According to the Evidence (34 page)

They hurried to the back door in time to see Richard opening the passenger door, from which a shapely pair of nylon-clad legs emerged, followed by a willowy redhead of about thirty.

With Richard grinning like a Cheshire cat behind her, she advanced towards them, elegant in a slim A-line suit under a swinging green topcoat, a tiny hat on her auburn curls.

Miss Chambers pulled off a glove and held out a hand, her perfectly made-up features breaking into a smile.

‘Hello, I'm Priscilla! What a lovely place you have here.'

As the two residents went out to meet her, Siân whispered in Moira's ear, ‘My God, she's gorgeous!'

‘When Angela gets back,' hissed Moira, ‘I'm going to kill her!'

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Though the forensic and legal procedures are broadly correct for 1955, some literary licence has had to be used, both because of the constraints of space and the need to offer an interesting story, as this was intended to be an entertaining novel, not a textbook! For instance, the research into changes into eye fluid potassium has been brought forward a few years, as the first mention was in 1958 and most of the published papers appeared from the 1960s.

Similarly, the military use of a Thompson sub-machine gun was unusual after the Second World War, though it was employed in Korea and Vietnam and some Special Forces members had an affection for odd weapons.

Until the highly controversial death of the nurse Helen Smith in Saudi Arabia in 1979, coroners had no obligation to investigate deaths occurring abroad. This has now changed, as the long-delayed inquest into the death of Princess Diana showed.

The order of court proceedings described at Gloucester Assizes has been manipulated somewhat for the sake of length – the Assizes are now the Crown Courts.

Agatha Christie's
Mousetrap
opened in London on 25 November 1952 – and is still running!