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“Oh Like the Square”

“And your address?”

“14 Rushmoor Road, Muswell Hill”

Inspector Neele nodded in a satisfied fashion

“No seduction,” he said to himself “No Love Nest Respectable home with parents No blackmail”

Another good set of speculative theories washed out

“And so it was you who made the tea?” he said pleasantly

“Well, I had to I always do, I mean”

Unhurried, Inspector Neele took her closely through theritual of Mr Fortescue’s tea The cup and saucer and teapot had already been packed up and dispatched to the appropriate quarter for analysis Now Inspector Neele learned that Irene Grosvenor and only Irene Grosvenor had handled that cup and saucer and teapot The kettle had been used forthe office tea and had been refilled from the cloakroom tap by Miss Grosvenor

“And the tea itself?”

“It was Mr Fortescue’s own tea, special China tea It’s kept on the shelf in my room next door”

Inspector Neele nodded He inquired about sugar and heard that Mr Fortescue didn’t take sugar

The telephone rang Inspector Neele picked up the receiver His face changed a little

“St Jude’s?”

He nodded to Miss Grosvenor in dismissal

“That’s all for now, thank you, Miss Grosvenor”

Miss Grosvenor sped out of the room hurriedly

Inspector Neele listened carefully to the thin une from St Jude’s Hospital As the voice spoke he ns with a pencil on the corner of the blotter in front of him

“Died five o, you say?” he asked His eye went to the watch on his wrist Twelve forty-three, he wrote on the blotter

The unemotional voice said that Dr Bernsdorff himself would like to speak to Inspector Neele

Inspector Neele said, “Right Put hih,” which rather scandalized the owner of the voice, who had allowed a certain amount of reverence to seep into the official accents

There were then various clicks, buzzes, and far-off ghostly

Then without warning a deep bass roar caused him to shift the receiver an inch or tay from his ear

“Hallo, Neele, you old vulture At it again with your corpses?”

Inspector Neele and Professor Bernsdorff of St Jude’s had been brought together over a case of poisoning just over a year ago and had remained on friendly terms

“Our man’s dead, I hear, doc”

“Yes We couldn’t do anything by the tiot here”

“And the cause of death?”

“There will have to be an autopsy, naturally Very interesting case Very interesting indeed Glad I was able to be in on it”

The professional gusto in Bernsdorff’s rich tones told Inspector Neele one thing at least

“I gather you don’t think it was natural death,” he said dryly

“Not a dog’s chance of it,” said Dr Bernsdorff robustly “I’ unofficially, of course,” he added with belated caution

“Of course Of course That’s understood He was poisoned?”

“Definitely And what’s more—this is quite unofficial, you understand—just between you and me—I’d be prepared to make a bet on what the poison was”

“In-deed?”

“Taxine, my boy Taxine”

“Taxine? Never heard of it”

“I know Most unusual Really delightfully unusual! I don’t say I’d have spotted it o Couple of kids playing dolls’ tea parties—pulled berries off a yew tree and used them for tea”

“Is that what it is? Yew berries?”

“Berries or leaves Highly poisonous Taxine, of course, is the alkaloid Don’t think I’ve heard of a case where it was used deliberately Reallyand unusualYou’ve no idea, Neele, how tired one gets of

the inevitable weed killer Taxine is a real treat Of course, I —don’t quotefor you, too, I should think Varies the routine!”

“A good time is to be had by all, is that the idea? With the exception of the victim”

“Yes, yes, poor fellow” Dr Bernsdorff’s tone was perfunctory “Very bad luck on him”

“Did he say anything before he died?”

“Well, one of your felloas sitting by him with a notebook He’ll have the exact details He iven so in his tea at the office—but that’s nonsense, of course”

“Why is it nonsense?” Inspector Neele, who had been reviewing speculatively the picture of the gla yew berries to a brew of tea, and finding it incongruous, spoke sharply

“Because the stuff couldn’t possibly have worked so soon I understand the symptoms came on immediately he had drunk the tea?”

“That’s what they say”

“Well, there are very few poisons that act as quickly as that, apart from the cyanides, of course—and possibly pure nicotine—”

“And it definitely wasn’t cyanide or nicotine?”

“My dear fellow He’d have been dead before the a of that kind I did suspect strychnine, but the convulsions were not at all typical Still unofficial, of course, but I’ll stake my reputation it’s taxine”

“How long would that take to work?”

“Depends An hour Two hours, three hours Deceased looked like a hearty eater If he had had a big breakfast, that would slow things up”