Appointment With Death - Agatha Christie [33]
‘Between the time that Mr Raymond Boynton spoke to her and half-past six did no one go near her?’ asked Poirot.
‘I understand not.’
‘But someone might have done so?’ Poirot persisted.
‘I don’t think so. From close on six onwards servants were moving about the camp, people were going to and from their tents. No one can be found who saw anyone approaching the old lady.’
‘Then Raymond Boynton was definitely the last person to see his mother alive?’ said Poirot.
Dr Gerard and Colonel Carbury interchanged a quick glance. Colonel Carbury drummed on the table with his fingers.
‘This is where we begin to get into deep waters,’ he said. ‘Go on, Gerard. This is your pigeon.’
‘As I mentioned just now, Sarah King, when she examined Mrs Boynton, saw no reason for determining the exact time of death. She merely said that Mrs Boynton had been dead “some little time”, but when, on the following day for reasons of my own, I endeavoured to narrow things down and happened to mention that Mrs Boynton was last seen alive by her son Raymond at a little before six, Miss King, to my great surprise, said point-blank that that was impossible—that at that time Mrs Boynton must already have been dead.’
Poirot’s eyebrows rose. ‘Odd. Extremely odd. And what does M. Raymond Boynton say to that?’
Colonel Carbury said abruptly: ‘He swears that his mother was alive. He went up to her and said, “I’m back. Hope you have had a nice afternoon?” Something of that kind. He says she just grunted, “Quite all right,” and he went on to his tent.’
Poirot frowned perplexedly.
‘Curious,’ he said. ‘Extremely curious. Tell me, was it growing dusk by then?’
‘The sun was just setting.’
‘Curious,’ said Poirot again. ‘And you, Dr Gerard, when did you see the body?’
‘Not until the following day. At 9 a.m. to be precise.’
‘And your estimate of the time death had occurred?’
The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.
‘It is difficult to be exact after that length of time. There must necessarily be a margin of several hours. Were I giving evidence on oath I could only say that she had been dead certainly twelve hours and not longer than eighteen. You see, that does not help at all.’
‘Go on, Gerard,’ said Colonel Carbury. ‘Give him the rest of it.’
‘On getting up in the morning,’ said Dr Gerard, ‘I found my hypodermic syringe—it was behind a case of bottles on my dressing-table.’
He leaned forward.
‘You may say, if you like, that I had overlooked it the day before. I was in a miserable state of fever and wretchedness, shaking from head to foot, and how often does one look for a thing that is there all the time and yet be unable to find it! I can only say that I am quite positive the syringe was not there then.’
‘There’s something more still,’ said Carbury.
‘Yes, two facts for what they are worth and they mean a great deal. There was a mark on the dead woman’s wrist—a mark such as would be caused by the insertion of a hypodermic syringe. Her daughter, I may say, explains it as having been caused by the prick of a pin—’
Poirot stirred. ‘Which daughter?’
‘Her daughter Carol.’
‘Yes, continue, I pray you.’
‘And there is the last fact. Happening to examine my little case of drugs, I noticed that my stock of digitoxin was very much diminished.’
‘Digitoxin,’ said Poirot, ‘is a heart poison, is it not?’
‘Yes. It is obtained from Digitalis purpurea—the common foxglove. There are four active principles—digitalin—digitonin—digitalein—and digitoxin. Of these digitoxin is considered the most active poisonous constituent of digitalis leaves. According to Kopp’s experiments it is from six to ten times stronger than digitalin or digitalein. It is official in France—but not in the British Pharmacopoeia.’
‘And a large dose of digitoxin?’
Dr Gerard said gravely: ‘A large dose of digitoxin thrown suddenly on the circulation by intravenous injection would cause sudden death by quick palsy of the heart. It has been estimated