reached Styles, Charlotte had telephoned Ascot Post Office to arrange for a telegram to be sent to the boarding-house in Beverley: ‘Regret cannot come – Christie.’
Agatha’s disappearance led to increasing apprehension among her family and friends. They were apparently at a loss as to the missing woman’s whereabouts. The police took Charlotte and Archie to Newlands Corner on Saturday afternoon. A number of interested bystanders were already there, eager to find out what the police were doing. The secretary and the Colonel were shown the car but said they were unable to explain what had happened.
What appeared to have been a casual night drive had turned into something disturbing and inexplicable. As the police became aware of the disharmony between husband and wife they realized the importance of locating the writer in case her life was in jeopardy. Wilfrid Morton, one of the Surrey probationary police officers on the case, told me his instructions were: ‘Find Mrs Agatha Christie as quickly as you can.’
Deputy Chief Constable Kenward’s inquiries established that Agatha did not carry out her intention to travel north to the boarding-house in Beverley. Her last known journey on the day of the disappearance was to her mother-in-law’s home in Dorking for afternoon tea. It was revealed that Agatha had visited her wearing the knitted green outfit in which she had gone missing later that night. Peg told the police that the only plan Agatha had mentioned was to go to Beverley that weekend. The police investigation was complicated by the fact that it was impossible to tell whether Agatha had driven directly to Newlands Corner. It was not known how much petrol had been in the tank at the outset of the journey. Nearly two galleons remained, and the spare petrol can of two galleons had not been used. There was plenty of water in the radiator, and when the car was hauled up on the main road on the afternoon of Saturday the 4th the police had no difficulty in starting it. Although there were no signs of blood in or around the car it was kept overnight at the Guildford Garage on the Epsom Road.
One of the less disturbing theories considered by the authorities during the initial stages of the investigation was the possibility that on the Friday night Agatha had wandered away from the car after abandoning it and had got herself lost in the thick undergrowth. On Saturday afternoon, accompanied by seven or eight regular police officers and a number of special constables, Deputy Constable Kenward initiated a search of the surrounding area. The special constables were a group of registered men living throughout Surrey whose voluntary services were available to the county in the event of an emergency, and they were directly accountable to the Surrey Constabulary through their leader Captain Tuckwell and his deputy Colonel Bethall.
Deputy Chief Constable Kenward’s interest in the Silent Pool, a quarter of a mile away from Newlands Corner at the bottom of the hill on the left hand side of the A25 Dorking Road, captured the imagination of many, since it was rumoured that two people had already died there in tragic circumstances. According to legend, in medieval times a naked young woman had been spied bathing there and she had retreated to the deepest part of the pool to avoid the lascivious advances of King John. Her brother had drowned trying to save her, and their bodies had never been recovered. (Nowadays a car-park has been built by the side of the A25 near the shallow basin known as the Sherbourne Pond. This is sometimes mistaken for the Silent Pool, which is at the end of a long dirt lane and higher up on the incline, shielded by a thick belt of trees and overlooked by a bird-watching hut.)
As the news of Agatha’s absence spread, civilian volunteers were quick to offer their services to the police. A statement that Agatha had been seen driving through Shere, a village two miles from Newlands Corner, at four o’clock
Agatha’s disappearance led to increasing apprehension among her family and friends. They were apparently at a loss as to the missing woman’s whereabouts. The police took Charlotte and Archie to Newlands Corner on Saturday afternoon. A number of interested bystanders were already there, eager to find out what the police were doing. The secretary and the Colonel were shown the car but said they were unable to explain what had happened.
What appeared to have been a casual night drive had turned into something disturbing and inexplicable. As the police became aware of the disharmony between husband and wife they realized the importance of locating the writer in case her life was in jeopardy. Wilfrid Morton, one of the Surrey probationary police officers on the case, told me his instructions were: ‘Find Mrs Agatha Christie as quickly as you can.’
Deputy Chief Constable Kenward’s inquiries established that Agatha did not carry out her intention to travel north to the boarding-house in Beverley. Her last known journey on the day of the disappearance was to her mother-in-law’s home in Dorking for afternoon tea. It was revealed that Agatha had visited her wearing the knitted green outfit in which she had gone missing later that night. Peg told the police that the only plan Agatha had mentioned was to go to Beverley that weekend. The police investigation was complicated by the fact that it was impossible to tell whether Agatha had driven directly to Newlands Corner. It was not known how much petrol had been in the tank at the outset of the journey. Nearly two galleons remained, and the spare petrol can of two galleons had not been used. There was plenty of water in the radiator, and when the car was hauled up on the main road on the afternoon of Saturday the 4th the police had no difficulty in starting it. Although there were no signs of blood in or around the car it was kept overnight at the Guildford Garage on the Epsom Road.
One of the less disturbing theories considered by the authorities during the initial stages of the investigation was the possibility that on the Friday night Agatha had wandered away from the car after abandoning it and had got herself lost in the thick undergrowth. On Saturday afternoon, accompanied by seven or eight regular police officers and a number of special constables, Deputy Constable Kenward initiated a search of the surrounding area. The special constables were a group of registered men living throughout Surrey whose voluntary services were available to the county in the event of an emergency, and they were directly accountable to the Surrey Constabulary through their leader Captain Tuckwell and his deputy Colonel Bethall.
Deputy Chief Constable Kenward’s interest in the Silent Pool, a quarter of a mile away from Newlands Corner at the bottom of the hill on the left hand side of the A25 Dorking Road, captured the imagination of many, since it was rumoured that two people had already died there in tragic circumstances. According to legend, in medieval times a naked young woman had been spied bathing there and she had retreated to the deepest part of the pool to avoid the lascivious advances of King John. Her brother had drowned trying to save her, and their bodies had never been recovered. (Nowadays a car-park has been built by the side of the A25 near the shallow basin known as the Sherbourne Pond. This is sometimes mistaken for the Silent Pool, which is at the end of a long dirt lane and higher up on the incline, shielded by a thick belt of trees and overlooked by a bird-watching hut.)
As the news of Agatha’s absence spread, civilian volunteers were quick to offer their services to the police. A statement that Agatha had been seen driving through Shere, a village two miles from Newlands Corner, at four o’clock
Similar Books
