Twenty-four
IMrs. Oliver had ensconced herself at a table in the window of The Black Boy. It was still fairlyearly, so the dining room was not very full. Presently, Judith Butler returned from powdering hernose and sat down opposite her and examined the menu.
“What does Miranda like?” asked Mrs. Oliver. “We might as well order for her as well. Isuppose she’ll be back in a minute.”
“She likes roast chicken.”
“Well, that’s easy then. What about you?”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Three roast chickens,” Mrs. Oliver ordered.
She leaned back, studying her friend.
“Why are you staring at me in that way?”
“I was thinking,” said Mrs. Oliver.
“Thinking what?”
“Thinking really how very little I knew about you.”
“Well, that’s the same with everybody, isn’t it?”
“You mean, one never knows all about anyone.”
“I shouldn’t think so.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” said Mrs. Oliver.
Both women were silent for some time.
“They’re rather slow serving things here.”
“It’s coming now, I think,” said Mrs. Oliver.
A waitress arrived with a tray full of dishes.
“Miranda’s a long time. Does she know where the dining room is?”
“Yes, of course she does. We looked in on the way.” Judith got up impatiently. “I’ll have to goand fetch her.”
“I wonder if perhaps she gets car sick.”
“She used to when she was younger.”
She returned some four or five minutes later.
“She’s not in the Ladies’,” she said. “There’s a door outside it into the garden. Perhaps she wentout that way to look at a bird or something. She’s like that.”
“No time to look at birds today,” said Mrs. Oliver. “Go and call her or something. We want toget on.”
II
Elspeth McKay pricked¹ some sausages with a fork, laid them on a baking dish, put it in theFrigidair and started to peel potatoes.
The telephone rang.
“Mrs. McKay? Sergeant² Goodwin here. Is your brother there?”
“No. He’s in London today.”
“I’ve rung him there—he’s left. When he gets back, tell him we’ve had a positive result.”
“You mean you’ve found a body in the well?”
“Not much use

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