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An elderly woman named Miss Marple decided to spend some quiet time at a lovely Caribbean hotel called the Golden Palm. After years of solving mysteries back home, she hoped that the sea breeze and sunshine would help her rest. The hotel was full of cheerful guests, but Miss Marple’s sharp eyes noticed everything around her. She often sat by the pool, knitting and listening to other guests talk. One of them, a retired major named Major Palgrave, loved to tell long stories about his past adventures. Most people avoided him, but Miss Marple listened politely.
One afternoon, Major Palgrave began telling her about a man who had committed two murders and gotten away with them. He even said he had a photograph of the killer. Curious, Miss Marple leaned closer, but before he could show her the picture, he suddenly went silent. His expression changed, and he quickly stuffed the photograph back into his wallet, saying, “Never mind.” He seemed nervous, as if he had seen someone nearby who frightened him. Miss Marple thought it was strange but didn’t ask more at the time.
The next morning, the hotel was in shock. Major Palgrave had been found dead in his room. The staff said it was a heart attack, but Miss Marple remembered his sudden fear the day before. Her instincts told her something was wrong. When she asked to see his belongings, she quietly noticed his wallet was missing the photograph he had mentioned. That made her even more certain it was murder. She decided to look closely at everyone in the hotel, watching their actions and listening carefully to their conversations.
Among the guests were several couples and families. There was a handsome man named Tim Kendall who managed the hotel with his lovely wife Molly. The Kendalls were kind and hardworking, though Molly seemed nervous and tired lately. There was also a rich American woman, Mrs. Hillingdon, who loved to gossip, and her husband, Greg, who liked to flirt with other women. Another guest was an elderly clergyman named Canon Prescott, who spent most of his time reading. Everyone looked harmless, yet Miss Marple knew that appearances could be deceiving.
Soon after Major Palgrave’s death, strange things began happening. One of the maids mentioned that the bottle of sleeping medicine in the dead man’s room was not his. Another guest complained of feeling dizzy after drinking a cocktail at dinner. Miss Marple started to suspect that poison had been used, hidden cleverly in something ordinary. She thought back to the photograph that had vanished and wondered who in the hotel might have had a reason to steal it.
Miss Marple spoke quietly with the hotel’s doctor, Dr. Graham, and shared her concerns. He trusted her keen judgment and agreed that the death seemed odd. Together, they kept a close eye on the guests. Miss Marple noticed that Molly Kendall was becoming more and more anxious. She often looked pale and confused, as if she were losing her grip on reality. Some people whispered that she was going mad. But Miss Marple thought differently. She believed someone was deliberately trying to make Molly appear insane.
One afternoon, Molly almost fainted at the sight of a snake in her room, but when others came to check, the snake had disappeared. Later, she screamed that she had seen the face of a dead man in her mirror. People began to think she needed medical help. Her husband, Tim, was very gentle with her in front of everyone, but Miss Marple noticed that when he thought no one was looking, his eyes were cold and calculating. She began to wonder if he could be the man in Major Palgrave’s story.
Miss Marple remembered that Major Palgrave had once mentioned the killer had a “lazy eye.” She looked carefully at the men around her and realized that one of them, Tim Kendall, occasionally squinted his eye slightly when tired. That clue lingered in her mind. She decided to act cautiously. She pretended to be weak and forgetful so that no one would suspect her of investigating. In truth, she was quietly gathering small details that others ignored.
A few days later, another guest, a young woman named Victoria, discovered something important. She worked as a maid and had found a small bottle of medicine hidden behind the bar. Before she could tell anyone, she was found dead. The hotel staff said it was a tragic accident, but Miss Marple knew she had been silenced. It became clear that someone inside the hotel was desperate to hide the truth.
Miss Marple decided she needed help from someone outside the hotel. She wrote a letter to her old friend Mr. Rafiel, a wealthy and sharp-minded man who was also staying at the hotel. Though ill and confined to a wheelchair, Mr. Rafiel had a strong sense of justice. When Miss Marple told him her suspicions, he immediately offered to help. Together, they created a plan to expose the murderer. Miss Marple pretended to have discovered new evidence, hoping to make the killer act before escaping.
Late one evening, Miss Marple arranged a small gathering in the lounge, pretending it was to honor Major Palgrave’s memory. During the event, she spoke casually about how the Major had shown her a photograph of a killer and that she had since found something interesting. She mentioned that the photograph might still exist somewhere in the hotel. Everyone froze for a moment, and Miss Marple noticed Tim Kendall’s hand trembling as he lifted his drink. That small reaction told her everything she needed to know.
Later that night, Miss Marple pretended to feel unwell and asked Molly to bring her a glass of water. When Molly left the room, Miss Marple followed her secretly. She saw Tim in the kitchen, quietly pouring something from a small bottle into his wife’s drink. Miss Marple quickly sent a message to the doctor and Mr. Rafiel. When Tim carried the glass to Molly, Miss Marple stepped out of the shadows and stopped him. She calmly said, “That drink is not for your wife, is it, Mr. Kendall?” His face turned pale, and he dropped the glass. The truth was finally out.
Tim Kendall tried to escape, but the doctor and hotel staff caught him before he could run. He confessed that he had married Molly for her money and had planned to poison her slowly to make it look like she was losing her mind. He had killed Major Palgrave because the old man had recognized him from the photograph and could have exposed him. He had also killed the maid Victoria when she found the poison bottle. His calm and kind behavior had all been a cruel act.
Molly was deeply shocked when she learned the truth, but she slowly recovered with Miss Marple’s help. The police arrived and took Tim away. The guests were stunned that such evil had been hiding behind a friendly smile. Mr. Rafiel praised Miss Marple’s sharp mind and gentle courage, saying that justice would never have been served without her. She thanked him modestly and said that observation and kindness were often the best tools to see the truth.
After the case was over, the hotel returned to its peaceful routine, but everyone saw Miss Marple with new respect. She went back to sitting quietly under the palm trees, knitting as the waves rolled in, pretending once again to be just a harmless old lady. Yet she knew that no matter where she went, mysteries seemed to find her. She smiled softly to herself, enjoying the warm Caribbean breeze that carried the scent of the sea and the sound of laughter.
Even after the murderer was gone, Miss Marple sometimes thought about the people at the hotel. She hoped Molly would rebuild her life and find peace after such pain. She often had tea with Mr. Rafiel, who enjoyed talking about human nature and how appearances could be so misleading. He told her she had restored his faith in goodness, and she replied that even in dark times, light always finds a way to shine through.
In the days that followed, Miss Marple wrote a few letters to her friends back in England, telling them that the Caribbean was beautiful but full of surprises. She never mentioned the crime directly, only saying that she had met “some very interesting people.” When her holiday ended, she packed her suitcase neatly, thanked the staff for their kindness, and took one last look at the glittering blue sea. The island had shown her both beauty and danger, but she left feeling calm, knowing that justice had been done.
The other guests gathered to say goodbye. Molly hugged her tearfully, whispering that she would never forget her. Mr. Rafiel smiled and raised his hand in farewell, promising to write. As Miss Marple boarded the boat back home, she looked out at the fading coastline and thought about how life often hides its truths behind ordinary faces. She was grateful for the peace that followed each solved mystery, though deep down, she knew that somewhere ahead, another puzzle was waiting for her gentle wisdom.