Six

THIRD MURDERER?

“Didn’t get any extra change out of her,” commented Battle. “Put me in my place, too. She’s theold-fashioned kind, full of consideration for others, but arrogant¹ as the devil! I can’t believe shedid it, but you never know! She’s got plenty of resolution. What’s the idea of the bridge scores, M.

Poirot?”

Poirot spread them on the table.

“They are illuminating², do you not think? What do we want in this case? A clue to character.

And a clue not to one character, but to four characters. And this is where we are most likely to findit—in these scribbled³ figures. Here is the first rubber, you see—a tame business, soon over. Smallneat figures—careful addition and subtraction—that is Miss Meredith’s score. She was playingwith Mrs. Lorrimer. They had the cards, and they won.

“In this next one it is not so easy to follow the play, since it is kept in the cancellation⁴ style. Butit tells us perhaps something about Major Despard—a man who likes the whole time to know at aglance where he stands. The figures are small and full of character.

“This next score is Mrs. Lorrimer’s—she and Dr. Roberts against the other two—a Homericcombat—figures mounting up above the line each side. Overcalling on the doctor’s part, and theygo down; but, since they are both first- class players, they never go down very much. If thedoctor’s overcalling induces rash bidding on the other side there is the chance seized of doubling.

See—these figures here are doubled tricks gone down. A characteristic handwriting, graceful⁵, verylegible, firm.

“Here is the last score — the unfinished rubber. I collected one score in each person’shandwriting, you see. Figures rather flamboyant⁶. Not such high scores as the preceding rubber.

That is probably because the doctor was playing with Miss Meredith, and she is a timid player. Hiscalling would make her more so!

“You think, perhaps, that they are foolish, these questions that I ask? But it is not so. I want toget at the characters of these four players, and when it is only about bridge I ask, everyone is readyand willing to speak.”

“I never think your questions foolish, M. Poirot,” said Battle. “I’ve seen too much of your work.

Everyone’s got their own ways of working. I know that. I give my inspectors⁷ a free hand always.

Everyone’s got to find out for themselves what method suits them best. But we’d better not discussthat now. We’ll have the girl in.”

Anne Meredith was upset. She stopped in the doorway⁸. Her breath came unevenly⁹.

Superintendent¹⁰ Battle was immediately fatherly. He rose, set a chair for her at a slightlydifferent angle.

“Sit down, Miss Meredith, sit down, Now, don’t be alarmed. I know all this seems ratherdreadful, but it’s not so bad, really.”

“I don’t think anything could be worse,” said the girl in a low voice. “It’s so awful—so awful—to think that one of us—that one of us—”

“You let me do the thinking,” said Battle kindly¹¹. “Now, then, Miss Meredith, suppose we haveyour address first of all.”

“Wendon Cottage, Wallingford.”

“No address in town?”

“No, I’m staying at my club for a day or two.”

“And your club is?”

“Ladies’ Naval¹² and Military.”

“Good. Now, then, Miss Meredith, how well did you know Mr. Shaitana?”

“I didn’t know him well at all. I always thought he was a most frightening man.”

“Why?”

“Oh, well he was! That awful smile! And a way he had of bending over you. As though hemight bite you.”

“Had you known him long?”

“About nine months. I met him in Switzerland during the winter sports.”

“I should never have thought he went in for winter sports,” said Battle, surprised.

“He only skated. He was a marvellous skater. Lots of figures and tricks.”

“Yes, that sounds more like him. And did you see much of him after that?”

“Well—a fair amount. He asked me to parties and things like that. They were rather fun.”

“But you didn’t like him himself?”

“No, I thought he was a shivery kind of man.”

Battle said gently:

“But you’d no special reason for being afraid of him?”

Anne Meredith raised wide limpid¹³ eyes to his.

“Special reason? Oh, no.”

“That’s all right, then. Now about tonight. Did you leave your seat at all?”

“I don’t think so. Oh, yes, I may have done once. I went round to look at the others’ hands.”

“But you stayed by the bridge table all the time?”

“Yes.”

“Quite sure, Miss Meredith?”

The girl’s cheeks flamed suddenly.

“No—no, I think I walked about.”

“Right. You’ll excuse me, Miss Meredith, but try and speak the truth. I know you’re nervous,and when one’s nervous one’s apt to—well, to say the thing the way you want it to be. But thatdoesn’t really pay in the end. You walked about. Did you walk over in the direction of Mr.

Shaitana?”

The girl was silent for a minute, then she said:

“Honestly—honestly—I don’t remember.”

“Well, we’ll leave it that you may have done. Know anything about the other three?”

The girl shook her head.

“I’ve never seen any of them before.”

“What do you think of them? Any likely murderers amongst them?”

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. It couldn’t be Major Despard. And I don’t believe itcould be the doctor—after all, a doctor could kill anyone in much easier ways. A drug—orsomething like that.”

“Then, if it’s anyone, you think it’s Mrs. Lorrimer.”

“Oh, I don’t. I’m sure she wouldn’t. She’s so charming—and so kind to play bridge with. She’sso good herself, and yet she doesn’t make one feel nervous, or point out one’s mistakes.”

“Yet you left her name to the last,” said Battle.

“Only because stabbing seems somehow more like a woman.”

Battle did his conjuring¹⁴ trick. Anne Meredith shrank back.

“Oh, horrible. Must I—take it?”

“I’d rather you did.”

He watched her as she took the stiletto gingerly, her face contracted with repulsion.

“With this tiny thing—with this—”

“Go in like butter,” said Battle with gusto. “A child could do it.”

“You mean—you mean”—wide, terrified eyes fixed¹⁵ themselves on his face—“that I might havedone it? But I didn’t. Why should I?”

“That’s just the question we’d like to know,” said Battle. “What’s the motive¹⁶? Why did anyonewant to kill Shaitana? He was a picturesque¹⁷ person, but he wasn’t dangerous, as far as I can makeout.”

Was there a slight indrawing of her breath—a sudden lifting of her breast?

“Not a blackmailer¹⁸, for instance, or anything of that sort?” went on Battle. “And anyway, MissMeredith, you don’t look the sort of girl who’s got a lot of guilty secrets.”

For the first time she smiled, reassured¹⁹ by his geniality²⁰.

“No, indeed I haven’t. I haven’t got any secrets at all.”

“Then don’t worry, Miss Meredith. We shall have to come round and ask you a few morequestions, I expect, but it will be all a matter of routine.”

He got up.

“Now off you go. My constable²¹ will get you a taxi; and don’t you lie awake worrying yourself.

Take a couple of aspirins.”

He ushered²² her out. As he came back Colonel Race said in a low, amused voice:

“Battle, what a really accomplished²³ liar²⁴ you are! Your fatherly air was unsurpassed.”

“No good dallying²⁵ about with her, Colonel Race. Either the poor kid is dead scared—in whichcase it’s cruelty, and I’m not a cruel man; I never have been—or she’s a highly accomplished littleactress, and we shouldn’t get any further if we were to keep her here half the night.”

Mrs. Oliver gave a sigh and ran her hands freely through her fringe until it stood upright andgave her a wholly drunken appearance.

“Do you know,” she said, “I rather believe now that she did it! It’s lucky it’s not in a book.

They don’t really like the young and beautiful girl to have done it. All the same, I rather think shedid. What do you think, M. Poirot?”

“Me, I have just made a discovery.”

“In the bridge scores again?”

“Yes, Miss Anne Meredith turns her score over, draws lines and uses the back.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means she has the habit of poverty or else is of a naturally economical turn of mind.”

“She’s expensively dressed,” said Mrs. Oliver.

“Send in Major Despard,” said Superintendent Battle.

 

点击收听单词发音