"I only wanted a few moments," said Daisy sulkily.
Agatha leaned forward. "If I can give you a bit of advice, Daisy, it's no good being so keen, so needy. It drives the gentlemen away. You'll frighten him off."
"Are you speaking from personal experience?" asked Daisy nastily.
"Yes," said Agatha, thinking of James Lacey. She had even pursued him to Cyprus and a fat lot of good that had done.
"You went out with the colonel," accused Daisy. "I saw you."
"It was you. At the theatre."
"Yes, and he took you out for a drink afterwards, which is more than he did for me."
Agatha sighed. "Look here, Daisy, the reason he felt comfortable with me was because he knows I'm not interested in him. What if he had seen you watching us? You know these potions of Francie's. I've got a bit of love potion left."
"Did you get it to put in the colonel's drink?"
"No, I got it as a bit of a joke, but I'll let you have some."
"Will it work?"
"Haven't you tried it before?" asked Agatha.
"I thought about it but I wanted him to love me for myself. But if you wouldn't mind..."
Agatha got to her feet. "I'll get it before he comes back."
She went up to her room and found the bottle. She must only use a few drops. She wanted to keep some for analysis, along with the hair tonic.
She went back to the lounge. "Could you put it in for me?" whispered Daisy. "I'm terrified I'll get caught."
"Don't rush me," admonished Agatha. "I'll need to wait for the right moment."
* * *
The right moment occurred that very afternoon when they were all gathered round the fire. "Nothing to do but get drunk," mourned the colonel. "Care to join me in a bottle of claret, Harry?"
"Good idea."
"When it arrives, create a distraction," Agatha whispered to Daisy.
Agatha and the rest ordered coffee. Agatha slipped the bottle out of her handbag and into her hand.
The waiter came in carrying a bottle of claret and two glasses. Another elderly waiter creaked in under the weight of coffee-pot, milk and sugar on a heavy silver tray. Everything was placed on the coffee-table in front of the fire. A waiter opened the bottle of wine. "We'll let it breathe for a moment. You lot go ahead with your coffee," said the colonel.
Jennifer poured. Mary sat silently, twisting a handkerchief in her fingers. "Are you feeling better, Mary?" asked Agatha.
"Oh, much better," she said in a weak voice. "But I had such a shock. I thought it was the ghost of Francie."
"I didn't set out to make it like anyone," protested Harry. "Just made a woman. Let's have that wine."
The colonel poured two glasses.
"Look!" Daisy jumped to her feet. She ran to the window. "Oh, do come and look at this."
With the exception of Agatha, the others rose and went to the window and crowded behind her, saying, "Where? What?"
Agatha tipped a few drops from the bottle into the colonel's glass. Then she stoppered the bottle and put it in her handbag. She looked quickly at the window. Harry was looking at her. Agatha said, "Anything there? What is it?"
"A sea-gull," said Jennifer in disgust. "Daisy thinks a seagull is a harbinger of sunshine."
"It's only because I haven't seen any until now," said Daisy. "I mean, they haven't been flying in the snow."
"Sensible bird," said the colonel tolerantly as he returned to his chair. "Let's get to that wine, Harry."
"Let me try it first," said Harry. "I'm fussier than you." He raised his glass and took a sip. He wrinkled his nose. "Don't have it, Colonel. It's corked."
"You sure?"
"Yes, and there's nothing worse for the liver than bad wine." Harry pressed the bell on the wall for the waiter. "Take this away and bring us a decent one," he said when the waiter had arrived. "It's corked."
The waiter bowed and removed the bottle and glasses. Agatha looked at Harry and he stared blandly back at her. Had he seen anything?
"While he's bringing us another one," said Harry, getting to his feet again, "let me see if there's anything in that games cupboard to amuse us. He rummaged in the cupboard and then shouted over his shoulder, "There's Monopoly here. Fancy a game?"
"Haven't played that in ages," said Jennifer. "Bring it over."
They all began to play Monopoly. The colonel and Harry drank steadily and then ordered another bottle.
The colonel became tipsy and began to flirt with Mary. Daisy was red with anger but Mary seemed to enjoy the flirtation and was giggling with delight.
At last, after several games, the colonel rose and stretched. "Gottoliedown," he said, making his sentence one slurred word. "Whassat?" He pointed at the window.
"It's a snow-plough," said Agatha, "and the snow's stopped at last."
With that, the lights suddenly came on. "Great," said Agatha. "Let's hope the phones are on as well."
She checked at reception and was told that, yes, the phones were back on. She went up to her room. The whole hotel was filled with creaks and groans as the elderly central heating system cranked into life.
Agatha phoned the police station but was told that Inspector Jessop was out. She hesitated then, wanting to phone Carsely to learn how James had reacted to the news of her engagement, but at the same time not wanting to, for fear of learning that there had been no reaction at all.
She decided to wait a little, had a bath, changed and went down for dinner. After she had eaten the first course, she realized the colonel had not put in an appearance.
"Where's Colonel Lyche?" she asked.
"Probably sleeping it off," said Harry.
"You look all right," said Daisy. "I'm worried."
Harry got to his feet. "Well, dear lady, I will put your mind at rest"
Daisy walked over to Agatha's table. "He didn't drink it, did he?"
"The potion? Not even a sip."
Daisy went back to her table.
After ten minutes, when Harry hadn't appeared, Agatha began to fret. God forbid anything had happened to the colonel.
Daisy threw down her napkin. "I can't bear the waiting. I feel there's something wrong."
"He used to drink like that," said Mary soothingly. "He'll be all right."
But Daisy was already hurrying out.
Agatha picked at her main course, her appetite suddenly gone. Surely nothing had gone wrong. But if it had and if Harry had seen her put that potion in the colonel's glass. ...
A high penetrating scream sounded through the hotel. Agatha carefully put down her knife and fork. Jennifer jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over. She ran from the room, followed by Mary. Agatha stayed where she was, paralysed with dread. The orange lights of a gritter flashed outside the dining-room windows.
At last Agatha rose to her feet, feeling like an old woman. She went out into the hall.
It was empty. No one at the desk, no waiter around.
The silence seemed absolute.
Then an ambulance arrived, followed by two police cars. At the same time, Mr. Martin hurried down the stairs, his face creased up with worry and distress. "Upstairs," he said to the ambulance men when they came in. They darted for the stairs, carrying a stretcher.
The police followed. No Jimmy.
Agatha stood rooted to the ground.
After what seemed an interminable age, the ambulance men reappeared carrying a stretcher. The figure on it was totally covered, the face covered. Behind came Daisy, Jennifer, Mary and Harry. Daisy was being supported by Harry. Behind came the police, with Detective Sergeant Peter Carroll in the lead. At the foot of the stairs, Daisy broke away from Harry.
"Murderess!" she screamed at Agatha. Then she burst into noisy weeping.
And that was when the real nightmare for Agatha began.