‘I’d say so. The botanist said there have been many cases of accidental poisoning due to foxglove penetrating the skin when handled without gloves. People have even unwittingly made tea from the leaves and poisoned themselves. It has also been used to murder people. The botanist told me of a case where a German doctor killed his girlfriend with it. Under the guise of conducting a physical examination, he placed digoxin on his glove and administered the poison rectally . . .’

Jane winced at the thought. ‘Yes, thank you, Lloyd, I get your drift. I’ll need to get Sam Pullen’s opinion on the poisoning angle.’

‘I already have. She said it’s most likely the seeds were put in Sister Melissa’s food or a hot drink at the last meal she had before she was killed.’

‘Julie Dorton said Sister Melissa was very emotional and incoherent the last night she saw her.’

‘That makes sense. Pullen said the poison could have a delayed reaction of up to eight hours. She also suggested it was possible, when Sister Melissa was first strangled, that the fear factor caused her heart rate to accelerate so much she became unconscious.’

‘So whoever strangled Sister Melissa might have thought she was dead and put her in the coffin,’ Jane suggested.

‘That’s exactly what Pullen suggested. She’s going to get a specialist to examine the heart for any signs of damage due to sudden cardiac failure. I’ve got to say, whoever had it in for Sister Melissa was determined to kill her one way or the other.’

‘Now you’ve told me this, it seems likely the Mother Superior was involved. We also found out she made herbal remedies from garden plants, so she must have known what was and wasn’t poisonous.’

‘Have you been able to trace her?’ Lloyd asked.

‘Yes, to a grave in Hackney. She died a few years ago.’

‘So if others were involved, they could put the blame on her.’

Jane sighed. ‘I know. This investigation gets more and more complicated by the minute. Thanks for calling.’

‘I’ll say a prayer and hope for some divine intervention,’ he joked.

‘Worth a try,’ she said, putting the phone down.

*

After Boon had left for his date, it took Jane another hour to finish the report. Having read it twice, she was satisfied everything of evidential value was in it. She was leaning towards Barnes’s view that Meade had killed Sister Melissa, but it was clear others had to be involved in the cover-up or at least knew the truth of what had happened. She was still suspicious of Thomas Durham and Lee Holland because they’d lied to her, but she was no closer to finding out why.

She was just about to leave when the indexer’s phone started ringing.

‘Orpington incident room, how can I help you?’

‘I’d like to speak with Detective Sergeant Tennison, please.’