Black Coffee by Agatha Christie Page B

it?”
    “Nothing, my dear,” replied Richard with an attempt at reassurance in his tone. “Do you mind leaving us for a moment?”
    Lucia's eyes searched his face. “Can't I -” she began, but hesitated as Richard moved to the door and opened it.
    “Please,” he repeated.
    With a final backward glance in which there was a distinct element of fear, Lucia left the room.

Black Coffee

Chapter 11
    Putting his Gladstone bag on the coffee-table, Dr Graham crossed to the settee and sat. “I'm afraid this is a bad business, Monsieur Poirot,” he announced to the detective.
    “A bad business, you say? Yes? You have discovered what caused the death of Sir Claud?” asked Poirot.
    “His death was due to poisoning by a powerful vegetable alkaloid,” Graham declared.
    “Such as hyoscine, perhaps?” Poirot suggested, picking up the tin case of drugs from the table.
    “Why, yes, exactly.” Dr Graham sounded surprised at the detective's accurate surmise. Poirot took the case to the other side of the room, placing it on the gramophone table, and Hastings followed him there. Meanwhile, Richard Amory joined the doctor on the settee.
    “What does this mean, actually?” Richard asked Dr Graham.
    “For one thing, it means the involvement of the police,” was Graham's prompt reply.
    “My God!” exclaimed Richard. “This is terrible. Can't you possibly hush it up?”
    Dr Graham looked at Richard Amory steadily before he spoke, slowly and deliberately. “My dear Richard,” he said. “Believe me, nobody could be more pained and grieved at this horrible calamity than I am. Especially since, under the circumstances, it does not seem likely that the poison could have been self-administered.”
    Richard paused for several seconds before he spoke. “Are you saying it was murder?” he asked in an unsteady voice.
    Dr Graham did not speak, but nodded solemnly.
    “Murder!” exclaimed Richard. “What on earth are we going to do?”
    Adopting a brisker, more business-like manner, Graham explained the procedure to be followed. “I have notified the coroner. The inquest will be held tomorrow at the King's Arms.”
    “And - you mean - the police will have to be involved? There's no way out of it?”
    “There is not. Surely you must realize that, Richard?” said Dr Graham.
    Richard's tone was frantic as he began to exclaim, “But why didn't you warn me that -”
    “Come on, Richard. Take a hold of yourself. I'm sure you understand that I have only taken such steps as I thought absolutely necessary,” Graham interrupted him. “After all, no time should be lost in matters of this kind.”
    “My God!” exclaimed Richard.
    Dr Graham addressed Amory in a kindlier tone. “Richard, I know. I do understand. This has been a terrible shock to you. But there are things I must ask you about. Do you feel equal to answering a few questions?”
    Richard made a visible effort to pull himself together. “What do you want to know?” he asked.
    “First of all,” said Graham, “what food and drink did your father have at dinner last night?”
    “Let's see, we all had the same. Soup, fried sole, cutlets, and we finished off with a fruit salad.”
    “Now, what about drink?” continued Dr Graham. Richard considered for a moment before replying. “My father and my aunt drank burgundy. So did Raynor, I think. I stuck with whisky and soda, and Dr Carelli - yes, Dr Carelli drank white wine throughout the meal.”
    “Ah, yes, the mysterious Dr Carelli,” Graham murmured. “You'll excuse me, Richard, but how much precisely do you know about this man?”
    Interested to hear Richard Amory's reply to this, Hastings moved closer to the two men. In answer to Dr Graham, Richard declared, “I know nothing about him. I'd never met him, or even heard of him, until yesterday.”
    “But he is a friend of your wife?” asked the doctor.
    “Apparently he is.”
    “Does she know him intimately?”
    “Oh, no, he is a mere acquaintance, I