smallhobbit

“How far are you planning on going?” Dolly Bantry replied.

“I thought we could follow the path which led out to the old orchard and then back round past the tennis courts.  It should only take about fifteen minutes.”

“Let me fetch a cardigan.  It’s not quite as warm now the sun’s starting to go down.”

“Of course, dear.  I’ll meet you at the top of the steps near the croquet lawn.”

Miss Marple watched as Dolly departed for her room, before checking her watch and nodding to herself.  She walked thoughtfully to their agreed meeting point.

The two friends were staying at a country house hotel, enjoying a week of rest and relaxation, and, to quote Inspector Slack when he discovered the fact, ‘ideally placed when one of the other guests inconveniently got himself murdered’.  Not that the guest was murdered in such a respectable hotel, but he had been staying there at the time, and, while Slack was hoping the murderer was an outsider, he was fairly sure Miss Marple would prove this hope a forlorn one.

The two ladies set off on their walk, which led past some glorious rhododendrons and out onto a gravelled path that ran along the side of a grassy area which sloped gently down to a stream running along the bottom.  At the far end of the grass was a dry-stone wall and behind that was the old orchard.

As they approached the wall, Miss Marple tutted and paused.

“What’s the matter?” Dolly asked her.

Miss Marple sighed.  “It’s just as I feared.  You remember Emily Partington said she saw Toby Westerleigh walking on the far side of the stream yesterday evening.”

“Yes,” her friend agreed.  “The inspector said that would give Westerleigh an alibi.”

“Well, Emily said he probably wouldn’t have seen her because she was sunbathing up by the wall.”

“That’s right.”

“But look at the wall, dear.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

“Precisely.  At this time of day, the wall casts quite a dark shadow.  No-one would be sunbathing by it.  Do you think it would be a kindness to let the inspector have his dinner before I tell him?”