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Authors: Agatha Christie
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silly story of how she got out of a bed of sickness and sneaked out of the house to go and meet Marina and get her autograph, there was a sort of odd silence. Then I saw her face.'
'Whose face? Mrs Badcock's?'
'No. Marina Gregg's. It was as though she hadn't heard a word the Badcock woman was saying. She was staring over her shoulder right at the wall opposite. Staring with - I can't explain it to you -'
'But do try, Dolly,' said Miss Marple, 'because I think perhaps that this might be important.'
'She had a kind of frozen look,' said Mrs Bantry, struggling with words, 'as though she'd seen something that - oh dear me, how hard it is to describe things. Do you remember the Lady of Shalott?
The mirror crack'd from side to side:
“The doom has come upon me,” cried the Lady of Shalott.
Well, that's what she looked like. People laugh at Tennyson nowadays, but the Lady of Shalott always thrilled me when I was young and it still does.'
'She had a frozen look,' repeated Miss Marple thoughtfully. 'And she was looking over Mrs Badcock's shoulder at the wall. What was on the wall?'
'Oh! A picture of some kind, I think,' said Mrs Bantry. 'You know, Italian. I think it was a copy of a Bellini Madonna, but I'm not sure. A picture where the Virgin is holding up a laughing child.'
Miss Marple frowned. 'I can't see that a picture could give her that expression.'
'Especially as she must see it every day,' agreed Mrs Bantry.
'There were people coming up the stairs still, I suppose?'
'Oh yes, there were.'
'Who were they, do you remember?'
'You mean she might have been looking at one of the people coming up the stairs?'
'Well, it's possible, isn't it?' said Miss Marple.
'Yes - of course - Now let me see. There was the mayor, all dressed up too with his chains and all, and his wife, and there was a man with long hair and one of those funny beards they wear nowadays. Quite a young man. And there was the girl with the camera. She'd taken her position on the stairs so as to get photos of people coming up and having their hands shaken by Marina, and - let me see, two people I didn't know. Studio people, I think, and the Grices from Lower Farm. There may have been others, but that's all I can remember now.'
'Doesn't sound very promising,' said Miss Marple. 'What happened next?'
'I think Jason Rudd nudged her or something because all of a sudden she seemed to pull herself together and she smiled at Mrs Badcock, and she began to say all the usual things. You know, sweet, unspoilt, natural, charming, the usual bag of tricks.'
'And then?'
'And then Jason Rudd gave them drinks.'
'What kind of drinks?'
'Daiquiris, I think. He said they were his wife's favourites. He gave one to her and one to the Badcock woman.'
'That's very interesting,' said Miss Marple. 'Very interesting indeed. And what happened after that?'
'I don't know, because I took a gaggle of women to look at the bathrooms. The next thing I knew was when the secretary woman came rushing along and said someone had been taken ill.'
The Mirror Crack's From Side to Side
Chapter 7
The inquest, when it was held, was short and disappointing. Evidence of identification was given by the husband, and the only other evidence was medical. Heather Badcock had died as a result of four grains of hyethyldexylbarboquindelorytate, or, let us be frank, some such name. There was no evidence to show how the drug was administered.
The inquest was adjourned for a fortnight.
After it was concluded, Detective-Inspector Frank Cornish joined Arthur Badcock.
'Could I have a word with you, Mr Badcock?'
'Of course, of course.'
Arthur Badcock looked more like a chewed-out bit of string than ever. 'I can't understand it,' he muttered. 'I simply can't understand it.'
'I've got a car here,' said Cornish. 'We'll drive back to your house, shall we? Nicer and more private there.'
'Thank you, sir. Yes, yes, I'm sure that would be much better.'
They drew up at the neat little blue-painted gate of
'Whose face? Mrs Badcock's?'
'No. Marina Gregg's. It was as though she hadn't heard a word the Badcock woman was saying. She was staring over her shoulder right at the wall opposite. Staring with - I can't explain it to you -'
'But do try, Dolly,' said Miss Marple, 'because I think perhaps that this might be important.'
'She had a kind of frozen look,' said Mrs Bantry, struggling with words, 'as though she'd seen something that - oh dear me, how hard it is to describe things. Do you remember the Lady of Shalott?
The mirror crack'd from side to side:
“The doom has come upon me,” cried the Lady of Shalott.
Well, that's what she looked like. People laugh at Tennyson nowadays, but the Lady of Shalott always thrilled me when I was young and it still does.'
'She had a frozen look,' repeated Miss Marple thoughtfully. 'And she was looking over Mrs Badcock's shoulder at the wall. What was on the wall?'
'Oh! A picture of some kind, I think,' said Mrs Bantry. 'You know, Italian. I think it was a copy of a Bellini Madonna, but I'm not sure. A picture where the Virgin is holding up a laughing child.'
Miss Marple frowned. 'I can't see that a picture could give her that expression.'
'Especially as she must see it every day,' agreed Mrs Bantry.
'There were people coming up the stairs still, I suppose?'
'Oh yes, there were.'
'Who were they, do you remember?'
'You mean she might have been looking at one of the people coming up the stairs?'
'Well, it's possible, isn't it?' said Miss Marple.
'Yes - of course - Now let me see. There was the mayor, all dressed up too with his chains and all, and his wife, and there was a man with long hair and one of those funny beards they wear nowadays. Quite a young man. And there was the girl with the camera. She'd taken her position on the stairs so as to get photos of people coming up and having their hands shaken by Marina, and - let me see, two people I didn't know. Studio people, I think, and the Grices from Lower Farm. There may have been others, but that's all I can remember now.'
'Doesn't sound very promising,' said Miss Marple. 'What happened next?'
'I think Jason Rudd nudged her or something because all of a sudden she seemed to pull herself together and she smiled at Mrs Badcock, and she began to say all the usual things. You know, sweet, unspoilt, natural, charming, the usual bag of tricks.'
'And then?'
'And then Jason Rudd gave them drinks.'
'What kind of drinks?'
'Daiquiris, I think. He said they were his wife's favourites. He gave one to her and one to the Badcock woman.'
'That's very interesting,' said Miss Marple. 'Very interesting indeed. And what happened after that?'
'I don't know, because I took a gaggle of women to look at the bathrooms. The next thing I knew was when the secretary woman came rushing along and said someone had been taken ill.'
The Mirror Crack's From Side to Side
Chapter 7
The inquest, when it was held, was short and disappointing. Evidence of identification was given by the husband, and the only other evidence was medical. Heather Badcock had died as a result of four grains of hyethyldexylbarboquindelorytate, or, let us be frank, some such name. There was no evidence to show how the drug was administered.
The inquest was adjourned for a fortnight.
After it was concluded, Detective-Inspector Frank Cornish joined Arthur Badcock.
'Could I have a word with you, Mr Badcock?'
'Of course, of course.'
Arthur Badcock looked more like a chewed-out bit of string than ever. 'I can't understand it,' he muttered. 'I simply can't understand it.'
'I've got a car here,' said Cornish. 'We'll drive back to your house, shall we? Nicer and more private there.'
'Thank you, sir. Yes, yes, I'm sure that would be much better.'
They drew up at the neat little blue-painted gate of
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