As The Pig Turns

The dog’s eyes lit up, and it said in a rasping voice, ‘Walk me.’
    ‘And you see,’ said May eagerly, ‘it can become more demanding if you don’t move it.’
    ‘I said walk me now ,’ growled the dog.
    ‘The little switch under the red collar turns it on and off,’ explained May.
    The price seemed terribly steep to James, but on the other hand, he knew the little girl would be delighted. As May wrapped it up, James said, ‘I believe you know my friend Agatha Raisin?’
    ‘Yes indeed. I owe everything to Agatha and that young man Simon Black. It was Simon who suggested that she publicize my toys. I felt a bittie guilty because I thought she demanded a harsh price.’
    ‘For publicizing you? That doesn’t sound like Agatha.’
    ‘Oh, no, she refused to charge a penny. It was at my flat in Oddley Croesus that I heard her talking to Simon when I went to the kitchen to make tea. She said, “I just want to remind you that I am doing this so that you will leave Toni alone for three years. She is too young to get seriously involved with anyone.” You can imagine my relief when I got an invitation to Simon’s wedding and he is marrying an army girl. So it looks as if he might have been the fickle type all along.’
    James nodded, but he felt depressed. Agatha had behaved disgracefully. Her famous intuition had not been involved. She had merely wanted to keep a good detective.
    When he met Agatha for lunch, her face was glowing. ‘Toni’s decided to stay,’ she said. ‘Isn’t that marvellous?’
    ‘I’ve just been buying a toy for a friend’s little daughter at May Dinwoody’s,’ said James. Agatha quickly raised the menu to cover her face, but he leaned across the table and pulled it away. Agatha gave him a hunted look from out of her bearlike eyes.
    ‘So it seems,’ said James acidly, ‘that you exacted a pretty steep price out of Simon for helping the Dinwoody woman.’
    ‘I thought it was the best thing to do,’ howled Agatha with all the ferocity of the really guilty.
    ‘You were cruel and selfish. What are you having to eat?’
    ‘What do you want me to eat? Humble pie? Look. I’m sorry, sorry, sorry. Do you want me to go away?’
    ‘Oddly enough, no. Did you hear about my rescue of Toni?’
    ‘Yes, she told me. I wish it could have been me. Make amends in a way, you know.’
    ‘Just as well it wasn’t. Now, let’s order something and decide what we’re going to do about your murders.’
    They were sitting at a table on a terrace at the back of the hotel overlooking the garden. Spring had come at last as March went out like a lamb. The hotel garden was heavy with the scent of blossom. A pale disc of a sun rose through tiny ragged little dark clouds above their heads. It was a place and a night for lovers, thought Agatha gloomily: not for one shamed female detective facing her ex across the table.
    ‘I gather,’ said Agatha, ‘that whoever killed Gary Beech ransacked his house. They were desperately looking for something. I think Amy was killed because she knew too much, or they suspected she might have known something.’
    ‘Did she look as if she had been tortured?’ asked James.
    ‘I only looked at her face. It was unmarked and peaceful – dead peaceful, if you know what I mean. She hadn’t been strangled. I didn’t touch the body or turn it over. The police said she had been stabbed.’
    ‘Did Gary Beech leave a will?’ asked James.
    ‘Yes. He left everything to Amy.’ She pulled out her mobile and dialled Patrick. When she rang off, she said, ‘No further news. There are the diamonds, of course. That’s probably what they were looking for. Maybe Amy put the house up for sale. The police have surely finished with it.’
    ‘Let’s just enjoy our dinner, go home and change, and then we’ll break in.’
    Agatha grinned happily. ‘Quite like old times.’

Chapter Seven

    They had decided to set off at two in the morning. As Agatha got ready, wearing a dark blue blouse and black trousers, she wished with all her heart that she had never interfered in Toni’s life. James had been pleasant over lunch, but there was a certain coldness and reserve about him. He had forgiven her a lot in the past. She wondered now if he would ever forgive her for her behaviour that had driven off young Simon. ‘Creepy,’ was James’s comment as they drove into Winter Parva.
    ‘I think it’s because there are no trees or gardens,’ said Agatha. ‘The houses front straight