The Clocks by Christie Agatha

Author:Christie, Agatha [Agatha, Christie,]
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2010-06-23T04:00:00+00:00

The Clocks

CHAPTER 15

The inquest was well attended by the general public. Thrilled by a murder in their midst, Crowdean turned out with eager hopes of sensational disclosures. The proceedings, however, were as dry as they could be. Sheila Webb need not have dreaded her ordeal, it was over in a couple of minutes.

There had been a telephone message to the Cavendish Bureau directing her to go to 19, Wilbraham Crescent. She had gone, acting as told to do, by entering the sitting-room. She had found the dead man there and had screamed and rushed out of the house to summon assistance. There were no questions or elaborations. Miss Martindale, who also gave evidence, was questioned for an even shorter time. She had received a message purporting to be from Miss Pebmarsh asking her to send a shorthand typist, preferably Miss Sheila Webb, to 19, Wilbraham Crescent, and giving certain directions. She had noted down the exact time of the telephone call as 1.49. That disposed of Miss Martindale.

Miss Pebmarsh, called next, denied categorically that she had asked for any typist to be sent to her that day from the Cavendish Bureau. Detective Inspector Hardcastle made a short emotionless statement. On receipt of a telephone call, he had gone to 19, Wilbraham Crescent where he had found the body of a dead man. The coroner then asked him:

‘Have you been able to identify the dead man?’

‘Not as yet, sir. For that reason, I would ask for this inquest to be adjourned.’

‘Quite so.’

Then came the medical evidence. Doctor Rigg, the police surgeon, having described himself and his qualifications, told of his arrival at 19, Wilbraham Crescent, and of his examination of the dead man.

‘Can you give us an approximate idea of the time of death, Doctor?’

‘I examined him at half past three. I should put the time of death as between half past one and half past two.’

‘You cannot put it nearer than that?’

‘I should prefer not to do so. At a guess, the most likely time would be two o’clock or rather earlier, but there are many factors which have to be taken into account. Age, state of health, and so on.’

‘You performed an autopsy?’

‘I did.’

‘The cause of death?’

‘The man had been stabbed with a thin, sharp knife. Something in the nature, perhaps, of a French cooking-knife with a tapering blade. The point of the knife entered... ’ Here the doctor became technical as he explained the exact position where the knife had entered the heart.

‘Would death have been instantaneous?’

‘It would have occurred within a very few minutes.’

‘The man would not have cried out or struggled?’

‘Not under the circumstances in which he was stabbed.’

‘Will you explain to us, Doctor, what you mean by that phrase?’

‘I made an examination of certain organs and made certain tests. I would say that when he was killed he was in a state of coma due to the administration of a drug.’

‘Can you tell us what this drug was, Doctor?’

‘Yes. It was chloral hydrate.’

‘Can you tell how this was adminstered?’

‘I should say presumably in alcohol of some kind.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.