Unnatural Death - Dorothy L. Sayers - Saturday Night Theatre

doctor I'd like to ask you something yes inspector you say that finally you did sign a death certificate against my professional judgment but nevertheless stating death from natural causes in so many words yes the nearly 18 months have gone by do you still think you were wrong to sign it I'm afraid I do so what you saying do what I'm saying is that that certificate should have simply read murder unnatural death the novel by Dorothy elses dramatized for radio by David giri with Hugh buron as Lord Peter Whimsy and Clifford Norgate as detective inspector Charles

Parker unnatural death more coffee my Lord thank you bunter we kept you up rather late last night bunter don't mention it my Lord did inspector Parker get a cab all right there was one on the rank my Lord good is this my cousin's marmalade you gave me this morning yes my lord it's a bit watery really my Lord yes funny thing about women the stronger they are the weaker their marmalade I wonder why they're so keen on making the stuff I'm told it has a soothing effect effect on the nervous system my Lord ah that

might explain it lter still I think we'll go back to the Oxford tomorrow if youve no objection certainly my Lord good by the way how's the photography these days very satisfactory my Lord I've just acquired a new camera which is giving excellent results yes my Lord a Thornton piard it should prove most useful in our more specialized work H well I'd like to see some prints when you have a moment of course my Lord ah call us already I see who it is my Lord perhaps it's the man from The Gaslight and Coke oh good

morning sir good morning butter come in sir thanks is that inspector Parker M yes my Lord I wondered if I find you up of course I'm up Charles have some coffee Splendid we thought you might be the man to read the meter look to can't had breakfast let bunter get you some no no no I'm quite all right there it should be no trouble sir no really bunter the coffee is just what I want will that be all then my Lord yes fine thank you my Lord Charles for someone who only left this flat a

few hours ago you would return with remarkable dispat yes I suppose I have and I should really be over at Notting Dale had I've been thinking over all that business last night so have I yes I'm damn sure you have well I think there's a danger in reading too much into it you do yes and I have a feeling that unless I put a few simple points to you in the cold light of dawn you're going to be off on another of the famous Whimsy investigations anything wrong with that only that I always seem to

get caught up in them look Peter what does last night really boil down to well we dined together in SoHo met a young and somewhat serious member of the medical profession and brought him back here to join us in a glass of port and and the gentleman told us a rather interesting story which you come around to tell me you don't believe no I believe it but I don't think it need be interpreted the way he thinks it should as a case of murder well that's what he thinks it is and you on the facts

that he gave us death from natural causes on the facts that he gave us what are the facts as you see them well these we meet a young man who tells us he's a doctor he doesn't disclose his name he tells us that 3 years ago in 1924 he took over a practice in an unspecified town in Hampshire yes now one of his patients is a cancer case an old lady then a 72 she lives alone with her only relative her niece M over a year later in the Autumn of 1925 the niece begins to

be concerned that her aunt is getting much worse the doctor discounts this early in November he's called to the house in the middle of the night to find the patient in great pain gives her a morphine injection and examines her very thoroughly the following day but finds nothing to worry about 3 days later the old lady dies from natural causes is there any evidence to the country no no nevertheless the doctor finds she is unable with a clear conscience to give a death certificate since in his opinion there is no obvious cause of death and

he asks for the postmortem which he is able to conduct himself however as the deceased had wished for cremation another doctor is required to sign the certificate jointly the two Physicians work on the autopsy together it reveals nothing our friend finally though still reluctantly signs a certificate cause of death cancer immediate cause heart failure and to complete the story The crematorium gets worried so the four older has to be bed instead the Colona starts to poke his nose in rumors is rif and our young hypocrates is forced to leave town and is now looking for

another opening as he puts it that's about it yes you know Charles as a sapper of morale in general of enthusiasm you are without pure if you'll excuse my use of the expression oh I'm sorry those are the facts they are the medical facts and they are the only ones that count Charles aren't you assume that because the available medical evidence points to death from natural causes that therefore Foul Play is automatically ruled out well yes that's the whole point yes in fact you're assuming that the medical evidence is both accurate and complete yes well

I mean suppose it's incomplete what two doctors examine that body one with close knowledge of the disease the other entirely independent they found nothing as would 99 doctors out of 100 the H hundredth might be looking for something the others weren't but looking for what I don't know but mightn't it be rather fun to find out tax tax it no no he's going up Hamilton Terrace ah so he is look I can spare one hour not a second more an hour will be ample you do realize what you're up against not only has our doctor

not given you his name he's deliberately not told you the old lady's name or even where all this is supposed to have happened true Charles and what's more he really only wanted to get the story off his chest he didn't want anything done about it no but I think he'd be pleasantly surprised if something was and I think we're the people to do it we uh a slip of the tong glad to hear it hi taxi where exactly are we off to pimo pimo yes I have a I have a friend that I'd like you

to meet a friend yes you like her I've got her fixed up in a flat huh yes [Applause] oh where too go 197a St George's square right sir can you go Charles that's it yes she's very comfortably picked [Applause] [Music] up only a modest to of course but that's all she wanted really yes how long oh uh only a few months I see she's quite unique you know Charles a wonderful person spendid must be marvelous for you it is I'm sure you'll like her sure I will and she'll be most intrigued to hear about our

doctor friend what's her name by the way Miss Clemson Alexandra Catherine Clemson but a very interesting Lord Peter really extremely interesting and how very disturbing for the poor young doctor exactly the very disturbing and you said that if there hadn't been such a scandal he would be happily married by now married certainly and I trust happily Such a Pity yes but of course M Clemson there's more to the affair than we've told you so far ah well now before you go on I must ask you both if I can offer you a cup of coffee

Charles uh no not for me thanks are you sure inspector with a shortbread biscuit no really it's most kind of you miss crimson and I won either Miss Crimson but don't let us stop you Lord Peter a little on early side to me now do go on well what we you up toar the essentials but there are one or two rather interesting details to go with them I see now it seems that the old lady was speaking almost very well off MH she had had to undergo an operation during the time she was being looked

after by our friend the doctor and because of the risk involved he thought it wise to ask her if she had made a will well she hadn't she had no intention of making one she said a will wasn't necessary because our niece who live with her was our only kith and kin Famous Last Word well I know but you'll never convince some no now I gather by the way that a solicitor call on the old girl at some stage managing to get her pretty worked up about something but whether that had anything to do with

the will no one seems to know about the niece Lord Peter what sort of girl is she well about 26 27 sir good education self-re keeps her head in emergencies that sort of time she'd been a nurse really that's right she'd been at the Royal free of course when she gave up her job to look after her aunt nursing didn't come into it she was more of a companion I see after the operation it was a different matter and outside nurse was brought in then whom the doctor seems to thought pretty highly of oh yes

yeah so much so that they got engaged to each other oh I see how romantic now I wanted to ask you why did the niece start to get worried about her aunt's condition had there been some sort of incident well that we're not clear about all we know definitely is what happened early in November 1955 when the doctor was called out at night that's right he found she wasn't in any immediate danger though gave her some Moria and that was that next day he overh hold her very carefully and somewhat surprisingly found she was doing

even better than he'd supposed yes and 3 days later she was dead terrible indeed and again somewhat surprisingly from the doctor's Viewpoint no wound no Hemorrhage no sign of a struggle not a single obvious symptom but Lord Peter would there be I mean the aunt was 73 by then she had cancer she she had to go sometime oh I know I know nevertheless what well one or two things STS me quite right for instance I think business of the old lady not making a will comes into it somehow oh how well I just don't know

Charles and another thing I believe cancer patients very seldom pop off in that rather unexpected way our young medic is aware of that too that's why he felt he had to have a postmortem but the point that intrigues me most is theise how do you mean she told the doctor our aunt's condition was deteriorating but in fact it wasn't Oh Come Peter that's only the doctor's opinion a medical opinion Charles yes well all right but what about the niece's opinion she was a trained nurse yeah yes she was wasn't she oh look you've got other

things to do Charles we mustn't keep her Miss Crimson yes Lord Peter I think that's pretty well all we can tell you about the business at this state but as far as I'm concerned I'd like to know some more yes of course Ro Peter now what would you like me to do well quite a lot first of all we know this happened in Hampshire but we don't know the name of the town nor do we know the name of the deceased we need that information before we can do anything yes of course if you'll be

so good then M temps would you go down to samet house and get them to look up all the death certificates for Hampshire in the month of November 1925 I see if you have to give any reason for your search you could suggest your compiling some statistics about cancer yes now the certificate we want will state age 73 cause of death cancer immediate cause heart failure yes and it will have been signed by two doctors Suppose there is more than one certificate like that ah well that's where the really hard work comes in and where

if I may say so we shall benefit from your remarkable qualities of shrewdness and discretion oh Lord Peter yes I mean it Mr look we better be off Charles yeah oh I'll see you out now how soon do you think you can get started this oh straight away Lord Peter I can get down to Somerset house at once excellent well when you finished at Sunset house fact you telephone the flat and let me know what you found yes of course after that I shall probably ask you to take a little CP to ham I understand

good now is this your hat inspector that's the one miss Clemson thanks it's been such such a pleasure meeting you well I hope we'll meet again miss Clemson I'm sure you will Charles now we better make a noise like a hoop and roll away goodbye then M goodbye Lord Peter I I'll telephone as soon as possible goodbye inspector goodbye miss Clemson well Charles that's got things under way that is patly clear my worst fears are confirmed there's only one question who is M Clemson Charles is not what you think well even I don't imagine that

Miss Clemson Charles is a manifestation of the wasteful way this country has run thousands of ladies like her mistresses of the art of Gossip are left unused while the work for which they are so eminently fitted is in efficiently carried out by Il equipped policemen such as yourself thank you very much I'm quite serious people want questions asked to who they send a man with large feet in the notebook I send the lady with a long woly jump on knitting needles of course she asked everyone expects it and because of that Charles she has a

very good chance of getting results hello go ahead caller oh thank you Lord Peter yes Miss Clemson here Lord Peter I I've just left Somerset house ah good day miss Clemson what sort of luck well it all depends there are four towns in Hampshire with certificates that match the details we're after four yes meritan woolbridge Lee Hampton and harmsworth H well I think we're lucky it's only4 how do you feel about finding which one it is I'd like to very much good excellent uh what I thought of was perhaps you might be a retired lady

in Easy circumstances looking for a nice little place to settle down in yes Hampshire would suit you very well I imag oh very pleasant County yes now there's no need to rush over this let me have your reports just when it Su you right I think you may have some rather tarome Spade work in the early stages but once you hit the right town I'm pretty sure you'll know fairly quickly it's not that long ago since this particular death and it won't have been forgotten yet by a long short than you miss Clemson just back

Mrs bu lunch won't be long oh no hurry please I I've had such a busy morning I I'd be glad of a little sit down oh I know how you feel you've been shopping have you just one or two things there's always something else one seems to need when you're away from home oh I know it's hankies with me pack everything but hankies I have piles of them upstairs because of it always buy a new oh dear how awful no no most of this is knitting wool I I needed some more for my nephew's cricketing

sweater oh yes oh those sweaters take a lot I know I'm on a tea cozy at the moment only 3 oy so I got off lightly yes indeed well what do you think of Lee Hampton then miss climpson very pleasant very pleasant the the Winter Gardens seem particularly Charming I I thought I might take a a proper walk around there this afternoon oh yes you should of course we quite famed for our Winter Gardens you know especially for our tropical plants yes oh yes come from far and way to Le you know bists and people

really oh yes and then there's the water of course water oh yes water's very famous Le water very good for rheumatism they say really yes and the air so good you were staying at meran before did you say yes just for a few days yes then I had a little while in woolbridge meric's very nice that's where my sister lives but I never think it's a patch on leanon the air is nothing like as nice lovely air here don't you think lovely is tell me do you think I'll be able to find a good doctor

here Mrs budge that would be most important oh no trouble finding the doctor in Le Anon no oh no bless me no trouble at all no I'm with Dr Harper myself he's such a nice man I know you like him he's just around the corner and cop his large yes now there's Dr Frost he's spoken very highly of very expensive but very highly qualified and then as Dr Benson uh he's more for the children now and Dr Mitchell over in the Crescent oh they're all spoken very well of you'd be in safe hands with any

of them that sounds most encouraging that the only thing about doctors Mrs budge is that I never feel quite happy about some of the younger ones oh I know I do feel an elderly doctor is so much more dependable oh I know exactly what you know I know exactly Miss Clemson do me yes oh and you know it's funny you should say that about your doctors we had some very strange going on in that line on you little while back in Le Hamp yes in Wellington Avenue poor old Miss Dawson how do you mean Mrs

budge what Dreadful business it was now the doctor there was only just out of his cradle caused no end of trouble Dr car you wouldn't recommend him then I should certainly think not miss Clemson nor would anyone else I can tell you but you're quite safe anyway cuz he left a few months ago went back to London ah oh a dreadful business Old Miss Dawson died a Cancer and that Dr car the cheek to say she' been done in you mean done in Miss CL good Heavens did he actually say that oh no no not

him he never actually said anything just hinted a very sneaky sword altogether oh how Dreadful I was Dreadful I don't know how poor Miss Whitaker stood it all uh Miss Whitaker all Miss Dawson's niece oh yes such a nice young lady thought the world of around how he put up with it all I just don't know especially that nurse little baggage oh there was a nurse there too well had to be you see cuz the old lady needed a lot of looking after of course but the way it went that Dr Carr got more looking

after from the nurse than all Miss do never got Mrs B no no is the truth ask anyone how Dreadful indeed it was fluttering her eyelashes at Dr car when she should have been looking after the old lady no wonder Miss Whitaker had to give her the sack Philly Moore that was her name nurse flymore came from one of the big London hospitals too really and they took her back there so I'm told you wouldn't credit it would you I'm afraid I'm still a little puzzled Lord Peter how did you get to know about about

all this in the first place uh good question Miss phore in fact from your fiance from Dr car exactly but as far as but as far as he's concerned the case is closed yes yes but you know it's my personal belief it shouldn't be I see do sit down thank you might I Hazard to Guess that you share that belief I think the whole thing was desperately unfair yes but I'm not sure it'll do any good to bring it up again after all this time I think it may know if only to restore a little

confidence all around my impression is that neither you nor the good doctor exactly fools were medical matters are concerned but that you can't help think you were in the leh Hampton Affair that puts it quite well look I really don't want to bother you much it's most kind of you to see me at all but there are one or two things I'm particularly interested in now there was a visit from a solicitor at some stage I believe it agitated or patient someone was that in your time no it was before Miss Dawson had her operation

but I did here he wasn't a Lee Hampton solicitor no one knew where he came from or what he wanted the maids that were there met him but they were dismissed when I was really oh that's a Pity always a sort of sinister charm about mysterious solicitors Miss fillimore if You' excuse me touching on this point a lot of people at Lee Hampton seem to think your relations with Dr Carr exceeded the bounds of propriety oh you know all about that then I'm afraid sir it really was damnable I had the most Dreadful interview with

maton when I got back here how much truth was there in what people were saying about you none absolutely none they were nothing but vicious stories and she must have started them she miss Whitaker oh yes of course you became engaged to Dr Carr didn't you well yes I did but you're not saying that a crime my dear girl I'm not saying anything might miss Whitaker have thought it a crime there what Dr car's very prepossessing sort of chap perhaps you beat her to the post so to speak I see I see what you mean

Miss fillore may I ask you this yes how do you think Miss Dawson died I think she was murdered but I just don't know how who do you think did it Miss Whitaker I see well look I'm really Mis grateful to him can hardly be pleasant dragging all this out again that's quite all right in fact we've been extremely helpful anyway I'll make a noise like a bee and buzz off oh uh just one thing yes the maids the maids yes why were they dismissed oh well they were sisters a lot of Crockery was smashed

apparently Miss whiter gave one of the girls notice so the other left with her they had a funny sort of name uh go to bed that was it really go to bed yes Bera and Evelyn they were very sweet girls and was a lot of crocod smashed I wouldn't have said so but then I wasn't in the kitchen that much any idea where the girls went to afterwards I'm afraid not but I dare say you could find out yes thank you I dare say I will you know Peter I still can't seriously believe there was

anything odd about that woman's death after all all you've got to go on people's opinions and a lot of silly gossip Charles I knew there was something odd about it and the deeper we dig the OD I'd get you and Miss Clemson you mean meanly Miss Clemson she's been extremely active I wish I could say the same the trouble is I've been playing the waiting game for quite a while and it doesn't exactly suit me what do you mean well after I saw m kmore I thought the best idea would be to have a word

with those Maids so I put an advertisement for them in all the agony columns yeah thanks Bera and Evelyn go to bed formerly in the service of Miss Agatha dorson of the Grove Wellington Avenue leh Hampton are requested to communicate with J merbles solicitor of staple in London wc1 when they will hear of something to their advantage h will they oh yes the main thing is I will who's marbles everyone's picture of the typical fabulous solicitor he happens to be our famulous solit I see I think it may be revealing to know something of the

dorson household From Below stairs so to speak yes the mid morning editions my Lord oh thanks but let's have them certainly my Lord Charles uh I'll have the star thanks will there be anything else my Lord no thanks thank you my Lord oh what's what's London offering us today murder mystery or Mayhem Mystery by the sound of it h she got this eeping Forest business what the girl's body found in Forest no sign of Foul Play say police yes yes got it the unidentified body of a young woman fully clothed was found early this morning

in a secluded part of eping forest death which appears to be from natural causes to place about 2 to 3 days ago anything more no nothing that isn't padding ah hello oh hello MBL oh have you excellent Bera yes the letters from her is it oh my land lady I see disappeared when Tuesday I see 4:00 this afternoon yes all right M don't worry I'll be there just before good thanks so much bye the advertisement yes a letter from Bera Go's land lady the girl hasn't been back to her lodgings since she left there on

Tuesday Morning the landid then spotted the advertisement and got onto merbl as she was pretty worried in fact she thinks he's responsible she's calling on him this afternoon how long has the advertisement been in um a bit over a week went in on April the 20th now I use the phone of course Charles could it be uh would you give me y1 1212 yes please I think we ought to know don't you yes oh uh would you put me through to inspector Barnard please yes a Jim Charles Parker here yes yes I know look this

eping Forest business body of a girl if all I know is what they're carrying in the early editions anything through from essics and identity yet no the papers don't give a name oh would you yes yes of course he's just checking yes yes Jim I see yes and the girl's name right Jim many thanks much obl bye well a waitress from the centry street corner house yes the body was found under some bushes no sign of assault sandwich and bottle of beer nearby handbag intact among the contents A5 note and a letter yes addressed to

Bera go to bed [Music] yes I'm sorry you missed me just now and you just got back oh have you oh that's very quick work south or Street yes Mrs forest was the lady's name I see you made a delivery to her on the 26th fine well thank you very much that's most helpful goodbye come in Lord Peter whims is here sir oh thanks Harvey all right if I come in just come in take a few thanks well how did you get on as well as could be expected the land lady is no longer suspicious

of merbles she's made suspicious of me and how about merbles he's suspicious of me too Ser you're right yes to be honest Charles I feel nothing better than a murderer a poor sweet and simple child dead no I'm sorry but seeing that girl lying there under those bushes it all seem so ordinary just a pleasant little picnic on a sunny day in Spring and it hadn't been a picnic Peter I know exactly what you're feeling at the moment I know it isn't present but may I remind you first of all that the girl's death is

most likely completely unconnected with this other business no it's connected all right I'm sorry but at the moment there is no definite connection secondly as far as we know the girl died from natural causes that's what we're meant to believe all right all right we all know the views of Dr and Dr Whimsy but theory is one thing facts another and the postmortem will decide the facts anyway one result seems to be that I've been landed with all this officially I gather you've been bending the ear of your good friend the chief commissioner I have

of course he thinks the whole thing's complete coincidence I don't blame him well why not let's see what we've got all right yes good now tell me did you get any sense out of the land lady indeed I did she turned out to be a very sensible person Mr Mrs G the two go to bed girls came to us straight after leaving leh Hampton oh yeah they both got taken on at the corner housee together as waitresses and Bera was working there right after the time she disappeared Eveland though met a Canadian chap who used

to take his breakfast on and married him they both settled in Canada now you had to break the news that berther is dead of course yes indeed Mrs G took it pretty bad there she seems to me very fond of the girl I told you you might be in touch about our formal identification of the body good yes and we'll have to get a cable off to Canada to the sister I got the sister's address from Mrs glier Cropper is our married name ah Evelyn Cropper that's right good well any luck at your end well

some we've managed to trace the fiber have you indeed how about the beer bottle any fingerprints I don't know the laboratory Lads have still got it now about the5 note it was one of a series issued to a bank in South Orly Street on the 19th they ped it out with two other fives and 10 ones against a cash check drawn by Mrs Forest ah they gave me her address it's further up South orley Street she has a flat in a small block above a flower shop you've been over there have you yes thought it

worth having a quick check did you see the lady no she was out is there a porter there yes but he wasn't around either he's got a small flat at the back where he probably nipped out to do some shopping but the flower shop seems to know about most of the tenants not much about Mrs Forest though cuz she's not often there mhm well she turns up occasionally and stays for just a night or two they sometimes know she's in Residence cuz they see fortnum's van delivering provision so she does herself well then yes now

I rang forams earlier and they rang back just before you came in they made a delivery to Mrs Forest flat on the 26th the same day Bera disappeared I see do we know what this Mrs Forest looks like yes according to the flower shop girl she has a most striking appearance tall overdressed hair peroxided black eyebrows powder very white lips very red hard to miss one might say oh how does this striking lady get about does she run a motor yes I for sea it's garage at the back the man there says it was out

on the night of the 26 the night berther didn't come back yes it went out at 11:30 returned about 8:00 the next morning really you know on the face of it this looks as if Mrs Forest could be called a provider of facilities it looks a bit like it I think we may find a gentleman somewhere who could confirm the theory Mrs Forest brings the parties together and leaves them to it something un happens and the body gets dumped at eing Parker oh yes put them through yes hello yes oh really just now is that

right well that's most kind of you to bother thank you very much Miss goodbye that was the flower shop I asked them to the ring if they spotted Mrs Forest she's just gone up to the flat has yes now suppose you were accompanying me on an inquiry at any time time could I rely on you to behave yourself Peter ignoring your hurtful implication of course you could I wonder and if you were accompanying me could you provide yourself with a straightforward common or garden surname as opposed to a title no problem at all Miss Clemson

suggested an alias might come in handy one day we agreed on the name of her grer a chap called Templeton right well in that case Mr Templeton would you care to share a taxi to South ory Street huh here we are as you say Charles it looks as if the tenants do themselves quite well here yes it looks like it not that I go for all these springy carpets myself no it is a bit like being in a picture Palace yes ah Mrs Forest yes I'm a police officer Mrs Forest my card oh uh detective

inspector Parker yes that's right and uh this is Mr templon would you mind if we had a few words with you what about well might we discuss that inside well yes I suppose so come in will you thanks Mr templon Right this way through here thank you please sit down uh thanks the cigarettes are there well what's this all about we're engaged in certain inquiries Mrs forest and feel you may be able to help us oh yes it's a question of a bank note that's been traced to your position A5 Noe issued to you by

your bank on April the 19th well I see your you're not telling me it was forged or something well that I'm not prepared to say Mrs Forest but you do admit receiving a note of that denomination on that date well yes yes I suppose so I do remember drawing a check around that time for £25 I think I see so there wouldn't be just one five there must have been three I generally draw 10 ones and if there's more the rest in fives there' have been three fives well can you tell us to whom you

paid them well that's a bit difficult there was a bill from the garage I paid them cash I think there was a 5 note in that yeah yes yes I'm sure there was then I dined out the next day with a woman friend of that definitely took the second one now where did the third one go oh I know New Market a new market on the Saturday I put it on a horse it wasn't even in the first six I see well can you tell me which restaurant it was that you dined at Mrs forest

and the name of your garage well I look inspector all this business about fivs is getting us absolutely nowhere I don't care a continental curse about the beastly Fiverr the reputation is at stake and that is the only thing that matters now please Mr sry I'm so sorry but I'm D get to the bottle of this now tell me Mrs is Forest who was it who who was it who was here with you on the 26th the 26th you didn't deny you were here on the 26th well I was as a matter of fact but

I I knew it I knew it you DED together that night didn't you yeah no now don't deny it don't deny it I insist upon knowing who it was Mrs Forest there was no one no one Mr Temple they left at 11:30 I know I insist on a name from you Mrs Forest I can't I insist Mrs Forest it was a friend ahuh a friend eh oh please please Mr Templeton please don't ask for his name so it was a man yes yes then I must know Mr I insist on KN was it this man

what this Photograph take it uh oh yes look at it look at it carefully was that the man who was with you on the 26th no no no it was not thank God for that there you are Mr Templeton what did I tell you I know inp I I simply had to be reassured I my dness as far as a thousand apologies but I I can I go straight back to my cousin and put her mind completely at rest I'm sorry Mr Templeton I really don't understand what has your cousin to do with all this

and who is the man in this Photograph May oh yes there thanks this Mrs Fest is my dear cousin Sylvia's husband Lind Hurst now none of this is perfect I freely acknowledge that but as a husband lindus has a tendency to be a little less perfect than most friend of the family who happens to live in this part of the town was returning home on the night of the 26th and saw someone closely resembling Lindhurst leaving these Flats at around 11:30 he casually mentioned this to Silvia when they next met and as you can imagine

the poor girls caused the very greatest distress but uh why Mr Templeton is there any reason why Mr Lind heror lindur oh yes well why shouldn't major lindur have been in this area that night because that night Mrs Forest that night he said he was at the regimental dinner I see you see but now we know the whole thing was just a mistake I can get on to syia and put her my complete dest Mrs Forest I can't say how sorry I am to involve you in our family Affairs in this way oh that's quite

all right Mr Templeton don't worry about it you will forgive my Abu this V of course I'm rather nervously constitute I'm afraid and the whole thing has been a bit upsetting oh I quite understand but uh out of Interest how does the 5B note come into all this perhaps you'd care to explain Mr Templeton ah this is f i can rely on your confidence oh completely the 5 note was found in a pocket of regimentals together with a lady's handkerchief oh oh how very embarrassing it was and I'm sorry to say the matter is still

shrouded in mystery yes well I think we'd best be off then Mr Templeton yes yes yes of course I'll I'll see you out I'm sorry to take up your time too inspector but I really was most concerned that's all right sir well goodbye then Mrs Forest sorry to have troubled you not at all goodbye goodbye Mrs Fest most kind uh do we need to call the lift inspector no sir it seems to be here still oh good after you sir thanks now may I ask what the devil you think you are up to a good

question Charles ground floor yes and you better have a damn good answer I'll take one up when we get back to the flat going [Music] down no I'm sorry Peter it's just not good enough I take you with me on an inquiry completely against everything in the book and you mess things up with some damn full pantomime about a major Lindhurst I really am sorry joh and so you should be we're still in the dark over where the car went we don't know enough about the F and we haven't the slightest idea if the woman

has any connection with Bera go of it ah well you know I have a pretty strong feeling she has I don't want feelings Peter I want facts but we may have some facts may have look won't you have a drink I'll just ring for bunter what do you mean we may have facts well for a start Dear Mrs forest's reactions wouldn't you say she was somewhat worried well yes extremely worried but who wouldn't be with you going up in the air like that but that woman was guilty you could tell oh For Heaven's Sake she

probably got a divorce coming through and didn't want to tell us about her gentleman caller well look how relieved she was when she saw you were on a different Tech yes she was relieved very much so it's what she was relieved about that's so interesting ah V you rang my Lord yes let's have something to drink Charles what would you like um oh Scotch I think please good and I'll have a p in very good mon I'm sorry Peter I cannot see what you're driving at simply that Mrs foresty more lead to find us thinking

she had a man in that night any man rather than a woman well therefore my dear fellow she did have a woman more than likely Bera go to bed I see what you mean all right I know you wouldn't CL it as fact but I'll be able to let you have something absolutely factual fairly soon what another photograph of major lindur oh major lindur look who is this major lindur ah you may well ask major lindur is really our secret weapon let me carefully remove him from my wallet there don't touch him whatever you do

look who is this chap Peter this Photograph it Grieves me to say is a snapshot of my brother Gerald the 16th Duke of Denver sent to me in this morning's post by my mother her reason for sending it is complete mystery nevertheless it has already proved itself to be of the greatest practical value I don't follow of course you do Charles I've looked at it you've looked at it Mrs Forest has looked at it yes and Mrs Forest has handled it you Old Devil Ah that's spended butter just care do very good my Lord will

you take soda sir yes please B by the way how's the new camera B very satisfactory my Lord it has produced some remarkable studies of my sister's goldfish and I'm printing them now Splendid well when you got the Goldfish out of the way I'd be most grateful if you could turn your attention to this ah a snapshot of his grace precisely and not to be confused with the gfish now its real appeal lies not so much in its subject but in the fingerprints on its surface I understand my Lord do your usual excellent job with

the powders etc etc photograph the result do an enlargement and let me have a copy for Mr Parker as soon as you can certainly my Lord I'll start work on it straight away that's very good of you bu not at all my lord well well well all I'm say Charles is that it could come in handy oh I agree especially if there are any Prince on that beer bottle that's what I was thinking all right Peter Where Do We Stand Mrs Forest may have had something to do with the go to bed girl a gain

she may not the only Link at the moment is still that fiber which is a pretty weak link yes but apart from that we've got to get the postmortem results and after that the inquest and if all this has anything to do with the leh Hampton business I'll be very much surprised oh by the way how about our friend Miss Clemson how near has she got to the Wi a girl H I was going to tell you this morning she's met her has she indeed what did she make of her very pleasant very efficient everyone

down there seems to like her apparently she's exploring the idea of chicken farming she's got a friend with the same idea a girl called Vera feon the two of them are away at the moment they've taken a cottage for a fortnite near orpington there's a likely Farm there I GA M incidentally Charles you know we've always thought of Old Miss Dawson being Miss Whitaker's Aunt yeah well it seems Miss Dawson used to live in warshire with her cousin she was Clara wher yeah they've been friends for years now as a result of this friendship Miss

Dawson's sister married Clara's brother and the two old girls shared a nephew Charles Charles and Charles's daughter Mary is Our Miss Whitaker oh I see so although she always called Miss Dawson aunt in fact she was rarely a great aunt not such a close relation as we thought no well lucky for her there wasn't anyone Clos sir exactly and another good Heavens Charles I think You' hit it what I bet you anything that's it look this is 1927 all right yeah and oh Miss Dawson died when uh 1925 November 1925 November 1925 and without making

a will Charles we must get on to merbles merbl my solicitor now what's his number it's nearly Seven Hill that his office ages ago BR went home I see if we can get around here bter can do us all a steak Charles I think r on to something last I may be wrong but I don't think so it's something I read in a paper about a new act an act act of parliament a new property act Charles which I'm pretty sure came into force on the first day of of 1926 now look I knew this

would happen mbls I saw the danger signal as soon as you said the new act makes everything simpler that was certainly the act's intention yes well our laws are littered with good intentions Every Act that makes things simpler needs another to disentangle it uh some more poort Charles thanks there we are I do you fine mes drop more for you no thank you I'm doing very well help yourself any you want to don't forget the cigars thank you surely from what you've been saying Mr merbles any difficulty in interpreting the new property act lies in

defining the word issue if any brother or sister dies before the intestate then to his or her issue oh that's perfectly correct inspector and my opinion which I must stress is only a tentative opinion would be I think that isue in this case means isue at infinitum and that therefore great nephews and great nieces would be entitled to inherit and Mary Whitaker is Miss Dawson's great need yes all right but veral you say your opinion might there be another opinion I'm afraid there might the question is very complicated what did I tell you yes but

frankly I see no cause for concern in this particular instance after all Mary Whitaker was apparently the nearest surviving relative M dorson died in 1925 the old property Act was still in force so the money would pass without any question to Mary whiter I see no ambiguity there no none whatever in 1925 and always assuming there was no other surviving relative good Lord I see what you're driving us when did the new act come into Force sir is the 1st of January 1926 and Mr Dawson died in November 1925 you see but subing had lived

as the doctor fully expected to do to well into 1926 would Mary wi have definitely inherited them I I think that question is very relevant Lord Peter you raised a very serious and important point if I understand you rightly you're suggesting that any ambiguity in the interpretation of the new act might provide an interested party with a very good and sufficient motive for hastening the death of Miss dorson I mean exactly that and if the interested party was Mary Whitaker there are some further questions that need to be answered such as well was there anyone

who might have had a stronger claim under the new act than Mary wher and if so did she know who that person was Parker Charles it's Peter oh hello did you get my message about the go to bed postmortem yes B to me a heart condition would you believe it well that's what they found apparently the girl had just eaten a heavy meal and that brought it on it doesn't quite TI with beer and sandwiches eing forest and there were no fingerprints on the beer bottle no any glove Mark I see well the inquest will

be pretty straightforward I think it will oh that was excellent enlargement B did of the fingerprints on that snapshot pity we couldn't tie it up with anything oh well look what I really WR about was a letter I've had from Miss Clemson may I read you of it yes do well after our chat with merus last week I wrote to miss C asking her to pursue the idea of another Caven to the dorson estate yeah well I've had a reply this morning I'll read you the bits important she says uh I've just heard something which

may be of use Mrs budge remembers talking to a lady who acted as housekeeper to Miss Dawson before the time of the go Tob girls I see this lady mentioned amongst other gossip a rather unusual visitor who had called on M Dawson one day yeah he was a black gentleman she believe from the West Indies who was moreover a clergyman what intrigued the housekeeper especially was his visiting card which was inscribed the reverent H Dawson good Heavens exactly a relation well that we don't know anyway I got onto my old chum Bishop Lambert and we're

trying to cck the riverend down well I wish you luck with him by the way how about your favorite suspect Miss WIA is she still looking at chicken farm she's due back tomorrow uh together with her friend Vera I'll be interested to know how their expedition wet how do you mean I'm wondering if Miss Whitaker search for a chicken farm to go as far as eping Forest [Music] there we are magic toasted teacake Splendid and your ghetto here all right yes yes thank you thank you madam this looks lovely Miss clinson yes well well do

tuck in VI mustn't let the teac cakes get cold right of course after the last fortnite I don't suppose you wanted to come back to Lee Hampton ver well it was quite a wrench leaving the little cottage I must say yes I'm sure I mean we got right away from everything there just the two of us nobody fussing around was really wonderful I I suppose you um had somebody in to do the housework though didn't you oh no didn't you no not a soul we did every bit of it ourselves stubbing floors laying fires everything

and Mary's a simply wonderful cook I hadn't realized is she really but well you must have had a lot of business details to go into didn't you I mean in in connection with the chicken farm yes quite a lot and of course we got around the country a lot that day we were checking on the markets oh yes yes I was forgetting you had the little Austin do you drive VI oh no no Mary does all the driving though she's going to teach me oh that'll be nice did you run up to town at all

while you were there no oh Mary perhaps no oh well I I just thought you'd you'd have taken the chance of a little JN it not very far from alling to is it well I don't think Mary's very keen on London really no oh well so um the two of you stayed in Kent together all the time yes every minute and you didn't get bored with each other oh no well you both sound very fortunate young people but you know a little change of companionship is good for everybody I've known so many happy friendships spoiled

by by people seeing too much of each other well I don't think they have been real friendships I mean Mary and I tell each other all our thoughts and feelings we trust each other completely we're really completely happy Miss Clemson that's fortunate ver and if I were Mary Whitaker I'd feel very touched to think that I I had such a friend as you a true friend loyal friend oh miss kimson how nice you are no I I mean it you may think you're lucky in knowing Mary but she's the lucky one in knowing you do

you think so I'm such a silly person really but I don't try to be a loyal friend it is important isn't it being loyal you mean yes oh yes yes it is as long as you're sure in your heart that the other person deserves your loyalty yes P may I say something if you ever find yourself wanting to have a chat about anything do let me know it it it is useful at times to have an older person to talk to if you've got anything on your mind oh miss Clemson that is kind of you

it it was just an idea hey when I was your age they never seemed anyone I could go to for advice all my aunts and uncles they were very nice but I could never talk to them oh I know what you mean so if you ever have anything worrying you ver and and you want to get it off your chest just let me know and we we can try and sort it out together that's very sweet of you miss Clemson I'll remember that well I'd say you've done a good job there Sergeant Harvey puts things

very clearly thank you sir I'll get a copy sent off to Essex half past Lord Peter's late he's not waiting outside is he i e sir he said he' be here just after 11: no no son good morning s oh here he is Sir just come in oh good morning that morning Charles I'm fly sorry Mrs mdle it on your monster motorc car yes the old bus got an airlock and a petrol feed took me a bit of time to trace it yes well I gather you some progress to report in certain directions the main

thing is we managed to track down the Reverend H Dawson ah have you met him yes had quite a chat we found he belong to the Tabernacle Mission they got placed down in stpp guess what the H stands for no idea Hallelujah no yes the Reverend Hallelujah dwom from the West Indies H from Trinidad back in 1810 Apparently one of the dwom chapel Simon got press ganged as the Navy and while he was out in the West Indies he managed to jump ship he married one of the local lasses and dear old Hallelujah done at

steeple is his surviving grandson I see well how does the Reverend ra is a possible claimant ah good question I have to admit I find it quite impossible to work out his exact relationship to the late Miss dawsome but on the face of it it looks as if Mary Whitaker wins the inherit race fairly comfortably at least under the old property act I see you see what happened was the sugar crop failed back home and Hallelujah and his flock fell on some pretty hard times well then the old boy came across a bundle of family

papers thought his connections over here might be able to help scraped up after the passage got here and then looked up the family solicitor in warshire he sounds determined I suppose but it wasn't greed it was simple poverty well when he showed the celic all his papers the cicor had to point out that the old boy's relationship ship to miss dawon was extremely distant but he gave him a letter of introduction and Hallelujah went down to leh Hampton to call on her yes so apparently M dorson was absolutely charming and although he made it completely

clear he hadn't the slightest claim on her she upped and made him a yearly allance which continued till her death ah and what happened after her death nothing nothing Miss dorson had told him she didn't like the idea of making a will but that her niece will continue the allance on her behalf and she didn't continue it no can we confirm this chap story indeed we can and have oh how because I got him to give me the name of the solicor he went to see chap named provin I then went around to merbles and

got him to phone probin up proin confirms the whole thing uhuh more than that probin turns out to be a sort of Missing Link all in his own how do you mean do you remember that business of a mysterious solicitor calling on Miss Dawson oh yes well it was provin I see yes but after his visit Miss dwson took all her Affairs out of his hands and transferred her custom to a leh Hampton ver oh I see that's what puzzled me yes that's why no one seemed to know about him but what did he go

and see her about he went to see her for the simple reason that he was an extremely capable solicitor he'd been going into the wording of the proposed property act and realized it contains certain ambiguities he then reviewed the position of all his clients who might become victims of these ambiguities if they were to die without making a will and M Dawson was one of them so he went down to Warner exactly and unfortunately timed his arrival just after Dr C told her she must have an operation m on after car had been talking about

making will yes and of course the old girl blew up in pin's face saying there's aacy to fight n to dying and from that day to this he's had no contact with any member of the family whatsoever oh well well you know I wonder if that wasn't it what do you mean that Old Miss Dawson thought people were trying to frighten her into dying mightn't that have been the cause of death fear oh Charles no I'm quite serious Peter that old lady may have died because everybody who came to call kept on talking of her

dying yes but how about Bera go to bed you can't tell me she died of fright well it was a strain of some sort on a weak house see what I mean no no all I'm saying is we're tending to think of these cases as murder cases without the slightest shred of real evidence now look I want evidence Peter I know I know for instance how about this fortnite at the cottage have you had anything through about that well I had a letter from Miss Clemson this morning ah and nothing I see Mary Whitaker was

at the cottage with a whole Fortnight in the company of Vera feon night made any trip to London and it was during that fourth night that Bera died yes so another theory Goes West I'm afraid it does no excuse me Peter Parker oh yes good morning yes he is just hold on it's for you Mr merbles really well what's up hello merbles no not all evening Cropper oh evening Cropper berther sister I thought is in Canada I see I see that sounds interesting did you Mary V you mean that is interesting look I think I

should have a chat with Mrs Cropper good all right MBL say I'd be around to Mrs gers to have a word with her goodbye Charles that was most interesting that I gathered Evelyn Cropper has come over from Canada to see her mother m and she's been telling merbles of a pretty little scheme to get Miss dorson to sign a will a scheme that failed whose scheme Mary bier's and involving the goat of Ed guards as potential Witnesses what oh quite innocent Witnesses sounds a pretty devilish piece of deception altogether I can see why she wanted

those girls out of the house Charles I wonder if she knew where they had moved to in London well how do you mean well look the fact that at the time of bera's death Mary was down in Kent rules out direct involvement an accomplice exactly you don't mean the Striking Mrs Forest by any chance why not well we haven't the slightest proof they know each other Peter that's why no but I think we ought to try and find out come in sorry to worry you sir but I think you should see this I've just been

going through it what's that Harvey ladi's missing person circulation there sir under Hampshire oh yes uh good Lord what is it it's something we get from the county forces when anyone goes missing there's an entry here for Hampshire timed at 6:00 p.m. yesterday Miss V Featherstone and miss m Whitaker of Lee Hampton failed to return home from day trip to Coast Wednesday 11th of May no leftenant Colonel R featherston informed leh Hampton station officer by telephone 10:00 a.m. Thursday 12th of May yesterday yes and today is Friday the 13th Harvey get leh hampt on the

line quick as you can all right sir why did the man wait so long before reporting the girl missing I don't know maybe he didn't realize she was missing he's her father I suppose like it who doesn't say anything else um description of the girls home addresses ah parties left leh Hampton approximately at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday 11th of May in Austin 7 toura blue registration number XX 9917 registered owner M Whitaker The Grove Wellington Avenue leh Hampton destination assumed Crow's Beach Crow's Beach Crow's Beach police investigating no report missing parties or vehicle up to time

of origin 6:00 last night yes we have the superintendent on the line now sir oh Grant it's a Mr Johnson sir thanks superintendent Johnson ah good morning sir this is detective inspector Parker speaking sorry to trouble you but I've just seen the circulation on your two missing persons yes yes that's right look we may possibly have an interest in these two ladies can you give me your latest on them you have ah what I see and what was used would you say yes I see and how about the other lady no no look would you

mind if I came down with a colleague this could interest us very much I'm afraid yes well it's good of you to look at it that way I think it would be mutual a definitely yeah yes fine yes we'll go straight there and see your man probably by 3:30 or or so inspector Rogers I see uh good many thanks sir goodbye well they found the car and they found ver featherston there's no trace of Mary Whitaker and the featherston girl is dead God it was a very powerful blow there was a big spanner nearby I

see where was his Charles under some gor bushes about 10 Mi along the coast from Crow's Beach a place called Shell's head how are you doing Barton all right sir nearly through now there's just this one there good got everything of you I think so sir General views the location and close-ups of the body the spanner and these Footprints looks like two men and a woman looks like it yes how about the atin why giv you the lot on that sir any ideas about the other car well it's left a very clear set of tire

marks must be a bigger car all together from the width of tread and the depth it sunk any idea what make Continental of some sort it's a different sort of Tire I'd rather not say I looked up the tread pattern all right fine Mr Rogers yes we found something else I'll be right with you I'll be off then yes fine B uh let's have a set of those pictures as soon as you can right sir right gentlemen sorry to hold you up not all now what have you found this inspector it was in the glove

box tucked inside that lubrication chart ah fiction magazine American is it yeah the black Marsh yes and do you see how someone's underlined the first two words yes the black do you think it means anything it might be a sort of message well what do you make of it all well it looks straightforward murder and abduction yes the two girls are picnicking two men arrive by cars struggle one girl killed by a blow from his spanner and the other one taken off heav knows whereby he knows who yeah anything we've got is that cap the

label of a firming stepanie it's not much to go on no not a single fingerprint how about the dead girl's parents any help well they could tell us would have Miss Whitaker called for their daughter at 9:30 in the morning the day before yesterday the girls were just going off for the day when they didn't come back in the evening the featherston thought they'd probably just left it rather late before starting back and they decided to put up in an hotel for the night they were expecting a phone call from say when they hadn't heard

anything by the next morning Colonel feathers went round to miss Whitakers and found the maids there knew nothing either so then he got on to us inspector you say the police doctors in no doubt about the cause of death not at all what' you ask I'd actually a bit more blood about some after blowing the head as heavy as that I see and there are some marks around the nose and lips that look almost like chifor Burns really well I expect the doctor will be able to tell us a bit more when the body's back

in the Mory yes of course well you know I think we've seen all there is to see here Mr Rogers and I don't want to hold things up at all should we get back to Lee Hampton good idea there might be some news of Miss Whitaker you go on and I'll join you at the station as soon as I can grant right Peter let's be off shall we this is horrible the whole thing yes it is horrible look take a tip don't think of the girl just think of getting who did it yes all right

how tell you want I'll drop you at the leh Hampton police station and then pay a call on Miss Clemson oh yes I was forgetting her she's pretty short to know the girls missing but she won't have heard about VAR yet anyway it'll be worth seeing if she knows something we [Music] don't yeah Mrs budge yes oh good evening I'm a friend of Miss Clemson oh yes how' you do it's Mr templon isn't it uh yes that's right oh yes Mr ton she left you a letter a letter that's right now it's just here somewhere

uh ah there we are thanks yes she said you might be calling she' had to go up to London you see really yes poor dear to their brother they think it's pneumonia a brother yeah well perhaps i' yeah she said she'd tell you about it all in that such a shame cuz she was so looking forward to seeing you again she told me but of course she was very worried about her brother and I don't blame her I know when my sister what this is Dreadful yeah well I know she was worried about him budge

I must go do do excuse me well won't you stay I'm I can't Mr bud it's this kind of I I must go oh de what I tell me S you call I uh yes yes of course can I call well well poor Mr Templeton he was upset any idea what might be holding him up Mr Parker oh maybe his car oh we had some trouble getting it started air lock or something and I can't imagine Miss Clemson will have much to tell him he'll be in for a shock when he does get back here

anyway yes this Miss Clemson what's she what you I would call an inquiry agent uh excuse me inspector Rogers oh yes Bon good yes I see a Renault all right many thanks goodbye the other car at Shell's head that's right Barton's pretty sure the tires are those Renault use you know that rings a bell somewhere h Bells AR ringing all right inspector Rogers oh it's put him through it's him oh yes Rogers here Lord Peter yes of course just just hold on does he want me Yes sounds a bit edgy wonder what's up hello Peter

Charles I'm in a bit of a rush I'm fing from Guilford Guilford well just outside the first place I could find a hone look I can't explain everything but miss gson F the flat B tell her we will hear such she left me a note yeah she's taken the six1 to London and I'm after her in the car she doesn't know VI's dead and I have a feeling she's walking into trouble what do you mean Vera sent her a letter the day she went to the coast oh she got the letter yesterday Vera wanted her

advice she thought someone was putting pressure on Mary Whitaker what do you mean blackmail I don't know she came across some things that wed her while the two of them were staying at that Cottage she was looking around the writing desk for a pencil and found Mary's checkbook slipped under the butter Mary had just gone to answer the front door yes well well the checkbook was open so she could see the stubs the top stub was made out to cash for £10,000 good Lord when she took a peek at the other stubs there were three

cash checks for 10,000 during February and March and black mailers prefer cash yes Miss Crimson had fixed a lunch with Mary today and was hoping to get some clue to it all them but of course Mar didn't turn up then she heard that the girls were missing yes but the other thing Charles yes but look talking of mysterious checks where you hear what we've got what I've just had a call from the yard your Chum the Reverend H Dawson walked into a bank in stepy this afternoon with a check for £10,000 made out to Bearer

signed by Mary Whitaker and dated yesterday what yes I thought that would shake you the bank manager read in London paper at lunchtime that a Mary Whitaker was one of two girls missing when he saw that check an hour later he phoned our Chaps at stany they've got the Reverend there now but Charles he couldn't have couldn't he how about that cap we found near the body that came from stepanie and how about those words on the magazine but the black meaning a West Indian good Heavens Charles that check how did he get it well

according to him it came this morning's post with no covering letter address on the envelope typed post mark wc1 it doesn't ring true to me anyway we're going over the check for fingerprints if there's no sign of hers on it it could easily be a Ford signature yes look Charles I simply must get on I've had horrible thought about the way these people died and I'm greatly wed about Miss Clemson Miss Clemson what what Charles at the moment all Miss Clemson knows is that Mary whiter and ver are missing she doesn't yet know be's dead

she's desperately concerned about the girl and is very bravely trying to find out on her own what's going on the point is Vera told her something else she found at the cottage what a delivery note from fortam and Mason a delivery note addressed to our old friend Mrs Forest no that's who Miss Clemson thinks is behind all this and I'm pretty sure she's right don't you see Charles I simply got to get to Mrs forest's before Miss yes but Peter if that noted Peter oh last has he young up yes good Lord Rogers those TI

marks what the yes Mrs Forest runs A Renault and who's Mrs Forest oh no shall I answer please this better Roger's office may I speak to inspector Parker if he's there please Parker speaking who's that Sergeant Harvey from the yard sir oh yes har it's about that check sir yes and we put it through for fingerprints and we've got prints of four different people dwon who brought it in the cashier the manager and a fourth person nothing on the records for any of them I see so that's that not quite sir it's that fourth person

there's a right hand thumb print on the check very clear impression what about it well it matches something we've got in the office what yes sir a thumb print on that photograph Lord Peter gave us we have it filed under the name of Fest at an address in South orley Street good evening Madam good evening Porter turn a bit CH leave yes do you know your way Madam uh uh Mrs Forest I want I I think she's flat number three that's right Madam second floor the L's just here oh thank you just press the button

Mark second Madam and when you get out flat three is on your right oh thank you so much yes oh good evening I I wonder if I might trouble you for a few moments it's about our mission settlement I'd very much like to tell you something about the work we do the settlements in the East End we're most anxious to get as much support as possible and oh may I that's really most kind of you um through here yes yes yes we we have such a dedicated band of helpers and they do such a very

worthwhile job but of course as you may imagine the question of funds is always in a oh yes it's always a matter of making ANM youy so what we're hoping to do is to add to our circle of subscribers I I wonder if you might perhaps be willing to to yes willing to do what to do what Miss Clemson it's you yes Miss Clemson it's me keep away for what that thing youve got hypodermic that's right keep it away from me oh you need don't worry there's nothing in it keep away keep away no no

no yes Miss Clemson yes you needn't worry my dear Miss Clemson there's nothing in it what the hell stay it right where you are if you please that's she that's a woman what the hell are you doing here stay it right where you are what's the meaning of this who who are you you're not the porter no Madam and you're not Mrs Fest what I'm a police officer Madam sergeant Harvey Scotland Yard no conable Sergeant see the lady William yes Ser right Mary Whitaker Alias Forest I arrest you on the charge of yes of attempted

murder for a start is that all no Mr whiter but he probably not and I must warn you that anything you say may be taken down and used in evidence at your trial trial oh look this is quite outrageous your whole attitude this woman forced her way into my flat and attacked me and how is it that she's now lying on the floor unconscious it was self-defense I struggled with her and she fell against the table indeed Miss whiger and would you mind passing me that hypodermic please this yes please oh very well thank you

I don't know why you're bothering about that it's it's what I use for my neuralgia injection really yes it's completely harmless there's nothing in it but of course that's just how you like it Miss Whitaker what the devil do you mean I wouldn't exactly call that hypodermic harmless it doesn't need anything in it the way you use it now are you really sure you're all right Miss ginson perfectly sure perfectly thank you Mr Parker yeah we are my Lord a bu Splendid Miss Crimson will be most grateful you care to try this Madam oh thank

you what is it it's bunter p and picked me up Crimson do you the world of good I strongly recommend it really but might I get intoxicated you might but after what you've been through why not well all right I say it it's good there what did I tell you oh it's really good bunter thank you very much not at all Madam thank you well there we are Charles the end of the case and nearly the end of you miss Clemson what a day it be oh that woman's face Lord Peter I just can't believe

I'm alive I can imagine but I still don't understand about the hypodermic there wasn't any poison in it or anything I know there wasn't that was whole idea but how did you get on to it Mrs myle your car yes remember this morning when I got to your office late she had an airlock in her petrol feed of course and we had the same trouble this afternoon exactly the whole thing came to be suddenly on the way back to town when I got to hide Park I found a call box and ran Dr car to

see what he thought he could as they say have have kicked himself but you mean the hypodermic was only injecting air nothing but air uh look the heart pushes blood around the body right it acts as a pump yes like the petrol pump in a car introduce a blockage into the bloodstream and the heart stops pumping I see you see the hypodermic is filled with air this is injected into the bloodstream the air bubble causes a blockage and the result just another case of heart failure no special symptoms nothing only one thing what somewhere the

tiny Mark of the needle if you happen to be looking for it yeah What a wicked mind to think of a thing like that Wicked and knowledgeable she's a fully qualified nurse don't forget yes and of course as car pointed out the one thing a nurse has to do when giving an injection a normal injection is to be completely positive there's no air trapped in the hypodermic yes of course but Mr Parker I well now that Sergeant I thought was the porter how did he come to be there in time because I I sent him

he phoned me at leh Hampton with some information that proved Mrs forest and Mary Whitaker were one and the same person ah that woman had us fooled I suppose all that bleached hair was a wig as a matter of fact it was and that makeup I know well as soon as I knew about Mrs Forest I knew you were definitely walking into trouble Miss Clemson I got Harvey to go straight round to the flats and contact the real Porter as luck would have it the chap had spare keys to all the flats in case of

f ah so Harvey borrowed the key to the flat and while he was about it the Porter's uniform it wasn't too bad to fit it wasn't you see we thought it could well be best to let you go on up to the flat when you got there miss kimson but with Harvey to keep an eye on you just thinking he was the portter wouldn't worry I see what you mean well then he went through to the entrance hall and waited for developments you arrived first and you just after I gather Peter just as Miss Clemson's

taxi was pulling away about 30 seconds behind good Heavens the moment you got into the lift the sergeant and I made a dash for the stairs we got up to the second floor just as you were doing your stuff about the mission settlement then she let you in in and when we heard the S room door closed we use the spare key to let ourselves in too that's amazing but you know what I don't understand Lord Peter is why why did she do all those terrible things why God knows greed as In fairness to Miss

Dawson did want her to have her money when she died the catch was the old girl wouldn't commit herself in writing then when the Reverend Hallelujah turned up and the new property act began to be discussed she realized her position might be very precarious but when you think of it there are only two things she could do either trick this Dawson into making a will or see that she died before the new act came into Force yes yes well we heard today that in fact she tried to spot her trickery but M dorson caught her

out so that was that she got the go to bed girls innocently standing by to witness the signing instead of which they witnessed a row and their knowledge of that R made them potentially dangerous yes well she dismissed them I must have made a point of knowing where they had gone to in London but her a she was left with a simple alternative of seeing she died before the 1st of January 1926 and she did so with her little hypodermic horrible but Lord Peter now about poor Bera go to bed now if Mary Whitaker was

down at the cottage at the time she died how could Mary have murdered her because at that time she wasn't at the cottage she'd spotted by advertisment for the go to beds and had gone up to London but Vera said she never left the cottage they're Al lied I can't believe it you have to believe it because when we interviewed Mrs Forest she admitted being in London at the time in question and as we now know Mrs Forest is in fact Mary Whitaker yes of course so Vera was lying but only out of loyalty because

Mary asked her to say she'd never left the cottage though she couldn't realize why she asked her that she thought the trip to London was sented to pay off for blackmailer she didn't know it was to murder Bera she sent you that letter because she liked you trusted you and simply had to tell you about those checks but it's my guess she'd never have told you of Mary's trip to London I think you're right but those chicks where was the money going to Mrs Forest I'd say yes Mrs Forest the double identity at any time

if things got difficult Miss Whitaker could disappear and Mrs Forest carry on but to do so Mrs Forest had to have money of course and a bank account so Mary Whitaker draws cash in leh Hampton and Mrs Forest pays it into her bank in south or simple isn't it yes her big mistake was that 5 note the one in bera's handback without that we'd have known nothing of Mrs Forest at all that little visit we paid her must have got her rattled I think that was when she decided to Stage her disappearance as Mary Whitaker

yes there really should have done better the other way around but why murder poor little Vera simply to make things look convincing one young woman bashed on the head with the spanner the other spited Away by a couple of toughs would have done anything for it I know but as far as Mary was concerned ver was Expendable I think that's her whole attitude to humanity she probably did it after had that picnic Vera is most likely having a snooze Mary won't risk killing her with the spanner she's hardly experienced in that direction so she puts

up properly asleep with the little chori form does her usual neat job with the hypodermic and then as soon as the girl is dead lays on some blows with the spanner and because Vera's Bloods already stopped flowing the spanner doesn't cause much of a mess yes of course well then Mary nips through the GH to the Renault which she's written down from London the day before in it she's got that magazine the Black Mask two pairs of men's shoes to make Footprints and the captain off she goes to London in the Renault exactly this all

happens the day before yesterday yesterday she takes a short trip to a pillow box in wc1 and posts a bear a check for £10,000 to the Reverend Hallelujah Dawson who lives or purely by chance in Stepney yes he gets the check this morning goes round to a bank this afternoon and is held by Stepney police on suspicion of murdering Vera featherston and abducting Mary Whitaker for the purposes of illegal gain what a mind that woman must have it's it's frightening it is I'd hate to play chess with her old Hallelujah must have been thrilled by

that check the Charles he must have thought you had a change of heart he' be dreadfully disappointed not to get that money who said he won't get it Charles you Old Devil that's a perfectly good check for £10,000 signed by Mary Whitaker no reason why I shouldn't be cleared in the ordinary course of business Charles I take my hat off to you thank you my Lord most kind of you but you know there's just one thing about all this that worries me me I wonder if you've thought about it what's that proof proof evidence look

I agree with everything you've said I'm confident that that woman has committed three murders and attempted a fourth tonight and at this moment she's in the cells at sever roow charged with that attempt but with a good defense as a strong chance she may get off oh surely not well she may stick to her story that Miss Clemson attacked her but that's nonsense yes I know of course it's nonsense we all know that but can we convince a jury it's nonsense that's our job now that and getting enough real evidence over the other deaths well

we have a certain amount but I'm not at all sure it's enough we need enough for a conviction wonder who this is 12 11 hello yes that's right certainly he's just here it's for you Charles S police station oh right par here oh yes what is it s what but wasn't there even I see right there's nothing you can do I'll be straight over we're too late how I'm afraid we are suicide no in her cell she tied a sheet to the window bars and strangled herself we got rest her soul yes so you don't

get your conviction Charles no I don't get a conviction but you do get proof you could call it that Peter I think sir yes I think you could call it proof unnatural death the novel by Dorothy Els was dramatized for radio by David giri the part of Lord Peter Whimsy was played by Hugh Burton and detective inspector Charles Parker by Clifford Norgate bunter William eel Miss Clemson Katherine par Mrs Fest Eva Hatton Mrs budge Kathleen Helm nurse Filmore Kate biny Sergeant Harvey John row merbles Lewis Stringer Vera featherston Jill gram inspector Rogers Edward Kelsey PC

Barton Graham Alam and Dr Carr John Samson the play was produced by David H Godfrey