Chapter 9

Cat Among the Pigeons

Letter from Jennifer Sutcliffe to her mother:

Dear Mummy,

We had a murder last night. Miss Springer, the gym mistress. It happened in the middle of the night and the police came and this morning they’re asking everybody questions.

Miss Chadwick told us not to talk to anybody about it but I thought you’d like to know.

With love,

Jennifer

II

Meadowbank was an establishment of sufficient importance to merit the personal attention of the Chief Constable. While routine investigation was going on Miss Bulstrode had not been inactive. She rang up a Press magnate and the Home Secretary, both personal friends of hers. As a result of those manoeuvres, very little had appeared about the event in the papers. A games mistress had been found dead in the school gymnasium. She had been shot, whether by accident or not was as yet not determined. Most of the notices of the event had an almost apologetic note in them, as though it were thoroughly tactless of any games mistress to get herself shot in such circumstances.

Ann Shapland had a busy day taking down letters to parents. Miss Bulstrode did not waste time in telling her pupils to keep quiet about the event. She knew that it would be a waste of time. More or less lurid reports would be sure to be penned to anxious parents and guardians. She intended her own balanced and reasonable account of the tragedy to reach them at the same time.

Later that afternoon she sat in conclave with Mr Stone, the Chief Constable, and Inspector Kelsey. The police were perfectly amenable to having the Press play the thing down as much as possible. It enabled them to pursue their inquiries quietly and without interference.

‘I’m very sorry about this, Miss Bulstrode, very sorry indeed,’ said the Chief Constable. ‘I suppose it’s—well—a bad thing for you.’

‘Murder’s a bad thing for any school, yes,’ said Miss Bulstrode. ‘It’s no good dwelling on that now, though. We shall weather it, no doubt, as we have weathered other storms. All I do hope is that the matter will be cleared up quickly.’

‘Don’t see why it shouldn’t, eh?’ said Stone. He looked at Kelsey.

Kelsey said, ‘It may help when we get her background.’

‘D’you really think so?’ asked Miss Bulstrode dryly.

‘Somebody may have had it in for her,’ Kelsey suggested.

Miss Bulstrode did not reply.

‘You think it’s tied up with this place?’ asked the Chief Constable.

‘Inspector Kelsey does really,’ said Miss Bulstrode. ‘He’s only trying to save my feelings, I think.’

‘I think it does tie up with Meadowbank,’ said the Inspector slowly. ‘After all, Miss Springer had her times off like all the other members of the staff. She could have arranged a meeting with anyone if she had wanted to do so at any spot she chose. Why choose the gymnasium here in the middle of the night?’

‘You have no objection to a search being made of the school premises, Miss Bulstrode?’ asked the Chief Constable.