After it was concluded, Detective-Inspector Frank Cornish joined Arthur Badcock.
'Could I have a word with you, Mr Badcock?'
'Of course, of course.'
Arthur Badcock looked more like a chewed-out bit of string than ever. 'I can't understand it,' he muttered. 'I simply can't understand it.'
'I've got a car here,' said Cornish. 'We'll drive back to your house, shall we? Nicer and more private there.'
'Thank you, sir. Yes, yes, I'm sure that would be much better.'
They drew up at the neat little blue-painted gate of No. 3 Arlington Close. Arthur Badcock led the way and the inspector followed him. He drew out his latch-key but before he had inserted it into the door, it was opened from inside. The woman who opened it stood back looking slightly embarrassed. Arthur Badcock looked startled.
'Mary,' he said.
'I was just getting you ready some tea, Arthur. I thought you'd need it when you came back from the inquest.'
'That's very kind of you, I'm sure,' said Arthur Badcock gratefully. Er -' he hesitated. 'This is Inspector Cornish, Mrs Bain, She's a neighbour of mine.'
'I see,' said Inspector Cornish.
'I'll get another cup,' said Mrs Bain.
She disappeared and rather doubtfully Arthur Badcock showed the inspector into the bright cretonne-covered sitting-room to the right of the hall.
'She's very kind,' said Arthur Badcock. 'Very kind always.'
'You've known her a long time?'
'Oh, no. Only since we came here.'
'You've been here two years, I believe, or is it three?'
'Just about three now,' said Arthur. 'Mrs Bain only got here six months ago,' he explained. 'Her son works near here and so, after her husband's death, she came down to live here and he boards with her.'
Mrs Bain appeared at this point bringing the tray from the kitchen. She was a dark, rather intense-looking woman of about forty years of age. She had gipsy colouring that went with her dark hair and eyes. There was something a little odd about her eyes. They had a watchful look. She put down the tray on the table and Inspector Cornish said something pleasant and non-committal. Something in him, some professional instinct, was on the alert. The watchful look in the woman's eyes, the slight start she had given when Arthur introduced him had not passed unnoticed. He was familiar with that slight uneasiness in the presence of the police. There were two kinds of uneasiness. One was the kind of natural alarm and distrust as of those who might have offended unwittingly against the majesty of the law, but there was a second kind. And it was the second kind that he felt sure was present here. Mrs Bain, he thought, had had at some time some connection with the police, something that had left her wary and ill at ease. He made a mental note to find out a little more about Mary Bain. Having set down the tea tray, and refused to partake herself saying she had to get home, she departed.
'Seems a nice woman,' said Inspector Cornish.
'Yes, indeed. She's very kind, a very good neighbour, a very sympathetic woman,' said Arthur Badcock.
'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.'
