Agatha Christie - The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

'Was she a great friend of your wife?'

'No. No, I wouldn't say that. They were neighbourly and on pleasant terms. Nothing special about it though.'

'I see. Now, Mr Badcock, we want as much information as we can from you. The findings of the inquest have been a shock to you, I expect?'

'Oh, they have, Inspector. Of course I realized that you must think something was wrong and I almost thought so myself because Heather has always been such a healthy woman. Practically never a day's illness. I said to myself, "There must be something wrong." But it seems so incredible, if you understand what I mean, Inspector. Really quite incredible. What is this stuff – this Bi-ethyl-hex -' he came to a stop.

'There is an easier name for it,' said the inspector. 'It's sold under a trade name, the trade name of Calmo. Ever come across it?'

Arthur Badcock shook his head, perplexed.

'It's more used in America than here,' said the inspector. 'They prescribe it very freely over there, I understand.'

'What's it for?'

'It induces, or so I understand, a happy and tranquil state of mind,' said Cornish. 'It's prescribed for those under strain; suffering anxiety, depression, melancholy, sleeplessness and a good many other things. The properly prescribed dose is not dangerous, but overdoses are not to be advised. It would seem that your wife took something like six times the ordinary dose.'

Badcock stared. 'Heather never took anything like that in her life,' he said. 'I'm sure of it. She wasn't one for taking medicines anyway. She was never depressed or worried. She was one of the most cheerful women you could possibly imagine.'

The inspector nodded. 'I see. And no doctor had prescribed anything of this kind for her?'

'No. Certainly not. I'm sure of that.'

'Who was her doctor?'

'She was on Dr Sims's panel, but I don't think she's been to him once since we've been here.'

Inspector Cornish said thoughtfully, 'So she doesn't seem the kind of woman to have been likely to need such a thing, or to have taken it?'

'She didn't, Inspector, I'm sure she didn't. She must have taken it by a mistake of some kind.'

'It's a very difficult mistake to make,' said Inspector Cornish. 'What did she have to eat and drink that afternoon?'

'Well, let me see. For lunch -'

'You needn't go back as far as lunch', said Cornish. 'Given in such quantity the drug would act quickly and suddenly. Tea. Go back to tea.'

'Well, we went into the marquee in the grounds. It was a terrible scram in there, but we managed in the end to get a bun each and a cup of tea. We finished it as quickly as possible because it was very hot in the marquee and we came out again.'

'And that's all she had, a bun and cup off tea there?'

'That's right, sir.'

'And after that you went into the house. Is that right?'

'Yes. The young lady came and said that Mrs Marina Gregg would be very pleased to see my wife if she would like to come into the house. Of course my wife was delighted. She had been talking about Marina Gregg for days… Everybody was excited. Oh well, you know that, inspector, as well as anyone does.'

'Yes, indeed,' said Cornish. 'My wife was excited, too. Why, from all around people were paying their shilling to go in and see Gossington Hall and what had been done there, and hoped to catch a glimpse of Marina Gregg herself.'

'The young lady took us into the house,' said Arthur Badcock, 'and up the stairs. That's where the party was. On the landing up there. But it looked quite different from what it used to look like, so I understand. It was more like a room, a sort of big hollowed out place with chairs and tables with drinks on them. There were about ten or twelve people there, I suppose.'

Inspector Cornish nodded. 'And you were received there by whom?'

'By Miss Marina Gregg herself. Her husband was with her. I've forgotten his name now.'

'Jason Rudd,' said Inspector Cornish.

'Oh, yes, not that I noticed him at first. Well, anyway, Miss Gregg greeted Heather very nicely and seemed very pleased to see her, and Heather was talking and telling a story of how she'd once met Miss Gregg years ago in the West Indies and everything seemed as right as rain.'

'Everything seemed as right as rain,' echoed the inspector. 'And then?'

'And then Miss Gregg said what would we have? And Miss Gregg's husband, Mr Rudd, got Heather a kind of cocktail, a dickery or something like that.'

'A daiquiri.'

That s right, sir. He brought two. One for her and one for Miss Gregg.'

'And you, what did you have?'

'I had a sherry.'

'I see. And you three stood there drinking together?'

'Well, not quite like that. You see there were more people coming up the stairs. There was the mayor, for one, and some other people – an American gentleman and lady, I think – so we moved off a bit.'

'And your wife drank her daiquiri then?'

'Well, no, not then, she didn't.'

'Well, if she didn't drink it then, when did she drink it?'

Arthur Badcock stood frowning in remembrance. 'I think, she set it down on one of the tables. She saw some friends there. I think it was someone to do with the St John's Ambulance who'd driven over there from Much Benham or somewhere like that. Anyway they got to talking together.'

'And when did she drink her drink?'

Arthur Badcock again frowned. 'It was a little after that,' he said. 'It was getting rather more crowded by then. Somebody jogged Heather's elbow her glass got spilt.'

'What's that?' Inspector Cornish looked up sharply. 'Her glass was spilt?'

'Yes, that's how I remember it… She'd picked it up and I think she took a little sip and made rather a face. She didn't really like cocktails, you know, but all the same she wasn't going to be downed by that. Anyway, as she stood there, somebody jogged her elbow and the glass spilled over. It went down her dress and I think it went on Miss Gregg's dress too. Miss Gregg couldn't have been nicer. She said it didn't matter at all and it would make no stain and she gave Heather her handkerchief to wipe up Heather's dress, and then she passed over the drink she was holding and said, 'Have this, I haven't touched it yet.'

'She handed over her own drink, did she?' said the inspector. 'You're quite sure of that?'

Arthur Badcock paused a moment while he thought. 'Yes, I'm quite sure of that,' he said.

'And your wife took the drink?'

'Well, she didn't want to at first, sir. She said "Oh no, I couldn't do that" and Miss Gregg laughed and said, "I've had far too much to drink already."'

'And so your wife took that glass and did what with it?'

'She turned away a little and drank it, rather quickly, I think. And then we walked a little way along the corridor looking at some of the pictures and the curtains. Lovely curtain stuff it was, like nothing we'd seen before. Then I met a pal of mine, Councillor Allcock, and I was just passing the time of day with him when I looked round and saw Heather was sitting on a chair looking rather odd, so I came to her and said, "What's the matter?" She said she felt a little queer.'

'What kind of queerness?'

'I don't know, sir. I didn't have time. Her voice sounded very queer and thick and her head was rolling a little. All of a sudden she made a great half gasp and her head fell forward. She was dead, sir, dead.'

'St Mary Mead, you say?' Chief-Inspector Craddock looked up sharply.

The assistant commissioner was a little surprised.

'Yes,' he said, 'St Mary Mead. Why? Does it -'

'Nothing really,' said Dermot Craddock.

'It's quite a small place, I understand,' went on the other. 'Though of course there's a great deal of building development going on there now. Practically all the way from St Mary Mead to Much Benham, I understand. Hellingforth Studios,' he added, 'are on the other side of St Mary Mead, towards Market Basing.' He was still looking slightly inquiring. Dermot Craddock felt that he should perhaps explain.