“Of course he does.” Phyllida herself wasn’t particularly keen on nosy reporters and determined photographers getting into her own business. Her shared loathing for the press was one of the reasons Agatha had been delighted she’d taken the housekeeping position.

“But more importantly, what are you doing about it all, Phyllie?” Agatha asked. “Are you employing your little gray cells? Using your method and order?” She adopted the slightest of Poirot-ish accents and smiled, then the smile faded into an uncomfortable grimace.

“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Phyllida prevaricated. She had been thinking about it, all night long when she reviewed the conversation she’d overheard, which now in hindsight seemed obviously to be two people discussing how to kill a man by poisoning his very specific and unusual drink.

“Of course, Anthony and Dorothy think we ought to all put our heads together and solve the murder. You heard what she said only just now. After all, we are detective writers, aren’t we? And it would be great publicity for the Detection Club.” Agatha stopped just short of rolling her eyes at the idea. “But since you’re the only one of us who actually has solved a murder—two of them, in fact,” she went on with a smile, “I am putting my trust in you, and not my fellow writers. Much as I appreciate their work and their stories, I simply don’t think they’re up to snuff over it. This isn’t The Poisoned Chocolates Case, you know,” she said, referring to the well-known novel by Mr. Berkeley where the members of a Crime Club tried to solve a murder that had stymied Scotland Yard. Each character had come up with their own unique, reasonable solution to the crime, but only one was the correct explanation. “Please do what you think is best, Phyllida. If you need to bring in more help here while you’re busy, simply do so. Max agrees with me.”

“Of course,” Phyllida replied, a little stunned by her friend’s confidence in her abilities. But she expected that Agatha’s blithe trust was likely wishful thinking due to her fears about unwanted publicity and being in the public eye.

And neither of them had been quite convinced of Inspector Cork’s capabilities during the previous events.