“Taxine? I never heard of it.”
“Very few people have, I should imagine.
It is a poison that takes effect very suddenly
and drastically.”
The frown deepened.
“Are you telling me. Inspector, that my
father was deliberately poisoned by
someone?”
“It would seem so, yes, sir.”
“That’s terrible!”
“Yes indeed, Mr. Fortescue.”
Percival murmured: “I understand now
their attitude in the hospital—their referring
me here.” He broke off. After a pause he
92
went on, “The funeral?” He spoke
interrogatively.
“The inquest is fixed for to-morrow after
the post-mortem. The proceedings at the
inquest will be purely formal and the inquest
will be adjourned.”
“I understand. That is usually the case?”
“Yes, sir. Nowadays.”
“May I ask have you formed any ideas, any
suspicions of who could—— Really, I——”
again he broke off.
“It’s rather early days for that, Mr.
Fortescue,” murmured Neele.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“All the same it would be helpful to us,
Mr. Fortescue, if you could give us some idea
of your father’s testamentary dispositions. Or
perhaps you could put me in touch with his
solicitor.”
“His solicitors are Billingsby, Horsethorpe
& Walters of Bedford Square. As far as his
Will goes I think I can more or less tell you its
main dispositions.”
“If you will be kind enough to do so, Mr.
Fortescue. It’s a routine that has to be gone
through, I’m afraid.”
“My father made a new Will on the
occasion of his marriage two years ago,” said
93
Percival precisely. “My father left the sum of
100,000 pounds to his wife absolutely and 50,000 pounds
to my sister, Elaine. I am his residuary
legatee. I am already, of course, a partner in
the firm.”
“There was no bequest to your brother,
Lancelot Fortescue?”
“No, there is an estrangement of long
standing between my father and my brother.”
Neele threw a sharp glance at him—but
Percival seemed quite sure of his statement.
“So as the Will stands,” said Inspector
Neele, “the three people who stand to gain
are Mrs. Fortescue, Miss Elaine Fortescue
and yourself?”
“I don’t think I shall be much of a gainer.”
Percival sighed. “There are death duties, you
know. Inspector. And of late my father has
been—well, all I can say is, highly injudicious
in some of his financial dealings.”
“You and your father have not seen eye to
eye lately about the conduct of the business?”
Inspector Neele threw out the question in a
genial manner.
“I put my point of view to him, but
alas——” Percival shrugged his shoulders.
“Put it rather forcibly, didn’t you?” Neele
inquired. “In fact, not to put too fine a point
94
on it there was quite a row about it, wasn’t
there?”
“I should hardly say that. Inspector.” A
red flush of annoyance mounted to Percival’s
forehead.
“Perhaps the dispute you had was about
some other matter then, Mr. Fortescue.”
“There was no dispute. Inspector.”
“Quite sure of that, Mr. Fortescue? Well, no matter. Did I understand that your father
and brother are still estranged?”
“That is so.”
“Then perhaps you can tell me what this
means?”
Neele handed him the telephone message
Mary Dove had jotted down.
Percival read it and uttered an exclamation
of surprise and annoyance. He seemed both
incredulous and angry.
“I can’t understand it, I really can’t. I can
hardly believe it.”
“It seems to be true, though, Mr.
Fortescue. Your brother is arriving from
Paris today.”
“But it’s extraordinary, quite extraordinary.
No, I really can’t understand it.”
“Your father said nothing to you about it?”
“He certainly did not. How outrageous of
I 95
him. To go behind my back and send for
Lance.”
“You’ve no idea, I suppose, why he did
such a thing?”
“Of course I haven’t. It’s all on a par with
his behaviour lately—Crazy! Unaccountable.
It’s got to be stopped—I——”
Percival came to an abrupt stop. The
colour ebbed away again from his pale face.
“I’d forgotten——” he said. “For the
moment I’d forgotten that my father was
dead——”
Inspector Neele shook his head
sympathetically.
Percival Fortescue prepared to take his
departure—as he picked up his hat he said:
“Call upon me if there is anything I can do.
But I suppose——” he paused—”you will be