The Saint Valentine's Day Murders by Ruth Dudley Edwards Page A

massive dose of strychnine. It’s a super-toxic poison and about 100 milligrams is the normal lethal dose. Our murderer doctored each chocolate on the top layer of the six boxes of chocolates with about 150 milligrams. They were very sweet chocolate cream that disguised the bitter taste of the strychnine.’
    ‘Thorough chap,’ said Amiss, putting down the sandwich he had begun to eat and reaching for a cigarette. ‘Sorry. Melissa’s indoctrination is slipping. Thorough person.’
    Milton realized the effort behind Amiss’s attempt at a joke. He said gently, ‘I’ve got to tell you now the worst thing, Robert, because I don’t want you to find out from anyone else. It’s one of the most vicious poisons there is. Once it begins to affect the central nervous system it causes breathing difficulties and convulsions, and gives rise to intermittent spasms of extreme pain.’
    ‘How long does it take to die?’
    ‘It varies, but roughly an hour.’
    Amiss sat silently for a few moments and then suddenly rose and rushed to the bathroom. They could hear the sounds of violent retching. Rachel followed him and returned quickly.
    ‘He says he’ll be all right when he’s had a couple of minutes on his own.’
    He was back before their uneasy silence had been broken. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘That was just too much on top of my last night’s excesses. Nothing against your sandwiches, Sammy.’
    Rachel felt a rush of affection towards him deeper than any she had previously experienced. He looked over at her and smiled.
    ‘All this will make a man of me yet. If a wet like Jim can become impervious to grisly deaths, so can I. Carry on, Jim. How was it done?’
    ‘All the parcels were sent first-class letter-post on Friday from the main post office near the office. There were six in all – one each for Melissa, Edna Crump, Val Illingworth, Gloria Farson, Jill Collins and Fran Short.’
    ‘So why didn’t they arrive on Saturday?’
    ‘Each one had a typewritten note stuck on saying “Please don’t deliver before first post Monday 14 February, St Valentine’s Day.” The Post Office, bless their romantic souls, obliged and kept the parcels back.’
    ‘Smart murderer.’
    ‘Very smart. That way he ensured the women were on their own when they received the chocolates and assumed they were from their husbands.’
    ‘Why didn’t any of the wives…?’ asked Rachel. ‘Sorry. I’ve thought of the answer.’
    ‘I bet you were going to say “Why didn’t any of the wives ring up and say thank you?”,’ said Amiss.
    ‘I was. But they just weren’t given to phoning their husbands at work.’
    ‘Right,’ said Amiss. ‘That’s the cruel thing about it. All these guys were either careful about money or hard up. Phone-calls from far distant homes during peak hours were only made in emergencies.’
    ‘To continue,’ said Milton, looking anxiously at his watch. ‘Tiny’s wife succumbed to the temptation first, and she died sometime mid-morning. Thank heavens Tiny had that dental appointment and was home earlier than usual. If he hadn’t phoned you, it could all have been much worse.’
    ‘I wondered why he did phone me. It wasn’t necessary.’
    ‘He says it was because he thought you’d give him some support. He likes you. Or so he told the officer who took his statement.’
    Rachel was relieved to see that the impact of this was not lost on Amiss. He looked almost happy for a moment. Then his face became serious again. ‘And the others?’
    ‘No one else touched the stuff until late afternoon. Gloria Farson was surprised to get a present which she could only assume came from Tony. She thought they should celebrate his uncharacteristic generosity by opening them together ceremoniously.’
    ‘So what happened?’
    ‘Their seven-year-old son arrived home from school at four o’clock. He had his tea and wandered alone into the living room. He was a greedy little chap, apparently, and when he saw the box