底牌 7

Five

SECOND MURDERER?

Mrs. Lorrimer came into the dining room like a gentlewoman. She looked a little pale, butcomposed.

“I’m sorry to have to bother you,” Superintendent¹ Battle began.

“You must do your duty, of course,” said Mrs. Lorrimer quietly. “It is, I agree, an unpleasantposition in which to be placed, but there is no good shirking it. I quite realize that one of the fourpeople in that room must be guilty. Naturally, I can’t expect you to take my word that I am not theperson.”

She accepted the chair that Colonel Race offered her and sat down opposite the superintendent.

Her intelligent grey eyes met his. She waited attentively².

“You knew Mr. Shaitana well?” began the superintendent.

“Not very well. I have known him over a period of some years, but never intimately.”

“Where did you meet him?”

“At a hotel in Egypt—the Winter Palace at Luxor, I think.”

“What did you think of him?”

Mrs. Lorrimer shrugged³ her shoulders slightly.

“I thought him—I may as well say so—rather a charlatan⁴.”

“You had—excuse me for asking—no motive⁵ for wishing him out of the way?”

Mrs. Lorrimer looked slightly amused.

“Really, Superintendent Battle, do you think I should admit it if I had?”

“You might,” said Battle. “A really intelligent person might know that a thing was bound tocome out.”

Mrs. Lorrimer inclined her head thoughtfully.

“There is that, of course. No, Superintendent Battle, I had no motive for wishing Mr. Shaitanaout of the way. It is really a matter of indifference⁶ to me whether he is alive or dead. I thought hima poseur⁷, and rather theatrical⁸, and sometimes he irritated me. That is—or rather was—my attitudetowards him.”

“That is that, then. Now, Mrs. Lorrimer, can you tell me anything about your threecompanions?”

“I’m afraid not. Major Despard and Miss Meredith I met for the first time tonight. Both of themseem charming people. Dr. Roberts I know slightly. He’s a very popular doctor, I believe.”

“He is not your own doctor?”

“Oh, no.”

“Now, Mrs. Lorrimer, can you tell me how often you got up from your seat tonight, and willyou also describe the movements of the other three?”

Mrs. Lorrimer did not take any time to think.

“I thought you would probably ask me that. I have been trying to think it out. I got up oncemyself when I was dummy⁹. I went over to the fire. Mr. Shaitana was alive then. I mentioned tohim how nice it was to see a wood fire.”

“And he answered?”

“That he hated radiators¹⁰.”

“Did anyone overhear your conversation?”

“I don’t think so. I lowered my voice, not to interrupt the players.” She added dryly: “In fact,you have only my word for it that Mr. Shaitana was alive and spoke¹¹ to me.”

Superintendent Battle made no protest. He went on with his quiet methodical questioning.

“What time was that?”

“I should think we had been playing a little over an hour.”

“What about the others?”

“Dr. Roberts got me a drink. He also got himself one—that was later. Major Despard also wentto get a drink—at about 11:15, I should say.”

“Only once?”

“No—twice, I think. The men moved about a fair amount—but I didn’t notice what they did.

Miss Meredith left her seat once only, I think. She went round to look at her partner’s hand.”

“But she remained near the bridge table?”

“I couldn’t say at all. She may have moved away.”

Battle nodded.

“It’s all very vague,” he grumbled¹².

“I am sorry.”

Once again Battle did his conjuring¹³ trick and produced the long delicate stiletto.

“Will you look at this, Mrs. Lorrimer?”

Mrs. Lorrimer took it without emotion.

“Have you ever seen that before?”

“Never.”

“Yet it was lying on a table in the drawing room.”

“I didn’t notice it.”

“You realize, perhaps, Mrs. Lorrimer, that with a weapon like that a woman could do the trickjust as easily as a man.”

“I suppose she could,” said Mrs. Lorrimer quietly.

She leaned forward and handed the dainty little thing back to him.

“But all the same,” said Superintendent Battle, “the woman would have to be pretty desperate. Itwas a long chance to take.”

He waited a minute, but Mrs. Lorrimer did not speak.

“Do you know anything of the relations between the other three and Mr. Shaitana?”

She shook her head.

“Nothing at all.”

“Would you care to give me an opinion as to which of them you consider the most likelyperson?”

Mrs. Lorrimer drew herself up stiffly.

“I should not care to do anything of the kind. I consider that a most improper¹⁴ question.”

The superintendent looked like an abashed¹⁵ little boy who has been reprimanded by hisgrandmother.

“Address, please,” he mumbled¹⁶, drawing his notebook towards him.

“111 Cheyne Lane, Chelsea.”

“Telephone number?”

“Chelsea 45632.”

Mrs. Lorrimer rose.

“Anything you want to ask, M. Poirot?” said Battle hurriedly.

Mrs. Lorrimer paused, her head slightly inclined.

“Would it be a proper question, madame, to ask you your opinion of your companions, not aspotential murderers but as bridge players?”

Mrs. Lorrimer answered coldly:

“I have no objection to answering that—if it bears upon the matter at issue in any way—thoughI fail to see how it can.”

“I will be the judge of that. Your answer, if you please, madame.”

In the tone of a patient adult humouring an idiot child, Mrs. Lorrimer replied:

“Major Despard is a good sound player. Dr. Roberts overcalls, but plays his hand brilliantly.

Miss Meredith is quite a nice little player, but a bit too cautious. Anything more?”

In his turn doing a conjuring trick, Poirot produced four crumpled¹⁷ bridge scores.

“These scores, madame, is one of these yours?”

She examined them.

“This is my writing. It is the score of the third rubber.”

“And this score?”

“That must be Major Despard’s. He cancels as he goes.”

“And this one?”

“Miss Meredith’s. The first rubber.”

“So this unfinished one is Dr. Roberts’?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, madame, I think that is all.”

Mrs. Lorrimer turned to Mrs. Oliver.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Oliver. Goodnight, Colonel Race.”

Then, having shaken hands with all four of them, she went out.

 

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