Postern of Fate

by Agatha Christie

  'He leaves them on the plate, I suppose,' said Tuppence, 'and eats the meat first.'

  'He likes sponge cake, though, our dog does,' said Clarence.

  Hannibal sniffed at the trophy just disinterred from the inside of Cambridge. He wheeled round suddenly then and barked.

  'See if there's anyone outside,' said Tuppence. 'It might be a gardener. Somebody told me the other day, Mrs Herring, I think it was, that she knew of an elderly man who'd been a very good gardener in his time and who did jobbing.'

  Tommy opened the door and went outside. Hannibal accompanied him.

  'Nobody here,' said Tommy.

  Hannibal barked. First he growled again, then he barked and barked more loudly.

  'He thinks there's someone or something in that great clump of pampas grass,' said Tommy. 'Perhaps someone is un-burying one of his bones there. Perhaps there's a rabbit there. Hannibal's very stupid about rabbits. He needs an awful lot of encouragement before he'll chase a rabbit. He seems to have a kindly feeling about them. He goes after pigeons and large birds. Fortunately he never catches them.'

  Hannibal was now sniffing round the pampas grass, first growling, after which he began to bark loudly. At intervals he turned his head towards Tommy.

  'I expect there's a cat in there,' said Tommy. 'You know what he's like when he thinks a cat is around. There's that big black cat that comes round here and the little one. The one that we call the Kitty-cat.'

  'That's the one that's always getting into the house,' said Tuppence. 'It seems to get through the smallest chinks. Oh, do stop, Hannibal. Come back.'

  Hannibal heard and turned his head. He was expressing a very high degree of fierceness. He gave Tuppence a look, went back a little way, then turned his attention once more to the clump of pampas grass and began barking furiously.

  'There's something worries him,' said Tommy. 'Come on, Hannibal.'

  Hannibal shook himself, shook his head, looked at Tommy, looked at Tuppence and made a prancing attack on the pampas grass, barking loudly.

  There was a sudden sound. Two sharp explosions.

  'Good lord, somebody must be shooting rabbits,' exclaimed Tuppence.

  'Get back. Get back inside KK, Tuppence,' said Tommy. Something flew past his ear. Hannibal, now fully alerted, was racing round and round the pampas grass. Tommy ran after him.

  'He's chasing someone now,' he said. 'He's chasing someone down the hill. He's running like mad.'

  'Who was it - what was it?' said Tuppence.

  'You all right, Tuppence?'

  'No, I'm not quite all right,' said Tuppence. 'Something - something, I think, hit me here, just below the shoulder. Was it - what was it?'

  'It was someone shooting at us. Someone who was hidden inside that pampas grass.'

  'Someone who was watching what we were doing,' said Tuppence. 'Do you think that's it, perhaps?'

  'I expect it's them Irish,' said Clarence hopefully. 'The IRA. You know. They've been trying to blow this place up.'

  'I don't think it's of any political significance,' said Tuppence.

  'Come into the house,' said Tommy. 'Come quickly. Come on, Clarence, you'd better come too.'

  'You don't think your dog will bite me?' said Clarence uncertainly.

  'No,' said Tommy. 'I think he is busy for the moment.'

  They had just turned the corner into the garden door when Hannibal reappeared suddenly. He came racing up the hill very out of breath. He spoke to Tommy in the way a dog does speak. He came up to him, shook himself, put a paw on Tommy's trouser leg and tried to pull him in the direction from which he bad just come.

  'He wants me to go with him after whoever the man was,' said Tommy.

  'Well, you're not to,' said Tuppence. 'If there's anyone there with a rifle or a pistol or something that shoots. I'm not going to have you shot. Not at your age. Who would look after me if anything happened to you? Come on, let's get indoors.'

  They went into the house quickly. Tommy went out into the hall and spoke on the telephone.

  'What are you doing?' said Tuppence.

  'Telephoning the police,' said Tommy. 'Can't let anything like this pass. They may get on to someone if we're in time.'

  'I think,' said Tuppence, 'that I want something put on my shoulder. This blood is ruining my best jumper.'

  'Never mind your jumper,' said Tommy.

  Albert appeared at that moment with a complete service of first aid.

  'Well I never,' said Albert. 'You mean some dirty guy has shot at the missus? Whatever's happening next in this country?'

  'You don't think you ought to go to the hospital, do you?'

  'No, I don't,' said Tuppence. 'I'm quite all right but I want an outsize Band-Aid or something to stick on here. Put on something like friars balsam first.'

  'I've got some iodine.'

  'I don't want iodine. It stings. Besides, they say now in hospitals that it isn't the right thing to put on.'

  'I thought friar's balsam was something you breathed in out of an inhaler,' said Albert hopefully.

  'That's one use,' said Tuppence, 'but it's very good to put on slight scratches or scars or if children cut themselves or anything like that. Have you got the thing all right?'

  'What thing, what do you mean, Tuppence?'

  'The thing we just got out of the Cambridge Lohengrin. That's what I mean. The thing that was hanging on a nail. Perhaps it's something important, you know. They saw us. And so if they tried to kill us - and tried to get whatever it was - that really would be something!'

  Chapter 11

  HANNIBAL TAKES ACTION

  Tommy sat with the police inspector in his office. The police officer, Inspector Norris, was nodding his head gently.

  'I hope with any luck we may get results, Mr Beresford.' he said. 'Dr Crossfield, you say, is attending your wife.'

  'Yes,' said Tommy, 'it isn't serious, I gather. It was just grazing by a bullet and it bled a good deal, but she's going to be all right, I think. There's nothing really dangerous Dr Crossfield said.'

  'She's not very young, though, I suppose,' said Inspector Norris.

  'She's over seventy,' said Tommy. 'We're both of us getting on, you know.'

  'Yes, yes. Quite so,' said Inspector Norris. 'I've heard a good deal about her locally, you know, since you came here to live. People have taken to her in a big way. We've heard about her various activities. And about yours.'

  'Oh, dear,' said Tommy.

  'Can't live down your record, you know, whatever it is. Good or bad,' said Inspector Norris in a kindly voice. 'You can't live down your record if you're a criminal and you can't live down your record if you've been a hero either. Of one thing I can assure you. We'll do all we can to clear things up. You can't describe whoever it was, I suppose?'

  'No,' said Tommy. 'When I saw him he was running with our dog after him. I should say he was not very old. He ran easily, I mean.'

  'Difficult age round about fourteen, fifteen onwards.'

  'It was someone older than that,' said Tommy.

  'Not had any telephone calls or letters, demands for money or anything like that?' said the Inspector. 'Asking you to get out of your house, maybe?'

  'No,' said Tommy, 'nothing like that.'

  'And you've been here - how long?'

  Tommy told him.

  'Hmmm. Not very long. You go to London, I gather, most days of the week.'

  'Yes,' said Tommy. 'If you want particulars -'

  'No,' said Inspector Norris, 'no. No, I don't need any particulars. The only thing I should suggest is that - well, you don't go away too often. If you can manage to stay at home and look after Mrs Beresford yourself...'

  'I thought of doing that anyway,' said Tommy. 'I think this is a good excuse for my not turning up always at the various appointments I've got in London.'

  'Well, we'll do all we can to keep an eye on things, and if we could get hold of this whoever it is...'

  'Do you feel - perhaps I oughtn't to ask this -'
said Tommy - 'do you feel you know who it is? Do you know his name or his reasons?'

  'Well, we know a good many things about some of the chaps around here. More than they think we know very often. Sometimes we don't make it apparent how much we do know because that's the best way to get at them in the end. You find out then who they're mixed up with, who's paying them, for some of the things they do, or whether they thought of it themselves out of their own heads. But I think - well, I think somehow that this isn't one of our locals, as you might say.'

  'Why do you think that?' asked Tommy.

  'Ah. Well, one hears things, you know. One gets information from various headquarters elsewhere.'

  Tommy and the Inspector looked at each other. For about five minutes neither of them spoke. They were just looking.

  'Well,' said Tommy, 'I - I see. Yes. Perhaps I see.'

  'If I may say one thing,' said Inspector Norris.

  'Yes?' said Tommy, looking rather doubtful.

  'This garden of yours. You want a bit of help in it, I understand.'

  'Our gardener was killed, as you probably know.'

  'Yes, I know all about that. Old Isaac Bodlicott, wasn't it? Fine old chap. Told tall stories now and then about the wonderful things he'd done in his time. But he was a well-known character and a fellow you could trust, too.'

  'I can't imagine why he was killed or who killed him,' said Tommy. 'Nobody seems to have had any idea or to have found out.'

  'You mean we haven't found out. Well, these things take a little time, you know. It doesn't come out at the time the inquest's on, and the Coroner sums up and says "Murder by some person unknown." That's only the beginning sometimes. Well, what I was going to say was it's likely someone may come and ask you whether you'd like a chap to come and do a bit of jobbing gardening for you. He'll come along and say that he could come two or three days a week. Perhaps more. He'll tell you, for reference, that he worked for some years for Mr Solomon. You'll remember that name, will you?'

  'Mr Solomon,' said Tommy.

  There seemed to be something like a twinkle for a moment in Inspector Norris's eye.

  'Yes, he's dead, of course. Mr Solomon, I mean. But he did live here and he did employ several different jobbing gardeners. I'm not quite sure what name this chap will give you. We'll say I don't quite remember it. It might be one of several - it's likely to be Crispin, I think. Between thirty and fifty or so, and he worked for Mr Solomon. If anyone comes along and says he can do some jobbing gardening for you and doesn't mention Mr Solomon, in that case, I wouldn't accept him. That's just a word of warning.'

  'I see,' said Tommy. 'Yes. I see. At least, I hope I see the point.'

  'That's the point,' said Inspector Norris. 'You're quick on the uptake, Mr Beresford. Well, I suppose you've had to be quite often in your activities. Nothing more you want to know that we could tell you?'

  'I don't think so,' said Tommy. 'I wouldn't know what to ask.'

  'We shall be making enquiries, not necessarily round here, you know. I may be in London or other parts looking round. We all help to look round. Well, you'd know that, wouldn't you?'

  'I want to try and keep Tuppence - keep my wife from getting herself too mixed up in things because - but it's difficult.'

  'Women are always difficult,' said Inspector Norris.

  Tommy repeated that remark later as he sat by Tuppence's bedside and watched her eating grapes.

  'Do you really eat all the pips of grapes?'

  'Usually,' said Tuppence. 'It takes so much time getting them out, doesn't it? I don't think they hurt you.'

  'Well, if they haven't hurt you by now, and you've been doing it all your life, I shouldn't think they would,' said Tommy.

  'What did the police say?'

  'Exactly what we thought they would say.'

  'Do they know who it's likely to have been?'

  'They say they don't think it's a local.'

  'Who did you see? Inspector Watson his name is, isn't it?'

  'No. This was an Inspector Norris.'

  'Oh, that's one I don't know. What else did he say?'

  'He said women were always very difficult to restrain.'

  'Really!' said Tuppence. 'Did he know you were coming back to tell me that?'

  'Possibly not,' said Tommy. He got up. 'I must put in a telephone call or two to London. I'm not going up for a day or two.'

  'You can go up all right. I'm quite safe here! There's Albert looking after me and all the rest of it. Dr Crossfield has been terribly kind and rather like a sort of broody hen watching over me.'

  'I'll have to go out to get things for Albert. Anything you want?'

  'Yes,' said Tuppence, 'you might bring me back a melon. I'm feeling very inclined to fruit. Nothing but fruit.'

  'All right,' said Tommy.

  Tommy rang up a London number.

  'Colonel Pikeaway?'

  'Yes. Hullo. Ah, it's you, Thomas Beresford, is it?'

  'Ah, you recognized my voice. I wanted to tell you that -'

  'Something about Tuppence. I've heard it all,' said Colonel Pikeaway. 'No need to talk. Stay where you are for the next day or two or a week. Don't come up to London. Report anything that happens.'

  'There may be some things which we ought to bring you.'

  'Well, hang on to them for the moment. Tell Tuppence to invent a place to hide them until then.'

  'She's good at that sort of thing. Like our dog. He hides bones in the garden.'

  'I hear he chased the man who shot at you both, and saw him off the place -'

  'You seem to know all about it.'

  'We always know things here,' said Colonel Pikeaway.

  'Our dog managed to get a snap at him and came back with a sample of his trousers in his mouth.'

  Chapter 12

  OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE AND LOHENGRIN

  'Good man,' said Colonel Pikeaway, puffing out smoke. 'Sorry to send for you so urgently but I thought I'd better see you.'

  'As I expect you know,' said Tommy, 'we've been having something a little unexpected lately.'

  'Ah! Why should you think I know?'

  'Because you always know everything here.'

  Colonel Pikeaway laughed.

  'Hah! Quoting me to myself, aren't you? Yes, that's what I say. We know everything. That's what we're here for. Did she have a very narrow escape? Your wife, I'm talking about, as you know.'

  'She didn't have a narrow escape, but there might have been something serious. I expect you know most of the details, or do you want me to tell you?'

  'You can run over it quickly if you like. There's a bit I didn't hear,' said Colonel Pikeaway, 'the bit about Lohengrin. Grin-hen-lo. She's sharp, you know, your wife is. She saw the point of that. It seems idiotic, but there it was.'

  'I've brought you the results today,' said Tommy. 'We hid them in the flour-bin until I could get up to see you. I didn't like to send them by post.'

  'No. Quite right -'

  'In a kind of tin - not tin but a better metal than that box and hanging in Lohengrin. Pale blue Lohengrin. Cambridge, Victorian china outdoor garden stool.'

  'Remember them myself in the old days. Had an aunt in the country who used to have a pair.'

  'It was well preserved, sewn up in tarpaulin. Inside it are letters. They are somewhat perished and that, but I expect with expert treatment -'

  'Yes, we can manage that sort of thing all right.'

  'Here they are then,' said Tommy, 'and I've got a list for you of things that we've noted down, Tuppence and I. Things that have been mentioned or told us.'

  'Names?'

  'Yes. Three or four. The Oxford and Cambridge clue and the mention of Oxford and Cambridge graduates staying there - I don't think there was anything in that, because really it referred simply to the Lohengrin porcelain stools, I suppose.'

  'Yes - yes - yes, there are one or two other things here that are quite interesting.'

  'After we were fired at,' said Tommy, 'I reported it of course t
o the police.'

  'Quite right.'

  'Then I was asked to go down to the police station the next day and I saw Inspector Norris there. I haven't come in con- tact with him before. I think he must be rather a new officer.'