Agatha Christie's Marple

- Oh, Gladys. - How do I look, Miss Marple?

- I so want to make an impression. - I've no doubt you'll do that.

Chalet maid, imagine.

- Yes. - And who knows where it might lead?

"A stepping stone to stardom." I read that in a magazine.

You mustn't believe everything you read.

Now, you will be careful, won't you, Gladys?

- Yes, miss. - Especially of the young men.

Oh. Yes, miss.

You've been ever so good to me, Miss Marple.

- Now, now. - You have, really.

God bless.

Good morning, Consolidated Investments Trust.

Oh, no!

What was it this time, Tilly?

The blue shepherdess, Miss Marple.

Oh, Tilly.

Your tea, Mr Fortescue.

You're a very, very bad boy.

Aren't I just?

I'm afraid that's quite impossible.

Mr Fortescue is in conference.

We could try him after luncheon.

Well good morning and thank you for calling Consolidated Investments.

Do you really think they'll like me?

The old man certainly will.

- He's very impressed I hooked you. - The aristocratic riff-raff.

Pinstripes and a bowler.

It's not really me, is it?

You'll look utterly adorable.

Oh, the thought of England.

Still, since the old man's come round, we have to take advantage

and then the next time we pass through Paris, it'll be the Ritz.

Strange, you know.

Even their dads always had it in for me.

I'm still quite fond of the old bastard.

Mr Fortescue?

- Are you poorly? - What the hell did you put in the tea?

I didn't do it, Inspector.

I'm very pleased to hear that, Miss Grosvenor.

Do you always make Mr Fortescue's tea?

Always, Inspector.

He has a special pot and a special cup and saucer

and I'm the only person allowed to handle them.

And are you the only person allowed to handle the kettle as well?

No, but I refilled it myself from the cloakroom tap.

And what about the tea itself, Miss Grosvenor?

That's special too.

It's from China.

I understand this must be terribly upsetting for you.

Thank you, Inspector.

Oh, dear.

He will be all right, won't he?

He's dead.

- When? - Five minutes ago.

Poor chap never stood a chance.

Sergent Pickford's going through his belongs now.

- Speaking unofficially... - Poison?

Well, of course it was poison.

But between you and me and strictly off the record,

I'd be prepared to bet that it was taxine.

- Never heard of it. - Quite. It's most unusual.

- You get it from yew berries. - 'Yew berries?'

- From a yew tree. - Oh, that's interesting.

- 'Is it?' - The name of his house. Yewtree Lodge.

Well, that could explain it. Easy to harvest and,

more importantly, easy to administer.

'Really? How?'

The poor fellow mentioned something about his tea

but the stuff couldn't have worked that fast.

Only a cyanide would do that.

In which case, he would have been dead before the ambulance arrived.

So, tell me, Prof, how long does taxine take to work?

An hour or two. Maybe three if he'd had a big breakfast.

So if the taxine was administered at breakfast,

that lets Miss Grosvenor and the office staff off the hook.

- One thing that's odd, sir. - What, Pickford?

The suit he was wearing. I checked through his pockets

and one of them had cereal in it.

- Cereal? - Yes, sir. It's a bit peculiar, isn't it?

- You mean like cornflakes? - No, sir. I mean, like grain.

Rye, it looked like to me.

Blimey.

Inspector Neele. Sergeant Pickford.

I believe you're expecting us.

Inspector, Mary Dove, housekeeper.

Do come in.

Adele is Mr Fortescue's second wife.

Considerably younger than him.

- She was a manicurist from Brighton. - And do they have children?

He has three from his first marriage.

Two sons and a daughter.

- And are they married? - The sons, yes, not the daughter.

- I'll need to speak with all of them. - They're not here.

Adele's playing golf. I'm not sure where.

Do you know who she's playing with?

Her personal instructor, I should imagine.

A gentleman by the name of Vivian Dubois.

- And the children? - Percival's away on business.

He's the older son and a partner in the firm.

When did he go away?

The day before yesterday.

I have tried to contact him but...

..I expect he'll be back by this evening.

- He lives here with his wife Jennifer. - Oh. Where's she?

Up in town for the day.

And Elaine, the daughter, she's a vegetarian.

She'll probably have her nose buried in some dusty, old tome.

- And what about the other son? - Lancelot.

- He's in Kenya. - Oh, I see.

With his wife, the widow of Lord Anstis.

Oh, the racing chappie.

That's right. The one who blew his brains out.

Why's he in Kenya?

He moved there after a disagreement with his father

some small matter of a forged cheque, I gather.

He's lived there for years.

- And have you managed to contact him? - I'm afraid I haven't.

- I'm not having much luck, am I? - Sadly not, Inspector.

So, Mr Fortescue's death, a case of food poisoning, was it?

Anything I've ever sent up to that dining room

has been just as it should be.

I only want a few samples from breakfast, Mrs Crump.

Yes I'll give you sample man

A bit of marmalade, some ham, coffee...

There's never been any bad food served on my watch.

And as for the coffee, we finished that off at elevenses.

I don't see none of us dropping like flies.

You lot come round here like you own the place.

..I take pride in my work, not like some I could mention.

Crump! Get yourself back in here this minute, you lazy article!

Apart from the Crumps, there's Gladys.

Gladys? What does Gladys do?

She's the parlour maid and very nearly half-witted.

So those are the only people living in the house?

Yes.

You know, Inspector, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mr Fortescue

hadn't been planning some sort of reconciliation with Lancelot.

What makes you think that?

Well, Percival, you see,

has always been very much in his father's confidence

but recently they hadn't been getting along so well.

His father had been doing things that Percival,

ever prudent when it comes to money, thought unwise.

You appear most well-informed, Miss Dove.

Well, it's hardly a secret.

- Always the same, you stupid boy! - Ridiculous.

Ridiculous! No imagination, that's your problem.

We could lose thousands.

All the business acumen of a chimpanzee!

- Father, listen... - I wish Lance was here!

At least he's got guts!

Thank you, Miss Dove. You've been most helpful.

Ooh, by the way, can you give me any idea as to why

Mr Fortescue would be carrying grain in his pocket?

- Grain, Inspector? - That suggest anything to you?

Nothing at all, I'm afraid.

Oh, well.

I didn't do it, you know.

But then I suppose everybody says that, don't they?

I didn't do it, sir. I didn't, really.

You are allowed to sit down, Gladys.

I don't know anything about it, sir, honest.

How long have you worked here, Gladys?

About four months, sir.

And before that?

I was a chalet maid at Tooley's Holiday Camp.

- Tooley's Holiday Camp? - Yes, sir, in Gravesend.

And how long were you at Tooley's Holiday Camp?

- Not very long, sir. - Not very long at all. Why was that?

- Well, it... it... it... - Hm?

I suppose I didn't like it very much.

Sir, I suppose I'm more at home in private service.

See, I used to work for a lovely old lady.

Miss Marple, her name was.

She was ever so good to me.

Then why did you leave?

I wanted a change. I wanted to see the world.

In Gravesend?

Did you used to look after Mr Fortescue's clothes, Gladys?

Well, it's supposed to be Mr Crump's job

but half the time he makes me do it.

Have you ever found any grain in his pockets?

How do you mean, sir?

Cereal, Gladys. Rye to be exact.

- Rye? - Yes.

There was some found in his jacket today.

Any idea how it might have got there?

I couldn't say, sir. I never saw any.

It's really true then, is it?

- He's really dead? - Dead as a dodo, afraid.

Dead? Heavens above.

My husband's away on business.

These things happen at the most inconvenient moments.

- His death was very sudden. - You mean he was murdered?

Now why would you think that, madam?

Well, people are sometimes.

You said sudden and you're a policeman. Have you seen her about it?

- Her, madam? - His wife Adele. Awful creature.

I always told Percival his father was crazy to go marrying a woman