THE TUESDAY NIGHT CLUB 5 - Agatha Christie -short stories

"A very fishy story," said Sir Henry Clithering gravely. "There are, of course, all kinds of possible explanations," said Miss Marple, her cheeks growing slightly pinker with excitement. "For instance, somebody else--" "My dear Aunt," said Raymond West with some amusement, "I didn't mean that sort of village incident. I was thinking of murders and disappearances--the kind of thing that Sir Henry could tell us about by the hour if he liked." "But I never talk shop," said Sir Henry modestly. "No, I never talk shop." Sir Henry Clithering had been until lately Commissioner of Scotland Yard. "I suppose there are a lot of murders and things that never are solved by the police," said Joyce Lemprire. "That is an admitted fact, I believe," said Mr. Petherick. "I wonder," said Raymond West, "what class of brain really succeeds best in unravelling a mystery? One always feels that the average police detective must be hampered by lack of imagination." "That is the layman's point of view," said Sir Henry drily. "You really want a committee," said Joyce, smiling. "For psychology and imagination go to the writer--" She made an ironical bow to Raymond but he remained serious. "The art of writing gives one an insight into human nature,'' he said gravely. "One sees, perhaps, motives that the ordinary person would pass by." "I know, dear," said Miss Marple, "that your books are very clever. But do you think that people are really so unpleasant as you make them out to be?" "My dear Aunt," said Raymond gently, "keep your beliefs. Heaven forbid that I should in any way shatter them." "I mean," said Miss Marple, puckering her brow a little as she counted the stitches in her knitting, "that so many peo-