Death On The Nile - Christie Agatha. Страница 35

"We know that is quite impossible for Miss de Bellefort to have shot Mrs.

Doyle."

He explained carefully the circumstances. Pennington seemed reluctant to accept them.

"I agree it looks all right on the fact of it-but this hospital nurse woman-I'll bet she didn't stay awake all night. She dozed off and the girl slipped out and in again."

"Hardly likely, M. Pennington. She had administered a strong opiate, remember. And anyway a nurse is in the habit of sleeping lightly and waking when her patient wakes.' · "It all sounds rather fishy to me," said Pennington.

Race said in a gently authoritative manner:

"I think you must take it from me, Mr. Pennington, that we have examined all the possibilities very carefully. The result is quite definiteJacqueline de Bellefort did not shoot Mrs. Doyle. So we are forced to look elsewhere. That is where we hope you may be able to help us."

Pennington gave a nervous start.

"Yes. You were an intimate friend of the dead woman's. You know the circumstances of her life, in all probability, much better than her husband does, since he only made her acquaintance a few months ago. You would know, for instance, of any one who had a grudge against her-you would know, perhaps, whether there was any one who had a motive for desiring her death."

Andrew Pennington passed his tongue over rather dry looking lips.

"I assure you, I have no idea… You see Linnet was brought up in England.

I know very little of her surroundings and associations."

"And yet," mused Poirot, "there was some one on board who was interested in Mrs. Doyle's removal. She had a near escape before, you remember, at this very place, when that boulder crashed!own-ah! but you were not there, perhaps?"

"No. I was inside the temple at the time. I heard about it afterwards, of course. A very near escape. But possibly an accident, don't you think?"

Poirot shrugged his shoulders.

"One thought so at the time. Now-one wonders."

"Yes-yes, of course." Pennington wiped his face with a fine silk handkerchief.

Colonel Race went on:

"Mrs. Doyle happened to mention some one being on board who bore a grudge-not against her personally-but against her family. Do you know who that could be?"

Pennington looked genuinely astonished.

"No, I've no idea."

"She didn't mention the matter to you?"

"No."

"You were an intimate friend of her father's-you cannot remember any business operation of his that might have resulted in ruin for some business opponent?"

Pennington shook his head helplessly.

"No outstanding case. Such operations were frequent, of course, but I can't recall any one who uttered threats-nothing of that kind.' "In short, Mr. Pennington, you cannot help us?" "It seems so. I deplore my inadequacy, gentlemen." Race interchanged a glance with Poirot, then he said: "I'm sorry too. We'd had hopes."

He got up as a sign the interview was at an end.

Andrew Pennignton said:

"As Doyle's laid up, I expect he'd like me to see to things. Pardon me, Colonel, but what exactly are the arrangements?"

"When we leave here we shall make a non-stop run to Shellal, arriving there to-morrow morning."

"And the body?"

"Will be removed to one of the cold storage chambers." Andrew Pennington bowed his head. Then he left the room.

Poirot and Race again interchanged a glance.

"Mr. Pennington," said Race, lighting a cigarette, "was not at all comfortable."

Poirot nodded.

"And," he said, "Mr. Pennington was sufficiently perturbed to tell a rather stupid lie. He was not in the temple of Abu Simbel when that boulder fell. Ii qui vous parle--can swear to that. I had just come from there." "A very stupid lie," said Race, "and a very revealing one." Again Poirot nodded.

"But for the moment," he said, and smiled, "we handle him with the gloves of kid, is it not so?"

"That was the idea," said Race.

"My friend, you and I understand each other to a marvel."

There was a faint grinding noise, a stir beneath their feet. The Karnak had started on her homeward journey to Shellal.

"The pearls," said Race, "that is the next thing to be cleared up."

"You have a plan?"

"Yes." He glanced at his watch. "It will be lunch time in half an hour. At the end of the meal I propose to make an announcement-just state the fact that the pearls have been stolen, and that I must request every one to stay in the dining saloon while a search is conducted."

Poirot nodded approvingly.

"It is well imagined. Whoever took the pearls still has them. By giving no warning beforehand, there will be no chance of their being thrown overboard in a panic."

Race drew some sheets of paper towards him. He murmured apologetically:

"I like to make a brief precis of the facts as I go along. It keeps one's mind free of confusion."

"You do well. Method and order, they are everything," replied Poirot.

Race wrote for some minutes in his small neat script. Finally he pushed the result of his labours towards Poirot.

"Anything you don't agree with there?"

Poirot took up the sheets. They were headed: MURDER OF MRS. LINNET DOYLE Mrs. Doyle was last seen alive by her maid Louise Bourget. Time: 11.30 (approx).

From 11.3012.20 following have alibis-Cornelia Robson, James Fanthorp, Simon Doyle, Jacqueline de Bellefort-nobody e/se-but crime almost certainly committed after that time, since it is practically certain that pistol used was Jacqueline de Bellefort's which was then in her handbag. That her pistol was used is not absolutely certain until after post mortem and expert evidence re bullet but it may be taken as overwhelmingy probable.

Probable course of events: X (murderer) was witness of scene between Jacqueline and Simon Doyle in observation saloon and noted where pistol went under settee. After the saloon was vacant, X procured pistol his or her idea being that Jacqueline de Bellefort would be thought guilty of crime. On this theory certain people are automatically cleared of suspicion.

Cornelia Robson since she had no opportunity to take pistol before James

Fanthorp returned to search for it.

Miss Bowers-same.

Dr. Bessner-same.

N.B. Fanthorp is not definitely excluded from suspicion since he could actually have pocketed pistol while declaring himself unable to find it.

Any other person could have taken the pistol during that ten minutes' interval.

Possible motives for the murder:

Andrew Pennington. This is on the assumption that he has been guilty of fraudulent practices. There is a certain amount of evidence in favour of that assu. mption, but not enough to justify making out a case against him. If it was he who rolled down the boulder he is a man who can seize a chance when it presents itself. The crime, clearly, was not premeditated except in a general way. Last night's shooting scene was an ideal opportunity.

Objections to the theory of Pennington's guilt. Why did he throw the pistol overboard since it constituted a valuable clue against].B.

Fleetwood. Motive, revenge. Fleetwood considered himself injured by Linnet Doyle'. Might have overheard scene and noted position of pistol. He may have taken pistol because it was a handy weapon rather than with the idea of throwing guilt on Jacqueline. This would fit in with throwing it overboard. But if that were the case, why did he write]. in blood on the wall!

N.B. Cheap handkerchief found with pistol more likely to have belonged to a man like Fleetwood than to one of the well-to-do passengers.

Rosalie Otterbourne. Are we to accept Miss Van Schuyler's evidence or Rosalie's denial? Something was thrown overboard at that time and that something was presumably the pistol wrapped up in the velvet stole.