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    The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution
    The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution
    The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution
    Ebook69 pages1 hour

    The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution

    By Agatha Christie

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    About this ebook

    This collection of classic short mysteries by the author of The Mousetrap will have you asking, “Whodunit, howdunit, and whydunit?”

    At the same time every day, Jack’s morning golf routine is interrupted by the sound of a woman calling for help. Though the cry is clearly coming from a nearby cottage, the lady who lives there has no distress to report—until she starts having nightmares about a mysterious woman and a blue Chinese vase. Could the cottage be haunted? Or is Jack losing his mind? His attempts to find out will lead him down a dangerous path.

    A taut psychological thriller, “The Mystery of the Blue Jar” is quintessential Agatha Christie. This volume presents that story alongside other short works by the British master of mystery and suspense.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMysteriousPress.com Open Road
    Release dateJan 5, 2021
    ISBN9781504079082
    The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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      The Mystery of the Blue Jar and The Witness for the Prosecution - Agatha Christie

      The Witness for the Prosecution

      The Witness for the Prosecution was first published in the USA as Traitor Hands in Flynns Weekly, 31 January 1925.

      Mr. Mayherne adjusted his pince-nez and cleared his throat with a little dry-as-dust cough that was wholly typical of him. Then he looked again at the man opposite him, the man charged with wilful murder.

      Mr. Mayherne was a small man precise in manner, neatly, not to say foppishly dressed, with a pair of very shrewd and piercing grey eyes. By no means a fool. Indeed, as a solicitor, Mr. Mayherne’s reputation stood very high. His voice, when he spoke to his client, was dry but not unsympathetic.

      I must impress upon you again that you are in very grave danger, and that the utmost frankness is necessary.

      Leonard Vole, who had been staring in a dazed fashion at the blank wall in front of him, transferred his glance to the solicitor.

      I know, he said hopelessly. "You keep telling me so. But I can’t seem to realize yet that I’m charged with murder—murder. And such a dastardly crime too."

      Mr. Mayherne was practical, not emotional. He coughed again, took off his pince-nez, polished them carefully, and replaced them on his nose. Then he said:

      Yes, yes, yes. Now, my dear Mr. Vole, we’re going to make a determined effort to get you off—and we shall succeed—we shall succeed. But I must have all the facts. I must know just how damaging the case against you is likely to be. Then we can fix upon the best line of defence.

      Still the young man looked at him in the same dazed, hopeless fashion. To Mr. Mayherne the case had seemed black enough, and the guilt of the prisoner assured. Now, for the first time, he felt a doubt.

      You think I’m guilty, said Leonard Vole, in a low voice. But, by God, I swear I’m not! It looks pretty black against me, I know that. I’m like a man caught in a net—the meshes of it all round me, entangling me whichever way I turn. But I didn’t do it, Mr. Mayherne, I didn’t do it!

      In such a position a man was bound to protest his innocence. Mr. Mayherne knew that. Yet, in spite of himself, he was impressed. It might be, after all, that Leonard Vole was innocent.

      You are right, Mr. Vole, he said gravely. The case does look very black against you. Nevertheless, I accept your assurance. Now, let us get to facts. I want you to tell me in your own words exactly how you came to make the acquaintance of Miss Emily French.

      It was one day in Oxford Street. I saw an elderly lady crossing the road. She was carrying a lot of parcels. In the middle of the street she dropped them, tried to recover them, found a bus was almost on top of her and just managed to reach the kerb safely, dazed and bewildered by people having shouted at her. I recovered the parcels, wiped the mud off them as best I could, retied the string of one, and returned them to her.

      There was no question of your having saved her life?

      "Oh! dear me, no. All I did was to perform a common act of courtesy. She was extremely grateful, thanked me warmly, and said something about my manners not being those of most of the younger generation—I can’t remember the exact words. Then I lifted my hat and went on. I never expected to see her again. But life is full of coincidences. That very evening I came across her at a party at a friend’s house. She recognized me at once and asked that I should be introduced to her. I then found out that she was a Miss Emily French and that she lived at Cricklewood. I talked to her for some time. She was, I imagine, an old lady who took sudden violent fancies to people. She took one to me on the strength of a perfectly simple action which anyone might have performed. On leaving, she shook me warmly by the hand, and asked me to come and see her. I replied, of course, that I should be very pleased to do so,

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