Three Blind Mice and Other Stories Read online

  }"Yes, Sergeant, it is. I, repeated it three times."}

  }Sergeant Trotter turned to Molly. "Do you play the piano, Mrs. Davis?"}

  }"Yes, Sergeant Trotter."}

  }"Could you pick out the tune, as Mr. Paravicini has done, playing it in exactly the same manner?"}

  }"Certainly I could."}

  }"Then will you go and sit at the piano and be ready to do so when I give the signal?"}

  }Molly looked slightly bewildered. Then she crossed slowly to the piano.}

  }Mr. Paravicini rose from the piano stool with a shrill protest. "But, Sergeant, I understood that we were each to repeat our former roles. / was at the piano here."}

  }"The same actions will be performed as on the former occasion—}but they will not necessarily be performed by the same people."}

  }"I—don't see the point of that," said Giles.}

  }"There }is }a point, Mr. Davis. It is a means of checking up on the original statements—and I may say of }one }statement in particular. Now, then, please. I will assign you your various stations. Mrs. Davis will be here—at the piano. Mr, Wren, will you kindly go to the kitchen? Just keep an eye on Mrs. Davis's dinner. Mr. Paravicini, will you go to Mr. Wren's bedroom? There you can exercise your musical talents by whistling 'Three Blind Mice' just as he did. Major Metcalf, will you go up to Mr. Davis's bedroom and examine the telephone there? And you, Mr. Davis, will you look into the cupboard in the hall and then go down to the cellar?"}

  }There was a moment's silence. Then four people}

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  }moved slowly toward the door. Trotter followed them. He looked over his shoulder.}

  }"Count up to fifty and then begin to play, Mrs. Davis," he said,}

  }He followed the others out. Before the door closed Molly heard Mr. Paravicini's voice say shrilly, "I never knew the police were so fond of parlor games."}

  }"Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty."}

  }Obediently, the counting finished, Molly began to play. Again the soft cruel little tune crept out into the big, echoing room.}

  }Three Blind Mice See how they run }. . .}

  }Molly felt her heart beating faster and faster. As Para­vicini had said, it was a strangely haunting and grue­some little rhyme. It had that childish incomprehension of pity which is so terrii'ying if met with in an adult.}

  }Very faintly, from upstairs, she could hear the same tune being whistled in the bedroom above—Paravicini enacting the part of Christopher Wren.}

  }Suddenly, next door, the wireless went on in the li­brary. Sergeant Trotter must have set that going. He himself, then, was playing the part of Mrs. Boyle.}

  }But why? What was the point of it all? Where was the trap? For there was a trap, of that she was certain.}

  }A draft of cold air blew across the back of her neck. She turned her head sharply. Surely the door had opened. Someone had come into the room— No, the room was empty. But suddenly she felt nervous—afraid. If someone }should }come in. Supposing Mr. Paravicini should skip round the door, should come skipping over to the piano, his long fingers twitching and twisting—}

  }THREE BLIND }MICE }77}

  }"So you are playing your own funeral march, dear lady, a happy thought—" Nonsense—don't be stupid— don't imagine things. Besides, you can hear him whistling over your head. Just as he can hear you.}

  }She almost took her fingers off the piano as the idea came to herl Npbody }had }heard Mr. Paravicini playing. Was that the trap? Was it, perhaps, possible that Mr. Paravicini hadn't been playing at all? That he had been, not in the drawing-room, but in the library. In the li­brary, strangling Mrs. Boyle?}

  }He had been annoyed, very annoyed, when Trotter had arranged for her to play. He had laid stress on the softness with which he had picked out the tune. Of course, he had emphasized the softness in the hopes that it would be too soft to be heard outside the room. Be­cause if anyone heard it this time who hadn't heard it last time—why then, Trotter would have got what he wanted—}the person who had lied.}

  }The door of the drawing-room opened. Molly, strung up to expect Paravicini, nearly screamed. But it was only Sergeant Trotter who entered, just as she finished the third repetition of the tune.}

  }"Thank you, Mrs. Davis," he said.}

  }He was looking extremely pleased with himself, and his manner was brisk and confident.}

  }Molly took her hands from the keys. "Have you got what you wanted?" she asked.}

  }"Yes, indeed." His voice was exultant. "I've got ex­actly what I wanted."}

  }"Which? Who?"}

  }"Don't you know, Mrs. Davis? Come, now—it's not so difficult. By the way, you've been, if I may say so, extraordinarily foolish. You've left me hunting about for the third victim. As a result, you've been in serious danger."}

  }

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  }"Me? I don't know what you mean."}

  }"I mean that you haven't been honest with me, Mrs. Davis, You held out on me—just as Mrs. Boyle held out on me."}

  }"I don't understand."}

  }"Oh, yes, you do. Why, when I first mentioned the Longridge Farm case, }you knew all about it. }Oh, yes, you did. You were upset. And it was you who confirmed that Mrs. Boyle was the billeting officer for this part of the country. Both you and she came from these parts. So when I began to speculate who the third victim was likely to be, I plumped at once for you. You'd shown firsthand knowledge of the Longridge Farm business. We policemen aren't so dumb as we look, you know."}

  }Molly said in a low voice, "You don't understand. I didn't want to remember."}

  }"I can understand that." His voice changed a little. "Your maiden name was Wainwright, wasn't it?"}

  }"Yes."}

  }"And you're just a little older than you pretend to be. In 1940, when this thing happened, you were the school-teacher at Abbeyvale school."}

  }"No!"}

  }"Oh, yes, you were, Mrs. Davis."}

  }"I wasn't, I tell you."}

  }"The child who died managed to get a letter posted to you. He stole a stamp. The letter begged for help-help from his kind teacher. It's a teacher's business to find out why a child doesn't come to school. You didn't find out. You ignored the poor little devil's letter."}

  }"Stop." Molly's cheeks were flaming. "It's my sister you are talking about. She was the schoolmistress. And she didn't ignore his letter. She was ill—with pneumonia. She never saw the letter until after the child was dead. It upset her dreadfully—dreadfully—she was a terribly}

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  }sensitive person. But it wasn't her fault. It's because she took it to heart so dreadfully that I've never been able to bear being reminded of it. It's been a nightmare to me, always."}

  }Molly's hands went to her eyes, covering them. When she took them away, Trotter was staring at her.}

  }He said softly, "So it was your sister. Well, after all—" He gave a sudden queer smile. "It doesn't much matter, does it? Your sister—my brother—" He took something out of his pocket. He was smiling now, happily.}

  }Molly stared at the- object he held. "I always thought the police didn't carry revolvers," she said.}

  }"The police don't," }said the young man. He went on, "But you see, Mrs. Davis, }I'm not a policeman. }I'm Jim. I'm Georgie's brother. You thought I was a policeman because I rang up from the call box in the village and said that Sergeant Trotter was on his way. Then I cut the telephone wires outside the house when I got here, so that you shouldn't be able to ring back to the police station."}

  }Molly stared at him. The revolver was pointing at her now.}

  }"Don't move, Mrs. Davis—and don't scream—or I pull the trigger at once."}

  }He was still smiling. It was, Molly realized with horror, a child's smile. And his voice, when he spoke, was be­coming a child's voice.}

  }"Yes," he said, "I'm Georgie's brother. Georgie died at Longridge Farm. That nasty woman sent us there, and the farmer's wife was cruel to us, and you wouldn't help us—three li
ttle blind mice. I said then I'd kill you all when I grew up. I meant it. I've thought of it ever since." He frowned suddenly. "They bothered me a lot in the army—that doctor kept asking me questions— I had to get away. I was afraid they'd stop me doing what I}

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  }wanted to do. But I'm grown up now. Grown-ups can do what they like."}

  }Molly pulled herself together. }Talk to him, }she said to herself. }Distract his mind.}

  }"But, Jim, listen," she said. "You'll never get safely away."}

  }His face clouded over. "Somebody's hidden my skis. I can't find them." He laughed. "But I daresay it will be all right. It's your husband's revolver. I took it out of his drawer. I daresay they'll think }he }shot you. Anyway— I don't much care. It's been such fun—all of it. Pretend­ing! That woman in London, her face when she recog­nized me. That stupid woman this morning!"}

  }He nodded his head.}

  }Clearly, with eerie effect, came a whistle. Someone whistling the tune of "Three Blind Mice,"}

  }Trotter started, the revolver wavered—a voice shouted, "Down, Mrs. Davis."}

  }Molly dropped to the floor as Major Metcalf, rising from behind the concealment of the sofa by the door flung himself upon Trotter. The revolver went off—and the bullet lodged in one of the somewhat mediocre oil paintings dear to the heart of the late Miss Emory.}

  }A moment later, all was pandemonium—Giles rushed in, followed fay Christopher and Mr. Paravicini.}

  }Major Metcalf, retaining his grasp of Trotter, spoke in short explosive sentences.}

  }"Came in while you were playing—slipped behind the sofa— I've been on to him from the beginning—that's to say, I knew he wasn't a police officer, /'m a police officer —Inspector Tanner. We arranged with Metcalf I should take his place. Scotland Yard thought it advisable to have someone on the spot. Now, my lad—" He spoke quite gently to the now docile Trotter. "You come with me. No one will hurt you. You'll be all right. We'll look}

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  }after you."}

  }In a piteous child's voice the bronzed young man asked, "Georgie won't be angry with me?" Metcalf said, "No. Georgie won't be angry." He murmured to Giles as he passed him, "Mad as a hatter, poor devil."}

  }They went out together. Mr. Paravicini touched Chris­topher Wren on the arm.}

  }"You, also, my friend," he said, "come with me." Giles and Molly, left alone, looked at each other. In another moment they were in each other's arms,}

  }"Darling," said Giles, "you're sure he didn't hurt you?" "No, no, I'm quite all right. Giles, I've been so terribly mixed up. I almost thought you—why did you go to London that day?"}

  }"Darling, I wanted to get you an anniversary present, for tomorrow. I didn't want you to know."}

  }"How extraordinary! / went to London to get }you }a present and I didn't want you to know."}

  }"I was insanely jealous of that neurotic ass. I must have been mad. Forgive me, darling."}

  }The door opened, and Mr, Paravicini skipped in in his goatlike way. He was beaming.}

  }"Interrupting the reconciliation— Such a charming scene— But, alas, I must bid you adieu. A police jeep has managed to get through. I shall persuade them to take me with them." He bent and whispered mysteriously in Molly's ear, "I may have a few embarrassments in the near future—but I am confident I can arrange matters, and if you should receive a case—with a goose, say, a turkey, some tins of }foie gras, }a ham—some nylon stock­ings, yes? Well, you understand, it will be with my com­pliments to a very charming lady. Mr. Davis, my check is on the hall table." He kissed Molly's hand and skipped to the door.}

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  }"Nylons?" murmured Molly. }"Foie gras? }Who is Mr. Paravicini? Santa Claus?"}

  }"Black-market style, I suspect," said Giles.}

  }Christopher Wren poked a diffident head in. "My dears," he said, "I hope I'm not intruding, but there's a terrible smell of burning from the kitchen. Ought I to }do }something about it?"}

  }With an anguished cry of "My }pie!" }Molly fled from}

  }the room.}