AgathaChristie-HerculePoirotsCasebook

by Hercule Poirot's Casebook (lit)

  indeed. That, it annoys me very much.'

  With a certain petulance, he pulled the bell and asked that

  Mademoiselle Leonie might be sent to him.

  His eyes roamed over her appreciatively as she stood

  hesitating in the doorway, demure in her black dress with her

  neatly-parted black waves of hair and her modestly-dropped

  eyelids. He nodded slow approval.

  'Come in, Mademoiselle Leonie,' he said. 'Do not be afraid.'

  She came in and stood demurely before him.

  'Do you know,' said Poirot with a sudden change of tone,

  'that I find you very good to look at.'

  47

  Leonie responded promptly. She flashed him a glance out of

  the corner of her eyes and murmured softly:

  'Monsieur is very kind.'

  'Figure to yourself,' said Poirot. 'I demand of M. Carlile

  whether you are or not good-looking and he replies that he does

  not know!'

  Leonie cocked her chin up contemptuously.

  'That image!'

  'That describes him very well.'

  'I do not believe he has ever looked at a girl in his life, that

  one.'

  'Probably not. A pity. He has missed a lot. But there are

  others in this house who are more appreciative, is it not so?'

  'Really, I do not know what monsieur means.'

  'Oh, yes, Mademoiselle Leonie, you know very well. A

  pretty history that you recount last night about a ghost that you

  have seen. As soon as I hear that you are standing there with

  your hands to your head, I know very well that there is no

  question of ghosts. Ifa girl is frightened she clasps her heart, or

  she raises her hands to her mouth to stifle a cry, but if her hands

  are on her hair it means something very different. It means that

  her hair has been ruffled and that she is hastily getting it into shape

  again,t Now then, mademoiselle, let us have the truth. Why did

  you scream on the stairs?'

  'But monsieur it is true, I saw a tall figure all in white '

  'Mademoiselle, do not insult my intelligence. That story, it

  may have been good enough for M. Carlile, but it is not good

  enough for Hercule Poirot. The truth is that you had just been

  kissed, is it not so? And I will make a guess that it was M.

  Reggie Carrington who kissed you.'

  Leonie twinkled an unabashed eye at him.

  'Eh &m,' she demanded, 'after all, what is a kiss?'

  'What, indeed?' said Poirot gallantly.

  'You see, the young gentleman he .came up behind me and

  caught me round the waist - and so naturally he startled me and

  I screamed. If I had known - well, then naturally I would not

  have screamed.'

  48

  'Naturally,' agreed Poirot.

  'But he came upon me like a cat. Then the study door opened

  and out came M. le secrtaire and the young gentleman slipped

  away upstairs and there I was looking like a fool. Naturally I

  had to say something - especially to -' she broke into French,

  'un jeune homme comme fa, tellement conime il faut!'

  'So you invent a ghost?'

  'Indeed, monsieur, it was all I could think of. A tall figure all

  in white, that floated. It is ridiculous but what else could I do?'

  'Nothing. So now, all is explained. I had my suspicions from

  the first.'

  Leonie shot him a provocative glance.

  'Monsieur is very clever, and very sympathetic.'

  'And since I am not going to make you any embarrassments

  over the affair you will do some thing for me in return?'

  'Most willingly, monsieur.'

  'How much do you know of your mistress's affairs?'

  The girl shrugged her shoulders.

  'Not very much, monsieur. I have my ideas, of course.'

  'And those ideas?'

  'Well, it does not escape me that the friends of madame are

  always soldiers or sailors or airmen. And then there are other

  friends - foreign gentlemen who come to see her very quietly

  sometimes. Madame is very handsome, though I do not think

  she will be so much longer. The young men, they fred her very

  attractive. Sometimes I think, they say too much. But it is only

  my idea, that. Madame does not confide in me.'

  'What you would have me to understand is that madame

  plays a lone hand?'

  'That is right, monsieur.'

  'In other words, you cannot help me.'

  'I fear not, monsieur. I would do if I could.'

  'Tell me, your mistress is in a good mood today?

  'Decidedly, monsieur.'

  'Something has happened to please her?'

  'She has been in good spirits ever since she came here.'

  'Well, Leonie, you should know.'

  49

  The girl answered confidently:

  'Yes, monsieur. I could-not be mistaken there. I know all

  madame's moods. She is in high spirits.'

  'Positively triumphant?'

  'That is exactly the word, monsieur.'

  Poirot nodded gloomily.

  'I pounds d that - a little hard to bear. Yet I perceive that it is

  inevitable. Thank you, mademoiselle, that is all.'

  Leonie threw him a coquettish glance.

  'Thank you, monsieur. If I meet monsieur on the stairs, be

  well assured that I shall not scream.'

  'My child,' said Poirot with dignity. 'I am of advanced years.

  What have I to do with such frivolities?'

  But with a little twitter of laughter, Loonie took herself off.

  Poirot paced slowly up and down the room. His face became

  grave and anxious.

  'And now,' he said at last, 'for Lady Julia. What will she say,

  I wonder?'

  Lady Julia came into the room with a quiet air of assurance.

  She bent her head graciously, accepted the chair that Poirot

  drew forward and spoke in a low, well-bred voice.

  'Lord Mayfield says that you wish to ask me some

  questions.'

  'Yes, madame. It is about last night.'

  'About last night, yes?'.

  'What happened after you had finished your game of

  bridge?'

  'My husband thought it was too late to begin another. I went

  up to bed.'

  'And then?'

  'I went to sleep.'

  'That is all?'

  'Yes. I'm afraid I can't tell you anything of much interest.

  When did this' - she hesitated - 'burglary occur?'

  'Very soon after you went upstairs.'

  'I see. And what exactly was taken?'

  'Some private papers, madame.'

  50

  'Important papers?'

  'Very important.'

  She frowned a little and then said:

  'They were - valuable?'

  'Yes, madame, they were worth a good deal of money.'

  'I see.'

  There was a pause, and then Poirot said:

  'What about your book, madame?'

  'My book?' She raised bewildered eyes to him.

  'Yes, I understand Mrs Vanderlyn to say that some time

  after you three ladies had retired you went down again to fetch

  a book.'

  'Yes, of course, so I did.'

  'So that, as a matter of fact, you did not go straight to bed

  when you went upstairs? You returned to the drawing-room?'

  'Yes, that is true. I had forgotten.'

  'While you were in the dra
wing-room, did you hear someone

  scream?'

  'No - yes - I don't think so.'

  'Surely, madame. You could not have failed to hear it in the

  drawing-room.'

  Lady Julia flung her head back and said £uxnly:

  'I heard nothing.'

  Poirot raised his eyebrows, but did not reply.

  The silence grew uncomfortable. Lady Julia asked abruptly:

  'What is being done?'

  'Being done? I do not understand you, madame.'

  'I mean about the robbery. Surely the police must be doing

  something.'

  Poirot shook his head.

  'The police have not been called in. I am in charge.'

  She stared at him, her restless haggard face sharpened and

  tense. Her eyes, dark and searching, sought to pierce his

  impassivity.

  They fell at last - defeated.

  'You cannot tell me what is being done?'

  51

  'I can only assure you, madame, that I am leaving no stone

  unturned.'

  'To catch the thief- or to - recover the papers?'

  'The recovery of the papers is the main thing, madame.'

  Her manner changed. It became bored, listless.

  'Yes,' she said indifferently. 'I suppose it is.'

  There was another pause.

  'Is there anything else, M. Poirot?'

  'No, madame. I will not detain you further.'

  'Thank you.'

  He opened the door for her. She passed out without glancing

  at him.

  Poirot went back to the fireplace and carefully rearnmged

  the ornaments on the mantelpiece. He was still at it when Lord

  Mayfield came in through the window.

  'Well?' said the latter.

  'Very well, I think. Events are shaping themselves as they

  should.'

  Lord Mayfield said, staring at him:

  'You are pleased.'

  'No, I am not pleased. But I am content.'

  'Really, M. Poirot, I cannot make you out.'

  'I am not such a charlatan as you think.'

  'I never said '

  'No, but you thought! No matter. I am not offended. It is

  sometimes necessary for me to adopt a certain pose.'

  Lord Mayfield looked at him doubtfully with a certain

  amount of distrust. Hercule Poirot was a man he did not

  understand. He wanted to despise him, but something warned

  him that this ridiculous little man was not so futile as he

  appeared. Charles McLaughlin had always been able to

  recognize capability when he saw it.

  'Well,' he said, 'we are in your hands. What do you advise

  next?'

  'Can you get rid of your guests?'

  'I think it might be arranged... I could explain that I have

  52

  to go to London over this affair. They will then probably offer to leave.'

  'Very good. Try and arrange it like that.'

  Lord Mayfield hesitated.

  'You don't think ?'

  'I am quite sure that that would be the wise course to take.'

  Lord Mayfield shrugged his shoulders.

  'Well, if you say so.'

  He went out.

  CHAPTER 8

  The guests left after lunch. Mrs Vanderlyn and Mrs Macatta

  went by train, the Carringtons had their car. Poirot was

  standing in the hall as Mrs Vanderlyn bade her host a charming

  farewell.

  'So terribly sorry for you having this bother and anxiety. I do

  I

  hope it will mm out all fight for you. I shan't breathe a word

  of anything.'

  .7 She pressed his hand mad went out to where the Rolls was

  waiting to take her to the station. Mrs Macatta was already

  inside. Her adieu had been curt and unsympathetic.

  Suddenly Leonie, who had been getting in front with the

  chauffeur, came running back into the hall.

  'The dressing-case of madame, it is not in the car,' she

  exclaimed.

  There was a hurried search. At last Lord Mayfield discovered

  it where it had been put down in the shadow of an old oak

  chest. Leonie uttered a glad little cry as she seized the elegant

  affair of green morocco, and hurried out with it.

  Then Mrs Vanderlyn leaned out of the cst.

  'Lord Mayfield, Lord Mayfield.' She handed him a letter.

  'Would you mind putting this in your post-bag? If I keep it

  meaning to post it in town, I'm sure to forget. Letters just stay

  in my bag for days.'

  Sir George Carrington was fidgeting with his watch,

  opening and shutting it. He was a maniac for punctuality.

  'They're cutting it frae,' he murmured. 'Very fme. Unless

  they're careful, they'H miss the train '

  His wife said irritably:

  'Oh, don't fuss, George. After all, it's their train, not ours!'

  He looked at her reproachfully.

  The Rolls drove off.

  Reggie drew up at the front door in the Carringtons' Morris.

  'All ready, Father,' he said.

  The servants began bringing out the Carringtons' luggage.

  Reggie supervised its disposal in the dickey.

  Poirot moved out of the front door, watching the

  proceedings.

  Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm. Lady Julia's voice spoke

  in an agitated whisper.

  'M. Poirot. I must speak to you - at once.'

  He yielded to her insistent hand. She drew him into a small

  morning-room and closed the door. She came close to him.

  'Is it true what you said - that the discovery of the papers is

  what matters most to Lord Ma3rfield?'

  Poirot looked at her curiously.

  'It is quite true, madame.'

  'If- if those papers were returned to you, would you

  undertake that they should be given back to Lord Mayfield,

  and no questions asked?'

  'I am not sure that I understand you.'

  'You must! I am sure that you do! I am suggesting that the - the thief should remain anonymous if the papers are

  returned.'

  Poirot asked:

  'How soon would that be, madame?'

  'Definitely within twelve hours.'

  'You can promise that?'

  'I can promise it.'

  54

  As he did not answer, she repeated urgently:

  'Will you guarantee that there will be no publicity?'

  He answered then - very gravely:

  'Yes, madame, I will guarantee that.'

  'Then everything can be arranged.'

  She passed abruptly from the room. A moment later Poirot

  heard the car drive away.

  He crossed the hall and went along the passage to the study.

  Lord Mayfield was there. He looked up as Poirot entered.

  ::' 'Well?' he said.

  : Poirot spread out his hands.

  ::

  'The case is ended, Lord Mayfield.'

  'What?'

  Poirot repeated word for word the scene between himself

  and Lady Julia.

  Lord Mayfield looked at him with a stupefied expression.

  'But what does it mean? I don't understand.'

  'It is very clear, is it not? Lady Julia knows who stole the

  plans.'

  i 'You don't mean she took them herself?.'

  'Certainly not. Lady Julia may be a gambler. She is not a

  thief. But if she offers to return the plans, it means that they

  were taken by her husband or her son. Now Sir George

  Carrington was out on the te
rrace with you. That leaves us the

  son. I think I can reconstruct the happenings of last night fairly

  accurately. Lady Julia went to her son's room last night and

  found it empty. She came downstairs to look for him, but did

  not find him. This morning she hears of the theft, and she also

  hears that her son declares that he went straight to his room and

  never left it. That, she knows, is not true. And she knows

  something else about her son. She knows that he is weak, that

  he is desperately hard-up for money. She has observed his

  infatuation for Mrs Vanderlyn. The whole thing is clear to her.

  Mrs Vanderlyn has persuaded Reggie to steal the plans. But

  she determines to play her part also. She will tackle Reggie, get

  hold of the papers and return them.'

  55

  'But the whole thing is quite impossible,' cried Lord

  Mayfield.

  'Yes, it is impossible, but Lady Julia does not know that. She

  does not know what I, Hercule Poirot, know, that ycng

  Reggie Carrington was not stealing papers last night, hut

  instead was philandering with Mrs Vanderlyn's French rwid.'

  'The whole thing is a mare's nest!'

  'Exactly.'

  'And the case is not ended at all!'

  'Yes, it is ended. I, Hercule Poirot, know the truth. You do ;ot

  believe me? You did not believe me yesterday when I said I

  knew where the plans were. But I did know. They were very

  close at hand.'