Five Little Pigs

‘A chance burglar?’ I asked sceptically. ‘It seems to me, Meredith, that there are some very nasty possibilities.’

He said what did I really think? And I said, if he was sure he wasn’t making a mistake, that probably Caroline had taken it to poison Elsa with-or that alternatively Elsa had taken it to get Caroline out of the way and straighten the path of true love.

Meredith twittered a bit. He said it was absurd and melodramatic and couldn’t be true. I said: ‘Well, the stuff’s gone. What’syour explanation?’ He hadn’t any, of course. Actually thought just as I did, but didn’t want to face the fact.

He said again: ‘What are we to do?’

I said, damned fool that I was: ‘We must think it over carefully. Either you’d better announce your loss, straight out when everybody’s there, or else you’d better get Caroline alone and tax her with it. If you’re convincedshe’s nothing to do with it, adopt the same tactics for Elsa.’ He said: ‘A girl like that! She couldn’t have taken it.’ I said I wouldn’t put it past her.

We were walking up to the house as we talked. After that last remark of mine neither of us spoke for some few seconds. We were rounding the Battery garden again and I heard Caroline’s voice.

I thought perhaps a three-handed row was going on, but actually it was Angela that they were discussing. Caroline was protesting. She said: ‘It’s very hard on the girl.’ And Amyas made some impatient rejoinder. Then the door to the garden opened just as we came abreast of it. Amyas looked a little taken aback at seeing us. Caroline was just coming out. She said: ‘Hallo, Meredith. We’ve been discussing the question of Angela’s going to school. I’m not at all sure it’s the right thing for her.’ Amyas said: ‘Don’t fuss about the girl. She’ll be all right. Good riddance.’

Just then Elsa came running down the path from the house. She had some sort of scarlet jumper in her hand. Amyas growled:

‘Come along. Get back into the pose. I don’t want to waste time.’

He went back to where his easel was standing. I noticed that he staggered a bit and I wondered if he had been drinking. A man might easily be excused for doing so with all the fuss and the scenes.

He grumbled.

‘The beer here is red hot. Why can’t we keep some ice down here?’

And Caroline Crale said:

‘I’ll send you down some beer just off the ice.’

Amyas grunted out:

‘Thanks.’

Then Caroline shut the door of the Battery garden and came up with us to the house. We sat down on the terrace and she went into the house. About five minutes later Angela came along with a couple of bottles of beer and some glasses. It was a hot day and we were glad to see it. As we were drinking it Caroline passed us. She was carrying another bottle and said she would take it down to Amyas. Meredith said he’d go, but she was quite firm that she’d go herself. I thought-fool that I was-that it was just her jealousy. She couldn’t stand those two being alone down there. That was what had taken her down there once already with the weak pretext of arguing about Angela’s departure.

She went off down that zigzag path-and Meredith and I watched her go. We’d still not decided anything, and now Angela clamoured that I should come bathing with her. It seemed impossible to get Meredith alone. I just said to him: ‘After lunch.’ And he nodded.

Then I went off bathing with Angela. We had a good swim-across the creek and back, and then we lay out on the rocks sunbathing. Angela was a bit taciturn and that suited me. I made up my mind that directly after lunch I’d take Caroline aside and accuse her point-blank of having stolen the stuff. No use letting Meredith do it-he’d be too weak. No, I’d tax her with it outright. After that she’d have to give it back, or even if she didn’t she wouldn’t dare use it. I was pretty sure it must be her on thinking things over. Elsa was far too sensible and hard-boiled a young woman to risk tampering with poisons. She had a hard head and would take care of her own skin. Caroline was made of more dangerous stuff-unbalanced, carried away by impulses and definitely neurotic. And still, you know, at the back of my mind was the feeling that Meredithmight have made a mistake. Or some servant might have been poking about in there and split the stuff and then not dared to own up. You see, poison seems such a melodramatic thing-you can’t believe in it.

Not till it happens.

It was quite late when I looked at my watch, and Angela and I fairly raced up to lunch. They were just sitting down-all but Amyas, who had remained down in the Battery painting. Quite a normal thing for him to do-and privately I thought him very wise to elect to do it today. Lunch was likely to have been an awkward meal.

We had coffee on the terrace. I wish I could remember better how Caroline looked and acted. She didn’t seem excited in any way. Quiet and rather sad is my impression. What a devil that woman was!