The Curious Incident at Claridge's Read Free Page A

answer. They watched the old man pick up the snuff-box and put it into his pocket.
    â€˜What’s inside the box?’ Payne persisted. ‘Not snuff?’
    â€˜Not snuff. It contains a pill, Payne. A capsule, rather. A single capsule. All right. She—’
    â€˜Would you be kind enough to order a cab, please?’ The tall young woman called Penelope was addressing the waiter again. ‘We are rather in a hurry.’
    â€˜We are not, really,’ the old man said.
    â€˜Name of Tradescant—’ She broke off.
    â€˜Take cover,’ Payne whispered. ‘She’s looking our way.’
    Drawing back sharply, Jesty said, ‘She saw us. Hell and damnation. Let’s get out of here.’ He pulled Payne by the cuff and the two men beat a rapid retreat in the direction of the private dining room. Awfully undignified, Payne thought. Like schoolboys caught in the act.
    â€˜She blushed … Deep crimson … She looked a picture of guilt,’ Payne said thoughtfully. ‘Penelope Tradescant. It’s the kind of name one remembers.’
    â€˜Tradescant may be only the old boy’s name,’ Jesty pointed out.
    â€˜Is there any reason for her to look guilty? Come on, what did you see? That capsule you mentioned, tell me about it.’
    Jesty gave him a sidelong glance. ‘Always hunting after a mystery, aren’t you, Payne? So it’s true what they say about you being a regular Sherlock?’
    â€˜Hate it when people use clichés. One should always strive to be original. Why don’t you say something like—’
    â€˜Ah, there you are, boys, you’ve decided to rejoin our so—so foolish and trifling banquet.’ Major-General Hailsham greeted them with this unlikely quotation from Romeo and Juliet . ‘We’ve been wondering what happened to you. Where did you disappear? What have you been up to?
    You look as though you’ve surprised a nymph while bathin’! What? What?’
    â€˜â€¦ and then old Wavell asked me if his eye was straight,’ Colonel Speke was saying. ‘It was only then I realized he had a glass eye. Gave me a frightful turn.’
    â€˜Some Napoleon brandy, boys?’ Brigadier Fielding, his face the hue of a tropical sunset, held up a bottle.
    â€˜What did she do?’ Payne asked again.
    Jesty looked at him. ‘She swapped the capsules.’

3
    Poison in Jest
    â€˜Well, I deduced he had poison on his mind some time before he told me the whole story,’ Major Payne said in a pleased manner. ‘He thought the house was called Maybrick Manor. Would be damned unusual if a poisoning did take place at a Maybrick Manor, if you know what I mean.’
    â€˜You believe that was a Freudian slip—an association of ideas? How interesting,’ Antonia said. ‘Was he really thinking of Mrs Maybrick? Did you ask him?’
    It was three hours later and they were in their sitting room in Hampstead. Payne had perched on his wife’s desk. He was still wearing his uniform and was twirling an unsmoked cigar between his fingers.
    â€˜I did ask him. He said I was probably right. He’d been reading about the case in Famous Trials only a couple of days ago, at your old haunt, the Military Club library, of all places. He picked up the book at random. Said he’d actually wondered what it would be like to make love to a poisoner. And now he’s fallen for a girl he believes is a poisoner! As though the devil made it happen, he said. Incidentally, what was the name of the new librarian lady? I keep forgetting.’
    â€˜Mrs Mole—a very nice woman. Something Mrs Maybrick was most definitely not,’ Antonia said. ‘Mrs Maybrick was accused of poisoning her husband with arsenic.’
    â€˜Quite a cause célèbre in its day, wasn’t it?’
    â€˜Yes. So. Captain Jesty was after the girl. He saw her earlier on in the foyer, fancied her wildly and soon