Twenty-five
M ISS M ARPLE U SES H ER I MAGINATION
“S o that’s what had been going on?” said Mr. Rafiel.
He and Miss Marple were sitting together in a confidential¹ manner.
“She’d been having an affair with Tim Kendal, had she?”
“Hardly an affair, I imagine,” said Miss Marple, primly². “It was, I think, a romantic attachment³ with the prospect⁴ ofmarriage in the future.”
“What—after his wife was dead?”
“I don’t think poor Esther Walters knew that Molly was going to die,” said Miss Marple. “I just think she believedthe story Tim Kendal told her about Molly having been in love with another man, and the man having followed herhere, and I think she counted on Tim’s getting a divorce. I think it was all quite proper and respectable. But she wasvery much in love with him.”
“Well, that’s easily understood. He was an attractive chap. But what made him go for her—d’you know that too?”
“You know, don’t you?” said Miss Marple.
“I dare say I’ve got a pretty fair idea, but I don’t know how you should know about it. As far as that goes, I don’tsee how Tim Kendal could know about it.”
“Well, I really think I could explain all that with a little imagination, though it would be simpler if you told me.”
“I’m not going to tell you,” said Mr. Rafiel. “You tell me, since you’re being so clever.”
“Well, it seems to me possible,” said Miss Marple, “that as I have already hinted to you, your man Jackson was inthe habit of taking a good snoop through your various papers from time to time.”
“Perfectly⁵ possible,” said Mr. Rafiel, “but I shouldn’t have said there was anything there that could do him muchgood. I took care of that.”
“I imagine,” said Miss Marple, “he read your will.”
“Oh I see. Yes, yes, I did have a copy of my will along.”
“You told me,” said Miss Marple, “you told me—(as Humpty Dumpty said—very loud and clear) that you had notleft anything to Esther Walters in your will. You had impressed that fact upon her, and also upon Jackson. It was truein Jackson’s case, I should imagine. You have not left him anything, but you had left Esther Walters money, thoughyou weren’t going to let her have any inkling of the fact. Isn’t that right?”

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