‘Carrie Louise is not an ordinary woman. She lives by her trust, by her belief in human nature — oh dear, I am expressing myself very badly. But I do feel that until we know who — ’

‘Yes, that is the crux. But you do see, Miss Marple, that there is a risk in saying nothing — ’

‘And so you want me to — how shall I put it? — watch over her?’

‘You see, you are the only person whom I can trust,’ said Lewis Serrocold simply. ‘Everyone here seems devoted. But are they? Now your attachment goes back many years.’

‘And also I only arrived a few days ago,’ said Miss Marple pertinently.

Lewis Serrocold smiled.

‘Exactly.’

‘It is a very mercenary question,’ said Miss Marple apologetically. ‘But who exactly would benefit if dear Carrie Louise were to die?’

‘Money!’ said Lewis bitterly. ‘It always boils down to money, doesn’t it?’

‘Well, I really think it must be in this case. Because Carrie Louise is a very sweet person with a great deal of charm, and one cannot really imagine anyone disliking her. She couldn’t, I mean, have an enemy. So then it does boil down, as you put it, to a question of money, because as you don’t need me to tell you, Mr Serrocold, people will quite often do anything for money.’

‘I suppose so, yes.’

He went on: ‘Naturally Inspector Curry has already taken up that point. Mr Gilfoy is coming down from London today and can give detailed information. Gilfoy, Gilfoy, Jaimes and Gilfoy are a very eminent firm of lawyers. This Gilfoy’s father was one of the original trustees, and they drew up both Caroline’s will and the original will of Eric Gulbrandsen. I will put it in simple terms for you — ’

‘Thank you,’ said Miss Marple gratefully. ‘So mystifying the law, I always think.’

‘Eric Gulbrandsen, after endowment of the College and various fellowships and trusts and other charitable bequests, and having settled an equal sum on his daughter Mildred and on his adopted daughter Pippa (Gina’s mother), left the remainder of his vast fortune in trust, the income from it to be paid to Caroline for her lifetime.’

‘And after her death?’

‘After her death it was to be divided equally between Mildred and Pippa — or their children if they themselves had predeceased Caroline.’

‘So that in fact it goes to Mrs Strete and to Gina.’

‘Yes. Caroline has also quite a considerable fortune of her own — though not in the Gulbrandsen class. Half of this she made over to me four years ago. Of the remaining amount, she left ten thousand pounds to Juliet Bellever, and the rest equally divided between Alex and Stephen Restarick, her two stepsons.’

‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Marple. ‘That’s bad. That’s very bad.’

‘You mean?’

‘It means everyone in the house had a financial motive.’

‘Yes. And yet, you know, I can’t believe that any of these people would do murder. I simply can’t…Mildred is her daughter — and already quite well provided for. Gina is devoted to her grandmother. She is generous and extravagant, but has no acquisitive feelings. Jolly Bellever is fanatically devoted to Caroline. The two Restaricks care for Caroline as though she were really their mother. They have no money of their own to speak of, but quite a lot of Caroline’s income has gone towards financing their enterprises — especially so with Alex. I simply can’t believe either of those two would deliberately poison her for the sake of inheriting money at her death. I just can’t believe any of it, Miss Marple.’