“It's a damned lie!” said Guy.
“Hush, Guy!” Mrs Matthews said mechanically. “It is ridiculous, of course, quite ridiculous. Who could have wanted to poison poor Harriet? If it were not so terrible it would be almost laughable! But to subject us all to the horror of another inquest—really, doctor, don't you think you are letting yourself —”
“Mrs Matthews, I must decline to discuss it with you. I was not attending your sister-in-law at the time of her death; I was not called in when she was first taken ill. I could not reconcile it with my conscience to sign a certificate under such circumstances. Now, if you will please go downstairs, both of you, I will lock this room up until the police come to take charge.”
“You cannot have thought what this will mean to us,” Mrs Matthews said. “The scandal—so unnecessary, so dreadful for everybody concerned! You can't seriously think that anyone would dream of poisoning Harriet! Good heavens, what possible object could anybody have for doing such a thing?”
The doctor shrugged. “That is not a question for me, Mrs Matthews. I can only tell you that I am very far from satisfied that Miss Matthews died a natural death.”
Guy took his mother's arm. “Come downstairs, mother. It's no use arguing. If he's not satisfied, it's got to go to the police,” he said.
She let him lead her out of the room, and down the stairs; the doctor locked the door on the outside, and withdrew the key, and would have followed Mrs Matthews at once had not Stella got up from the chair on the landing where all the time she had been sitting. She said: “Deryk, for God's sake tell me! You don't really think that? I didn't come in, but I heard all you said. She can't have been poisoned!”
“I'm sorry,” he answered in his professional voice. “But I can't help it, you know.”
“If it hadn't been for, uncle's death you'd never have suspected poison!” Stella said.
“The cases are not the same,” he replied. “Your uncle was already suffering from heart-trouble. Miss Matthews, when last I was called in to attend her, had nothing wrong with her heart or her blood-pressure. If your uncle were alive today I should still consider Miss Matthews' death extraordinary.”