Crooked House

---

Death of a legend.

It is with sorrow

that the country learned

this week

of the death

of Aristide Leonides.

Born in 1871,

he arrived from Greece, aged 23,

without a penny in his pocket,

and opened his first restaurant

that same year.

The first hotel was ready

for business not long after.

His first wife,

Lady Marcia de Haviland,

died young.

But Mr. Leonides wasn't alone

at the end.

He is survived by his young

and lovely American widow,

Brenda.

Here is Mr. Leonides

with his eldest granddaughter,

Sophia.

Friend or foe,

no one could dispute

Aristide Leonides

was a colossus of his time.

Good morning, Miss Ackroyd.

Good morning, Mr. Hayward.

Mr. Hayward.

Yes?

We have a client.

She's waiting inside.

She?

Wouldn't give a name.

Hello.

Hello, Charles.

I'm sorry to surprise you

like this.

But I wasn't sure

you'd agree to see me.

I'm really very sorry to hear

your news, Miss Leonides.

I wanted to be incognito

in Egypt.

I was surprised

when you left the diplomatic...

For this.

Detection?

It's a family business.

What exactly

can I do for you, Sophia?

I believe

my grandfather was murdered.

Murdered?

He died of a heart attack.

But I suspect foul play.

And what makes you suspect that?

I found him.

And the doctor

was acting oddly and...

He wouldn't sign

the death certificate,

and there's going to be

a postmortem.

Right.

I want you,

Charles, to come down

to the house

and look into it for me.

Before the police get involved.

For a fee of course.

Heh. It would be

a little unethical for me

to take this case, Sophia.

I'm sure

you can understand that.

You want to know why I left?

No. I--

I didn't want you to become

involved with my family.

Oh, the penniless

junior diplomat

not quite what they had

in mind for you.

Yet, now you do want me

don't--

To become involved

in your family?

Now things are different.

Very different indeed.

Not for me.

I believe the killer

may still be in the house.

I'm frightened, Charles.

You, frightened?

Yes.

Well, then you should go

straight to the police.

Miss Ackroyd, Miss Leonides

will be leaving now.

You should at least think

about it.

Miss Leonides.

You've met her before?

Briefly, in Cairo.

Oh, come on, Mr. Hayward.

Just think of the publicity.

You can't afford

to refuse this job.

What exactly is your interest

in the Leonides death, Charles?

I've been approached

by a member of the family.

I don't know what you think

you're playing at

with this gumshoe business.

You should be here at the yard,

like your father.

A hard act to follow.

You can say that again.

What do you want?

The examining doctor noticed

the extreme contractions

of the pupils.

He ran some tests and concluded

the cause of his death

was eserine.

It's, uh...

Also known as physostigmine.

Used in eye drops

to treat glaucoma

or, if injected directly

into the blood stream,

would cause a heart attack.

Your father used to lean forward

like that.

Leonides was a diabetic.

It's possible the eserine

was switched with his Insulin.

Were the eye drops his?

Yes.

So the switch could have

just been an accident.

Could have been.

There's not much of a case.

And the family lawyers

would tear us apart

if we tried to make one.

What about the press?

Once the yard breathes "murder,"

the press will be all over it.

And these people relish

their privacy

as much as they relish

their money.

This member of the family,

he or she?

She.

Above suspicion?

All right. Two days.

Then I call in the hounds.

Look, I haven't decided

to take the case yet.

Then what are you doing here?

I don't see why a family

like this would talk to me.

Open the gates even.

I have no authority. I--

Leonides had a lot

of powerful friends.

He also had powerful enemies.

He was a controversial figure.

Take all these notes

to your office, think about it,

wait for my call.

Thank you, Charles.

For what?

Hmm.

For taking me dancing tonight.

Charles Hayward.

Is everything all right?

Do you know anything

about moles?

No. I'm afraid not.

I have an arsenal

of other weapons, of course.

Traps, poisons.

Sometimes I use Holly.

It pricks them, do you see,

makes them bleed.

Moles are hemophiliacs.

Little bleeders.

Like some European royals.

Though I do find a shotgun

best expresses my feelings.

Are you Sophia's sleuth?

Yes. Charles Hayward.

I'm sorry,

the gates were open--

Yes, we were expecting you.

Edith de Haviland.

My late sister

was Aristide's first wife.

Sophia believes there's a Borgia

living under this roof.

How dramatic.

Josephine!

Josephine!

Josephine!

Josephine, nanny's calling you!

Come along!

All right, aunt Edith!

Come along now,

there's a good girl.

Come on.

Get off of me.

Go on.

I don't know what we'd do

without our old nannies.

Faithful.

I chose this one myself

years ago.

Hello, Charles.

Sophia.

How do you two know one another?

We met in Egypt,

when I was out there

with Sotheby's.

He saved my life.

Didn't you, Charles?

Well, her horse bolted

on the way to the pyramids.

I managed to stop it.

Pfft.

I'm sorry?

Sophia has never been

run away with in her life.

By a horse or anything else,

come to that.

Charles likes to think

he rescued me.

Oh, the dear boy.

Aunt Edith came

to nurse grandmama,

and, when she died,

considered it her duty

to help bring up the boys.

Save them

from grandpapa's influence.

They fought like cat and dog,

aunt Edith and grandpapa.

She told him

he was a slimy foreigner

with his fingers in the till,

and he told her

she was a narrow-minded,

xenophobic snob.

Actually, I think

she secretly adored him.

Here's the man himself.

I know what you're thinking.

The gorgeous daughter of an Earl

and a near midget immigrant,

an unlikely match.

But granny fell for him.

There was something exotic

and vibrant about him

that appealed to her.

Was the marriage happy?

Very happy.

Of course,

their respective friends

didn't mix, and her parents

couldn't stand him.

Well, then

why didn't they stop it?

Nobody could stop grandpapa,

Charles.

This is where you found him?

Can you walk me through it?

I brought him up breakfast.

Was that usual?

Yes.

Morning, grandpapa.

He liked me to do it.

And why was that?

We had a... Special bond.

Grandpapa.

Special bond? How do you mean?

Nothing.

We just got along well,

that's all.

This was his bathroom.

And that's the fatal cupboard.

And through there?

His wife's room.

Brenda.

Yes.

Huh.

In my office, you said...

Well, you said

you were frightened.

We're a very odd family,

Charles.

There's lots

of ruthlessness in us

and different kinds

of ruthlessness.

That's what's so disturbing.

The different kinds.

What do you mean?

Exactly what I said.

If you need anything,

you know where to find me.

Yes, thank you, Sophia.

Are you the detective?

Ah, you must be Josephine.

Sophia's sister.

How do you do?

I'm very well, thank you.

So you find out

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