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“I always thought it was a kind of disease you got from oversmoking.”
“To tell the truth, so did I, sir. But the doctor says that the pure alkaloid is an odourless liquid, and that a few drops of it are enough to kill a man almost instantaneously.”
Sir Charles whistled.
“Potent stuff.”
“As you say, sir. And yet it’s in common use, as you might say. Solutions are used to spray roses with. And of course it can be extracted from ordinary tobacco.”
“Roses,” said Sir Charles. “Now, where have I heard—?”
He frowned, then shook his head.
“Anything fresh to report, Crossfield?” asked Colonel Johnson.
“Nothing definite, sir. We’ve had reports that our man Ellis has been seen at Durham, at Ipswich, at Balham, at Land’s End, and a dozen other places. That’s all got to be sifted out for what it’s worth.” He turned to the other two. “The moment a man’s description is circulated as wanted, he’s seen by someone all over England.”
“What is the man’s description?” asked Sir Charles.
Johnson took up a paper.
“John Ellis, medium height, say five-foot seven, stoops slightly, grey hair, small side whiskers, dark eyes, husky voice, tooth missing in upper jaw, visible when he smiles, no special marks or characteristics.”
“H’m,” said Sir Charles. “Very nondescript, bar the side whiskers and the tooth, and the first will be off by now, and you can’t rely on his smiling.”
“The trouble is,” said Crossfield, “that nobody observes anything. The difficulty I had in getting anything but the vaguest description out of the maids at the Abbey. It’s always the same. I’ve had descriptions of one and the same man, and he’s been called tall, thin, short, stout, medium height, thickset, slender—not one in fifty really uses their eyes properly.”
“You’re satisfied in your own mind, Superintendent, that Ellis is the man?…”
“Why else did he bolt, sir? You can’t get away from that.”
“That’s the stumbling block,” said Sir Charles thoughtfully.
Crossfield turned to Colonel Johnson and reported the measures that were being taken. The Colonel nodded approval and then asked the Superintendent for the list of inmates of the Abbey on the night of the crime. This was handed to the two new inquirers. It ran as follows:
MARTHA LECKIE, cook.
BEATRICE CHURCH, upper-housemaid.
DORIS COKER, under-housemaid.
VICTORIA BALL, between-maid.
ALICE WEST, parlourmaid.
VIOLET BASSINGTON, kitchenmaid.
(Above have all been in service of deceased for some time and bear good character. Mrs. Leckie has been there for fifteen years.)
GLADYS LYNDON—secretary, thirty-three, has been secretary to Sir Bartholomew Strange for three years, can give no information as to likely motive.
Guests:
LORD AND LADY EDEN, 187 Cadogan Square.
SIR JOCELYN and LADY CAMPBELL, 1256 Harley Street.
MISS ANGELA SUTCLIFFE, 28 Cantrell Mansions, S.W.3.
