and down her cheeks.
Presently she spoke again, rather
breathlessly.
“The awful thing is that it makes
everything come right. I mean, Gerald and I
can get married now. I can do everything that
I want to do. But I hate it happening this
way. I don’t want Father to be dead. … Oh I
don’t. Oh Daddy-Daddy. . . .”
For the first time since he had come to
87
Yewtree Lodge, Inspector Neele was startled
by what seemed to be genuine grief for the
dead man.
88
9
<( f^ OUNDS like the wife to me," said the^^ Assistant Commissioner. He had been^J listening attentively to InspectorNeele's report.It had been an admirable precis of the case.Short, but with no relevant detail left out."Yes," said the A.C. "It looks like the wife.What do you think yourself, Neele, eh?"Inspector Neele said that it looked like thewife to him too. He reflected cynically that itusually was the wife—or the husband as thecase might be."She had the opportunity all right. Andmotive?" The A.C. paused. "There ismotive?""Oh, I think so, sir. This Mr. Dubois, youknow.""Think he was in it, too?""No, I shouldn't say that, sir." InspectorNeele weighed the idea. "A bit too fond of hisown skin for that. He may have guessed whatwas in her mind, but I shouldn't imagine thathe instigated it."89"No, too careful.""Much too careful.""Well, we mustn't jump to conclusions,but it seems a good working hypothesis.What about the other two who hadopportunity?""That's the daughter and the daughter-inlaw.The daughter was mixed up with ayoung man whom her father didn't want herto marry. And he definitely wasn't marryingher unless she had the money. That gives hera motive. As to the daughter-in-law, Iwouldn't like to say. Don't know enoughabout her yet. But any of the three of themcould have poisoned him, and I don't see howanyone else could have done so. Theparlourmaid, the butler, the cook, they allhandled the breakfast or brought it in, but Idon't see how any of them could have beensure of Fortescue himself getting the taxineand nobody else. That is, if it was taxine."The A.C. said, "It was taxine all right. I'vejust got the preliminary report.""That settles that, then," said InspectorNeele. "We can go ahead.""Servants seem all right?""The butler and the parlourmaid bothseem nervous. There's nothing uncommon90about that. Often happens. The cook'sfighting mad and the housemaid was grimlypleased. In fact all quite natural and normal.""There's nobody else whom you considersuspicious in any way?""No, I don't think so, sir." Involuntarily,Inspector Neele's mind went back to Mary Dove and her enigmatic smile. There hadsurely been a faint yet definite look ofantagonism. Aloud he said, "Now that weknow it's taxine, there ought to be someevidence to be got as to how it was obtainedor prepared.""Just so. Well, go ahead, Neele. By the way,Mr. Percival Fortescue is here now. I've hada word or two with him and he's waiting tosee you. We've located the other son, too. He's in Paris at the Bristol, leaving today.You'll have him met at the airport, Isuppose?""Yes, sir. That was my idea. ...""Well, you'd better see Percival Fortescuenow." The A.C. chuckled. "Percy Prim, that's what he is."Mr. Percival Fortescue was a neat fair manof thirty odd, with pale hair and eyelashesand a slightly pedantic way of speech."This has been a terrible shock to me,91Inspector Neele, as you can well imagine.""It must have been, Mr. Fortescue," saidInspector Neele."I can only say that my father was perfectlywell when I left home the day beforeyesterday. This food poisoning, or whateverit was, must have been very sudden?""It was very sudden, yes. But it wasn't foodpoisoning, Mr. Fortescue."Percival stared and frowned."No? So that's why——" he brokeoff."Your father," said Inspector Neele, "waspoisoned by the administration oftaxine."