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âIn that niche over there on our right of the sanctuarah.â
âAnd what is the procedure with the methylated tablet?â
âPrior to the service Claude comes before the altar and after prostrating himself three times, draws the Sacred Cup from its Monstrance. As he does this he repeats a little prayer in Norse. He genuflects thrice and then rising to his feet he â ah â he ââ
âDrops in the tablet and puts the cup away again?â
âYes.â
âI see. Mr Bathgate tells me the flame appeared after you laid your hands over the cup. How is this done?â
âI â ah â I employ a little capsule,â said Father Garnette.
âReally? What does it contain?â
âI believe the substance is known as zinc â ah â ethyl.â
âOh, yes. Very ingenious. You turn away for a moment as you use it perhaps?â
âThat is so.â
âIt all seems quite clear now. One more question. Has there, to your knowledge, ever been any form of poison kept on the premises of this building?â
Father Garnette turned as white as his robes and said no, definitely not.
âThank you very much. I greatly appreciate your courtesy in answering so readily. I hope you will not mind very much if I ask you to wait in the â is that a vestry over there? It is! â in the vestry, while I see these other people. No doubt you will be glad to change into less ceremonial dress.â
âI shall avail myself of the opportunitah to regain in meditation my tranquilitah and spiritual at-oneness.â
âDo,â said Alleyn cordially.
âMy subconscious mind, impregnated with the word, will flow to you-wards. In all humilitah I believe I may help you in your task. There are more things in Heaven and earth, Inspector Alleyn ââ
âThere are indeed, sir,â agreed the inspector dryly. âHave you any objection to being searched before you go?â
âSearched? No â er â no, certainly not. Certainly not.â
âThatâs very sensible. Pure routine you know. Iâll send a man in.â
Father Garnette withdrew to the vestry accompanied by a plain-clothes man.
âDamnâ, sickly, pseudo, bogus, mumbo-jumbo,â said Alleyn with great violence. âWhat do you think of him, Fox?â
âWell, sir,â said Fox placidly, âI must say I wondered if the gentleman knew much more about what he seemed to be talking about than I did.â
âAnd well you might, my Foxkin, well you might. Hullo, Bathgate.â
âHullo,â said Nigel guardedly.
âEnjoying yourself?â
âIâm taking shorthand notes. I seem to remember that you have a passion for shorthand notes.â
âAinât dat de truff, Lawd! Have you read âOle Man Adamâ?â
âYes.â
âI wish Garnette had. Fox!â
âYes, sir?â
âSend someone else into the vestry with Mr Garnette, will you, and get them to look him over. And any of the others I send in. Whereâs the wardress?â
âIn the porch out there.â
âShe can deal with the ladies. Tell them to look for a small piece of crumpled paper or anything that could have held powder. I donât think theyâll find it. Bailey!â
Detective-Sergeant Bailey moved down from the sanctuary.
âYes, sir?â
âThe next, if you please.â
Bailey went through the little door and reappeared with Claude Wheatley and a general air of having taken an unlucky dip in a bran-tub. Fox returned with another plain-clothes man who went into the vestry.
âThis gentleman isnât feeling too good, sir. He wants to go home,â said Bailey.
âOh, yes,â said Claude. âOh, yes, please. Oh, yes.â
âSorry youâre upset, Mr Wheatley,â said Alleyn.
âUpset! Iâm fearfully ill, Inspector. You canât think. Oh, please may I sit down.â
âDo.â
Claude sank into one of the Initiatesâ chairs and gazed wide-eyed at the inspector.
âI feel too ghastly,â he moaned.
âWhat upset you?â
âThat appalling old woman. She said such frightful things. I do think old women are awful.â
âWhom do you mean?â
âThe Candour female.â
âWhat did she say to upset you?â
âOh, I donât know. I do feel shocking.â
Dr Curtis came out of Garnetteâs room and strolled down.
âMr Wheatley felt a bit squeamish,â he said cheerfully, âbut heâll be all right. Heâs had a peg of some really excellent brandy. Father Garnetteâs a lucky man.â
âSplendid,â rejoined Alleyn. âWould you be a good fellow and go back to them, Curtis? Some of the others may need attention.â
âCertainly.â Curtis and Alleyn exchanged a glance and the doctor returned.
âNow, Mr Wheatley,â Alleyn began. âI think you look much better. Iâve a few questions Iâd like to put to you. You can refuse to answer if you think it advisable.â
âYes, but thatâs all very well. Suppose I do refuse, then youâll start thinking things.â
âI might, certainly.â
âYes â well â there!â
âDifficult for you,â remarked Alleyn.
âWell, anyway,â said Claude very peevishly, âyou can ask them. I may as well know what they are.â
âI have already asked the first. What did Mrs Candour say to upset you?â
Claude wriggled.
âJealous old cat. The whole thing is she loathes Father Garnette taking the slightest notice of anybody else. Sheâs always too loathsomely spiteful for words â especially to Lionel and me. How she dared! And anyway everybody knows all about it. Iâd hardly be stupid enough to ââ Here Claude stopped short.
âTo do what, Mr Wheatley?â
âTo do anything like that, even if I wanted to, and anyway I always thought Cara Quayne was a marvellous person â so piercingly decorative.â
âWhat would you hardly be stupid enough to do?â asked Alleyn patiently.
âTo â well â well â to do anything to the wine. Everybody knows it was my week to make preparation.â
âYou mean you poured the wine into the silver flagon and put the methylated tablet into the cup. What did Mrs Candour suggest?â
âShe didnât actually suggest anything. She simply said I did it. She kept on saying so. Old cat.â
âI shouldnât let it worry you. Now, Mr Wheatley, will you think carefully. Did you notice any peculiar, any unusual smell when you poured out the wine?â
âAny smell!â ejaculated Claude opening his eyes very wide. âAny smell!â
âAny smell.â
âWell, of course Iâd just lit all the censers you know. Donât you think our incense is rather divine, Inspector? Father Garnette gets it from India. Itâs sweet-almond blossom. Thereâs the oil too. We burn a dish of the oil in front of the altar. I lit it just before I got the wine. Itâs a gorgeous perfume.â
âEvidently. You got the bottle of wine from Mr Garnetteâs room. Was it unopened?â
âYes. I drew the cork.â
âYou put nothing else in the flagon?â
Claude looked profoundly uncomfortable.
âWell â well, anyway I didnât put any poison in, if thatâs what youâre hinting.â
âWhat else did you put?â
âIf you must know itâs something from a little bottle that Father Garnette keeps. It has a ceremonial significance. Itâs always done.â
âHave you any idea what it is?â
âI donât know.â
âWhere is this bottle kept?â
âIn the little cupboard in Father Garnetteâs room.â
âI see. Now as I understand it you took the wine to each of the Initiates in turn. Did you at any time notice an unusual smell from the cup?â
âI never touched the cup, Inspector. I never touched it. They all handed it round from one to the other. I didnât notice any smell except the incense. Not ever.â
âRight. Did you notice Miss Quayne at all when she took the cup?â
âDid I notice her? My God, yes.â
âWhat happened exactly?â
âIt was simply appalling. You see I thought she was in Blessed Ecstasy. Well, I mean she was, up to the time she took the cup. She had spoken in ecstasy and everything. And then she drank. And then oh, it was frightful! She gave a sort of gasp. A fearfully deep gasp and sort of sharp. She made a face. And then she kind of slewed round and she dropped the cup. Her eyes looked like a dollâs eyes. Glistening. And then she twitched all over â jerked â ugh! She fell down in a sort of jerk. Oh, Iâm going to be sick, I think.â
âNo, youâre not,â said the inspector very firmly. âYou are going home. Go into the vestry and change your clothes.â
âWhereâs Lionel?â
âHeâll join you in a moment. Goodnight.â
âOh,â said Claude rolling a languishing eye at Alleyn, âyou are marvellous, Inspector. Oh, I would so very much rather not be sick. Goodbye.â
âGoodnight.â
Claude, under escort, walked with small steps into the vestry where they could hear him talking in a sort of feeble scream to the officer who searched him.
âOh,â cried Inspector Fox suddenly in a falsetto voice, âoh, Inspector, I think Iâm going to be sick.â
âAnd well you might be,â said Nigel, grinning. âWhat a loathly, what a nauseating, what an unspeakable little dollop.â
âHorrid, wasnât it?â agreed Alleyn absently. âDamn that incense,â he added crossly. âSweet almond too, just the very thing ââ he paused and stared thoughtfully at Fox. âLetâs have Lionel,â he said.