Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist

back and find James before I say anything.’
    ‘He’s not your husband, father or keeper,’ said Charles, giving her a gentle shove in the back. ‘In you go.’
    Trevor, pink and sullen, was drinking beer. Olivia and George Debenham, Angus and Harry were having coffees and pastries.
    Agatha introduced Charles. Olivia beamed. ‘How nice to meet you,’ she fluted. ‘We’re practically neighbours.’
    Charles removed his panama and sat down after placing a chair at the table for Agatha. He smiled pleasantly at Trevor.
    ‘Why did you threaten to kill Aggie?’ he asked.
    Olivia stared at Charles, her rather rabbity mouth falling open in surprise.
    ‘Who’s Aggie?’ demanded Trevor sullenly.
    ‘Mrs Raisin, Agatha. You seem to think she’s poking her nose into the investigation into your wife’s murder. When I saw you in the cloisters, you were shaking her and threatening her.’
    All eyes turned to Trevor.
    ‘I didn’t know what I was saying,’ he mumbled. ‘I’d already had a bit to drink and it was so hopeless. Sorry.’
    ‘Most off behaviour,’ said Charles severely. ‘What if Aggie here had howled for the police, which she had every right to do? They’d have had you off to Nicosia in irons. Are you sure that’s all it was – grief and drink? Not frightened of our Aggie finding out who did it?’
    Trevor jumped to his feet, knocking his chair backwards with a crash. ‘Leave me alone,’ he shouted. He strode to the door, but stopped and turned and said in a quieter voice, ‘I’ll wait for the rest of you in the car. I’ve had enough of this.’
    Olivia put a hand on Charles’s arm. ‘You must make allowances for poor Trevor,’ she said. ‘We’re doing the best we can for him, but he misses Rose dreadfully, and I think it’s unhinged him.’
    ‘But why accuse me of investigating the murder?’ asked Agatha. ‘I’m not,’ she lied.
    ‘Oh, you told us all those stories when we first met about your investigations,’ said George. ‘Didn’t she, Harry?’
    Harry nodded and Angus said in his usual heavy manner, ‘Aye, we was talking about it the other night and Olivia here, she says to Trevor, she says, “I hope our Miss Marple isn’t getting in the way o’ the police investigation. She might put them on the wrong track althe-gether, her being an amateur, so to speak.”’
    ‘Well, thanks a lot, Olivia,’ said Agatha bitterly. ‘That’s what must have set him off.’
    ‘It’s not all my fault,’ said Olivia. ‘You added your bit, too, Angus. You said that the police would be so anxious to find someone, anyone, they could pin this on and get the press off their backs that they would take any daft suggestions from Agatha as gospel. And Harry, you said that it was only in books that amateur detectives were any help. You said in real life they were just people who waited until the police solved the murder and then claimed the credit.’ She turned on her husband. ‘And darling, it was you who said to Trevor that someone should drop a quiet word in Agatha’s ear.’
    ‘I am good at investigating,’ said Agatha furiously. ‘If you don’t believe me, you’ve only got to ask the police at Mircester. Or ask James!’
    Olivia gave a brittle laugh. ‘If you remember, dear, it was your James who suggested you just blundered about.’
    ‘For your information,’ said Charles, ‘Aggie is not investigating anything. And why should she? You are such a poisonous, dreary lot of people. Come along, Aggie.’
    Outside the café, Agatha strode angrily away until they reached the car park. Then she turned on Charles. ‘How could you? How could you insult them like that?’
    ‘Come on, Aggie. They’d all just insulted you.’
    ‘But don’t you see, I don’t want to make enemies of them! I’ve got to get close to them. Find out what makes them tick.’
    ‘Why bother? Does it really matter who killed Rose?’
    ‘Yes, it does!’ said Agatha passionately. ‘It matters desperately who takes the life of another human being. They can’t be allowed to get away with it.’
    ‘Suit yourself. But if you’re going to eat humble pie to that lot, do it on your own. I want lunch. We’ll go back to Kyrenia and find somewhere.’
    ‘I’m going back to James. I said I would be back at lunchtime, or rather, he said he would be back at lunchtime.’
    ‘Waste of space, Aggie,’ remarked Charles. ‘He won’t care if you don’t turn up.’
    ‘I shall find out who murdered Rose if