“Well, then, Mrs. Kenley,” he said pleasantly, “we are more indebted to you than ever. You relieved us of Torquemada here in the chair, you saved us from Aunt Emmeline, you probably prevented us all from cutting one another’s throats, and all the time you were solving the mystery that had entangled us in its meshes.”
“But I don’t begin to understand. You are Bob Kenley’s wife, aren’t you? You must be because of mother’s letter——” Ethel was properly bewildered, and took some convincing that Janet could be anything other than she had pretended, but ultimately all was explained, and I was relieved to see that Janet had not in any way lost prestige by what had come to light.
“With Mrs. Kenley safely installed in the house, I went over to Sheffield to make what inquiries I could. I was soon satisfied that there had been something in the nature of a love-affair between Miss Hunter and Mr. Bennett. I also learned that she had been asked to resign from the school in which she taught. That was on Thursday morning. In the evening when I got back here, I was met with the disturbing information that the Chinese flagon had been found to contain nothing but water, and that the poison itself was still in the murderer’s private possession. You will see at once that almost surely cut out the doctor, unless he was being very, very clever and had removed it just to make me come to the conclusion I did.”
“I had practically made up my mind to break up the party and rely on obtaining further evidence in some other way, but Janet overpersuaded me, and we took Mr. Jeffcock partly into our confidence so that she should have some one always at hand in case of need.”
When I remembered how I had caught them behind the garage, it amused me, his reference to taking me into their confidence. I smiled to myself, and I thought that Janet was equally amused, but I made no comment.
“This is what I imagine actually happened. Mr. Bennett’s obvious attentions to Miss Palfreeman aroused Miss Hunter’s jealousy. Who knows what castles she had built, on the foundation that they were staying in the same house and playing in the same tournament together? What hopes she may not have had with regard to their reunion? Perhaps at the psychological moment she heard the doctor tell Miss Palfreeman that her medicine had been sent up-stairs, or perhaps she saw Annie taking it up. The cupboard key she already had, and in spite of what you have said, Doctor, she probably knew a good deal about the poison. Remember her connection with Miss Summerson. I think that the poison must have been taken from the cupboard and added to the draft some time between six and seven on Tuesday. What made her decide to keep the rest, I can’t explain, neither have I found out where she put it. But it would be easy to hide. For instance, she could have put it in one of her scent bottles and have hidden it in the garden.
“On the Wednesday morning after the murder was discovered she probably lost her nerve to some extent, and thought she might add to her safety by throwing away the glass and putting the key to the bedroom door in the doctor’s pocket. As luck would have it, the doctor unfortunately drew particular attention to the fact that he hadn’t locked the door.
“When Mr. Dane stated at the inquiry, that the doctor had laid unnatural stress on the fact that you all of you might have been up-stairs unknown to the rest during Tuesday evening, that probably decided her later actions, and explains the second notice, and the hiding of the newspaper in Mr. Jeffcock’s bedroom.”
“That still puzzles me,” I exclaimed. “Why on earth didn’t she hide the paper in the doctor’s room?”
“I think that she wanted to spread the suspicion,” Allport answered me after a pause. “And it wasn’t a bad plan either. She had already put the medicine glass inside one of your socks before she threw it out of the window among the ivy on the roof. But for accidents such as the unburned corner of photograph, the splinter of glass and the diamond, we might have been sadly at sea, and it may interest you to know, Mr. Jeffcock, that for a period you were the prime favorite of our good friend Inspector Brown.”