Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

fired her.’
    ‘I suppose she didn’t even bother to go.’
    ‘You suppose right. Now, what are you after?’
    ‘Do you know how much Melissa left in her will?’
    ‘Somewhere in the region of two and a half million.’
    Charles let out a low whistle. ‘That’s surely an amount to die for.’
    ‘You mean to kill for,’ said Agatha.
    ‘You think it was the sister?’ said Blacklock. ‘But I gather she’s got a cast-iron alibi.’
    ‘Seems that way,’ said Agatha. ‘Why we’re here is we’d like to know how we can get hold of Melissa’s lawyer.’
    ‘That would be Mr Clamp of Clamp, Anderson and Biggins. They’re round the corner in Abbey Way, number nineteen.’
    Agatha and Charles rose. ‘So, any story?’ he asked.
    ‘Not yet,’ said Agatha. ‘We’ll let you know.’
    When they were outside the newspaper office, Charles said, ‘You’ll never guess who I saw.’
    ‘Who?’
    ‘The fair Josie, over in a corner of the office.’
    ‘But he said she was fired!’
    ‘Maybe she’s working out her notice, or maybe Blacklock doesn’t want us to know he’s got a soft spot for such a loser. Let’s go and see this lawyer anyway. He’ll probably give us the usual spiel, can’t reveal details of my clients, blah, blah, blah.’
    ‘Worth a try anyway. Come on.’
    They entered the law offices and left the busy world behind. It was an old building and they were immediately shrouded in dusty quiet. An elderly receptionist listened to their request and then creaked off into an inner office. Had she been with the firm a long time? wondered Agatha. It would be nice to think she had been employed recently. It would be great to think that one could still find work in one’s declining years. Again she felt the pang of regret that she had not married Jimmy. She would need to see out the rest of her days on her own. Even cats did not last forever, and she knew that if anything happened to Hodge and Boswell, she would not replace them. And then she realized she had not thought of James. It was if she had finally accepted that she would never see him again.
    The receptionist returned and inclined her grey head. ‘Mr Clamp will see you now.’
    Agatha, because of the age of the receptionist, had expected an elderly man, but Mr Clamp was small and round and comparatively young. He looked more like a young farmer than a lawyer. His face was a healthy outdoor red and he had very large, powerful hands.
    ‘I have read about you, Mrs Raisin,’ he said after Charles had made the introductions. ‘I gather you have come to inquire about Mrs Sheppard’s will.’
    ‘Not quite,’ said Agatha. ‘I am puzzled as to why she left everything to a sister whom she had not seen in years and did not even like. I wondered if you could tell me her state of mind.’
    He frowned and looked down at his desk.
    ‘We are not asking for state secrets,’ urged Agatha. ‘And your client is dead.’
    He raised his eyes. ‘I suppose there is no harm in telling you. She was agitated, nervous. She said, “I always thought I would live forever.”’
    ‘Did she say anything about Julia, her sister?’
    ‘No, she just said something like she may as well make it easy and leave it all to the one person and then she laughed and said, “I’d love to see Julia’s face.” It was a very straightforward will. Everything to the sister.’
    ‘Something must have happened to make her think she had not very long to live,’ said Charles.
    ‘I think that’s perhaps being wise after the event,’ said Mr Clamp. ‘She appeared in good health. A very attractive and charming lady, I thought her. As a matter of fact, she asked me out to dinner.’
    ‘Did you go?’ asked Agatha.
    ‘No, there is a Mrs Clamp who would not look favourably on me going out for dinner with an attractive woman.’
    ‘You could have said you were working late at the office,’ said Charles with a grin.
    Mr Clamp was not amused. ‘I never lie to Mrs Clamp.’
    He could not help them further. They walked back to the car park, turning over in their minds what they had heard. ‘I’m damn sure someone threatened her,’ said Agatha at last. ‘I think that’s why she made a will and left everything to Julia, of all people.’
    ‘Considering her treatment at the hands of Dewey, I’m surprised she didn’t make out a will before,’ said Charles.
    ‘Maybe it isn’t Dewey. Maybe she knew Dewey so well that she knew he wouldn’t really hurt her,’ said