The Beast Must Die Read Online Free PDF Page A

Gertie’s in service, but her don’t have no lace lingerie nor no time to flaunt ’er charms like that thurr Polly. Give her what for, I would, if her did.’
    ‘You say the girl my friend had with him that night was the one who took the part of Polly in the film?’
    ‘I wouldn’t swear to it, sir. Don’t want to get the gentleman into trouble, eh? Hurr, hurr, hurr. The lady in the car kept her face turned away, see, most of the time. Dessay her didn’t want to be reckernised. In a fair rage her was, when the gentleman turned on light inside car – “Turn the damn’ thing off, George,” she says. That’s how I caught a sight of her face. And when I sees this yurr Polly on the pictures, I remarks to Mother, “Hey, Mother, if that bean’t the young lady was in that car what stopped at ford!” – didn’t I, Mother?’
    ‘You did.’
    I left the couple soon after that, having thrown out some dark hints about the desirability of their keeping all this to themselves. Even if they do talk, they’ll have nothing to go on but the idea of an illicit relationship between the two, which I think I fostered with some skill. They couldn’t remember the name of the actress who played the part of Polly, so I drove straight to Cheltenham and found out.
Housemaid’s Knees
is a British film. One might have guessed that from the title – typical of the British genius for cheap, vulgar indecency. The girl’s name is Lena Lawson. She’s what they call ‘a starlet’ (God, what a word!). The film is on at Gloucester this week. I’ll go tomorrow and get an eyeful of her.
    No wonder the police didn’t get these people as witnesses. Their farm is in a deserted place, down a road where few cars come even in the daytime. They didn’t hear the BBC appeal, because their wireless was out of action that week. And in any case, what was there to connect this couple in the car with an accident nearly twenty miles away?
    Here’s the new data about X. His Christian name is George. His car has a Gloucestershire registration mark. Taken in conjunction with his knowledge of the existence of the watersplash (he surely wouldn’t have time to go hunting for one on a map), this strongly suggests that he lives in the country.
And
, Lena Lawson is his weak spot. And when I say weak spot – I mean it – the girl was obviously terrified when my friend accosted them at the ford; she said, ‘Oh do hurry up,’ and tried to keep her face hidden. My next step is to get in touch with her. She’ll obviously crack under pressure.

30 June
    SAW LENA LAWSON tonight. Quite a cute number, I must say. I shall look forward to meeting her. But Gawd what a film! Spent quite a lot of time after breakfast looking up the names of all the garage owners in the county whose initials begin with G. Made a list of a dozen or so. It’s a queer sensation, looking down a list of names and knowing that you’re going to obliterate one of them.
    My plan of campaign is beginning to occupy my mind. I’ll not write it down till I’ve worked out the general line. I feel somehow that Felix Lane is going to be useful. But all the ridiculous, boring little details one has to attend to before one can get in touch with one’s victim, let alone kill him! – one might almost be organising an Everest climb.

2 July
    IT IS AN interesting comment on the fallibility of human intelligence – even of an intelligence above the average – that for two days I have been racking my brains to work out a really safe murder plan, and only this evening did I realise it was quite unnecessary. The point is this – since no one but myself (and presumably Lena Lawson) knows that ‘George’ was the man who killed Martie, no one can ever discover my motive for killing George. I realise, of course, that legally motive does not have to be proved against an accused man provided that circumstantial evidence proves him guilty. But in actual fact, where there appears to be no possible motive,