A pocketful of rye - Agatha Christie

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"I wondered. Oh well - it's a rotten thing to say. Forget it. I wonder what old Percy will say when he sees the Prodigal returned. Those pale, boiled gooseberry eyes of his will pop right out of his head!" "Does he know you are coming?" "I shouldn't be surprised if he didn't know a damned thing! The old man's got rather a funny sense of humour, you know." "But what has your brother done to upset your father so much?" "That's what I'd like to know. Something must have made the old man livid. Writing off to me the way he did." "When was it you got his first letter?" "Must be four - no five months ago. A cagey letter, but a distinct holding out of the olive branch. 'Your elder brother has proved himself unsatisfactory in many ways.' 'You seem to have sown your wild oats and settled down.' 'I can promise you that it will be well worth your while financially.' 'Shall welcome you and your wife.' You know, darling, I think my marrying you had a lot to do with it. The old boy was impressed that I'd married into a class above me." Pat laughed. "What? Into the aristocratic riff-raff?" He grinned. "That's right. But riff-raff didn't register and aristocracy did. You should see Percival's wife. She's the kind who says 'Pass the preserves, please' and talks about a postage stamp." Pat did not laugh. She was considering the women of the family into which she had married. It was a point of view which Lance had not taken into account. "And your sister?" she asked. "Elaine? Oh she's all right. She was pretty young when I left home. Sort of an earnest girl - but probably she's grown out of that. Very intense over things." It did not sound very reassuring. Pat said: "She never wrote to you - after you went away?" "I didn't leave an address. But she wouldn't have, anyway. We're not a devoted family." "No." He shot a quick look at her. "Got the wind up? About my family? You needn't. We're not going to live with them, or anything like that. We'll have our own little place somewhere. Horses, dogs, anything you like." "But there will still be the 5:18." "For me, yes. To and fro to the city, all logged up. But don't worry, sweet - there are rural pockets,
even round London. And lately I've felt the sap of financial affairs rising in me. After all, it's in my blood - from both sides of the family." "You hardly remember your mother, do you?" "She always seemed to me incredibly old. She was old, of course. Nearly fifty when Elaine was born. She wore lots of clinking things and lay on a sofa and used to read me stories about knights and ladies which bored me stiff. Tennyson's 'Idylls of the King.' I suppose I was fond other... She was very colourless, you know. I realise that, looking back." "You don't seem to have been particularly fond of anybody," said Pat disapprovingly. Lance grasped and squeezed her arm. "I'm fond of you," he said. Chapter 7 Inspector Neele was still holding the telegraph message in his hand when he heard a car drive up to the front door and stop with a careless scrunching of brakes. Mary Dove said, "That will be Mrs Fortescue now." Inspector Neele moved forwards to the front door. Out of the tail of his eye, he saw Mary Dove melt unobtrusively into the background and disappear. Clearly she intended to take no part in the forthcoming scene. A remarkable display of tact and discretion - and also a rather remarkable lack of curiosity. Most women. Inspector Neele decided, would have remained... As he reached the front door he was aware of the butler. Crump, coming forward from the back of the hall. So he had heard the car. The car was a Rolls Bentley sports model coupe. Two people got out of it and came towards the house. As they reached the door, it opened. Surprised, Adele Fortescue stared at Inspector Neele. He realised at once that she was a very beautiful woman, and he realised too, the force of Mary Dove's comment which had so shocked him at the time. Adele Fortescue was a sexy piece. In figure and type she resembled the blonde Miss Grosvenor, but whereas Miss Grosvenor was all glamour without and all respectability within, Adele Fortescue was glamour all through. Her appeal was obvious, not subtle. It said simply to every man "Here am I. I'm a woman." She spoke and moved and breathed sex - and yet, within it all, her eyes had a shrewd appraising quality. Adele Fortescue, he thought, liked men - but she would always like money even better. His eyes went on to the figure behind her who carried her golf clubs. He knew the type very well. It was the type that specialised in the young wives of rich and elderly men. Mr Vivian Dubois, if this was he, had that rather forced masculinity which is, in reality, nothing of the kind. He was the type of man who "understands" women. "Mrs Fortescue?" "Yes." It was a wide blue-eyed gaze. "But I don't know -"
Page 2 and 3: Chapter 1 It was Miss Somers's turn
Page 4 and 5: Hill. Where was there a doctor near
Page 6 and 7: efilled from the cloakroom tap by M
Page 8 and 9: anything of that kind. I did suspec
Page 10 and 11: tomorrow." "When did he go away?" "
Page 12 and 13: "Did he suffer from heart trouble?"
Page 14 and 15: "Don't worry," said Inspector Neele
Page 16 and 17: his back to the house surveying his
Page 18 and 19: sporting prints on the walls. "Plea
Page 20 and 21: "Yes, of course." She was thoughtfu
Page 22 and 23: particularly attractive, poor dear.
Page 24 and 25: "Who was she playing with? Do you k
Page 26 and 27: "Police, indeed," she said. "Coming
Page 30 and 31: "I am Inspector Neele. I'm afraid I
Page 32 and 33: The Inspector went on: "You've got
Page 34 and 35: "It all depends, I suppose," she sa
Page 36 and 37: the master had got wise to it. Put
Page 38 and 39: "Well, what did you expect me to sa
Page 40 and 41: enigmatic smile. There had surely b
Page 42 and 43: "Then perhaps you can tell me what
Page 44 and 45: Pat said again: "I'm so sorry." Whe
Page 46 and 47: insinuation. Is that the set up, In
Page 48 and 49: were there any special words - spec
Page 50 and 51: "It's cold," and dropped down by th
Page 52 and 53: "You must let me do everything I ca
Page 54 and 55: "Got any ideas about it all, Aunt E
Page 56 and 57: Lance raised his head sharply and s
Page 58 and 59: any case the cyanide had not been i
Page 60 and 61: paragraph hidden away in the corner
Page 62 and 63: "Not very long, I should think. Onl
Page 64 and 65: Inspector Neele said that he unders
Page 66 and 67: "Again very convenient," said Miss
Page 68 and 69: The queen was in the parlour eating
Page 70 and 71: The term "access to the house" puzz
Page 72 and 73: "Again understandably!" "Yes - perh
Page 74 and 75: was nine minutes late. He arrived a
Page 76 and 77: "Probably not," said Inspector Neel
Page 78 and 79:
"You can't tell me anything about b
Page 80 and 81:
Neele had questioned Mary Dove and
Page 82 and 83:
will. She said she wasn't going to
Page 84 and 85:
"Yes." "I'll go and ask her about i
Page 86 and 87:
"Blackbirds, sir?" Sergeant Hay rep
Page 88 and 89:
The Inspector stood up. "You know,
Page 90 and 91:
"You and Miss Fortescue became enga
Page 92 and 93:
"You're a tall girl," said Miss Ram
Page 94 and 95:
concealed habitually by a misleadin
Page 96 and 97:
Chapter 19 In the drawing-room at Y
Page 98 and 99:
"There you are, Elaine," said Lance
Page 100 and 101:
"What was it - a gold mine?" "I bel
Page 102 and 103:
"He was poisoned," said Inspector N
Page 104 and 105:
To Inspector Neele's further remark
Page 106 and 107:
"I bring bad luck. That's what I me
Page 108 and 109:
down and read. But I, on the contra
Page 110 and 111:
the clenching and unclenching of Je
Page 112 and 113:
"Yes, indeed. She reminds me of Mrs
Page 114 and 115:
very interesting life abroad." "You
Page 116 and 117:
"I've put the wind up Percy all rig
Page 118 and 119:
came in. About to speak to the Insp
Page 120 and 121:
"I - I - really, I don't see..." Pe
Page 122 and 123:
Lance looked at him curiously. "No.
Page 124 and 125:
"Exactly," said Miss Marple. "A seq
Page 126 and 127:
this whole series of murders arises
Page 128 and 129:
"Hell and damnation," said Inspecto
Page 130 and 131:
that doesn't really matter because
Page 132 and 133:
"Do you know that?" asked Neele sha
Page 134 and 135:
he couldn't get his father to do wh
Page 136 and 137:
"My - well, oh well - oh dear - wel
Page 138 and 139:
"Coincidences do happen, Inspector.
Page 140:
Fortescue who's dead. And Mr Fortes
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A pocketful of rye - Agatha Christie

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