Dead Man's Bells

The Inspector

Inspector Grey sat at his desk, staring at the board before him. He should have been home hours ago, but the murder case had him thinking in circles. Initially, the cause of death was strangulation, but with further examination, Miss Mable uncovered an ingested poison in Mr Craig-Hart's stomach and there were signs of a seizure, which probably took place during the strangulation. She had concluded, that the poison had been consumed not long before his death. This new found evidence had unraveled all previous theories, and they no-longer had any solid leads. Frustrated Inspector Grey shrugged on his coat and was starting for the exit, when a woman slowly approached him with a look of vulnerability shadowing her face. What she had to say enlightened the inspector to new possibilities which filled his mind. He finally asked her if she had any idea who's voices she had overheard, reluctantly she nodded curling her lips as if they did not want her to speak.

Three knocks. The heavy door resisted against the thick carpet floor, as it was dragged open. The Inspector wore a grave expression and requested that everybody be seated in the dining room. The cooks, the house maids, the gardeners, and the residences, all trailed in the room, with the exception of the children who were sternly told to stay upstairs. Mrs Craig-Hart was the sole person to shatter the fragile silence, "what is the meaning of this?" She demanded. Inspector Grey and Sargent Mort both regarded her, Mrs Craig-Hart's appearance had changed dramatically; her posture was confident and unwavering, her voice was clear and fortified, it was as if the insecure, grieving wife had been replaced, there was no trace of the vulnerability that once was suppressing her features. "Well, early one morning I came across this plant whilst I was walking through your gardens. Fox glove or more commonly known as Dead Man's Bells, it produces very elegant pink flowers, but it's a plant which contains a poison; have any of you heard of it? This particular poison has the effect of seizures, diarrhea and yellow 'halo' hallucinations; on a historical note it is thought, actually, that Van Gough took this poison whilst painting his 'Yellow Period'. It was found that Mr Craig-Hart had also ingested a poison, not long before he was murdered, yet again. So, I took a sample of the foxglove I found and we tested it against the poison found in his system. It matched. I had come to a loss, anybody from the party could have had access to the gardens." He paused. "But, a witness came in today, and brought a door to my dead end. This person, who would prefer to stay anonymous, heard an argument the night of the party, between a married couple. The husband was accusing his wife of embracing his boss. Luckily, the voice was recognized by the witness, and then it made sense. Who had access to the gardens and knew where the plants were? Who would know the exact location of the plant and probably planted it there himself? Mr. Brys, the gardener. He has motive, opportunity and a murder weapon." Without further ado, the police brutally grabbed Mr. Brys and began dragging him away. Before he could defend himself, the officer holding him barked out, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say could and could be held against you in a court of law." Mr Brys abruptly shut his mouth, one of his few clever decisions thought Miss Peridot. Baffled silence filled the room, and expressions of hostility and incredulity distorted their faces. Inspector Grey reveled in his short victory. He was not smug but more relieved, as finally all the pieces of this twisted puzzle were falling into place. Mrs Craig-Hart, however, frowned in confusion, "but-" she began, "he was strangled too. Wasn't he?" Sargent Mort nodded gravely and took over the narrative,
"It was an unfortunate coincidence, that two people were looking to end your husband's life." He paused, and turned to the cook. "Ms Robinson," he announced. She shifted uncomfortably, fear and guilt stiffened her posture. "You found Mr Craig-Hart's body. But what we found odd was you immediately assumed murder. When you went down to warn everyone, you shouted 'murder' not 'death'. This minor detail, proved that you already knew that he did not die of natural causes. This was enough for us to be granted a search warrant, for your house. It took us a long while to find anything incriminating, but we eventually found a safe which we were able to open. A particular document stood out; a birth certificate for your daughter, Samantha-Rose Robinson. Your daughter was Mr Craig-Hart's illegitimate child." A gasp of horror came from Mrs Craig-Hart, but the Sargent carried on. "We also found a death certificate for your daughter. She died of Polio, which has an expensive treatment, that in the majority of cases does not cure the patient." Tears spilled out of the cook's eyes and rage etched her face. "You asked Mr Craig-Hart to help your daughter, didn't you? You begged for money. But he refused." He turned back to face the rest of the room. "Ms Robinson's daughter died only three years ago." Then he turned back to her. "You heard of the party and you realized it was the perfect time for revenge and that the many guests would make countless suspects. But when you arrived to Mr Craig-Hart's study he had already ingested to poison, so he barely struggled as you strangled him with the belt from your uniform. Then you pretended to uncover the body so no one would suspect you." When he finished, he signaled for the officers to take her away. A deadly silence swept round the room and The Inspector and the Sargent left the family in shock. Inspector Grey knew that it would take a long time before they fully healed and trusted each other or anyone again.