Free The Curious Incident at Claridge's by R.T. Raichev Page A

Jesty? He knew he didn’t invite immediate trust—
    He started up. Penelope Tradescant was speaking.
    â€˜Very well. I see you are a determined man, Captain Jesty, so I will tell you the truth. I’ll tell you the whole truth. I don’t think I have any other option. I am afraid you misread the situation completely. No, listen, please . I don’t blame you. It is rather a complicated story. I hope you understand. Some of it is quite distressing. There are other people involved.’ She gave a weary sigh. ‘I was rather hoping I wouldn’t have to tell anyone about it.’
    â€˜You admit that you swapped the capsules?’ He picked up his glass. The tide had turned! He resisted stroking his moustache.
    â€˜I swapped the capsules, yes. There were two of them. One capsule contained the antibiotic Seymour had been prescribed for his infected toe. The other capsule contained deadly poison. Yes. You were right. I did exchange them. But—it was the other way round.’
    There was a pause.
    â€˜The other way round?’ Jesty stared at her. ‘What the hell do you mean?’
    â€˜ The poison capsule was already in the box. The capsule with the antibiotic was in my bag. Outwardly the two capsules were identical.’ Her eyes, he noticed, were very bright now. ‘I managed to replace the poison capsule with the antibiotic. I had been waiting for an opportunity to do so. I had been worried silly about it. I had started panicking. I knew Seymour was going to take the poison capsule later on, you see. After dinner that night. I knew my husband would die moments after he swallowed it.’
    Jesty frowned. ‘You aren’t suggesting he intended to commit suicide?’
    â€˜No. Seymour had no idea the capsule contained poison. He didn’t know that someone was trying to kill him.’
    â€˜Are you saying it wasn’t you who filled the capsule with poison, if that was the way the damned thing was done?’
    â€˜Of course it wasn’t me!’ Penelope Tradescant spoke with great vehemence. It crossed his mind she might be telling the truth after all.
    â€˜Did you know what the poison was?’
    â€˜It was nicotine.’
    â€˜You didn’t want your husband to swallow it?’
    â€˜I didn’t. I didn’t want Seymour to die.’
    â€˜You wanted him to live?’
    â€˜I wanted him to live,’ she said patiently. ‘That’s why I exchanged the capsules.’
    â€˜Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d told him about it? Warned him against swallowing the capsule?’
    â€˜That seems the logical thing to have done, doesn’t it? Well, I didn’t tell Seymour because I didn’t want him to know that someone was trying to kill him. I didn’t want to have to explain. I was afraid of complications. There were certain factors—’ She broke off. ‘I am a coward. Seymour is an extremely difficult man. There would have been all kinds of complications, believe me. I thought I’d do the exchange quietly and then—then all would be well. That’s God’s truth.’ Penelope Tradescant’s eyes met his steadily. ‘It was most unfortunate that you saw me.’
    There was another pause.
    â€˜Do you know who the person is? I mean the person who tried to poison your husband?’
    He went on watching her carefully. Damned odd, the whole bloody thing. She sounded as though she were telling the truth, but of course he couldn’t be certain. It might be just acting. She might be a bloody good actress. Beautiful women usually were. It occurred to him that she might have started playing some game with him.
    â€˜I know who it is. Yes. I saw her switch round the capsules. She had no idea I’d seen her.’
    â€˜ She? It was a woman? ’
    â€˜I see I’ll have to tell you the whole story …’

10
    From the Life of the Detectives
    It was later that