Chapter 8 8

8. Sergeant Hay reported: "Sir, I've found everything I can find. Samples of marmalade, a cut of ham, tea, coffee and sugar.Of course, the original tea has been poured out.But there is one thing, there is a lot of coffee left, and the people in the servants' hall drink it as a mid-afternoon tea-I think this is very important. " "Yes, it's very important. It can be seen that if he was poisoned by drinking coffee, the poison must have been secretly put into the cup." "Those who were there. I've been careful to ask about the taxin - the berries or the leaves - and no one has seen that stuff in or out of the house. And no one knows how he got the millet in his pocket . . . they I just feel stupid. I feel stupid too. He doesn't seem to be one of those food freaks - they eat anything as long as it's not cooked. My brother-in-law is like that, raw carrots, raw peas, raw kohlrabi...everything , but even he doesn't eat raw grains. Why, it must make my stomach bloated and uncomfortable."

The phone rang, the inspector nodded, and Sergeant Hay ran over to answer it.Neil followed behind and found out that it was from the headquarters.They've got in touch with Mr. Percival Fortescue, who's on his way back to London. As the inspector put down the phone, a car approached the front door.Crump went to the door and opened it.The woman standing outside the door is holding a large pile of packages in her hands.Crump reached out to take it. "Thanks, Crump. Will you pay for my cab? I want tea now. Is Mrs. Fortescue or Miss Allan at home? " The head waiter looked back hesitantly.

"We've got bad news. It's about the man," he said. "About Mr. Fortescue?" Neil stepped forward.Crump said, "My lord, this is Miss Percival." "What happened? What happened? An accident?" The inspector answered, looking her over.Mrs. Percival Fortescue was a fat woman with a discontented mouth.He estimated her to be about thirty years old. She asked very enthusiastically.He suddenly felt that she must be bored. "I regret that Mr. Fortescue was taken to St. Yode's Hospital this morning in a serious condition and has died." "Dead? You said he was dead?" The news was obviously more sensational than she expected. "Jesus—what a surprise. My husband isn't here. You need to get in touch with him.

He's somewhere up north.I bet someone in the office must know.He has to take care of everything.Things always happen at the most embarrassing times, right? " She paused for a moment, thinking about something. She said: "Where they're going to have the funeral, I don't know. Probably here. Or in London?" "It's up to the family to decide." "Of course. I just want to know." For the first time, she paid attention to the person she was talking to. She asked, "Are you from the company office? You're not a doctor, are you?" "I'm a police officer. Mr. Fortescue died suddenly—"

She interrupted him. "You mean he was murdered?" It was the first time anyone had said the word.Neil studied her earnestly questioning face. "Why do you think so, ma'am?" "Oh, people get killed every now and then. You say it's sudden. And you're a cop. Did you see her? What did she say?" "I don't quite understand who you mean?" "Of course it's Adele. I used to say to Val that his father was crazy for marrying a woman so different in age. There's nothing more stupid than an old fool. He was fascinated by that horrible woman.Look what's happening now... We're all in such trouble.The photos will be posted, and the reporters will come. "

She paused for a moment, apparently imagining a series of colorful images of the future.He thought to himself that the sight might not be unappealing.She turned to him. "What is it? Arsenic?" Inspector Neil said in a tone of disgust: "Cause of death has not been determined. Post mortem and investigation." "But you already know that, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be here." A shrewd look suddenly appeared on her stupidly fat face. "I suppose you're asking what he ate and drank? Yesterday's dinner, today's breakfast, and of course all the drinks."

He imagined her mentally listing the possibilities.He said cautiously: "Mr. Fortescue's illness may have been caused by something he ate for breakfast." She seemed surprised. "Breakfast? That's the hard part. I don't see how..." She shut up and shook her head. "Then I don't see how she'd do it... unless she's sneaking something in the coffee—while Alan and I aren't looking..." A serene voice said beside them: "Miss Val, your tea has been served in the library." Mrs. Val jumped up. "Oh, thank you, Miss Douf. Yes, I might as well have a cup of tea. I'm really embarrassed. And you—Mr. Inspector—"

"Thank you, I won't drink now." The fat body hesitated for a while and then slowly walked away. After she disappeared through a doorway, Mary Douf said softly: "I don't think she's ever heard the word 'slim' in her life." Inspector Neal made no reply. Mary Douf added: "Is there anything I can do for you?" "Where can I find Ellen, the housemaid?" "I'll take you to her. She just came upstairs." Allen had a gloomy expression, but he showed no fear.Her sour old face looked triumphantly at the Inspector. "My lord, this is a shock. I never thought anything like this would happen to the family of my servants. But it is not surprising. I should have handed in my resignation, it is a fact. I don't like this family. That being said, I don't like them drinking so much, and I don't approve of that kind of scandal. I have nothing against Mrs. Crump, but Crump and Gretty girl can't really serve food. But I don't like It's a habit to be ugly."

"What scandal do you mean?" "If you don't know it, you'll hear it sooner or later. There's talk of it all over the place. They've been seen everywhere. Pretending to be playing golf—or tennis. . . . I'm in this house—with my own eyes— It was a good show. The library door was open, and they hugged and kissed there." The old maid was very vicious.Neil didn't feel the need to ask "Who are you talking about?"But he still did not miss the question. "Who am I talking about? The mistress—and the man. They have no shame at all. But let me tell you, the mistress knows and sent someone to watch them.

Divorce—it would have ended in divorce.It turned out that this happened. " "When you say that, you mean—" "My lord, you ask the master what he eats, what he drinks, and who gives it to him. My lord, I say they are accomplices. He gets poison from somewhere, and she feeds the master, that's all, I'm sure." "Have you ever seen a yew fruit in the house--or thrown somewhere?" Her small eyes shone with curiosity. "Yew? Nasty poison. My mother told me when I was a kid, never touch those berries. My lord, that's what the murderer used?"

"We don't know what to use yet." Allen seemed disappointed. "I never saw her petting the yew. No, I never saw anything like that." Neil asked about the grains found in Fortescue's pocket, but still got nothing. "No, my lord, I don't know that." He questioned further, to no avail.Finally he wanted to see Miss Lambsburton. Allen looked skeptical. "I could ask her, but she doesn't like to meet people. She's a very old woman, you know, and kind of queer." The Inspector insisted on seeing him, and Allen reluctantly led him down a long corridor and up a few short flights of stairs to a suite that he thought might have been built as a nursery. Looking out of the gallery window as he followed her, he saw Sergeant Hay standing by the yew tree talking to a man who was evidently the gardener. Allen knocked lightly on a door, heard the echo, opened the door and said: "Miss, there is a policeman who wants to speak to you." The answer was clearly yes, and she stepped back, beckoning Neil into the room. The room he was in was filled with furniture and was absurdly crowded.The Inspector felt as if he had regressed to the Edwardian or even the Victorian era.There was a table by the gas stove, and an old woman was sitting there playing solo bridge.She was dressed in auburn, and her thin white hair fell down the sides of her face. She didn't look up, and didn't stop the game, and said anxiously: "Come in, come in, please sit down." The invitation was difficult to accept, and every chair seemed to be filled with religious pamphlets or publications. He slightly pushed aside the books on the sofa, and Miss Lambsburton asked sharply: "Interested in missionary work?" "Oh, ma'am, I'm afraid I'm not very interested." "Wrong, you should be interested. Modern Christianity is here. Dark Africa. A young priest came here last week. His skin was as dark as your hat, but he was a real Christian." Inspector Neil simply didn't know what to say. The old lady said another word, which embarrassed him very much. "I don't have a radio." "Sorry, can you say it again, please?" "Oh, I thought you were looking for a radio license, or some stupid form like that. Well, man, what the hell is it? " "Miss Lambsburton, I regret to have caused my brother-in-law, Mr. Fortescue, to die suddenly of a sudden illness this morning." Miss Lambsburton continued her game of solo bridge, quite unaffected by it, and went on chatting: "Finally falling down with pride and sinful pride. Oh, things happen." "It's not a blow to you, is it?" You can tell at a glance that it won't be, but the inspector wants to hear what she has to say. Miss Lambsburton glanced at him from the top of her spectacles and said: "If you mean I'm not sad, you're right. Rex Fortescu was always a guilty man, and I never liked him." "He died suddenly—" The old lady expressed her satisfaction and said: "People who sin deeply deserve it." "He may have been poisoned—" The Inspector paused to observe the effect of his words. He doesn't seem to have any effect.Miss Lambsburton could only murmur: "The red 7 is on top of the black 8. Now I can play the king." Holding the cards in her hand, she stopped, noticing the Inspector's silence, and said: "Well, what do you expect me to say? I didn't poison him. That's probably what you want to know." "Do you have any idea who might do that?" The old lady snapped, "That's a very wrong question. Two of my dead sister's children live in the house. I don't believe that a man of Lambsburton blood can commit murder. You mean murder, don't you?" ?” "Ma'am, I didn't say that." "Murder, of course. There were many people who tried to kill Rex. He has no morals. As the saying goes: good and evil will be rewarded in the end." "Do you miss anyone in particular?" Miss Lambsburton put away her bridge and rose.She is quite tall. "I think you'd better go," she said. She spoke without anger, but with a cold determination. She added: "If you want my opinion, I think it might be the servants. I think the butler looks like a scoundrel, and the parlor maid is obviously out of order. Good night." Inspector Neil walked out obediently.She was a wonderful old woman, and she couldn't get anything out of it. He descended into the square foyer and was suddenly confronted by a tall brunette.She was wearing a wet rubber raincoat and looked into his face with curious, empty eyes. She said: "I just came back. They told me - say Dad - he's dead." "I'm afraid it's true." She reaches back, as if blindly looking for a prop.She found a low oak cabinet and slowly sat stiffly on it. She said, "Oh, no, no..." Two lines of tears slowly flowed down the cheeks. She said: "It was horrible. I didn't think I liked him...I thought I hated him...it couldn't be, otherwise I wouldn't care. I do." She sat there with her eyes staring straight ahead, and the tears flowed from her eyes again and down her cheeks. Presently she spoke again, out of breath. "The scariest thing is, it's so much smoother now. I mean, Girard and I can get married now. I can do whatever I want. But I don't like it this way. I don't want my father dead . . . Oh, I don't want to. Oh, father--father . . . " For the first time since Inspector Neal had come to Yew House, he was surprised to see someone genuinely grieve for the dead.