on the table and thumbed through the rest. 'Junk mail and bills,' she said.
'Who's the postcard from?'
'James.'
'Aha. That explains the smile on your lips and the shine in your eyes. It's a dead duck, Aggie.'
'Oh, shut up. I've got to get into the office, although I could do with some more sleep.'
'Then go back to bed. You're the boss.'
'No, I can't sleep now. I've got to get out to that blasted manor and see how they're all taking this latest development. Coming with me?'
'Why not?'
'I'd better get Doris to house-sit. The new cooker's arriving today.'
'Cooker? Is this for Christmas? Decided to char another bird after all?'
'No, I'm not only getting a caterer, but a chef as well. I've ordered a decent turkey and I don't want to risk getting one of those nasty frozen supermarket ones if I leave it all to the caterers. I'll just phone Patrick and Phil as well and see how they are getting on and then we'll be off.'
'How is Phil, by the way?'
'No bad effects after his lightning recovery. He's a tough old boy.'
It was a steel-grey day as they drove towards the manor house. Flocks of migrating birds drew arrows across the sky. Coloured leaves spiralled down in front of the car. 'It really is quite cold,' said Agatha. 'Perhaps it
'It never snows at Christmas. You're building all this up to an unhealthy level.'
'Nothing is going to go wrong.'
'Except the final death of romance.'
Agatha did not deign to reply as she turned into the gates of the manor.
'Can't see any police cars,' said Charles.
'Maybe they've all gone off to their respective homes,' said Agatha, 'and the police are interviewing them there.'
Jill, the groom, came round the side of the house as they were getting out of the car.
'Family at home?' asked Agatha.
'They're all at the funeral. They'll be back from the crematorium any minute now.'
Agatha said, 'I didn't know the body had been released for burial.'
'Yes, about a week ago. I suppose it's all right if you go inside. Some women from the village are preparing sandwiches and things.'
'I wonder if that's wise,' said Charles as they walked into the manor. 'Don't eat any sandwiches with green in them. Could be hemlock.'
They could hear a clatter of plates coming from the kitchen. 'Where will we wait?' asked Agatha. 'I mean, it might look a bit cheeky to be found in the drawing room like guests.'
'Particularly as it looks as if you've exposed dear Mama as a murderess.'
'I didn't think of that. They may not know. I mean, the police won't tell them anything until they have more proof. It's not as if any one of them were even born at the time. Phyllis was pregnant with the first one as far as I remember. I'm beginning to wonder what sort of man Hugh Tamworthy really was.'
'Sick,' said Charles laconically while he pushed open doors. 'Look, there's a little room here.'
'Used to be the morning room. We can wait here.' Agatha followed him in. 'What do you mean, sick?'
'Sick people gravitate to sick people. The formerly abused child marries a wife beater. The child of an alcoholic may not become one but ten to one will marry one. There are professional victims and martyrs all over the place...like you.'
'Just what do you mean by that?' snarled Agatha.
'A normal person wouldn't have put up with James for a minute.'
'I'll have you know, both my parents were alcoholics and I am not one, neither is James. I could do with a drink right now, mind you.'
'I hear them arriving.' Charles walked to the window. 'The men have black ties but the women are wearing their usual clothes. Just them, no one from the village except the ones in the kitchen and they're only here because they're being paid.'
Agatha opened the door. 'I'll waylay Alison. She isn't a member of the family except by marriage and she didn't like Phyllis.'
She went out into the hall. Bert, Jimmy, Sadie, Fran and Sir Henry Field saw Agatha but simply walked past her into the drawing room. Alison came hurrying in after them and stopped short at the sight of Agatha.
'I'm surprised you should call at such a time,' she said.
'You haven't heard?'
'Haven't heard what?'
'You'd better come into the morning room. There's been a new development.'
Alison walked in, nodded to Sir Charles and demanded, 'What?'
Agatha told her about finding the skeleton and the fact that Phyllis might have killed Susan.
Alison sat down and put her head in her hands. 'This is awful,' she mumbled.
'So this is the first you've heard of it?' asked Charles.
'Yes, I'd better tell the others. Wait here.'
She got unsteadily to her feet. Charles put out an arm to help her but she gave him a weak smile. 'I'll be all right.'
She closed the door behind her.
