Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-10-24
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1ney came up TO the mouse with her,
ate sandwiches, and about an hour or
so later l was sent for and found
Mary Gerard unconscious. Did all I
could, but it was no good. Autopsy
revealed large dose of morphine had
been taken short time previously.
And the police found scrap of la
bel with morphia hydrochlor on it just
where Elinor Carlisle had been
spreading the sandwiches"
What else did Mary Gerard eat
or drink"
"She and the District Nurse drank
tea with the sandwiches. Nurse made
it and Mary poured it out. Couldn't
have been anything there. Of course,
l understand Counselu will make a
song and dance about sandwiches, too
saying all three ate them, therefore
impossible to ensure that only one
person should be poisoned. They said
that in the Hearne case you remem-
ber."
Poirot nodded. He said: "But ac-
tually it is very simple. You make
your pile of sandwiches. In one of
them is the poison. You hand the
plate. In our state of civilization it
is foregone conclusion that the per-
son to whom the plate is offered will
take the sandwich that is nearest to
them. presume that Elinor Carlisle
handed the plate to Mary Gerard
first?"
Exactly"
Although the nurse, who was an
older woman, was in the room?"
"Yes."
"That does not look very good"
ct doesn't mean a thing, really.
You don't stand on ceremony at a pic
mic lunch"
"Who cut the sandwiches ?"
"Elinor Carlisle"
"Was there any one else in the
house?"
emo one."
Poirot shook his head. "It is bad,
that.
"And the girl had nothing but the
tea and the sandwiches ?" asked Poir-
OF.
Nothing. Stomach contents tell us
that"
Poirot said: "It is suggested that
Elinor Carlisle hoped the girls death
would be taken for food poisoning ?
How did she propose to explain the
fact that only one member of the par
ty was affected?"
Peter Lord said: ut does happen
that way sometimes. Also, there were
two pots of paste-both much alike in
appearance. The idea would be that
one pot was all right and that by a
coincidence all the bad paste was eat
en- by Mary"
"An interesting study in the laws
of probability" said Poirot. 1.-THE
mathematical chances against that
happening would be high, I fancy. But
another point, if food poisoning was
to be suggested: Why not choose q
different poison? The symptoms of
morphine are not in the least like
those of food poisoning. Atrophine,
surely, would have been a better
choice!"
Peter Lord said slowly: eyes, that's
true. But there's something more.
District Nurse Hopkins swears she
lost tube of morphinew
"When?"
"Oh, weeks earlier, the night old
Mrs. Welman died. The nurse says she
left her case in the hall and found a
tube of morphine missing in the
morning. All bunkum, l believe.
Probably smashed it at home some
time before and forgot about it."
"She has only remembered is since
the death of Mary Gerrard?"
Peter Lord said reluctantly: GAS
a matter of fact, she did mention it
at the time-to the nurse on duty"
Hercule Poirot was looking at Pet
er Lord with some interest. He said
gently: 81 think mon cher, there is
something else-something that you
have not yet told me-"
Peter Lord said: ooh, well, l sup
pose you'd better have it all. They're
applying for an elimination order and
going to dig up old Mrs. Welman."
Poirot said: "Eh bien?"
Peter Lord said: when they do,
they'll probably find what they're
looking for-morphine!"
"You knew that?"
Peter Lord, his face white under the
freckles, muttered: II suspected it"