Murder is Easy (Superintendent Battle, #4)

by Agatha Christie

Being a man of many aunts, he was fairly certain that the nice old lady in the corner did not propose to travel in silence to London.

Jimmy Lorrimer was one of Luke’s oldest friends. As a matter of course, Luke stayed with Jimmy as soon as he got to London. It was with Jimmy that he sallied forth on the evening of his arrival in search of amusement. It was Jimmy’s coffee that he drank with an aching head the morning after, and it was Jimmy’s voice that went unanswered while he read twice over a small insignificant paragraph in the morning paper.

“Never mind what you think, Jimmy. At the moment, I’m telling you, see?” “Oh, quite—quite—get on with it.”

“I shall have to adopt a disguise,” said Luke with a sudden grin. “What do you suggest? Artist? Hardly—I can’t draw, let alone paint.” “You could be a modern artist,” suggested Jimmy. “Then that wouldn’t matter.”

Why, there’s a village in Devonshire. The rector had to remove some old granite menhirs that stood by the church because the people persisted in marching round them in some old ritual every time there was a death. Extraordinary how old heathen rites persists.”

“Ah,” said Mrs. Pierce. “I’m never one to gossip.” This was unexpected but promising. Luke pricked up his ears and waited.

“No one human being knows the full truth about another human being.”

“What old ladies fancy they see is very often right. My Aunt Mildred was positively uncanny! Have you got any aunts yourself, Thomas?” “Well—er—no.” “A mistake!” said Luke. “Every man should have aunts. They illustrate the triumph of guesswork over logic.

It is reserved for aunts to know that Mr. A. is a rogue because he looks like a dishonest butler they once had. Other people say reasonably enough that a respectable man like Mr. A. couldn’t be a crook. The old ladies are right every time.”

“Liking is more important than loving. It lasts. I want what is between us to last, Luke. I don’t want us just to love each other and marry and get tired of each other and then want to marry someone else.”