Spider's Web by Agatha Christie

didn't come back to the house,” Clarissa cut in sharply.
    “But you can't be sure of that, Mrs. Hailsham-Brown,” the gardener contradicted her. “He might have got in by that window without your knowing anything about it.” She paused, and then exclaimed, “Golly! You don't think he murdered Mr. Hailsham-Brown, do you? I say, I am sorry.”
    “Of course he didn't murder Henry,” Clarissa snapped irritably.
    “Where did your husband go when he left here?” the Inspector asked her.
    “I've no idea,” Clarissa replied shortly.
    “Doesn't he usually tell you where he's going?” the Inspector persisted.
    “I never ask questions,” Clarissa told him. “I think it must be so boring for a man if his wife is always asking questions.”
    Miss Peake gave a sudden squeal. “But how stupid of me,” she shouted. “Of course, if that man's car is still here, then he must be the one who's been murdered.” She roared with laughter.
    Sir Rowland rose to his feet. “We've no reason to believe anyone has been murdered, Miss Peake,” he admonished her with dignity. “In fact, the Inspector believes it was all some silly hoax.”
    Miss Peake was clearly not of the same opinion. “But the car,” she insisted. “I do think that car still being here is very suspicious.” She got up and approached the Inspector. “Have you looked about for the body, Inspector?” she asked him eagerly.
    “The Inspector has already searched the house,” Sir Rowland answered before the police officer had a chance to speak. He was rewarded by a sharp glance from the Inspector, whom Miss Peake was now tapping on the shoulder as she continued to air her views.
    “I'm sure those Elgins have something to do with it – the butler and that wife of his who calls herself a cook,” the gardener assured the Inspector confidently. “I've had my suspicions of them for quite some time. I saw a light in their bedroom window as I came along here just now. And that in itself is suspicious. It's their night out, and they usually don't return until well after eleven.” She gripped the Inspector's arm. “Have you searched their quarters?” she asked him urgently.
    The Inspector opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him with another tap on the shoulder. “Now listen,” she began. “Suppose this Mr. Costello recognized Elgin as a man with a criminal record. Costello might have decided to come back and warn Mrs. Hailsham-Brown about the man, and Elgin assaulted him.”
    Looking immensely pleased with herself, she flashed a glance around the room, and continued. “Then, of course, Elgin would have to hide the body somewhere quickly, so that he could dispose of it later in the night. Now, where would he hide it, I wonder?” she asked rhetorically, warming to her thesis. With a gesture towards the French windows, she began, “Behind a curtain, or – ”
    She was cut short by Clarissa, who interrupted angrily. “Oh, really, Miss Peake,” Clarissa exclaimed, “there isn't anybody hidden behind any of the curtains. And I'm sure Elgin would never murder anybody. It's quite ridiculous.”
    Miss Peake turned. “You're so trusting, Mrs. Hailsham-Brown,” she admonished her employer. “When you get to my age, you'll realize how very often people are simply not quite what they seem.” She laughed heartily as she turned back to the Inspector.
    When he opened his mouth to speak, she gave him yet another tap on the shoulder. “Now then,” she continued, “where would a man like Elgin hide the body? There's that cupboard place between here and the library. You've looked there, I suppose?”
    Sir Rowland intervened hastily. “Miss Peake, the Inspector has looked both here and in the library,” he insisted.
    The Inspector, however, after a meaningful look at Sir Rowland, turned to the gardener. “What exactly do you mean by 'that cupboard place,' Miss Peake?” he enquired.
    The others in the room all looked more than somewhat tense as Miss