Three+Women

A Murder is Announced Chapter 21 Summary

 * Dinner at Little Paddocks is done.
 * There was an awkward silence that Patrick tried to fill- awkwardly.
 * Miss Blacklock was upset, "fear showed from her darkly circled eyes, and betrayed itself by her twitching hands" (193).
 * Julia kept the same blase attitude as always, and apologizes for not leaving now that her secret is out.
 * Craddock is out searching for Miss Marple.
 * The conversation turns to the investigation.
 * They discuss who killed Miss Murtragoyd. Patrick thinks Miss Hinchliffe is the only logical suspect.
 * Phillipa dismisses the notion but Patrick continues to speculate.
 * Miss blacklock reacts explosively towards the discussion of murder saying, "murder, murder, //murder!// Can't you talk //anything// else?" (194).
 * Mitzi declares that she won't make dinner and storms away to her bedroom saying, "I do not want to be killed!...so now I go now to my room and I lock the door[[image:https://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png link="home#22366082"]]...in the morning I tell that cruel hard policeman that I go away from here" (195).
 * Julia volunteers to make dinner.
 * At 8:30 Inspector Craddock shows up then leaves to go get the Colonel and his wife, Mrs. Swettenham, and Edmund.
 * Mitzi explodes at Julia for using the wrong pans to make dinner and "will not let [Julia] use [Mitzi's] kitchen" (196).
 * Miss Hinchliffe shows up at the request of Craddock.
 * She is obviously upset about the death of Miss Murtragoyd, yet no one dares to comfort her or show pity for "the ravaged face... would have made any expression of sympathy an impertinence" (197).
 * Mrs. Swettenham, Edmund, Colonel Easterbrook and Mrs. Easterbrook show up.
 * Mrs. Easterbrook hides behind her husband.
 * Mrs. Swettenham tries to make conversation but ends up just blabbing about the murderer, deaths, the missing Miss Marple, and basically everything peple don't want to talk about.
 * Craddock, who has brought everyone together re-interviews the ladies who had been in the front room- Julia recited her tale smoothly.
 * Mrs. Swettenham has a harder time, due to the fact that she doesn't have "a very good sense of time" but eventually gets her story told (199).
 * Lastly, Mrs. Easterbrook suspiciously says that she was listening to the radio, then when for a walk - but without any witnesses.
 * Craddock explains that he interviewed them because Miss Murtragoyd could see the killer, determined the killer was female, and had been surprised to see the killer //not// in the front room.
 * Mitzi storms in, shouting that //she// saw the killer through the keyhole, and that it was Miss Blacklock.
 * Edmund thinks Mitzi is lying, so Craddock turns on him, wondering if //he// was the killer.
 * Craddock turns on Edmund- What if Edmund is Pip? He is the right age...
 * Nope, Phillipa speaks up and reveals that //she// is Pip. Pip is a girl. Not a boy. A girl.
 * Julia "had no idea" since she hadn't seen Pip since age three (204).
 * Phillipa (Pip) had come to Chipping Cleghorn in hopes of Miss Blacklock being able to help her pay for her son's education.
 * Obviously, Edmund isn't Pip, but he isn't off the hook because he wanted to marry Phillipa- who would have become rich, making him another prime suspect.
 * Suddenly a scream comes from the kitchen.... but it isn't Mitzi.
 * It is the murderer... whoever it is.