Chapter 20

In Harley Street

Detective-Inspector¹ Japp walked briskly up Harley Street and stopped at a certain door.

He asked for Dr Bryant.

‘Have you an appointment, sir?’

‘No, I’ll just write a few words.’

On an official card he wrote:

‘Should be much obliged if you could spare me a few moments. I won’t keep you long.’

He sealed up the card in an envelope and gave it to the butler.

He was shown into a waiting-room. There were two women there and a man. Japp settled downwith an elderly copy of Punch.

The butler reappeared and, crossing the floor, said in a discreet² voice:

‘If you wouldn’t mind waiting a short time, sir, the doctor will see you, but he’s very busy thismorning.’

Japp nodded. He did not in the least mind waiting—in fact he rather welcomed it. The twowomen had begun to talk. They had obviously a very high opinion of Dr Bryant’s abilities. Morepatients came in. Evidently Dr Bryant was doing well in his profession.

‘Fairly coining money,’ thought Japp to himself. ‘That doesn’t look like needing to borrow; butof course the loan may have taken place a long time ago. Anyway, he’s got a fine practice; abreath of scandal would burst it to bits. That’s the worst of being a doctor.’

Quarter of an hour later the butler reappeared and said:

‘The doctor will see you now, sir.’

Japp was shown into Dr Bryant’s consulting-room—a room at the back of the house with a bigwindow. The doctor was sitting at his desk. He rose and shook hands with the detective.

His fine-lined face showed fatigue³, but he seemed in no way disturbed by the inspector’s visit.

‘What can I do for you, Inspector?’ he said as he resumed his seat and motioned Japp to a chairopposite.

‘I must apologize first for calling in your consulting hours, but I shan’t keep you long, sir.’

‘That is all right, I suppose it is about the aeroplane death?’

‘Quite right, sir. We’re still working on it.’

‘With any result?’

‘We’re not as far on as we’d like to be. I really came to ask you some questions about themethod employed. It’s this snake venom⁴ business that I can’t get the hang of.’

‘I’m not a toxicologist, you know,’ said Dr Bryant, smiling. ‘Such things aren’t in my line.

Winterspoon’s your man.’

‘Ah, but you see, it’s like this, Doctor. Winterspoon’s an expert—and you know what expertsare. They talk so that the ordinary man can’t understand them. But as far as I can make out there’sa medical side of this business. Is it true that snake venom is sometimes injected for epilepsy?’

‘I’m not a specialist in epilepsy, either,’ said Dr Bryant. ‘But I believe that injections of cobravenom have been used in the treatment of epilepsy with excellent results. But, as I say, that’s notreally my line of country.’

‘I know—I know. What it really amounts to is this: I felt that you’d take an interest, havingbeen on the aeroplane yourself. I thought it possible that you’d have some ideas on the subjectyourself that might be useful to me. It’s not much good my going to an expert if I don’t know whatto ask him.’

Dr Bryant smiled.

‘There is something in what you say, Inspector. There is probably no man living who canremain entirely⁵ unaffected by having come in close contact with murder…I am interested, I admit.

I have speculated a good deal about the case in my quiet way.’

‘And what do you think, sir?’

Bryant shook his head slowly.

‘It amazes me — the whole thing seems almost — unreal — if I might put it that way. Anastounding way of committing a crime. It seems a chance in a hundred that the murderer was notseen. He must be a person with a reckless disregard of risks.’

‘Very true, sir.’

‘The choice of poison is equally amazing. How could a would-be murderer possibly get hold ofsuch a thing?’

‘I know. It seems incredible. Why, I don’t suppose one man in a thousand has ever heard ofsuch a thing as a boomslang, much less actually handled the venom. You yourself, sir, now, you’rea doctor—but I don’t suppose you’ve ever handled the stuff.’

‘There are certainly not many opportunities of doing so. I have a friend who works at tropicalresearch. In his laboratory there are various specimens⁷ of dried snake venoms—that of the cobra,for instance—but I cannot remember any specimen⁶ of the boomslang.’

‘Perhaps you can help me—’ Japp took out a piece of paper and handed it to the doctor.

‘Winterspoon wrote down these three names—said I might get information there. Do you knowany of these men?’

‘I know Professor Kennedy slightly. Heidler I know well; mention my name and I’m sure he’lldo all he can for you. Carmichael’s an Edinburgh man—I don’t know him personally—but Ibelieve they’ve done some good work up there.’

‘Thank you, sir, I’m much obliged. Well, I won’t keep you any longer.’

When Japp emerged into Harley Street he was smiling to himself in a pleased fashion.

‘Nothing like tact,’ he said to himself. ‘Tact does it. I’ll be bound he never saw what I was after.

Well, that’s that.’

 

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