DON'T TURN OVER YET!

'Sir Michael went into his study at 9.00. He locked the door and the window.Then at 9.02 he sat down at his desk and wrote. Then from 9.15 until 9.20 he used the dictaphone. At 9.20 he went to the drinks cupboard. He wanted some whisky. He poured some whisky into a glass and then a little water. He drank some. Then he wanted some ice. After opening the fridge, he opened the freezer. He pulled the ice-tray with his left hand and then what happened? He started a mechanism which was in line with his heart. This mechanism shot an icicle into Sir Michael's heart. Sir Michael turned and fell to the floor. He was dead. The glass fell out of his right hand. The icicle was in his heart, so there was blood and water on his shirt and blood and water on the carpet. There wasn't a gun or a knife. The sharp "knife" was an icicle. It disappeared — and there was only water!

'The mechanism is still in the wall behind the freezer. It isn't working now. One of you put it there. One of you carne into this room before Sir Michael and put it there. Who was it?' К asked. 'I want to know.

'Was it you, Lady Elizabeth?' К asked. 'You were jealous of Sir Michael's secretaries. You hate Angela Everett and you wanted to punish your husband.'

'No, no. I didn't do it. I loved him. I loved him.'

'Was it you, Colonel Fawcett? He lent you a lot of money. You gambled it on horses and lost it. He wanted it back.'

'Of course not, Inspector. He was my friend.'

'And you, Miss Everett? He changed his will and perhaps "he left you £100,000. That's a lot of money and just what you wanted.'

'I did it.You think that, don't you, policewoman? Well I didn't!' Angela Everett shouted the words at K.

'And you, Mr Cavell, always so calm? You were worried about the £100,000. You wanted to save the company. Sir Michael spent money on women and you didn't like it.'

Mr Cavell didn't answer.

'And you, Mrs Flack? You read his letters. You wanted to punish him.'

'Oh, miss, I didn't, miss, really I didn't. I didn't do it.'

'Between 9.02 and 9.25 Sir Michael wrote at his desk. What did he write? That's the question. He wrote a letter to Andrew Cavell. I have it here. I'll read some of it to you. Dear Andrew, You're worried about money, I know. I changed my will two weeks ago, but I didn't leave any money to Angela. She thinks so, but I didn't. She's a silly girl and I'm tired of her. Perhaps I need a new secretary . . .'

'Oh!'Angela cried. 'The pig! The pig!' She shouted the word ‘pig’.

'And at 9.15 he used his dictaphone. What did he say? Listen to

his voice . . . "Angela, my dearest. You're a nice girl and you've been good to me, but it can't continue. I'm speaking these words to you because I don't want to write a letter. I want to speak to you. I want to say goodbye to you. You're a young woman and your life is in front of you. Goodbye, my dearest. I only .. .'

'Why? Why?' Angela screamed. 'The pig! I hate him. I hate all of you! I hate you! I hate you!'

'You took him from me! 'Lady Elizabeth cried.

'Quiet!' Miss Everett shouted. 'You can have him. He's dead! You and your family! You Grays and Cavells. All so upper-class! With your fine houses and your fine cars and your money! You can only think of money. He never loved me and I knew it. An old man of fifty-five! Pah! And I didn't love him.Yes, I wanted his money, but I couldn't have it. Of course I didn't murder him. One of you did that. Thanks. You saved me the trouble. He's dead and I'm glad.'

Putting her face in her hands, Miss Everett ran out of the room.There were tears in her eyes.

Colonel Fawcett got up. 'No, don't follow her, Colonel Fawcett,' К said. 'She won't leave. She can't leave. My people are all round the house.'

'She called Sir Michael a pig!' Mrs Flack cried. 'Did you hear, miss? That woman called Sir Michael a pig!'

Goodnight

К looked at her watch. It was 2.25. 'We must all go to bed,' she said. 'We're all tired.' Then she spoke to Lady Elizabeth. 'It's very late, Lady Elizabeth,' К said, 'and I can't leave this house. You must all stay in the house, too. You can't leave, so don't try. There are police all round it. Where can I sleep, Lady Elizabeth?' К asked. 'I don't want to stay in this room.'

'There's a room upstairs,' Lady Elizabeth said. 'You can sleep there, Inspector.'

'Thank you, Lady Elizabeth. Goodnight to you all,' К said.

'Goodnight, Inspector,' they all said.

They all left the study and went upstairs to their bedrooms. Kay went upstairs, too.

A shape in the dark

It was three o'clock in the morning. It was very dark and the house was very quiet. К went downstairs quietly and went back to the study. She sat in Sir Michael's chair and waited ... 3.15 ... 3.30 . . . 3.45 . . . 4.00 . . . 4.15 ... 4.30 ... К was very tired. She only wanted to sleep ... to sleep ... to sleep.

Suddenly she looked up! She heard a noise. It was the study door. The door opened very quietly. К saw a shape in the dark. She saw the shape of a man! К could see very well in the dark. She watched and listened. The person went to the fridge. He pulled the fridge quietly from the wall. Then he pulled a small box out of the wall. 'The mechanism! He's come for the mechanism!' К thought. She got up and went quietly towards the dark shape. The man looked at the box and didn't hear K. 'Don't move!' К said softly. 'Don't move, or ...' 'Aaah ... !' the man cried. He tried to run out of the room.

DON'T TURN OVER YET!

Who is the man in the dark? You decide!

К jumped on the man and held his arms. She hit the man hard in the neck. Then a quick move and he was on the floor!

'Aargh!' the man cried. Suddenly К turned on the light and looked down at the floor.

'Colonel Fawcett!' she cried.

'Yes, Inspector. It's me. Ooh! Please don't hit me again.You're a pretty little thing, but you fight like a man. Ooh!' Colonel Fawcett touched his neck lightly.

'You came for the mechanism,' К said. 'I waited for you. I've been here since three o'clock. I was sleepy five minutes ago, but I'm not sleepy now!'

The mechanism was on the floor. Colonel Fawcett took it in his right hand. 'I didn't think . ..' he said. 'I didn't think . . and his voice died away.

The answer to K's first question: How . . . ?

'Just a minute, Inspector,' Colonel Fawcett said suddenly. 'I'm not the murderer. You don't think that, do you?'

'Then why are you here?' К asked.

'I wanted to see this mechanism. I'm an engineer, remember? I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I thought about this mechanism. How clever, I thought, I must see it. So I came downstairs. After moving the fridge, I got the mechanism out of the wall. Then you attacked me. Ooh! You really hurt me.' Colonel Fawcett touched his neck again. 'But look at this mechanism! You see? It was behind the fridge. The box went into the wall and this piece went into the back of the freezer. This string was tied to the ice-tray. Michael pulled the ice-tray and this worked the mechanism. It was in line with his heart. Look inside the box. See? It's a strong bow. Very small, of course. And it shoots icicles! Michael opened the freezer, pulled the ice-tray and WHAM! — an icicle through the heart! Then it turned to water and disappeared. The "knife" just disappeared! Very clever!'

'Michael made this bow,' Colonel Fawcett said. 'It's small but strong. The murderer put an icicle in the freezer just before nine o'clock. Michael pulled the ice-tray. It was frozen to the bottom of the freezer. So he pulled it hard. The icicle went into the string on the bow. The string went back and WHAM! Michael was shot through the heart.Very clever!'

'Sir Michael made this bow?' К asked.

'Yes. He often made things like this in the army.' Suddenly Colonel Fawcett stopped. He spoke slowly. 'Michael made this bow and it killed him.Who put it behind the fridge? Not me!'

'You didn't. I know,' К said.

'Then who . .. ?'

'I'll answer that question поw!' К said softly. 'Sshh!' She walked to the door very quietly. Then she suddenly opened the door.

'Aaaah!'

There's a person outside the door.Who is it?You decide!

The answer to K's second question: Who . . . ?

'Nancy!'К cried.

'Oh, miss!' Mrs Flack cried.

'Nancy!' К said. 'What are you doing there?'

Mrs Flack didn't answer.

'You're listening, aren't you, Nancy?'

'Yes, miss,' Mrs Flack said.

К pulled Nancy into the room. 'Now answer me. Why are you listening?'

'I want to know ... I want to know ... about the murder, miss.'

'Yes. You want to know,' К said. 'This bow was in the wall behind the fridge. You wanted to take it out. And why did you want to take it out?'

Mrs Flack didn't answer.

'You can't answer? Then I'll tell you.You wanted to take it out because you put it there.You put it there before nine o'clock last night.'

Mrs Flack still didn't answer.

'Didn't you?' К shouted.

'Yes, miss,' Mrs Flack said softly.

The lights went on all over the house. First Angela Everett came downstairs, then Andrew Cavell, then Lady Elizabeth. They all went into the study.

'Oh, I'm so sleepy,' Miss Everett said. 'What's happening? What's all this noise?'

Andrew Cavell looked at the bow and then at Mrs Flack. But he didn't speak. Lady Elizabeth looked at the bow and then at Mrs Flack. That's Michael's,' she said. 'He made it. He often made things like that.' She went to Mrs Flack and held her arms. 'Now look at me, Nancy,' she said quietly.'Look into my eyes.' Mrs Flack looked up slowly. 'Look into my eyes,' Lady Elizabeth repeated. Mrs Flack looked into Lady Elizabeth's eyes. 'Now tell me. You didn't do it. Tell me that please, Nancy. You didn't kill my husband.'

'But I did, my Lady,' Mrs Flack said. 'I killed him, but ...' 'Nancy!' Lady Elizabeth screamed. 'Oh, Nancy! How could you, Nancy? How could you? You've looked after my family for forty years, Nancy. You came to this family forty years ago. I was a child of eight. Andrew was a baby. You love us. We love you. You've looked after Michael for twenty-five years.You loved him, too. Nancy, you couldn't do this bad thing. You couldn't! You couldn't! Why, Nancy, why?'

'Oh, my Lady,' Nancy said with tears in her eyes. 'Sir Michael made this bow. I took it and made a plan. I came into this study last night at 8.50. You didn't hear me. I put an icicle in the freezer. I made the icicle in the big fridge in the kitchen. I put the mechanism in the wall behind the freezer a week ago. I prepared the mechanism a month ago. Last night I put the icicle into place. Last night was the night. I worked carefully and didn't leave any fingerprints. I've prepared for a long time for last night.'

'Yes, but why did you do it?' Lady Elizabeth said.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 767