A week later, having returned to St Mary Mead, Miss Marple was at the vicarage coffee morning.  There she spotted Amanda Gordon, the organist’s wife, looking rather worried.  Miss Marple went over to join her.

“My dear,” Miss Marple said, “is there anything I can do to help you?”

“No, thank you,” the young woman said, “it’s nothing really.”

“Sometimes it can help to share what is on your mind.  That may be all you need to reassure yourself that it is nothing after all.”

“Would you mind?” Angela asked.  “It’s just…  Well, it’s something that doesn’t make sense.”

“Of course not.”  Miss Marple drank some of her coffee and waited while the woman composed herself.

"The other day I found I’d mislaid my locket.  I asked Jonathan if he’d seen it and he’d said not, but this morning, I found it in his jacket pocket.  I wouldn’t normally go searching in his pockets, but I remembered he’d got an address for me, and he said he’d left the note in his pocket.  So I went to find it and when I put my hand in the pocket, I found my locket.  It’s not all that valuable, but it was a present to me from my parents on my twenty-first birthday, so it means a lot.”

She paused, and Miss Marple said, “And you naturally wondered why it was in your husband’s jacket pocket, and why he hadn’t thought to tell you, when you’d asked about it.”

“That’s it exactly.”

“Are you missing anything else?”

“Well, yes, a couple of trifles.  A rather chunky bracelet Jonathan bought me when we went to Torquay last year.  I don’t really like it, but I wouldn’t say anything to him.  And a ring with a red stone in it.  The stone’s only glass, I bought it because it went rather well with a couple of my evening outfits.  And I have to admit that I’ve moved my more valuable jewellery now.  Do you think that’s wrong of me?”

“In the circumstances I would say that was very sensible.”

“Miss Marple, what am I going to do?”

“If I were you, I would wait a while, and at the same time, keep an eye on your jewellery in case you discover anything else has disappeared.  There is time for things to sort themselves out.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Marple.  You’ve reassured me that I haven’t over-reacted, and I’m sure you’re right.  I’ll wait and see if anything else happens.

***

The following week Miss Marple happened to be in Milchester doing some shopping, when she noticed Jonathan Gordon was performing at a lunchtime organ recital.  Checking her watch, she realised that it would be starting in a few minutes, so she went into the church and looked for a suitable seat.  Spotting a young red-haired woman, she went to sit in the same pew.

As she listened to the recital, Miss Marple noticed the young woman was wearing a chunky bracelet and was wearing a ring with a bright red stone in it.  At the end of the recital she said, “I enjoyed that.”

“He’s a very good organist,” the woman said with a smile.

“Indeed,” Miss Marple replied.  “I was telling his wife last Sunday how fortunate we were that he was able to play for Evensong for us.”

“His wife?”

“Oh, yes.”

“I didn’t know.”  She pulled off the ring and the bracelet.

“No, I didn’t think you would.”

The woman thrust the jewellery at Miss Marple.  “You know him.  Give these back to him.”  She then stood up and walked hurriedly out of the church.

Miss Marple remained in the pew for a few more minutes, until Gordon walked down the aisle, when she called out, “Mr Gordon, I’ve been asked to return these to you.”

He stopped and looked at her, before noticing the jewellery.  “Oh,” he said.  “Ah…”

Miss Marple gave him a steely look.  “Yes,” she said.  “What happens next is up to you.  I suggest you consider matters very carefully.”

He nodded, accepted the bracelet and the ring, and walked thoughtfully away.