- from the Miss Marple : the complete short stories
The short story was written by Agatha Christie and first published in The Royal Magazine in March 1928 in the UK. In the U.S., the story was first published in Detective Story Magazine in June 1928. It is the fourth short story of the Tuesday Night Club story collection.
Joyce, the main protagonist, is painting a picture of the picturesque village Palhar with Arms, an inn she is staying at, when a couple - Denis and Margery, arrives. After that a woman dressed in scarlet arrives, whom the husband, Denis, recognizes as Carol, an old friend of his. The three of them talk and make plans to go rowing to a nearby cave.
Carol, disliking boats, agreed to walk to the spot and meet the couple at the cave. That afternoon Joyce had returned to her painting, spotted two bathing suits drying in the sun from the balcony of the pub and assumed that the three people had returned.
A local man engaged her in somewhat unwanted conversation and distracted her from her work. Before she realised what she had done, Joyce seemed to have painted in bloodstains on the pavement in front of the pub and was astonished to find that she had captured reality – there did seem to be bloodstains on the pavement that were not there a short time before. Before she could take any action, Denis emerged from the pub and asked Joyce and the local man if they had seen Carol return. The three had met at the cave, as agreed, and Carol had supposedly walked back to the inn but not arrived, although her car was still there. Denis and Margery drove off and Joyce inspected the pavement – only to find the bloodstains gone.
Two days later, she read in the paper that Margery had disappeared while bathing in the sea and a week later her body was found washed up with a blow to the head, supposedly caused when she dived into the water on some rocks.
As the Tuesday Club is discussing the case, the men of the club feel that there is very little in the story to go on but Miss Marple points out that they do not appreciate the point about clothes as she and Joyce do. The bloodstains were on the pavement, dripping from one of the bathing suits which was scarlet in colour. The criminals didn't realise that when they hung them up to dry. Joyce confirms her point and finishes the story: a year later, at an east coast resort, she saw the same set up again with Denis, Carol and another woman, supposedly Denis' new wife.
Joyce goes to the police station and reports suspicious activity. A Scotland Yard inspector was already there investigating Denis who, under several names, had married women, insured their lives for large sums, and then killed them in a conspiracy with Carol – his real wife. The woman that Joyce saw in Rathole at the time that the bloodstains were on the pavement wasn't Margery but Carol in disguise. When they killed the real Margery during the trip to the cave, blood must have got itself onto the scarlet bathing suit.
The short story was written by Agatha Christie and first published in The Royal Magazine in March 1928 in the UK. In the U.S., the story was first published in Detective Story Magazine in June 1928. It is the fourth short story of the Tuesday Night Club story collection.
Joyce, the main protagonist, is painting a picture of the picturesque village Palhar with Arms, an inn she is staying at, when a couple - Denis and Margery, arrives. After that a woman dressed in scarlet arrives, whom the husband, Denis, recognizes as Carol, an old friend of his. The three of them talk and make plans to go rowing to a nearby cave.
Carol, disliking boats, agreed to walk to the spot and meet the couple at the cave. That afternoon Joyce had returned to her painting, spotted two bathing suits drying in the sun from the balcony of the pub and assumed that the three people had returned.
A local man engaged her in somewhat unwanted conversation and distracted her from her work. Before she realised what she had done, Joyce seemed to have painted in bloodstains on the pavement in front of the pub and was astonished to find that she had captured reality – there did seem to be bloodstains on the pavement that were not there a short time before. Before she could take any action, Denis emerged from the pub and asked Joyce and the local man if they had seen Carol return. The three had met at the cave, as agreed, and Carol had supposedly walked back to the inn but not arrived, although her car was still there. Denis and Margery drove off and Joyce inspected the pavement – only to find the bloodstains gone.
Two days later, she read in the paper that Margery had disappeared while bathing in the sea and a week later her body was found washed up with a blow to the head, supposedly caused when she dived into the water on some rocks.
As the Tuesday Club is discussing the case, the men of the club feel that there is very little in the story to go on but Miss Marple points out that they do not appreciate the point about clothes as she and Joyce do. The bloodstains were on the pavement, dripping from one of the bathing suits which was scarlet in colour. The criminals didn't realise that when they hung them up to dry. Joyce confirms her point and finishes the story: a year later, at an east coast resort, she saw the same set up again with Denis, Carol and another woman, supposedly Denis' new wife.
Joyce goes to the police station and reports suspicious activity. A Scotland Yard inspector was already there investigating Denis who, under several names, had married women, insured their lives for large sums, and then killed them in a conspiracy with Carol – his real wife. The woman that Joyce saw in Rathole at the time that the bloodstains were on the pavement wasn't Margery but Carol in disguise. When they killed the real Margery during the trip to the cave, blood must have got itself onto the scarlet bathing suit.
A Miss Marple illustration
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