Agatha Christie - Spider's Web

"But I've already moved it," Clarissa explained. "I turned it over to see if he was dead, and then I started dragging it into that recess, and then I realized I was going to need help, and so I rang you up at the club, and while I was waiting for you I made a plan."

"Including the bridge table, I assume," Jeremy observed, gesturing towards the table.

Clarissa picked up the bridge marker. "Yes," she replied. "That's going to be our alibi."

"What on earth – " Hugo began, but Clarissa gave him no chance to continue. "Two and a half rubbers," she announced. "I've imagined all the hands, and put down the scores on this marker. You three must fill up the others in your own handwriting, of course." Sir Rowland stared at her in amazement. "You're mad, Clarissa. Quite mad," he declared.

Clarissa paid no attention to him. "I've worked it out beautifully," she went on. "The body has to be taken away from here." She looked at Jeremy. "It will take two of you to do that," she instructed him. "A dead body is very difficult to manage – I've found that out already."

"Where the hell do you expect us to take it to?" Hugo asked in exasperation.

Clarissa had already given this some thought. "The best place, I think, would be Marsden Wood," she advised. "That's only two miles from here." She indicated the direction with her left hand. "You turn off into that side road, just a few yards after you've passed the front gate. It's a narrow road, and there's hardly ever any traffic on it." She turned to Sir Rowland. "Just leave the car by the side of the road when you get into the wood," she instructed him. "Then you walk back here." Jeremy looked perplexed. "Do you mean you want us to dump the body in the wood?" he asked."No, you leave it in the car," Clarissa explained. "It's his car, don't you see? He left it here, round by the stables." All three men now wore puzzled expressions. "It's really all quite easy," Clarissa assured them. "If anybody does happen to see you walking back, it's quite a dark night and they won't know who you are. And you've got an alibi. All four of us have been playing bridge here." She replaced the marker on the bridge table, looking almost pleased with herself, while the men, stupefied, stared at her.

Hugo walked about in a complete circle. "I – I – " he spluttered, waving his hands in the air.

Clarissa went on issuing her instructions. "You wear gloves, of course," she told them, "so as not to leave fingerprints on anything. I've got them here all ready for you." Pushing past Jeremy to the sofa, she took three pairs of gloves from under one of the cushions, and laid them out on an arm of the sofa.

Sir Rowland continued to stare at Clarissa. "Your natural talent for crime leaves me speechless," he informed her.

Jeremy gazed at her admiringly. "She's got it all worked out, hasn't she?" he declared."Yes," Hugo admitted, "but it's all damned foolish nonsense just the same."

"Now, you must hurry," Clarissa ordered them vehemently. "At nine o'clock Henry and Mr. Jones will be here."

"Mr. Jones? Who on earth is Mr. Jones?" Sir Rowland asked her.

Clarissa put a hand to her head. "Oh dear," she exclaimed, "I never realized what a terrible lot of explaining one has to do in a murder. I thought I'd simply ask you to help me and you would, and that is all there'd be to it." She looked around at all three of them. "Oh, darlings, you must." She stroked Hugo's hair. "Darling, darling Hugo – "

"This play-acting is all very well, my dear," said Hugo, sounding distinctly annoyed, "but a dead body is a nasty, serious business, and monkeying about with it could land you in a real mess. You can't go carting bodies about at dead of night." Clarissa went to Jeremy and placed her hand on his arm. "Jeremy, darling, you'll help me, surely. Won't you?" she asked, with urgent appeal in her voice.

Jeremy gazed at her adoringly. "All right, I'm game," he replied cheerfully. "What's a dead body or two among friends?"

"Stop, young man," Sir Rowland ordered. "I'm not going to allow this." He turned to Clarissa. "Now, you must he guided by me, Clarissa. I insist. After all, there's Henry to consider, too." Clarissa gave him a look of exasperation. "But it's Henry I am considering," she declared.

THE THREE men greeted Clarissa's announcement in silence. Sir Rowland shook his head gravely, Hugo continued to look puzzled, while Jeremy simply shrugged his shoulders as though giving up all hope of understanding the situation.

Taking a deep breath, Clarissa addressed all three of them. "Something terribly important is happening tonight," she told them. "Henry's gone to – to meet someone and bring him back here. It's very important and secret. A top political secret. No one is supposed to know about it. There was to be absolutely no publicity."

"Henry's gone to meet a Mr. Jones?" Sir Rowland queried dubiously."It's a silly name, I agree," said Clarissa, "but that's what they're calling him. I can't tell you his real name. I can't tell you any more about it. I promised Henry I wouldn't say a word to anybody, but I have to make you see that I'm not just..." She turned to look at Hugo as she continued, "... not just being an idiot and play-acting, as Hugo called it." She turned back to Sir Rowland. "What sort of effect do you think it will have on Henry's career," she asked him, "if he has to walk in here with this distinguished person – and another very distinguished person travelling down from London for this meeting – only to find the police investigating a murder – the murder of a man who has just married Henry's former wife?"

"Good Lord!" Sir Rowland exclaimed. Then, looking Clarissa straight in the eye, he added suspiciously, "You're not making all this up now, are you? This isn't just another of your complicated games, intended to make fools of us all?"Clarissa shook her head mournfully. "Nobody ever believes me when I'm speaking the truth," she protested."Sorry, my dear," said Sir Rowland. "Yes, I can see it's a more difficult problem than I thought."

"You see?" Clarissa urged him. "So it's absolutely vital that we get the body away from here."

"Where's his car, did you say?" Jeremy asked."Round by the stables," Clarissa told him."And the servants are out, I gather?"Clarissa nodded her head. "Yes." Jeremy picked up a pair of gloves from the sofa. "Right," he exclaimed decisively. "Do I take the body to the car, or bring the car to the body?"Sir Rowland held out a hand in a restraining gesture. "Wait a moment," he advised. "We mustn't rush it like this." Jeremy replaced the gloves, but Clarissa turned to Sir Rowland, crying desperately, "But we must hurry." Sir Rowland regarded her gravely. "I'm not sure that this plan of yours is the best one, Clarissa," he declared. "Now, if we could just delay finding the body until tomorrow morning – that would meet the case, I think, and it would be very much simpler. If, for now, we merely moved the body to another room, for instance, I think that might be just excusable." Clarissa turned to address Sir Rowland directly. "It's you I've got to convince, isn't it?" she told him. Looking at Jeremy, she continued, "Jeremy's ready enough." She glanced at Hugo. "And Hugo will grunt and shake his head, but he'd do it all the same. It's you..." She went to the library door and opened it. "Will you both go next door for a short time?" she asked Jeremy and Hugo. "I want to speak to Roly alone." Hugo and Jeremy did as they were told. "Don't you let her talk you into any tomfoolery, Roly," Hugo warned as he left the room with Jeremy, who gave Clarissa a reassuring smile and a murmured "Good luck!"Sir Rowland, looking grave, took a seat at the bridge table."Now!" Clarissa exclaimed, as she sat and faced him on the other side of the table."My dear," Sir Rowland warned her, "I love you, and I will always love you dearly. But, before you ask, in this case the answer simply has to be no." Clarissa began to speak seriously and with emphasis. "That man's body mustn't be found in this house," she insisted. "If he's found in Marsden Wood, I can say that he was here today for a short time, and I can also tell the police exactly when he left. Actually, Miss Peake saw him off, which turns out to be very fortunate. There need be no question of his ever having come back here." She took a deep breath. "But if his body is found here," she continued, "then we shall all be questioned." She paused before adding, with great deliberation, "And Pippa won't be able to stand it."