The Lately Deceased by Bernard Knight Read Free Book Online Page A

with slow measured words, as if impressing the error of his ways on a schoolboy before giving him ‘six of the best’.
    â€˜I do not know vat you are meaning, vat is so much the matter here, then?’
    Weinkaatz was still blustering, but warily now. He could see that something was amiss. Ignorant though he was of the processes of the law, even he knew that such an array of senior police officers would not be concerning themselves over a common heart attack.
    Meredith started at the beginning, speaking with painstaking simplicity to avoid any excuse for an outburst of broken English.
    â€˜I am Detective Superintendent Meredith. These are Detective Inspector Grey and Detective Inspector Stammers. We were called by the coroner’s officer a short while ago because of some doubt as to the true cause of death of the deceased woman, Mrs Walker, whom you saw at about five o’clock this morning?’
    â€˜What doubt is this? I know of no doubt,’ broke in the doctor excitedly. ‘I saw and diagnosed acute heart failure or asphyxia. I reported it to the coroner’s officer. What is this doubt you speak of?’
    Meredith held up his hand to stop the flow of gabbled words.
    â€˜Just a minute, Doctor, if you please. This lady was a stranger to you, yet you were ready to certify that she died of heart failure or of asphyxia. Surely that is in itself an admission of ignorance of the cause of death? If you were not able to decide between one of two quite unrelated conditions, how could you be satisfied that you knew how she had died?’ Grey butted in with another broadside against the physician, who was standing tight-lipped, his eyes darting from one policeman to the other.
    â€˜Why didn’t you call the police and get them to ask for the divisional surgeon’s opinion, or at least notify the coroner’s officer at the time?’
    Weinkaatz blew himself up until he looked almost globular.
    â€˜I haf experience enough to know when not to disturb other doctors and I am sure that the coroner’s officer does not get out of bed to see every sudden death at five o’clock in the morning!’
    Meredith shot him down with one short sentence.
    â€˜Not even when the deceased has a stab wound in the chest, Doctor?’
    The effect was remarkable. The small foreign gentleman’s face went from red to a sickly green in a fraction of a second and beads of sweat appeared on his brow.
    â€˜I do not understand, Superintendent. Vat does this mean? There was no mark, no wound on the body. I myself examined. Tell me please.’ He produced a large handkerchief and mopped his forehead vigorously.
    â€˜For your information, Doctor, there is a penetrating wound in the left side of the chest. Now, if you don’t mind, we’d like to know exactly what happened when you came here earlier today. Take a note of it, Williams.’
    Meredith directed the last remark to a plain-clothes constable who had come over with Masters from the Comber Street station.
    â€˜Now, sir …’
    Slowly, with many interruptions for disclaimers of negligence or responsibility, the meagre story was dragged from Dr Hugo Weinkaatz. He was vague as to the time of his call and arrival at the flat; he thought it must have been between five and six o’clock. This was of little importance, however, as the telephone operator would be able to put a more precise time to events. The doctor said he remembered one or two faces of the guests at the party which had just broken up on his arrival, but could name only the bereaved husband, Mr Walker. He had seen the dead woman only on the bed, and had pronounced life extinct after examining her eyes, feeling for the pulse and listening to the chest with a stethoscope. He omitted to say for how long!
    â€˜Did you see any sign of injury or bloodstaining when you examined the heart?’ demanded Old Nick.
    â€˜Nothing, nothing at all was there. I cannot see how