The Casebook of Jonas P. Jonas and Other Mysteries
Page 22
“Leaving you without any real evidence of any kind.”
“Not a shred, my dear chap, not a shred!” Crabbe beamed at Hassall suddenly with a look of great happiness. “Now I really must be going.”
“But you did believe Armiger had been gradually poisoning Riddle with one cucumber after another, didn’t you?” Hassall said.
“I seldom talk about my beliefs,” Crabbe answered with dignity.
“They’re a private matter.”
“All the same, what about Mrs. Riddle? Had Armiger anything against her, or didn’t he mind if she died?”
“Mrs. Riddle never ate cucumbers. She said they gave her indigestion. I remember my wife and I had her to tea once and she wouldn’t touch our cucumber sandwiches. She was quite safe.”
“But why didn’t you go to the police with your suspicions?” Hassall asked. “Not a word of this came out at the inquest, or later either, did it?”
“Well, they were both dead, weren’t they, Armiger and Riddle?” Crabbe said. “And it wasn’t going to make Mrs. Riddle or Miss Armiger any happier to think she’d been living with a murderer. Nice old ladies, both of them. No one would have wanted to upset them. So what was to be gained by saying anything? Good-day to you now, Mr. Hassall. I’ve enjoyed our talk.”
Concentrating carefully on how he put one foot before the other, the quiet-looking, shabby man made for the door.
When it had closed behind him, Hassell said, “Everard Crabbe? I seem to know that name, but I can’t remember where I’ve heard it.”
“He’s a writer, like yourself,” the landlord said. “Writes murder stories. I sometimes read them when I’ve nothing better to do. They’re not bad, but as I see it, they’re full of improbabilities.”
“You’ve heard this story he was telling me before, have you?”
“Well, it isn’t always exactly the same. He’ll make a book of it some day, I shouldn’t wonder.”
“Is there a word of truth in it?”
The landlord began to polish an invisible spot on his shining counter, looking down intently at what he was doing.
“It’s true Mr. Armiger and Mr. Riddle are both dead,” he said, “and died within a few days of one another. And it’s true the old ladies were very well liked and everyone was sorry for them. Miss Armiger’s dead now, of course, but Mrs. Riddle still lives in the village.”
“So you all got together and decided to keep your suspicions to yourselves,” Hassall said. “All except Everard Crabbe.”
The landlord applied himself harder still to his polishing.
“Oh, no one takes any notice of him and he knows it,” he said. “He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just got a bit too much imagination for his own good. He knows, the same as the rest of us, it was the virus killed Mr. Riddle and it was them hooligans done in poor old Mr. Armiger. Never any doubt of it. Just senseless violence, and then covering up for each other so no one got charged. The police ought to have cracked down much harder on them.”
SOURCES
“The Case of the Two Questions,” Evening Standard [hereafter, ES], December 8, 1958, as “When a Young Girl’s Eyes are Crazy with Worry”; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine [hereafter, EQMM], August 1959
“The Case of the Blue Bowl,” ES, December 9, 1958, as “No More Milk for Mrs. Toomes”; EQMM, October 1959
“The Case of the Auction Catalogue,” ES, December 10, 1958, as “The Collector Who Ran Away from Murder”; EQMM, March 1960
“The Case of the Left Hand,” ES, December 11, 1958, as “A Lunch Plate Stopped Bardell’s Escape”; EQMM, December 1960
“Invitation to Murder – On the Party Line,” ES, December 12, 1958
“A Lipstick Smear Points to the Killer,” ES, December 13, 1958
“Custody,” A Suit of Diamonds (Collins Crime Club, 1990)
“The Trap,” My Home, May 1961
“Stop Thief,” Winter’s Crimes 24 (Macmillan, 1992); EQMM, November 1992
“The Long Way Round,” Winter’s Crimes 4 (Macmillan, 1972)
“Fly, Said the Spy,” Winter’s Crimes 15 (Macmillan, 1983; St. Martin’s, 1983); EQMM, March 1984
“Instrument of Justice,” Winter’s Crimes 13 (Macmillan, 1981; St. Martin’s, 1981); EQMM, January 1982
“Suicide,” ES, March 19, 1963, as “Suicide? In a Car with the Lights On?”; The Saint Mystery Magazine (US edition), October 1964; (UK edition) December 1964
“Look for Trouble,” ES, June 8, 1964, as “When a Girl has a Grudge, Look for Trouble”; The Saint Mystery Magazine (US edition), June 1965; (UK edition), June 1965
“Justice in My Own Hands,” Winter’s Crime 20 (Macmillan, 1988; Doubleday, 1989)
“The Handbag,” The Star Weekly Magazine (Toronto), July 2 and July 9, 1960
“Sequence of Events,” Winter’s Crimes 9 (Macmillan, 1977)
APPENDIX 1
Novels
(with series characters, as stated)
Give a Corpse a Bad Name Hodder & Stoughton 1940 (Dyke)
Remove the Bodies Hodder 1940 (Dyke)
a.k.a. Rehearsals for Murder Doubleday 1941
Death in Botanist’s Bay Hodder 1941 (Dyke)
a.k.a. Murder of a Suicide Doubleday 1941
Don’t Monkey with Murder Hodder 1942 (Dyke)
a.k.a. The Shape of a Stain Doubleday 1942
Your Neck in a Noose Hodder 1942 (Dyke)
a.k.a. Neck in a Noose Doubleday 1943
I, Said the Fly Hodder 1945, Doubleday 1945
Murder Among Friends Collins Crime Club 1946
a.k.a. Cheat the Hangman Doubleday 1946
With Murder in Mind Crime Club 1948
The March Hare Murders Crime Club 1949, Doubleday 1949
Hunt the Tortoise Crime Club 1950, Doubleday 1950
Milk of Human Kindness Crime Club 1950
The Clock that Wouldn’t Stop Crime Club 1952, Doubleday 1952
Alibi for a Witch Crime Club 1952, Doubleday 1952
Murder in Time Crime Club 1953
The Lying Voices Crime Club 1954
Enough to Kill a Horse Crime Club 1955, Doubleday 1955
Always Say Die Crime Club 1956
a.k.a. We Haven’t Seen Her Lately Doubleday 1956
Murder Moves In Crime Club 1956
a.k.a. Kill or Cure Doubleday 1956
Furnished for Murder Crime Club 1957
Count the Cost Doubleday 1957
a.k.a. Unreasonable Doubt Crime Club 1958
Depart This Life Doubleday 1958
a.k.a. A Tale of Two Murders Crime Club 1959
Fear the Light Crime Club 1960, Doubleday 1960
The Sleeping Dogs Crime Club 1960, Doubleday 1960
The Busy Body Crime Club 1962
a.k.a. Seeing Double Doubleday 1962
The Wandering Widows Crime Club 1962, Doubleday 1962
The Doubly Dead Crime Club 1963, Doubleday 1963
The Decayed Gentlewoman Doubleday 1963
a.k.a. A Legal Fiction Crime Club 1964
Ninth Life Crime Club 1965
No Peace for the Wicked Crime Club 1966, Harper 1966
Zero at the Bone Crime Club 1967, Walker 1968
The Swaying Pillars Crime Club 1968, Walker 1969
Skeleton Staff Crime Club 1969, Walker 1969
The Seven Sleepers Crime Club 1970, Walker 1970
A Stranger and Afraid Crime Club 1971, Walker 1971
Breath of Suspicion Crime Club 1972, Doubleday 1972
Foot in the Grave Doubleday 1972, Crime Club 1973
The Small World of Murder Crime Club 1973, Doubleday 1973
Hanged Man’s House Crime Club 1974, Doubleday 1974
Alive and Dead Crime Club 1974, Doubleday 1975
Drowned Rat Crime Club 1975, Doubleday 1975
The Cup and the Lip Crime Club 1975, Doubleday 1976
Blood Flies Upwards Crime Club 1976, Doubleday 1977
The Pretty Pink Shroud Crime Club 1977, Doubleday 1977
Murders Anonymous Crime Club 1977, Doubleday 1978
Last Will and Testament Crime Club 1978, Doubleday 1978 (Freer)
In at the Kill Crime Club 1978, Doubleday 1979
Witness Before the Fact Crime Club 1979, Doubleday 1980
Frog in the Throat Crime Club 1980, Doubleday 1980 (Freer)
Experiment with Death Crime Club 1981, Doubleday 1981
Thinner than Water Crime Club 1981, Doubleday 1982 (Freer)
Skeleton in Search of a Cupboard Crime Club 1982
a.k.a. Skeleton in Search of a Closet Doubleday 1982
Death of a Minor Character Crime Club 1983, Doubleday 1983 (Freer)
Something Wicked Crime Club 1983, Doubleday 1984 (Basnett)
Root of All Evil Crime Club 1984, Doubleday 1984 (Basnett)
The Crime and the Crystal Crime Club 1985, Doubleday 1985 (Basnett)
I Met Murder Crime Club 1985, Doubleday 1985 (Freer)
The Other Devil’s Name Crime Club 1986, Doubleday 1987 (Basnett)
Come and Be Killed Crime Club 1987, Doubleday 1987
A Murder Too Many Crime Club 1988, Doubleday 1989 (Basnett)
Trial by Fury Crime Club 1989, Doubleday 1989
Woman Slaughter Crime Club 1989, Doubleday 1990 (Freer)
Smoke Without Fire Crime Club 1990, Doubleday 1991 (Basnett)
Sleep of the Unjust Crime Club 1990, Doubleday 1991 (Freer)
Danger from the Dead Crime Club 1991, Doubleday 1992
Beware of the Dog Crime Club 1992, Doubleday 1993 (Freer)
Answer Came There None Crime Club 1992, Doubleday 1993
Thy Brother Death Crime Club 1993, Doubleday 1993
A Hobby of Murder Crime Club 1994, Doubleday 1995 (Basnett)
Seeing is Believing Crime Club 1994, Doubleday 1995
A Choice of Evils Crime Club 1995, Doubleday 1996 (Basnett)
A Thief in the Night Crime Club 1995
Story Collections
Designs on Life Crime Club 1980, Doubleday 1980 (9 stories)
Sequence of Events Eurographica 1989 (4 stories)
The Casebook of Jonas P. Jonas and Other Mysteries Crippen & Landru 2012 (17 stories)
Novella with Other Writers
Crime on the Coast Gollancz 1984 (with No Flowers by Request)
APPENDIX 2
CRITICS’ COMMENTS
“Give a Corpse a Bad Name” (1940) “Written with spirit, equipped both with lively characters and a puzzle of sufficient interest, and furnished with a satisfactory ‘twist’ that puts both the reader and the principal sleuth in their places.”
– Milward Kennedy, Sunday Times.
“Remove the Bodies” (1940) “Miss Ferrars is almost too cunning.”
– Maurice Richardson, The Observer.
“Murder Among Friends” (1946) “A clever, taut, well written murder story.”
– S.P.B. Mais
“With Murder In Mind” (1948) “Unusual and unusually intelligent.”
– Maurice Richardson
“The March Hare Murders” (1949) “Miss Ferrars’ clear cut imagination and accomplished writing are always to be enjoyed; and as a piece of crime based literary art the ‘March Hare Murders’ deserves the attention of the cognoscenti.”
– Elizabeth Bowen
“Hunt the Tortoise” (1950) “Another admirable detective story – excellently written, full of atmosphere; neatly paced and proved.”
– Christopher Pym, Sunday Times
“The Clock that Wouldn’t Stop” (1952) “This exciting murder problem rises out of a weekly advice column in a newspaper. A good idea that has been ingeniously worked out.”
– George Bishop, Daily Telegraph
“Murder in Time” (1953) “ ‘Murder in Time’ is good enough for Agatha Christie, and I mean that as high praise. The solution is so well delayed and hidden.”
– Norman Blood, Time and Tide
“Murder Moves In” (1956) “Her best to date. A really good story that moves all the time, with a cleverly dovetailed plot and credible characters.”
– Francis Iles, Manchester Guardian
“The Lying Voices” (1954) “A first-rate detective novel. One of the most ingenious I have read for many a long day.”
– Mary Fitt
“Furnished for Murder” (1957) “She remains one of the most adept and intelligent adherents of the whodunit form.”
– Maurice Richardson
“Unreasonable Doubt” (1958) “Recommended to test the readers’ perspicacity.”
– Ralph Partridge, New Statesman
“The Wandering Widows” (1962) “What a splendid writer is Miss Ferrars. Her latest is ingenious, engrossing, unputdownable. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed every word of it. Highly recommended.”
– James Dillon White
“Ninth Life” (1965) “Elizabeth Ferrars is at the top of her form here. Almost the most cunning part of the puzzle is the way in which she keeps us in doubt about the identity of the victim, which came as a complete surprise to me.”
– Julian Symons, Sunday Times
“No Peace for the Wicked” (1966) “A pleasant jig-saw puzzle – and if you can find the missing piece before Miss F. hands it to you, you are a better ’tec than I am.”
– Peter Phillips, The Sun
“A Stranger and Afraid” (1971) “How enjoyable to read someone so deeply interested in her people, and so professional.”
– HRF Keating, The Times
“Breath of Suspicion” (1972) “Effortlessly entertaining identity puzzle, teased out by an accomplished old hand.”
– Matthew Coady, The Guardian
“The Small World of Murder” (1973) “The plot is excellent, Miss Ferrars’ best for a long time. . . Nice writing, nice denouement, and all as clean as a whistle.”
– Edmund Crispin, Sunday Times
“Hanged Man’s House” (1974) “An expertly developed, clever whodunit with convincing characters.”
– Violet Grant, Daily Telegraph
“Last Will and Testament” (1978) “Ingenious, apt solution.”
– William Weaver, Financial Times
“Designs on Life” (1980) “Elizabeth Ferrars has had a long and distinguished career as a first class writer of detective stories.”
– CP Snow, Financial Times
“Frog in the Throat” (1980) “The story epitomises all her virtues.... The plot is neatly ingenious, the characters interesting and, unlike many stories of this type, the pace is cracking.”
– ME Pardoe, Birmingham Post
“Experiment with Death” (1981) “Human secrets winkled out in a small triumph of patient elucidation by wise-woman of the genre.”
– Christopher Wordsworth, Observer
“Skeleton in Search of a Cupboard” (1982) “For cosy English killing, you still can’t fault Miss Ferrars.”
– Anthony Price, Oxford Mail
“Something Wicked” (1983) “Neat, honest whodunit with particularly endearing cast of characters.”
– Felicia Lamb, Mail on Sunday
“Root of All Evil” (1984) “What Elizabeth Ferrars’ fans come to expect are shapely, credible, well-plotted crime novels, written within, but not constrained by, the genre’s conventions. ‘Root of All Evil’ will not disappoint old readers and should win many new.”
– Reginald Hill, Books and Bookmen
“The Crime and the Crystal” (1985) “Neatly and professionally organized around a pleasingly original central character.”
– TJ Binyon, Times Literary Supplement
“Trial by Fury” (1989) “Ferrars delivers cool, multiple murder puzzle with customary aplomb and nice edge of wit.... Neat, nasty and convincing.”
– John Coleman, Sunday Times
CRIPPEN & LANDRU, PUBLISHERS
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Crippen & Landru publishes first editions
of short story collections by important detective and mystery writers.
This is the best edited, most attractively packaged line of mystery books introduced in this decade. The books are equally valuable to collectors and readers. [Mystery Scene Magazine]
The specialty publisher with the most star-studded list is Crippen & Landru, which has produced short story collections by some of the biggest names in contemporary crime fiction. [Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine]
God Bless Crippen & Landru. [The Strand Magazine]
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MORE TRADITIONAL MYSTERIES IN THE LOST CLASSICS SERIES
Crippen & Landru is proud to publish a series of new short-story collections by great authors of the past who specialized in traditional mysteries. Each book collects stories from crumbling pages of old pulp, digest, and slick magazines, and most of the stories have been “lost” since their first publication. Check our website to see which titles are currently in stock.
Peter Godfrey, The Newtonian Egg and Other Cases of Rolf le Roux, introduction by Ronald Godfrey. 2002.
Craig Rice, Murder, Mystery and Malone, edited by Jeffrey A. Marks. 2002.