Read A Pocket Full of Rye for Free Online
Authors: Agatha Christie
never liked her brother-in-law, but she came here while her sister was alive and stayed on when she died. Mr Fortescue never bothered about her much. She's quite a character, though, is Aunt Effie.”
“And that is all.”
“That's all.”
“So we come to you. Miss Dove.”
“You want particulars? I'm an orphan. I took a secretarial course at the St Alfred's Secretarial College. I took a job as shorthand typist, left it and took another, decided I was in the wrong racket, and started on my present career. I have been with three different employers. After about a year or eighteen months I get tired of a particular place and move on. I have been at Yewtree Lodge just over a year. I will type out the names and addresses of my various employers and give them, with a copy of my references to Sergeant - Hay, is it? Will that be satisfactory?”
“Perfectly, Miss Dove.” Neele was silent for a moment, enjoying a mental image of Miss Dove tampering with Mr Fortescue's breakfast. His mind went back farther, and he saw her methodically gathering yew berries in a little basket. With a sigh he returned to the present and reality. “Now, I would like to see the girl - er Gladys - and then the housemaid, Ellen.” He added as he rose, “By the way. Miss Dove, can you give me any idea why Mr Fortescue would be carrying loose grain in his pocket?”
“Grain?” She stared at him with what appeared to be genuine surprise.
“Yes - grain. Does that suggest something to you. Miss Dove?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Who looked after his clothes?”
“Crump.”
“I see. Did Mr Fortescue and Mrs Fortescue occupy the same bedroom?”
“Yes. He had a dressing-room and bath, of course, and so did she...” Mary glanced down at her wrist-watch. “I really think that she ought to be back very soon now.”
The Inspector had risen. He said in a pleasant voice:
“Do you know one thing. Miss Dove? It strikes me as very odd that even though there are three golf courses in the immediate neighbourhood, it has yet not been possible to find Mrs Fortescue on one of them before now?”
“It would not be so odd. Inspector, if she did not actually happen to be playing golf at all.”
Mary's voice was dry. The Inspector said sharply:
“I was distinctly informed that she was playing golf.”
“She took her golf clubs and announced her intention of doing so. She was driving her own car, of course.”
He looked at her steadily, perceiving the inference.
“Who was she playing with? Do you know?”
“I think it possible that it might be Mr Vivian Dubois.”
Neele contented himself by saying: “I see.”
“I'll send Gladys in to you. She'll probably be scared to death.” Mary paused for a moment by the door, then she said:
“I should hardly advise you to go too much by all I've told you. I'm a malicious creature.”
She went out. Inspector Neele looked at the closed door and wondered. Whether actuated by malice or not, what she had told him could not fail to be suggestive. If Rex Fortescue had been deliberately poisoned, and it seemed almost certain that that was the case, then the set up at Yewtree Lodge seemed highly promising. Motives appeared to be lying thick on the ground.
A Pocket of Rye
Chapter 5
The girl who entered the room with obvious unwillingness was an unattractive, frightened looking girl, who managed to look faintly sluttish in spite of being tall and smartly dressed in a claret-coloured uniform.
She said at once, fixing imploring eyes upon him.
“I didn't do anything. I didn't really. I don't know anything about it.”
“That's all right,” said Neele heartily. His voice had changed slightly. It sounded more cheerful and a good deal commoner in intonation. He wanted to put the frightened rabbit Gladys at her ease.
“Sit down here,” he went on. “I just want to know about breakfast this morning.”
“I didn't do anything at all.”
“Well, you laid the breakfast, didn't you?”
“Yes, I did
“And that is all.”
“That's all.”
“So we come to you. Miss Dove.”
“You want particulars? I'm an orphan. I took a secretarial course at the St Alfred's Secretarial College. I took a job as shorthand typist, left it and took another, decided I was in the wrong racket, and started on my present career. I have been with three different employers. After about a year or eighteen months I get tired of a particular place and move on. I have been at Yewtree Lodge just over a year. I will type out the names and addresses of my various employers and give them, with a copy of my references to Sergeant - Hay, is it? Will that be satisfactory?”
“Perfectly, Miss Dove.” Neele was silent for a moment, enjoying a mental image of Miss Dove tampering with Mr Fortescue's breakfast. His mind went back farther, and he saw her methodically gathering yew berries in a little basket. With a sigh he returned to the present and reality. “Now, I would like to see the girl - er Gladys - and then the housemaid, Ellen.” He added as he rose, “By the way. Miss Dove, can you give me any idea why Mr Fortescue would be carrying loose grain in his pocket?”
“Grain?” She stared at him with what appeared to be genuine surprise.
“Yes - grain. Does that suggest something to you. Miss Dove?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Who looked after his clothes?”
“Crump.”
“I see. Did Mr Fortescue and Mrs Fortescue occupy the same bedroom?”
“Yes. He had a dressing-room and bath, of course, and so did she...” Mary glanced down at her wrist-watch. “I really think that she ought to be back very soon now.”
The Inspector had risen. He said in a pleasant voice:
“Do you know one thing. Miss Dove? It strikes me as very odd that even though there are three golf courses in the immediate neighbourhood, it has yet not been possible to find Mrs Fortescue on one of them before now?”
“It would not be so odd. Inspector, if she did not actually happen to be playing golf at all.”
Mary's voice was dry. The Inspector said sharply:
“I was distinctly informed that she was playing golf.”
“She took her golf clubs and announced her intention of doing so. She was driving her own car, of course.”
He looked at her steadily, perceiving the inference.
“Who was she playing with? Do you know?”
“I think it possible that it might be Mr Vivian Dubois.”
Neele contented himself by saying: “I see.”
“I'll send Gladys in to you. She'll probably be scared to death.” Mary paused for a moment by the door, then she said:
“I should hardly advise you to go too much by all I've told you. I'm a malicious creature.”
She went out. Inspector Neele looked at the closed door and wondered. Whether actuated by malice or not, what she had told him could not fail to be suggestive. If Rex Fortescue had been deliberately poisoned, and it seemed almost certain that that was the case, then the set up at Yewtree Lodge seemed highly promising. Motives appeared to be lying thick on the ground.
A Pocket of Rye
Chapter 5
The girl who entered the room with obvious unwillingness was an unattractive, frightened looking girl, who managed to look faintly sluttish in spite of being tall and smartly dressed in a claret-coloured uniform.
She said at once, fixing imploring eyes upon him.
“I didn't do anything. I didn't really. I don't know anything about it.”
“That's all right,” said Neele heartily. His voice had changed slightly. It sounded more cheerful and a good deal commoner in intonation. He wanted to put the frightened rabbit Gladys at her ease.
“Sit down here,” he went on. “I just want to know about breakfast this morning.”
“I didn't do anything at all.”
“Well, you laid the breakfast, didn't you?”
“Yes, I did