The Affair at the Bungalow by Agatha Christie. Short summary

5 seconds

A short story from the collection «Thirteen Mystery Cases.» At a dinner hosted by Colonel Arthur Bantry and his wife, all the guests take turns telling detective stories. The story is narrated by actress Jane Helier.

1 minute

Actress Jane Helier was on tour in a provincial town. Suddenly she was called to the police. There had been a theft in a nearby bungalow and a young man named Leslie Faulkner had been arrested. Leslie revealed that he was a playwright. He had recently sent his play to Jane. The actress sent back that she liked it and wanted to meet. Leslie arrived at the appointed place, drank the cocktail his maid brought him, and passed out. He woke up on the road and was arrested.

The bungalow that was robbed belonged to Sir Henry Cohen and jewels had been stolen from his mistress, actress Mary Kerr. Jane told the police that she hadn’t written a note — the handwriting wasn’t hers. The jewels were never found and Faulkner was released for lack of evidence.

Sir Bantry’s guests discussed the case at length, but could never find the culprit. At the end of the evening, Miss Marple whispered something in Jane’s ear. She was surprised at the old lady’s ingenuity, but confessed that she had made the story up.