The Craig Poisoning Mystery (Musaicum Murder Mysteries). Dorothy Fielding

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      "Well, Bobby?" Lady Craig said, rising and going over to him, her whole face and manner friendly to the point of being maternal.

      Houghton, too, took a step forward.

      "I'm sorry to say I can't give a certificate," Lindrum said, glancing a little nervously from one to the other. "I—I—there must be an autopsy."

      "Oh, surely not!" she said beseechingly, while Houghton turned and gave Gilchrist a long, inquiring look.

      "It's unavoidable." Lindrum spoke with more assurance now. "I needn't tell you how frightfully sorry I am, Lady Craig. How I wish it could be avoided."

      "You need not," she assured him coldly.

      "But there's no other course open to me, as his medical man," he protested. "Dr. Gilchrist here—"

      At this stage the man from London was introduced to the lady of the house, who welcomed him graciously, with a few words of regret that he had not been summoned earlier. Then she turned to Lindrum again.

      "Why won't you give a death certificate?" she asked.

      The young man hesitated. Then he said baldly: "I'm sorry to shock you both, but it looks now as if Craig had died of poison—of arsenic poison."

      "How long has this been going on?" Houghton asked with a quiver in his voice. "This poisoning of Ronnie, I mean, Bob?"

      Lindrum looked at him very unhappily. "Dr. Gilchrist and I think it must have been for some weeks. I can't tell you how sorry I am that I didn't guess what the matter was, but I didn't! I think it's possible that he was dosing himself with some patent medicine, or some old tonic, all the time without letting me know, and that the arsenic in it—supposing I'm right in my guess, of course—may have done the harm. Arsenic is cumulative, you know."

      Houghton started to speak, but checked himself. The matter was too grave for hasty words. Nor were words of much account now.

      The doctors excused themselves. They wanted to return to the bedroom for some further examinations and tests. Lindrum had the key in his pocket and now led the way upstairs again.

      Once alone with him, Lady Craig turned on Houghton with fear- distended eyes.

      "I can't believe it.. It isn't true!" She was not on guard now. Her face showed suddenly all its lines.

      "Would to God I had got here sooner with Gilchrist," Houghton said bitterly. "I had a feeling last night that something was wrong. I half thought of rushing down here yesterday evening—"

      "All the more need for us to get hold at once of some clever man who will be of use," she interrupted hastily. "The secretary of the Crime Revelers might be able to put us on to the right person—"

      "We must get hold of the police at once," Houghton retorted, looking around for the telephone.

      "Not first!" she urged. "Of course, if the doctors are right, it may have to come to that, though it's some mistake on Bob's or Agatha's part. But first of all we need—"

      "The police," he finished firmly. "You see, I happen to be concerned with finding out the truth about Ronnie, not merely with having some smart amateur give your household a clean bill of health. I want the person who killed Ronnie to swing for the killing. I'll find out who did it, if it takes every penny of my own, as well as of his, money."

      "For goodness' sake, don't tell that to whomever we decide to bring in!" Lady Craig said irritably. "Though, of course, it's nothing to do with me—financially, I mean. But that kind of man charges quite appallingly enough, as it is."

      Houghton was not listening. He had got the number of the local police station, and now reached again for the instrument.

      The door opened. It was Match.

      "The chief constable is just coming up to the house, my lady. I know his car."

      "Chief constable?" Houghton repeated. Lady Craig started.

      "Yes, sir. I telephoned to him last night, or rather this morning, when Mr. Craig died. Just before you came."

      "What do you mean?" Houghton asked bluntly.

      "Mr. Craig told me, in between his horrible spasms of pain, sir, that he had been poisoned. I felt it my duty to let the police know, yet I didn't quite like to call the police in from the station near here, so I passed the matter on to Colonel Godolphin."

      "Match!" came in almost a shriek from Lady Craig.

      "As you know, my lady, I am leaving service next week," he went on suavely. "Ah, there is the ring now! Shall I show him in here, my lady?"

      "Certainly not! Into the morning-room."

      "Very good, my lady."

      Houghton could not repress a smile as the butler left them.

      "Well, my dear Emily, the question is taken out of our hands." He looked well pleased that it was so.

      "Anything but!" she said under her breath. "But it disposes of my intention of giving Match a handsome present when he leaves." She stopped. They could hear the front door open.

      "Now, every word in this house will be weighed, and all sorts of questions put which needn't have been gone into." It struck Houghton that, deep down, the woman facing him was horribly uneasy. She was ageing before his very eyes.

      "As long as they get the criminal, who cares!" he said half- comfortingly, half-menacingly.

      "Ah, my dear Guy," she retorted sweetly, "we are not all in the same fortunate position as yourself. I have not ample means of my own, nor shall I step into a vast fortune owing to poor Ronnie's death."

      Before Houghton could speak, the butler came in to announce Colonel Godolphin and another gentleman.

      CHAPTER III

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      LADY CRAIG drew a deep breath as she entered the morning-room. The chief constable, Colonel Godolphin, was a middle-aged man with a rather grim face.

      "How good of you to've come at once!" she said fervently. "But I thought—" She looked around for the colonel's companion.

      "Chief Inspector Pointer of the C.I.D. happened to be down near here last night on another matter, so I got him to come along—just in case he should be wanted. He's seeing about the car at the moment."

      "Does this mean that the affair will be in the hands of Scotland Yard?" Houghton asked. "I hope you won't think it rude of me, colonel, but I should be delighted to hear as much."

      "Yes, indeed!" breathed Lady Craig, casting a stony glance at the speaker. "Not that we haven't entire confidence in your men," she murmured to her guest.

      "So it's true!—what was told me over the telephone. I hoped there might be some mistake. Your butler—at least the voice sounded like his—" Godolphin СКАЧАТЬ