Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden

Agatha looked at her in exasperation. "Is that really all you wanted to talk to me about? I mean, to warn me off the colonel."

"I never--"

"I mean," said Agatha, her tone softening, "you are keen on the colonel and you thought I might take him away from you."

"Yes."

"Well, the colonel has no interest in me whatsoever."

"But I saw you walking on the pier and he took your arm."

"He's a gentleman. It was a gentlemanly thing to do. That's all. How long have you been keen on the colonel?"

"Years," said Daisy sadly.

"Have you ever thought of asking him out for a drink?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't!"

"Why?"

"Ladies don't."

"This is the nineties. They do now," said Agatha. "Look, that Gilbert and Sullivan company has moved to Hadderton. You could get a couple of tickets and say they were given to you by a friend, and would he like to use the other ticket?"

"I'll try that," said Daisy, her eyes shining.

"Do you ever read any magazines?" asked Agatha curiously.

"Yes, I read newspaper supplements and sometimes Good Housekeeping."

"Not Cosmopolitan?"

"No. Why?"

"Just wondered," said Agatha, who had been thinking about all the raunchy articles on sex that appeared in women's magazines these days. "Go for it, Daisy. At least you'll have an evening on your own with him."

Daisy had just left when the phone rang. It was Jimmy, who said he was downstairs and would like to see her.

Agatha deftly applied a fresh coat of make-up, put on high heels instead of her slippers and made her way downstairs.

"How are you?" asked Jimmy with that warm smile of his which always lifted Agatha's heart.

"I don't seem to have suffered any damage at all," said Agatha cheerfully. "Although I do seem fated to get wet." She told him about her visit to the cinema.

"Let's go into the lounge and have a drink," said Jimmy. "I took a look. No one's in there now."

They walked in and sat down in front of the fire. "I've got an exciting bit of news. Someone's turned himself in."

"You've got the murderer!" The waiter appeared. Jimmy ordered drinks. When he had gone, Jimmy said, "No, not the murderer. Some small-bit actor has confessed doing voices for Francie and Janine. They would describe the sort of voice they wanted. We found a pretty elaborate sound system in a lockup that Francie had rented on the outside of the town."

"Has he been charged?"

"Yes, with conspiracy to defraud. But he'll probably just get a fine. He didn't really know he was doing anything wrong and he needed the money. He works for a repertory company over at Hadderton."

"Did he know them well? I mean, can he shed any light on why someone would want to kill both of them?"

"I'm afraid not. He's quite old. Been doing bits for them on and off for years. He said he needed the money and as far as he was concerned, seances are only another form of theatre."

"I keep thinking and thinking about it," said Agatha. "So many unanswered questions. To go back to the first murder, why was Francie's door unlocked? Did you ask Cliff about that?"

"He says he doesn't know anything about it," said Jimmy. "But this is usually a very safe town." He grinned. "Or rather, it was before you came along. A lot of people don't bother locking their doors."

"Yes, but I can't help feeling Francie must have been up to something to get herself murdered. And she had cash in that box."

"You forget. She really did have a reputation as a witch in this town. Normally no one would have dared to go near her."

Agatha frowned. "There's something else that keeps nagging away at the back of my mind. Wait a bit. I've got it! When you first told me that Francie kept records and you described what that lot at the hotel had consulted her about, you said that Jennifer of all people had asked for a love potion."

"Yes. So?"

"But this is Jennifer we're talking about. She's practically married to Mary. Why would she want a love potion? Did you ask her?"

"No, I didn't," he said slowly.

"I wonder if she'd tell me," said Agatha.

"Let's talk about us." Jimmy put his hand over Agatha's. "When this is all over, I don't like the idea of you disappearing out of my life."

"Well, I'll come back and see you."

"I was thinking of something more permanent."

Agatha thought longingly of James Lacey. He should have been holding her hand and suggesting something more permanent.

"Can we leave it a bit longer, Jimmy? I'm very fond of you, but I feel I need a little more time."

"We'll take it easy, then." Jimmy turned slightly pink. "It's not because of my failure to ..."

"No, no," said Agatha quickly. "You'll find that side of things comes back easily."

"Have you had a lot of experience?" he asked wistfully.

"Hardly any," said Agatha, "but women talk to each other the way men don't."

"Then that's all right then. By the way, that girl who savaged your coat was charged."

"What did she get?"

"Sixty days community service and ordered to pay fifty pounds compensation."

"What! That coat cost a mint."