man.”
“Go on.”
“What a wonderful gag, Claud! He passes himself off as his own housekeeper, and creates an identity that a dozen tradesmen and villagers will vouch for—only telling his wife that he can’t find anyone and he’s doing all the housework himself. Being confined to her bed, she never saw him go out or come in in that costume; and they never had visitors. So when she’s found dead, and her jewels are stolen, and Mrs. Jafferty has disappeared, it’s so obvious that he doesn’t need much of an alibi. The beetle brains of the CID are so busy combing the country for Mrs. Jafferty that they’d never think of anything else.”
“But what did you do? Teal almost howled.
“I didn’t stop there. In the top drawer of his dresser I found those gloves he had on, and a small crowbar which is now on the floor of his wife’s bedroom where he used it to jimmy her jewel drawer. No doubt someone would swear Mrs. Jafferty bought it. I went to the maid’s room. There were a few clothes and personal articles which a woman like that would have— he was that thorough. And I also found this, which you can bet Mrs. Jafferty bought from the local chemist.”
He produced a small dark bottle from his pocket and handed it over.
“Believe me, Claud, that was a jolt. I’d hoped to goose him into something rash, but it was meant to be something that I could move in fast and prevent—like perhaps a clonk on the head with that crowbar. And now I was certain that this was the night, with him going to London and Mrs. Jafferty supposedly out. But poison …”
Adrienne Halberd was reading the label on the bottle over Teal’s shoulder, and her face had gone white.
“She had a lovely plate of Irish stew,” said the Saint remorselessly. “I said, just to clinch it: “I bet your cook is an Irish woman.’ ‘Oh, no,’ she said, ‘we haven’t been able to get a cook for weeks. My husband has to do everything, but he does it so well–-‘ “
A sort of inarticulate sob came from the talented husband; and Mr. Teal somewhat belatedly remembered an official obligation.
“Mr. Clarron,” he said formally, “it’s my duty to warn you that anything you say will be taken down and may be used in evidence. Now, did you wish to make any statement?”
“I did it,” Clarron said hopelessly. “Everything. Just as he said.”
Teal nodded to the constable with the notebook.
“And the one before?”
“Yes. I knocked the radio into her bath.”
“What about the first one—the one who was drowned?”
“I killed her too,” Clarron said with his head in his hands ‘I upset the boat and held her under.”
Suddenly the girl thrust herself between them.
“You idiots, all of you!” she cried insubordinately. “We might still save this one. We should be getting a doctor–-“
“Don’t waste his time,” said the Saint. “I tried to break it all to Mrs. Clarron, but it was tough going. As you can imagine. She got quite hysterical at one stage; but luckily there was quite a hysterical play on television at the same time, so nobody outside would have noticed much. But at least she lost all her appetite. I took advantage of that to arrange the table as if she’d been eating, and put most of the stew, the wine, and the coffee in other containers, which you can take for analysis if you need it. I got her half convinced, but I knew she was in no condition to play dead when Reggie came in, even if I could have talked her into trying; and she had to do that if he was to book himself all the way to the gallows. So when I heard his key in the lock, I just gave her a little judo tap on the neck.” Simon smiled apologetically. “She should wake up any minute now, and all she’ll need is an aspirin and a good dinner.”
As if on cue, a dull moan reached them from the floor above; and Adrienne ran up the stairs.
ix
It was somewhat later when Teal, Simon, and the girl wound up back at the cottage next door.
The
“Go on.”
“What a wonderful gag, Claud! He passes himself off as his own housekeeper, and creates an identity that a dozen tradesmen and villagers will vouch for—only telling his wife that he can’t find anyone and he’s doing all the housework himself. Being confined to her bed, she never saw him go out or come in in that costume; and they never had visitors. So when she’s found dead, and her jewels are stolen, and Mrs. Jafferty has disappeared, it’s so obvious that he doesn’t need much of an alibi. The beetle brains of the CID are so busy combing the country for Mrs. Jafferty that they’d never think of anything else.”
“But what did you do? Teal almost howled.
“I didn’t stop there. In the top drawer of his dresser I found those gloves he had on, and a small crowbar which is now on the floor of his wife’s bedroom where he used it to jimmy her jewel drawer. No doubt someone would swear Mrs. Jafferty bought it. I went to the maid’s room. There were a few clothes and personal articles which a woman like that would have— he was that thorough. And I also found this, which you can bet Mrs. Jafferty bought from the local chemist.”
He produced a small dark bottle from his pocket and handed it over.
“Believe me, Claud, that was a jolt. I’d hoped to goose him into something rash, but it was meant to be something that I could move in fast and prevent—like perhaps a clonk on the head with that crowbar. And now I was certain that this was the night, with him going to London and Mrs. Jafferty supposedly out. But poison …”
Adrienne Halberd was reading the label on the bottle over Teal’s shoulder, and her face had gone white.
“She had a lovely plate of Irish stew,” said the Saint remorselessly. “I said, just to clinch it: “I bet your cook is an Irish woman.’ ‘Oh, no,’ she said, ‘we haven’t been able to get a cook for weeks. My husband has to do everything, but he does it so well–-‘ “
A sort of inarticulate sob came from the talented husband; and Mr. Teal somewhat belatedly remembered an official obligation.
“Mr. Clarron,” he said formally, “it’s my duty to warn you that anything you say will be taken down and may be used in evidence. Now, did you wish to make any statement?”
“I did it,” Clarron said hopelessly. “Everything. Just as he said.”
Teal nodded to the constable with the notebook.
“And the one before?”
“Yes. I knocked the radio into her bath.”
“What about the first one—the one who was drowned?”
“I killed her too,” Clarron said with his head in his hands ‘I upset the boat and held her under.”
Suddenly the girl thrust herself between them.
“You idiots, all of you!” she cried insubordinately. “We might still save this one. We should be getting a doctor–-“
“Don’t waste his time,” said the Saint. “I tried to break it all to Mrs. Clarron, but it was tough going. As you can imagine. She got quite hysterical at one stage; but luckily there was quite a hysterical play on television at the same time, so nobody outside would have noticed much. But at least she lost all her appetite. I took advantage of that to arrange the table as if she’d been eating, and put most of the stew, the wine, and the coffee in other containers, which you can take for analysis if you need it. I got her half convinced, but I knew she was in no condition to play dead when Reggie came in, even if I could have talked her into trying; and she had to do that if he was to book himself all the way to the gallows. So when I heard his key in the lock, I just gave her a little judo tap on the neck.” Simon smiled apologetically. “She should wake up any minute now, and all she’ll need is an aspirin and a good dinner.”
As if on cue, a dull moan reached them from the floor above; and Adrienne ran up the stairs.
ix
It was somewhat later when Teal, Simon, and the girl wound up back at the cottage next door.
The
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