The Thumb Mark of St. Peter by Agatha Christie. Short summary

5 seconds

The husband of Mabel, Miss Marple’s niece, dies unexpectedly of poisoning. Neighbors suspect that Mabel poisoned her husband because she bought arsenic from a drugstore shortly before his death. The poor woman claims innocence and asks her aunt for help.

1 minute

A short story from the collection «Thirteen Mysterious Cases.» At the sixth meeting of the Tuesday night club, it was Miss Marple’s turn to tell her story.

Miss Marple’s niece, Mabel, had married poorly — her husband, Mr. Jeffrey Denman, proved to be irascible and rude. One day, Mr. Denman, suddenly fell ill and died suddenly before a doctor arrived. But those around him are sure that murder has taken place, and they blame Mabel for the crime, because a few days before the tragedy, Mabel had bought arsenic at the drugstore. The poor girl, on the other hand, claims that she is innocent.

Miss Marple learns that before his death Jeffrey kept repeating, «a bag of fish.» After a little investigation, Miss Marple went to Jeffrey’s father and accused him of killing his son. The old madman confessed to the crime, which he committed after hearing that his son was going to put him in an asylum. He poured a bottle of eye drops, which contained a poisonous substance, into his son’s water glass, knowing that Jeffrey would drink it at night.