"You weren't, of course, quite yourself. You were in a fuddled state and your nerves are not good.
You were, I think, panic-stricken.
You didn't know what to do." "I thought, Dinah might turn up any minute. And she'd find me there with a dead body, a girl's dead body, and she'd think I'd killed her.
Then I got an idea. It seemed, I don't know why, a good idea at the time. I thought: 'I'll put her in old Bantry's library.
Damned pompous old stick, always looking down his nose; sneering at me as artistic and effeminate. Serve the pompous old brute right,' I thought. 'He'll look a fool when a dead lovely is found on his hearth rug.'" He added with a pathetic eagerness to explain, "I was a bit drunk, you know, at the time. It really seemed positively amusing to me. Old Bantry with a dead blonde."
"Yes, yes," said Miss Marple. "Little Tommy Bond had very much the same idea.
Rather a sensitive boy, with an inferiority complex, he said teacher was always picking on him.
He put a frog in the clock and it jumped out at her.
You were just the same," went on Miss Marple, "only, of course, bodies are more serious matters than frogs."
Basil groaned again.
"By the morning I'd sobered up. I realized what I'd done. I was scared stiff.
And then the police came here. Another damned pompous ass of a chief constable.
I was scared of him, and the only way I could hide it was by being abominably rude.
In the middle of it all, Dinah drove up."
Dinah looked out of the window. She said,
"There's a car driving up now. There are men in it."
"The police, I think," said Miss Marple.
Basil Blake got up. Suddenly he became quite calm and resolute. He even smiled.
He said,
"So I'm in for it, am I?
All right, Dinah, sweet, keep your head.
Get onto old Sims, he's the family lawyer, and go to mother and tell her about our marriage. She won't bite. And don't worry. I didn't do it. So it's bound to be all right, see, sweetheart?"
There was a tap on the cottage door.
Basil called,
"Come in."
Inspector Slack entered with another man. He said,
"Mr Basil Blake?"
"Yes."
"I have a warrant here for your arrest on the charge of murdering Ruby Keene on the night of September twentieth last.
I warn you that anything you say may be used at your trial.
You will please accompany me now.
Full facilities will be given you for communicating with your solicitor."
Basil nodded.
He looked at Dinah, but did not touch her. He said,
"So long, Dinah."
Cool customer, thought Inspector Slack.
He acknowledged the presence of Miss Marple with a half bow and a "Good morning," and thought to himself, smart old pussy; she's on to it. Good job we've got that hearth rug.
That and finding out from the car-park man at the studio that he left that party at eleven instead of midnight.
Don't think those friends of his meant to commit perjury.
They were bottled, and Blake told 'em firmly the next day it was twelve o'clock when he left, and they believed him.
Well, his goose is cooked good and proper. Mental, I expect.
Broadmoor, not hanging.
First the Reeves kid, probably strangled her, drove her out to the quarry, walked back into Danemouth, picked up his own car in some side lane, drove to this party, then back to Danemouth, brought Ruby Keene out here, strangled her, put her in old Bantry's library, then probably got the wind up about the car in the quarry, drove there, set it on fire and got back here.
Mad sex and blood lust, lucky this girl's escaped. What they call recurring mania, I expect.
Alone with Miss Marple, Dinah Blake turned to her. She said,
"I don't know who you are, but you've got to understand this: Basil didn't do it."
Miss Marple said, "I know he didn't. I know who did do it. But it's not going to be easy to prove. I've an idea that something you said just now may help. It gave me an idea the connection I'd been trying to find. Now, what was it?"
Chapter 39
"I'm home, Arthur!" declared Mrs Bantry, announcing the fact like a royal proclamation as she flung open the study door.
Colonel Bantry immediately jumped up, kissed his wife and declared heartily,