with a connecting door. Mr. Rhodes, who is
writing a book on prehistoric flints, settled down
to work in the adjoining from. At eleven o'clock
he tidied up his papers and prepared to go to bed.
Before doing so, he just glanced into his wife's
room to make sure that there was nothing she
wanted. He discovered the electric light on and his
wife lying in bed stabbed through the heart. She
had been dead at least an hour--probably longer.
The following were the POints made. There was
another door in Mrs. Rholes' room leading into
the corridor. This door was locked and bolted
on the inside. The only wirdow in the room was
closed and latched. According to Mr. Rhodes no
134
Agatha Christie
body had passed through the room in which he
was sitting except a chambermaid bringing hot
water bottles. The weapon found in the wound
was a stiletto dagger which had been lying on Mrs.
Rhodes' dressing-table. She was in the habit of using
it as a paper knife. There were no fingerprints
on it.
The situation boiled down to this--no one but
Mr. Rhodes and the chambermaid had entered the
victim's room.
I inquired about the chambermaid.
"That was our first line of inquiry," said Mr.
Petherick. "Mary Hill is a local woman. She has
been chambermaid at the Crown for ten years;