Agatha Christie's Marple
Season 4
TV Series | Agatha Christie's Marple | Contents page
Agatha Christie's Marple S04E01
Part 1
Jan. 13, 2021, 12:08 p.m.
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.
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 kettles?
No, but I fill it myself in the...
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.
Agatha Christie's Marple
Season 4
TV Series | Agatha Christie's Marple | Contents page