The 12th case of Arthur G. Crook is the intriguingly named The Mouse Who Wouldn’t Play Ball (Collins, 1943), a wartime story with some classic characters. The mouse in question is Miss Dorothea Capper, an unmarried lady of 38 who seems much older, living on a pittance in London, having cared for first her mother then her aunt in their last years, and is now a devoted attendee of the nearby church. When she is advised by an attorney that she will inherit £100,000 (just over £4M in 2026) if she can stay alive for another 30 days, it is her first inkling that her family tree has more branches.
Her surprising benefactor is Everard Hope, an elderly ill-tempered gentleman whose meanness was legendary. Where would crime fiction be without this prototype? His country house gradually disintegrated around him because he would not make repairs. He turned off the electricity in the house at 10:00 PM every night to save money. Staff were unwilling to work under the conditions and pay he considered adequate. Only Julia Carbery, his secretary turned housekeeper, could wring a coin out of him and was willing to stay.
Four nephews all anxious to access his money visited just before he planned to alter his will. One night a cry of fire was raised. In the rush to escape Hope tripped over a hole in the tattered carpet and pitched down a flight of stairs. The local police constable thought the death was far too convenient but could find no proof of wrongdoing.
The grasping relatives were stunned to learn that Miss Capper, whom they did not know existed, was the sole legatee. They immediately began to ingratiate themselves or to intimidate her. Miss Carbery wasted no time in going directly to London and forcing her way into Miss Capper’s flat, intending to stay with her until the money was paid and taking as much as possible. She terrifies Miss Capper by pointing out all the ways she can be killed in the next 30 days. The danger to Miss Capper is underlined by the arrival of poisoned chocolates to the flat a day or two later.
Naïve Miss Capper is overwhelmed by the sudden attention but despite her meek appearance proves harder to manipulate than anyone expected. She declines to see the attorney Miss Carbery selects for her. She does not cower to a threat of litigation from the attorney nephew. She doesn’t succumb to the descriptions of another nephew’s beautiful children. The scene with one of the nephews in a high-end restaurant where Miss Capper drinks far more wine than she should is priceless.
Miss Capper meets Arthur Crook by accident and tells him all about the sudden changes in her life including the poisoned candy. Crook takes her in charge fortunately.
No real surprises here but I always enjoy seeing Crook in action. Another excellent read from Anthony Gilbert AKA Lucy Beatrice Malleson (1899-1973).