Agatha Christie: N or M

"Ah, the police!" said Mrs O'Rourke in tones of easy contempt. "What good would they be? No good at all, at all! Only fit for finding motor cars, and dropping on poor wretches who haven't taken out their dog licenses."

"What's your theory, Mrs O'Rourke?" asked Tuppence.

"You'll have been hearing the story that's going about?"

"About his being a Fascist, and an enemy agent - yes," said Tuppence coldly.

"It might be true now," said Mrs O'Rourke thoughtfully, "for there's been something about the man that's intrigued me from the beginning. I've watched him, you know." She smiled directly t Tuppence - and like all Mrs O'Rourke's smiles it had a vaguely terrifying quality - the smile of an ogress. "He'd not the look of a man who'd retired from business and had nothing to do with himself. If I was backing my judgment, I'd say he came here with a purpose."

"And when the police got on his track he disappeared, is that it?" demanded Tuppence.

"It might be so," said Mrs O'Rourke.

"What's your opinion, Mrs Perenna?"

"I don't know," sighed Mrs Perenna. "It's a most vexing thing to happen. It makes so much talk."

"Ah! talk won't hurt you. They're happy now out there on the terrace wondering and surmising. They'll have it in the end that the quiet inoffensive man was going to blow us all up in our beds with bombs."

"You haven't told us what you think," said Tuppence.

Mrs O'Rourke smiled, that same slow ferocious smile.

"I'm thinking that the man is safe somewhere - quite safe..."

Tuppence thought:

"She might say that if she knew... But he isn't where she thinks he is!"

She went up to her room to get ready. Betty Sprot came running out of the Cayleys' bedroom with a smile of mischievous and impish glee on her face.

"What have you been up to, minx?" demanded Tuppence.

Betty gurgled,

"Goosey, goosey gander..."

Tuppence chanted:

"Whither will you wander? Upstairs!" She snatched up Betty high over her head. "Downstairs!" She rolled her on the floor -

At this minute Mrs Sprot appeared and Betty was led off to be attired for her walk.

"Hide?" said Betty hopefully. "Hide?"

"You can't play hide and seek now," said Mrs Sprot.

Tuppence went into her room and donned her hat. (A nuisance having to wear a hat - Tuppence Beresford never did - but Patricia Blenkensop would certainly wear one, Tuppence felt.)

Somebody, she noted, had altered the position of the hats in her hat cupboard. Had someone been searching her room? Well, let them. They wouldn't find anything to cast doubt on blameless Mrs Blenkensop.

She left Penelope Playne's letter artistically on the dressing table and went downstairs and out of the house.

It was ten o'clock as she turned out of the gate. Plenty of time. She looked up at the sky and in doing so stepped into a dark puddle by the gatepost, but without apparently noticing it she went on.

Her heart was dancing wildly. Success - success - they were going to succeed.

II

Yarrow was a small country station where the village was some distance from the railway.

Outside the station a car was waiting. A good-looking young man was driving it. He touched his peaked cap to Tuppence, but the gesture seemed hardly natural.

Tuppence kicked the off side tire dubiously.

"Isn't this rather flat?"

"We haven't far to go, madam."

She nodded and got in. They drove, not towards the village, but towards the downs. After winding up over a hill, they took a side track that dropped sharply into a deep cleft. From the shadow of a small copse of trees a figure stepped out to meet them.

The car stopped and Tuppence, getting out, went to meet Antony Marsdon.

"Beresford's all right," he said quickly. "We located him yesterday. He's a prisoner - the other side got him - and for good reasons he's remaining put for another twelve hours. You see, there's a small boat due in at a certain spot - and we want to catch her badly. That's why Beresford's lying low - we don't want to give the show away until the last minute."

He looked at her anxiously.

"You do understand, don't you?"

"Oh, yes!" Tuppence was staring at a curious tangled mass of canvas material half hidden by the trees.

"He'll be absolutely all right," continued the young man earnestly.

"Of course Tommy will be all right," said Tuppence impatiently. "You needn't talk to me as though I were a child of two. We're both ready to run a few risks. What's that thing over there?"

"Well - " the young man hesitated. "That's just it. I've been ordered to put a certain proposition before you. But - but, well, frankly, I don't like doing it. You see -"

Tuppence treated him to a cold stare.

"Why don't you like doing it?"

"Well - dash it - you're Deborah's mother. And I mean - what would Deb say to me if - if -"

"If I got it in the neck?" inquired Tuppence. "Personally, if I were you, I shouldn't mention it to her. The man who said explanations were a mistake was quite right."

Then she smiled kindly at him.

"My dear boy, I know exactly how you feel. That it's all very well for you and Deborah and the young generally to run risks, but that the mere middle-aged must be shielded. All complete non-sense, because if anyone is going to be liquidated it is much better it should be the middle-aged who have had the best part of their lives. Anyway, stop looking upon me as that sacred object, Deborah's mother, and just tell me what dangerous and unpleasant job there is for me to do."

"You know," said the young man with enthusiasm, "I think you're splendid, simply splendid."

"Cut out the compliments," said Tuppence. "I'm admiring myself a good deal, so there's no need for you to chime in. What exactly is the big idea?"

Tony indicated the mass of crumpled material with a gesture.

"That," he said, "is the remains of a parachute."

"Aha," said Tuppence. Her eyes sparkled.

"There was just an isolated parachutist," went on Marsdon. "Fortunately the L.D.V.'s around here are quite a bright lot. The descent was spotted, and they got her."

"Her?"

"Yes, her! Woman dressed as a hospital nurse."

"I'm sorry she wasn't a nun," said Tuppence. "There have been so many good stories going around about nuns paying their fares in buses with hairy muscular arms."

"Well, she wasn't a nun and she wasn't a man in disguise. She was a woman of medium height, middle-aged, with dark hair and of slight build."

"In fact," said Tuppence, "a woman not unlike me?"

"You've hit it exactly," said Tony.

"Well?" said Tuppence.

Marsdon said slowly:

"The next part of it is up to you."

Tuppence smiled. She said:

"I'm on all right. Where do I go and what do I do?"

"I say, Mrs Beresford, you really are a sport. Magnificent nerve you've got."

"Where do I go and what do I do?" repeated Tuppence impatiently.

"The instructions are very meagre, unfortunately. In the woman's pocket there was a piece of paper with these words on it in German: 'Walk to Leatherbarrow - due east from the stone cross. 14 St. Asalph's Road. Dr Binion.'"

Tuppence looked up. On the hill top nearby was a stone cross.

"That's it," said Tony. "Signposts have been removed, of course. But Leatherbarrow's a biggish place and walking due east from the cross you're bound to strike it."

"How far?"

"Five miles at least."

Tuppence made a slight grimace.

"Healthy walking exercise before lunch," she commented. "I hope Dr Binion offers me lunch when I get there."

"Do you know German, Mrs Beresford?"

"Hotel variety only. I shall have to be firm about speaking English - say my instructions were to do so."

"It's an awful risk,"said Marsdon.

"Nonsense. Who's to imagine there's been a substitution? Or does everyone know for miles round that there's been a parachutist brought down?"