Chapter 7 More Problems

‘Can I speak to you a moment, ma’am?’
‘Oh dear,’ said Tuppence. ‘Not more problems?’
She was descending¹ the stairs from the book-room, brushing dust offherself because she was dressed in her best coat and skirt, to which shewas thinking of adding a feather hat and then proceeding² out to a tea shehad been asked to attend by a new friend she had met at the White Ele-phant Sale. It was no moment, she felt, to listen to the further difficultiesof Beatrice.
‘Well, no, no, it’s not exactly a problem. It’s just something I thought youmight like to know about.’
‘Oh,’ said Tuppence, still feeling that this might be another problem indisguise. She came down carefully. ‘I’m in rather a hurry because I haveto go out to tea.’
‘Well, it’s just about someone as you asked about, it seems. Name ofMary Jordan, that was right? Only they thought perhaps it was Mary John-son. You know, there was a Belinda Johnson as worked at the post office,but a good long time ago.’
‘Yes,’ said Tuppence, ‘and there was a policeman called Johnson, too, sosomeone told me.’
‘Yes, well, anyway, this friend of mine–Gwenda, her name is–you knowthe shop, the post office is one side and envelopes and dirty cards andthings the other side, and some china things too, before Christmas, yousee, and–’
‘I know,’ said Tuppence, ‘it’s called Mrs Garrison³’s or something likethat.’
‘Yes, but it isn’t really Garrison nowadays as keep it. Quite a differentname. But anyway, this friend of mine, Gwenda, she thought you might beinterested to know because she says as she had heard of a Mary Jordanwhat lived here a long time ago. A very long time ago. Lived here, in thishouse I mean.’
‘Oh, lived in The Laurels⁴?’
‘Well, it wasn’t called that then. And she’d heard something about her,she said. And so she thought you might be interested. There was somerather sad story about her, she had an accident or something. Anyway shedied.’
‘You mean that she was living in this house when she died? Was she oneof the family?’
‘No. I think the family was called Parker, a name of that kind. A lot ofParkers there were, Parkers or Parkinsons–something like that. I think shewas just staying here. I believe Mrs Griffin knows about it. Do you knowMrs Griffin?’

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