Agatha Christie's Marple

Pritchard.

You'll have to stop ringing me here, please.

No, she's upstairs, in bed.

Look, I said I'll do it, and I will, in my own time.

Now please stop ringing me here.

The protection of the spirits

of the wind, the earth, the fire and the water around me.

And I beg you spirits not to let evil cross the boundary

into this room tonight.

Spirits, please help me.

Help me, please.

Ah, Carol.

Tell Hester I'll take breakfast in the study this morning, please.

Yes, Sir.

Mrs Pritchard?

Mrs Pritchard? Mrs Pritchard?

Mary?

Mary! Mary!

For goodness sake.

Oh, no.

No...

George?

What is it?

Mr Pritchard.

You should see this.

Look at the geranium, Sir.

It's the wasp season already, Miss Marple.

Oh, so I see.

I hope you're killing them humanely, John.

Nasty little predators.

What's the point of a wasp, Miss Marple? I've never worked it out.

I don't know.

I'm sure they have their place.

The garden's going to look wonderful again this year, Miss.

I think so.

Especially if we can get rid of these blighters.

Are you alright, Miss Marple?

Yes.

- Hello? - Hello. Yes.

I wonder, is it possible to speak to Detective William Somerset?

Yes, I believe he has a hearing in front of the Old Bailey today.

- Your name, please? - Yes. My name is Jane Marple.

One moment, please.

Detective Somerset? There's a telephone call for you, Sir.

- It's a Miss Jane Marple. - Oh, for goodness sake.

No, I don't want to talk to her. Tell her... to go away.

I've got a murderer to hang. Only put it more politely than that.

He won't come to the phone?

Perhaps you could call back later, Madam. Goodbye.

Oh, Jane. Jane...

- Scotland Yard. - Hello, yes.

I wonder, could you tell me where I can find Sir Henry Clithering?

I'm terribly sorry, but as I've explained to you,

this is a gentlemen's club.

Yes, I know. But I have travelled some distance already today.

I need to see Sir Henry Clithering on a matter of some urgency.

Jane! Oh, what is it? Oh!

Well, it's this, Sir Henry. Excuse me.

They're going to hang the wrong person for murder.

- Thank you so much. - I think you'd better come through.

But Sir Henry, ladies are not allowed beyond the desk, Sir.

I'm a trustee. Make an exception.

Excuse me. Thank you.

You need to stop the hearing, Henry,

or there will be terrible consequences.

Are you familiar with the case?

Yes, but I retired from Scotland Yard some time ago, you know?

I carry no authority there.

But you can get to the people in authority,

whereas I can't, and I need to.

- Calm down, Jane. - Have you ever known me to be wrong, Sir Henry?

- In all the years you've known me? - No.

Well, I was wrong here.

I was there when it happened and I've got it wrong.

Do you remember when old Mrs Challinor died in St Mary Mead?

- Mrs Challinor was murdered? - No, no, no.

But when she died, she had a knitting basket

that was full of abandoned projects

and they were so entangled

that one simply couldn't unravel them.

Well, that's how I think of this case,

this Blue Geranium murder.

It became so knotted

that it was difficult to tell one thing from the other.

Tell me what happened, Jane.

And then tell me why it's wrong.

I'd been invited to the West Country to visit a friend,

Dermot Milewater.

He lives in a village called Little Ambrose.

And to get there,

you have to catch a bus from the train station in Fothersby.

There was one other person on the bus.

And he was in a mood to talk.

I love nature, don't you?

I love the bareness of the trees and the clouds.

Yes, yes, I do.

'My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky.'

- Wordsworth. - Yes, yes.

And I don't mind saying that I've been through a tunnel, Mrs...?

Marple. Miss Marple.

- Eddie Seward, or just Ed or Eddie. - Eddie. Eddie.

As I came through this tunnel, I saw a crocus.

Saw it out the window. An early white crocus.

And it was beautiful. It was terrifically beautiful.

And I thought I've never really seen

nature as being beautiful before.

And I should have done. I... I should have done.

And then my heart leaped up, like in the Wordsworth.

It jumped.

Do you think God is in nature, Miss Marple?

I think he is.

I think he shows us how terrifically beautiful...

...the world could really be.

Are you going to Little Ambrose, Mr Seward?

I'm going to force the moment to its crisis.

What moment to what crisis?

And surrounded by such beauty I...

...I feel I will.

I feel I can do it, yes.

Yes.

- Thank you. - Madam.

Jane! Jane!

Oh! Oh, I'm sorry I'm late.

- Hello, Dermot. - But I come bearing gifts.

They're beautiful. Thank you.

Well, it's been too long, Jane.

Yes, yes, it has. Excuse me.

Mr Seward, do you know where you're going?

Uh, yes...

Thank you. It's a beautiful village.

Oh, hello darling, you're up.

- Will you be writing? - Yes, of course.

No, I've not made enough for you.

She can't eat them all, can she?

You know, there once was a man called Daniel Lambeau.

- The fattest in England. - Don't be mean about my sister.

I'm not.

And when he died, the undertakers had to smash through the window

at the front of the house to get his corpse out,

because he was so fat he didn't fit through his own front door.

Am I talking to myself again?

...I am, you know.

I am talking to myself.

Now let me see...

- Hello! You must be Miss Marple. - Yes.

Jane, this is Hester. This is my niece, Robert's daughter.

No! I remember you when your father had the parish at St Mary Mead.

You were this tall.

I remember St Mary Mead very fondly.

- Is it still as pretty? - It is.

But this is, I think, the prettiest village I know.

And with a much more impressive church.

Yes, well, as impressive as it may be,

it might not be here for much longer.

We've had some trouble with subsidence on the south wall.

Uncle Dermot's raised funds to dig out the foundations.

It was a botched job, Jane. They completely ruined it.

- Can't the diocese help? - No.

But we have a plan.

There's a generous millionaire in the village now.

Mr Trans-Europa Airlines,

who bought Summerleigh at auction when Major Frayn died,

lock, stock, and barrel

and all the contents.

Hester's cook at Summerleigh now. Yes.

And our plan is that today, when he's made captain of the golf club,

we're praying he'll be in a benevolent mood.

Where is she, Philippa?

She says honk the horn all you like, but it's giving her a migraine.

I've only honked it twice.

And, anyway, she's decided she's not going to come.

Why not?

- Here, let me help you on your bike. - No. No thanks, George.

She's had her horoscope read this morning over the telephone.

- Oh, no. - And she wants you to ring Dr Frayn.

Things are going to fall apart today. That's what he said.

It's a black day.

The moon is in Mars or something.

He said there were omens. Omens, George!

Pass me the chocolates.

Where are they?!

He said I should stay inside or bad things will happen to me.

Not these. The truffles, you useless woman!

And we should all stay here. No golf.

Stay here in this sanctuary with me.

Except you.

You can go wherever you like, Nurse Copling.

You're annoying today. I hope bad things happen to you.

Darling, you said you were looking forward to going to the golf club.

You were going to wear your new dress,

which everyone was going to admire.

Darling, they're expecting you.

Yes, they're expecting me to lie dying on the floor

so they can stand around laughing at me whilst I lie dying!

- Thanks for coming, Frayn. - No problem.

I have to be at the golf club by 3.

I'll get her there as soon as I can.

- Is she in her room? - Yeah, follow the noise.

George!

Is that Dr Frayn?