A Spoonful of Poison by M. C. Beaton Read Free Book Online

her neck. But here’s the thing. According to the rigor mortis, Sarah had been lying there dead for an hour before Sybilla called the ambulance and police.”
    “What was her excuse for not calling them immediately?” asked Agatha.
    “Sybilla said that she fainted with shock and when she came to, she felt dizzy and sick and it took about an hour for her to get the strength to phone,” said Phyllis.
    “Why would she want to kill Sarah Selby?” asked Agatha.
    Phyllis and Maggie exchanged glances. Phyllis said, “She was crazy about George. Always visiting his house on some pretext or other, but before that fatal visit, she never called except when George was at home. He has an office in Mircester, though sometimes he works from home. He’s an architect.”
    “Does everyone in the village suspect her?” asked Agatha.
    “No, only us. They’re all a bit backward in this backwater. You know, tug their forelocks to the lady of the manor. Some lady. Okay, the Triasts were upper crust, but old man Perkins made his money out of biodegradable cats’ toilets.”
    “Place looked a bit run-down,” said Agatha.
    “She’s mean, that’s why,” said Maggie.
    “So why doesn’t she sell off that lodge house, for example?”
    “Blessed if I know,” said Maggie. “Maybe she concocts poisons there.” She and Phyllis laughed heartily.
    “And what do you do for a living?” asked Agatha. “Manufacture LSD?” She had not forgiven them for that “badly preserved” remark.
    “I paint,” said Phyllis, “and Maggie throws pots. Don’t you feel a bit guilty? If it hadn’t been for your grandiose ideas about the fête, this wouldn’t have happened.”
    “If you think it was Sybilla who did it,” said Agatha, “then it really doesn’t matter how many people attended the fête.”
    She and Charles took their leave. As they walked back, Agatha plunged into a rosy dream. She would solve the case of Sarah Selby’s death. She would break the news gently to George, holding his hands and gazing into his eyes.
    “Thank you,” he would breathe. “Now I have closure.I thought poor Sarah could never be replaced, but now …”
    “Wake up, Aggie,” said Charles. “You’re wandering along with a silly smile on your face.”
    “I was thinking about the case.” Agatha was angry at having her dream interrupted. As they came in sight of the vicarage, Agatha saw George saying goodbye to Trixie. She laughed at something he said and kissed him on the cheek.
    Hair extensions, thought Agatha. That’s it. I must get hair extensions.
    Toni came running to meet them and told Agatha about finding the phial. “Who ever put the LSD in the jam must have thrust the phial into one of the seams of the canvas,” she said.
    Agatha heard herself being hailed and turned round with a smile to greet George. “I’m very worried about all this. Have you any clues?” he asked.
    “Got quite a few,” said Agatha. An idea struck her. “Look, I’m busy at the moment. Here’s my card. Why don’t you come to my cottage in Carsely this evening for drinks, say at seven, and I’ll fill you in.”
    “Right,” said George, tucking the card into his top pocket. “I’ll see you then.”
    Now, thought Agatha, I’ve got to get rid of Charles.
    Agatha decided to call it a day. She told Toni and Charles that with all the press haunting the outside of the village and police crawling all over the place, itwould be better to come back the following day, when things might have cooled off a bit.
    Scouts were dumping bags of all the refuse they had collected outside the mobile police unit, and a squad of tired-looking policemen were starting to go through the bags.
    She saw two elderly women being led to the police unit. “That’s Mrs. Glarely and Mrs. Cranton, I think,” said Toni. “I’ll phone Bill tonight and see if he’ll tell me what they said.”
    Agatha was just steeling herself to say something to Charles when he said, “I’ve got to go