Sad cypress - Agatha Christie [63]
‘The following morning about nine o’clock, just as I was preparing to leave the house.’
‘Was anything missing?’
‘The tube of morphine was missing.’
‘Did you mention this loss?’
‘I spoke of it to Nurse O’Brien, the nurse in charge of the patient.’
‘This case was lying in the hall, where people were in the habit of passing to and fro?’
‘Yes.’
Sir Samuel paused. Then he said:
‘You knew the dead girl Mary Gerrard intimately?’
‘Yes.’
‘What was your opinion of her?’
‘She was a very sweet girl – and a good girl.’
‘Was she of a happy disposition?’
‘Very happy.’
‘She had no troubles that you know of?’
‘No.’
‘At the time of her death was there anything whatever to worry her or make her unhappy about the future?’
‘Nothing.’
‘She would have had no reason to have taken her own life?’
‘No reason at all.’
It went on and on – the damning story. How Nurse Hopkins had accompanied Mary to the Lodge, the appearance of Elinor, her excitable manner, the invitation to sandwiches, the plate being handed first to Mary. Elinor’s suggestion that everything be washed up, and her further suggestion that Nurse Hopkins should come upstairs with her and assist in sorting out clothes.
There were frequent interruptions and objections from Sir Edwin Bulmer.
Elinor thought:
‘Yes, it’s all true – and she believes it. She’s certain I did it. And every word she says is the truth – that’s what’s so horrible. It’s all true.’
Once more, as she looked across the court, she saw the face of Hercule Poirot regarding her thoughtfully – almost kindly. Seeing her with too much knowledge…
The piece of cardboard with the scrap of label pasted on to it was handed to the witness.
‘Do you know what this is?’
‘It’s a bit of a label.’
‘Can you tell the jury what label?’
‘Yes – it’s a part of a label off a tube of hypodermic tablets. Morphine tablets half-grain – like the one I lost.’
‘You are sure of that?’
‘Of course I’m sure. It’s off my tube.’
The judge said:
‘Is there any special mark on it by which you can identify it as the label of the tube you lost?’
‘No, my lord, but it must be the same.’
‘Actually, all you can say is that it is exactly similar?’
‘Well, yes, that’s what I mean.’
The court adjourned.
Chapter 2
It was another day.
Sir Edwin Bulmer was on his feet cross-examining. He was not at all bland now. He said sharply:
‘This attaché-case we’ve heard so much about. On June 28th it was left in the main hall of Hunterbury all night?’
Nurse Hopkins agreed:
‘Yes.’
‘Rather a careless thing to do, wasn’t it?’
Nurse Hopkins flushed.
‘Yes, I suppose it was.’
‘Are you in the habit of leaving dangerous drugs lying about where anyone could get at ’em?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Oh! you’re not? But you did it on this occasion?’
‘Yes.’
‘And it’s a fact, isn’t it, that anybody in the house could have got at that morphia if they’d wanted to?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘No suppose about it. It is so, isn’t it?’
‘Well – yes.’
‘It wasn’t only Miss Carlisle who could have got at it? Any of the servants could. Or Dr Lord. Or Mr Roderick Welman. Or Nurse O’Brien. Or Mary Gerrard herself.’
‘I suppose so – yes.’
‘It is so, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was anyone aware you’d got morphia in that case?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, did you talk about it to anyone?’
‘No.’
‘So, as a matter of fact, Miss Carlisle couldn’t have known that there was any morphia there?’
‘She might have looked to see.’
‘That’s very unlikely, isn’t it?’
‘I don’t know, I’m sure.’
‘There were people who’d be more likely to know about the morphia than Miss Carlisle. Dr Lord, for instance. He’d know. You were administering this morphia under his orders, weren’t you?’
‘Of course.’
‘Mary Gerrard knew you had it there, too?’
‘No, she didn’t.’
‘She was often in your cottage, wasn’t she?’
‘Not very often.’
‘I suggest to you that she was there very frequently, and that she, of all the people in the house, would be the most likely to guess that there was morphia in your case.’
‘I don’t agree.’
Sir Edwin paused a minute.