George had got up to leave. 'Do be careful,' he said. 'There's still a murderer out there.'
After he had gone, taking Toni with him, Agatha received a phone call from Phil.
'Mrs Bloxby had this great idea,' said Phil. 'She says what you need is a psychiatrist.' Agatha felt a stab of hurt. 'I'm surprised--' she was beginning furiously when Phil interrupted. 'No, not for you. A retired police psychiatrist. We tell him everything we know about Phyllis and he might guess that there was something in her character which made her into a murderee.'
'I don't need a shrink for that,' said Agatha. 'She murdered someone herself by the look of things, so it's easy to imagine someone wanted to kill her. In fact, there must be so many people who wanted to kill her, I don't know where to start.'
'I've made an appointment for us,' said Phil. 'Of course, I can always cancel it.'
'May as well give it a try,' said Agatha. 'Where? What time?'
'He lives in Bourton-on-the-Water. Ten tomorrow morning.'
'Not far. I'll pick you up at half nine.'
Agatha yawned and stretched. Time for a good night's sleep. If only one hadn't got to eat the whole time. She was poking about in her freezer when the doorbell rang.
Probably Charles, she thought, and, not bothering to look through the spyhole, she swung the door open. Jimmy Tamworthy stood on the step, his face white, his eyes glittering. 'I want a word with you,' he hissed.
'It's late,' said Agatha, barring the doorway. 'Call on me at my office tomorrow.'
'You'll hear me now, you bitch. How dare you go around saying my mother was a murderer! I could kill you.'
'Another time,' babbled Agatha. She nipped inside and slammed the door in his face. She crouched down in a chair in the kitchen while he rang the bell and hammered and kicked the door. Why aren't I phoning the police? she thought.
Why am I such a wimp?
She marched back to the door and shouted, 'I've called the police!'
There was a sudden silence. Then a final kick at the door. A car door slammed and she peered through the spyhole and saw him driving off.
Agatha phoned Bill Wong at home, having to tell his formidable mother that it was a matter of life and death before she would call her son.
Bill listened carefully and said, 'We should arrest him.'
'I don't know. Could you maybe just give him a warning, Bill? I can't help thinking that if I had had a mother like Phyllis, I'd be off my trolley as well.'
'All right. I'll speak to him tomorrow and put the fear of death into him. Hang on a minute. My mobile's ringing.'
He seemed to be gone a long time. Then he finally came back on the phone and said, 'You'd better get over to Toni's flat. The police are on their way.'
'What's happened?'
'That wretched brother of hers has hanged himself.'
'Oh, God. I'll go immediately.'
Agatha was gathering up her belongings, ready to leave, when she froze in horror. A key was turning in her front door. She ran into the kitchen and seized a carving knife.
When she returned to the hall, brandishing the knife, it was to find Charles smiling at her.
'Going to kill me, Aggie?'
'How did you get in?'
'I copied your keys.'
'Snakes and bastards! How dare you? Oh, never mind. We've got to get to Toni's. Her brother has hanged himself.'
When they arrived at Toni's flat, it was to find her being attended by a policewoman.
'Is there anything I can do?' asked Agatha.
Toni rose from the sofa where she had been sitting with her friend, Maggie, and flung her arms around Agatha and burst into tears.
'There, there,' said Agatha, patting the girl awkwardly on the back. 'We'll see you through this. Do you know where your mother is?'
Toni dried her tears. 'She sent me a letter the other day. The police have contacted her. Her friend is driving her up from Southampton.'
Agatha asked the policewoman, 'Did he leave a note?'
'Fortunately he did. Trying to make everyone feel guilty.'
'Will you need Miss Gilmour tonight? I'd like to take her home with me.'
'I need to stay here for my mother,' said Toni.
'Does she need to identify the body tonight?' Agatha asked the policewoman.
'No, tomorrow will do.' She turned to Toni. 'Are you sure you wouldn't like to let me phone for a doctor? He could give you something to make you sleep.'
Toni shook her head.
'When was he found?' asked Agatha.
'Two hours ago.'
'But Bill Wong phoned me not so long ago.'
'He's off duty. Probably one of his colleagues at the station realized Miss Gilmour is part of the murder inquiry we're investigating and phoned him.'
The doorbell rang. 'Can't be your mother already,' said Agatha.
'It'll be George,' said Toni. 'I got Maggie here to phone him.'
Agatha felt slightly miffed that Toni had not thought to phone her.
George Pyson came into the room. 'There's a bed and breakfast down the street. I've booked a double room for your mother and her friend. I know the owner. She's very kind. She says if I phone her when they are due to arrive, she'll get up to let them in.'
'Do you want us to wait?' asked Agatha, feeling superfluous.
'No,' said Toni weakly. 'I think George will take care of everything. And my friend, Maggie, says she'll stay the night.'
As they drove off, Agatha said, 'You know, he must be interested in her. But he's too old.'
'He's only in his early thirties and he's a goodlooking fellow. Don't interfere.'
'I've invested a lot of time and money in that girl,' said Agatha. 'Next thing, she'll be off, married to George and too pregnant to do any work.'
'I never thought of you as being mercenary, Aggie.'
'I'm a businesswoman, I'll have you know.'
'Quite. But bug out.'
Chapter Ten
Phil, Charles and Agatha drove to Bourton-onthe-Water the following morning, after Agatha had telephoned Toni. Toni said her mother was actually sober, and her delight at that seemed to have taken some of the misery out of her brother's suicide.
'How did he kill himself?' asked Phil.
'Hanged. Drilled a hook into the kitchen ceiling and hanged himself from that, Toni says.'
'That poor girl!'
'She had a miserable time with him,' said Agatha. 'I'll buy her a second-hand car when we're finished in
