It just seems to me one of those things! Petty, sordid little crime, no clues, no motive."
"Two people had a motive," said Miss Marple.
Sir Henry looked at her sharply.
"Really?" Raymond looked surprised.
Miss Marple looked insistently at Sir Henry, and he said rather unwillingly,
"Her death probably benefits Mrs Jefferson and Mr Gaskell to the amount of fifty thousand pounds."
"What?" Raymond looked really startled, more than startled, upset. "Oh, but that's absurd, absolutely absurd.
Mrs Jefferson - neither of them could have had anything to do with it. It would be incredible to think of such a thing."
Miss Marple coughed. She said gently,
"I'm afraid, you know, you're rather an idealist."
"I?" He laughed.
"Not me! I'm a hard-boiled cynic."
"Money," said Miss Marple, "is a very powerful motive."
"Perhaps," Raymond said. "But that either of those two would strangle a girl in cold blood -" He shook his head. Then he got up. "Here's Mrs Jefferson now. Come for her lesson.
She's late." His voice sounded amused. "Ten minutes late!"
Adelaide Jefferson and Hugo McLean were walking rapidly down the path toward them.
With a smiling apology for her lateness, Addie Jefferson went onto the court. McLean sat down on the bench.
After a polite inquiry whether Miss Marple minded a pipe, he lit it and puffed for some minutes in silence, watching critically the two white figures about the tennis court.
He said at last, "Can't see what Addie wants to have lessons for.
Have a game, yes.
No one enjoys it better than I do.
But why lessons?"
"Wants to improve her game," said Sir Henry.
"She's not a bad player," said Hugo. "Good enough, at all events.
Dash it all, she isn't aiming to play at Wimbledon." He was silent for a minute or two. Then he said, "Who is this Raymond fellow?
Where do they come from, these pros?
Fellow looks like a Dago to me."
"He's one of the Devonshire Starrs," said Sir Henry.
"What?
Not really?" Sir Henry nodded. It was clear that this news was unpleasing to Hugo McLean.
He scowled more than ever. He said, "Don't know why Addie sent for me. She seems not to have turned a hair over this business. Never looked better.
Why send for me?" Sir Henry asked with some curiosity, "When did she send for you?"
"Oh... er... when all this happened."
"How did you hear? Telephone or telegram?"
"Telegram."
"As a matter of curiosity, when was it sent off?"
"Well, I don't know exactly."
"What time did you receive it?"
"I didn't exactly receive it. It was telephoned on to me, as a matter of fact."
"Why, where were you?"
"Fact is, I'd left London the afternoon before. I was staying at Danebury Head."
"What? Quite near here?"
"Yes, rather funny, wasn't it?
Got the message when I got in from a round of golf and came over here at once."
Miss Marple gazed at him thoughtfully. He looked hot and uncomfortable.
She said,
"I've heard it's very pleasant at Danebury Head and not very expensive."
"No, it's not expensive.
I couldn't afford it if it was. It's a nice little place." "We must drive over there one day," said Miss Marple. "Eh? What? Oh or yes, I should." He got up. "Better take some exercise, get an appetite."
He walked away stiffly. "Women," said Sir Henry, "treat their devoted admirers very badly." Miss Marple smiled, but made no answer. "Does he strike you as rather a dull dog?" asked Sir Henry. "I'd be interested to know." "A little limited in his ideas, perhaps," said Miss Marple. "But with possibilities, I think - oh, definitely possibilities."