"my preparations are complete,"said Hercule Poirot.
With a little sigh he stepped back a pace or two and contemplated his
arrangement of one of the unoccupied hotel bedrooms.
Colonel Carbury,leaning inelegantly against the bed which had been pushed
against the wall,smiled as he puffed at his pipe."Funny feller,aren't
you,Poirot?"he said."Like to dramatize things."
"Perhaps -that is true,"admitted the little detective."But indeed it is not
all self-indulgence.If one plays a comedy,one must first set the scene."
"Is this a comedy?"
"Even if it is a tragedy -there,too,the decor must be correct."
Colonel Carbury looked at him curiously.
"Well,"he said,"it's up to you!I don't know what you're driving at.I
gather,though,that you've got something."
"I shall have the honour to present to you what you asked me for -the
truth!"
"Do you think we can get a conviction?"
"That,my friend,I did not promise you."
"True enough.Maybe I'm glad you haven't.It depends."
"My arguments are mainly psychological,"said Poirot.
Colonel Carbury sighed."I was afraid they might be."
"But they will convince you."Poirot reassured him."Oh,yes,they will convince
you.The truth,I have always thought,is curious and beautiful."
"Sometimes,"said colonel Carbury,"it's damned unpleasant."
"No,no."Poirot was earnest."You take there the personal view.Take instead
the abstract,the detached point of vision.Then the absolute logic of events is
fascinating and orderly."
"I"ll try to look on it that way,"said the Colonel.
Poirot glanced at his watch,a large grotesque turnip of a watch.
"But yes,indeed,it belonged to my grandfather."
"Thought it might have done."
"It is time to commence our proceedings,"said Poirot."You,mon Colonel,will
sit here behind this table in an official position."
"Oh,all right,"Carbury grunted."You don't want me to put my uniform on,do
you?"
"No,no.If you would permit that I straightened your tie."He suited the
action to the word.Colonel Carbury grinned again,sat down in the chair indicated
and a moment later,unconsciously,tweaked his tie round under his left ear again.
"Here,"continued Poirot,slightly altering the position of the chairs,"we
place la famille Boynton.
"And over here,"he went on,"we will place the three outsiders who have a
definite stake in the case.Dr Gerard,on whose evidence the case for the
prosecution depends.Miss Sarah King,who has two separate interests in the case,a
personal one,and that of medical examiner.Also Mr Jefferson Cope,who was on
intimate terms with the Boyntons and so may be definitely described as an
interested party."
He broke off."Aha -here they come."
He opened the door to admit the party.
Lennox Boynton and his wife came in first.Raymond and Carol followed.Ginevra
walked by herself,a faint,faraway smile on her lips.Dr Gerard and Sarah King
brought up the rear.Mr Jefferson Cope was a few minutes late and came in with an
apology.
When he had taken his place Poirot stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen,"he said,"this is an entirely informal gathering.It
has come about through the accident of my presence in Amman.Colonel Carbury did
me the honour to consult me -"
Poirot was interrupted.The interruption came from what was seemingly the
most unlikely quarter.Lennox Boynton said suddenly and pugnaciously:
"Why?Why the devil should he bring you into this business?"
Poirot waved a hand gracefully.
"Me,I am often called in in cases of sudden death."
Lennox Boynton said: "doctors send for you whenever there is a case of heart
failure?"
Poirot said gently: "Heart failure is such a very loose and unscientific
term."
Colonel Carbury cleared his throat.It was an official noise.He spoke in an
official tone.
"Best to make it quite clear.Circumstance of death reported to me.Very
natural occurrence.Weather unusually hot -journey a very trying one for an
elderly lady in bad health.So far all quite clear.But Dr Gerard came to me and
volunteered a statement -"
He looked inquiringly at Poirot.Poirot nodded.
"Dr Gerard is a very eminent physician with a world-wide reputation.Any
statement he makes is bound to be received with attention.Dr Gerard's statement
was as follows.On the morning after Mrs Boynton's death he noted that a certain
quantity of a powerful drug acting on the heart was missing from his medical
supplies.On the previous afternoon he had noticed the disappearance of a
hypodermic syringe.Syringe was returned during the night.Final point -there was
a puncture on the dead woman's wrist corresponding to the mark of a hypodermic
syringe."
Colonel Carbury paused.
"In these circumstances I considered that it was the duty of those in
authority to inquire into the matter.M.Hercule Poirot was my guest and very
considerately offered his highly specialized services.I gave him full authority
to to make any investigations he pleased.We are assembled here now to hear his
report on the matter."
There was silence -a silence so acute that you could have heard -as the
saying is -a pin drop.Actually someone did drop what was probably a shoe in the
next room.It sounded like a bomb in the hushed atmosphere.
Poirot cast a quick glance at the little group of three people on his
right,then turned his gaze to the five people huddled together on his left -a
group of people with frightened eyes.
Poirot said quietly: "When Colonel Carbury mentioned this business to me,I
gave him my opinion as an expert.I told him that it might not be possible to
bring proof -such proof as would be admissible in a court of law -but I told him
very definitely that I was sure I could arrive at the truth -simply by
questioning the people concerned.For let me tell you this,my friends,to
investigate a crime it is only necessary to let the guilty party or parties talk
-always,in the end,they tell you what you want to know!"He paused.
"So,in this case,although you have lied to me,you have also,unwittingly,told
me the truth."
He heard a faint sigh,the scrape of a chair on the floor to his right,but he
did not look round.He continued to look at the Boyntons.
"First,I examined the possibility of Mrs Boynton having died a natural death
-and I decided against it.The missing drug -the hypodermic syringe -and above
all,the attitude of the dead lady's family all convinced me that that
supposition could not be entertained.
"Not only was Mrs Boynton killed in cold blood -but every member of her
family was aware of the fact!Collectively they reacted as guilty parties.
"But there are degrees in guilt.I examined the evidence carefully with a
view to ascertaining whether the murder -yes,it was murder -had been committed
by the old lady's family acting on a concerted plan.
"There was,I may say,overwhelming motive.One and all stood to gain by her
death -both in the financial sense -for they would at once attain financial
independence and indeed enjoy very considerable wealth -and also in the sense of
being freed from what had become an almost insupportable tyranny.
"To continue:I decided,almost immediately,that the concerted theory would
not hold water.The stories of the Boynton family did not dovetail neatly into
each other,and no system of workable alibis had been arranged.The facts seemed
more to suggest that one -or possibly two -members of the family had acted in
collusion and that the others were accessories after the fact.I next considered
which particular member or members -were indicated.Here,I may say,I was inclined
to be biased by a certain piece of evidence known only to myself."
Here Poirot recounted his experience in Jerusalem.
"Naturally,that pointed very strongly to Mr Raymond Boynton as the prime
move in the affair.Studying the family,I came to the conclusion that the most
likely recipient of his confidences that night would be his sister Carol.They
strongly resembled each other in appearance and temperament,and so would have a
keen bond of sympathy and they also possessed the nervous rebellious temperament
necessary for the conception of such an act.That their motive was partly
unselfish -to free the whole family and particularly their younger sister -only
made the planning of the deed more plausible."Poirot paused a minute.
Raymond Boynton half opened his lips,then shut them again.His eyes looked
steadily at Poirot with a kind of dumb agony in them.
"Before I go into the case against Raymond Boynton,I would like to read to
you a list of significant points which I drew up and submitted to colonel
Carbury this afternoon.
SIGNIFICANT POINTS
1.Mrs Boynton was taking a mixture containing digitalin.
2.Dr Gerard missed a hypodermic syringe.
3.Mrs Boynton took definite pleasure in keeping her family from enjoying
themselves with other people.
4.Mrs Boynton,on the afternoon in question,encouraged her family to go away
and leave her.
5.Mrs Boynton is a mental sadist.
6.The distance from the marquee to the place where Mrs Boynton was sitting
is (roughly)two hundred yards.
7.Mr Lennox Boynton said at first he did not know what time he returned to
the camp,but later he admitted having set his mother's wrist-watch to the right
time.
8.Dr Gerard and Miss Ginevra Boynton occupied tents next door to each other.
9.At half-past six,when dinner was ready,a servant was dispatched to
announce the fact to Mrs Boynton.
10.Mrs Boynton,in Jerusalem,used these words:"I never forget.Remember
that.I've never forgotten anything."
Although I have numbered the points separately,occasionally they can be
bracketed in pairs.That is the case,for instance,with the first two.Mrs Boynton
taking a mixture containing digitalin.Dr Gerard had missed a hypodermic
syringe.Those two points were the first thing that struck me about the case,and
I may say to you that I found them most extraordinary -and quite
irreconcilable.You do not see what I mean?No matter.I will return to the point
presently.Let it suffice that I noticed those two points as something that had
definitely got to be explained satisfactorily.
"I will conclude now with my study of the possibility of Raymond Boynton's
guilt.The following are the facts.He had been heard to discuss the possibility
of taking Mrs Boynton's life.He was in a condition of great nervous
excitement.He had -mademoiselle will forgive me -"he bowed apologetically to
Sarah -"just passed through a moment of great emotional crisis.That is,he had
fallen in love.The exaltation of his feelings might lead him to act in one of
several ways.He might feel mellowed and softened towards the world in
general,including his stepmother -he might feel the courage at last to defy her
and shake off her influence -or he might find just the additional spur to turn
his crime from theory to practice.That is the psychology!Let us now examine the
facts.
"Ramond Boynton left the camp with the others about three-fifteen.Mrs
Boynton was then alive and well.Before long Raymond and Sarah King had a
tete-a-tete interview.Then he left her.According to him,he
returned to the camp at ten minutes to six.He went up to his mother,exchanged a
few words with her,then went to his tent and afterwards down to the marquee.He
says that at ten minutes to six,Mrs Boynton was alive and well.
"But we now come to a fact which directly contradicts that statement.At
half-past six Mrs Boynton's death was discovered by a servant.Miss King,who
holds a medical degree,examined her body and she swears definitely that at that
time,though she did not pay any special attention to the time when death had
occurred,it had most certainly and decisively taken place at least an hour (and
probably a good deal more)before six o"clock.
"We have here,you see,two conflicting statements.Setting aside the
possibility that Miss King may have made a mistake -"
Sarah interrupted him."I don't make mistakes.That is,if I had,I would admit
to it."
Her tone was hard and clear.
Poirot bowed to her politely.
"Then there are only two possibilities -either Miss King or Mr Boynton is
lying!Let us examine Raymond Boynton's reasons for so doing.Let us assume that
Miss King was not mistaken and not deliberately lying.What,then,was the sequence
of events?Raymond Boynton returns to the camp,sees his mother sitting at the
mouth of her cave,goes up to her and finds she is dead.What does he do?Does he
call for help?Does he immediately inform the camp of what has happened?No,he
waits a minute or two,then passes on to his tent and joins his family in the
marquee and says nothing.Such conduct is exceedingly curious,is it not?"
Raymond said in a nervous,sharp voice:
"It would be idiotic,of course.That ought to show you that my mother was
alive and well as I've said.Miss King was flustered and upset and made a
mistake."
"One asks oneself,"said Poirot,calmly sweeping on,"whether there could
possibly be a reason for such conduct?It seems,on the face of it,that Raymond
Boynton cannot be guilty,since at the only time he was known to approach his
stepmother that afternoon she had already been dead for some time.Now,supposing
therefore,that Raymond Boynton is innocent,can we explain his conduct?
"And I say,that on the assumption that he is innocent,we can!For I remember
that fragment of conversation I overheard."You do se,don't you,that she's got to
be killed?"He comes back from his walk and finds her dead and at once his guilty
memory envisages a certain possibility.The plan has been carried out -not by him
-but by his fellow-planner.Tout simplement -he suspects that his sister,Carol
Boynton,is guilty."
"It's a lie,"said Raymond in a low,trembling voice.
Poirot went on: "Let us now take the possibility of Carol Boynton being the
murderess.What is the evidence against her?She has the same highly-strung
temperament -the kind of temperament that might see such a deed coloured with
heroism.It was she to whom Raymond Boynton was talking that night in
Jerusalem.Carol Boynton returned to the camp at ten minutes past five.According
to her own story she went up and spoke to her mother.No one saw her do so.The
camp was deserted -the boys were asleep.Lady Westholme,Miss Pierce and Mr Cope
were exploring caves out of sight of the camp.There was no witness of Carol
Boynton's possible action.The time would agree well enough.The case,then,against
Carol Boynton is a perfectly possible one."He paused.Carol had raised her
head,Her eyes looked steadily and sorrowfully into his.
"There is one other point.The following morning,very early,Carol Boynton was
seen to throw something into the stream.There is reason to believe that that
something was a hypodermic syringe."
"Comment?"Dr Gerard looked up surprised."But my hypodermic was
returned.Yes,yes,I have it now."
Poirot nodded vigorously.
"Yes,yes.This second hypodermic,it is very curious -very interesting.I have
been given to understand that this hypodermic belonged to Miss King.Is hat so?"
Sarah paused for a fraction of a second.
Carol spoke quickly: "It was not Miss king's syringe,"she said."It was
mine."
"Then you admit throwing it away,mademoiselle?"
She hesitated just a second.
"Yes,of course.Why shouldn't I?"
"Carol!"It was Nadine.She leaned forward,her eyes wide and
distressed."Carol......Oh,I don't understand......"
Carol turned and looked at her.There was something hostile in her glance.
"There's nothing to understand!I threw away an old hypodermic.I never
touched the -the poison."
Sarah's voice broke in: "It is quite true what Miss Pierce told
you,M.Poirot.It was my syringe."
Poirot smiled.
"It is very confusing,this affair of the hypodermic -and yet,I think,it
could be explained.Ah,well,we have now two cases made out -the case for the
innocence of Raymond Boynton -the case for the guilt of his sister Carol.But
me,I am scrupulously fair.I took always on both sides.Let us examine what
occurred if Carol Boynton was innocent.
"She returns to the camp,she goes up to her stepmother,and she finds her -
shall we say -dead!What is the first thing she will think?She will suspect that
her brother Raymond may have killed her.She does not know what to do.So she says
nothing.And presently,about an hour later,Raymond Boynton returns and having
presumably spoken to his mother,says nothing of anything being amiss .Do you not
think that then her suspicions would become certainties?Perhaps she goes to his
tent and finds there a hypodermic syringe.Then,indeed,she is sure!She takes it
quickly and hides it.Early in the morning she flings it as far away as she can.
"There is one more indication that Carol Boynton is innocent.She assures me
when I question her that she and her brother never seriously intended to carry
out their plan.I ask her to swear -and she swears immediately and with the
utmost solemnity that she is not guilt of the crime!You see,that is the way she
puts it.She does not swear that they are not guilty.She swears for herself,not
her brother -and thinks that I will not pay special attention to the pronoun.
"Eh bien,that is the case for the innocence of Carol Boynton.And now let us
go back a step and consider not the innocence but the possible guilt of
Raymond.Let us suppose that Carol is speaking the truth,that Mrs Boynton was
alive at five-ten.Under what circumstances can Raymond be guilty?We can suppose
that he killed his mother at ten minutes to six when he went up to speak to
her.There were boys about the camp,true,but the light was fading.It might have
been managed,but it then follows that Miss King lied.Remember,she came back to
the camp only five minutes after Raymond.From the distance she would see him go
up to his mother.Then,when later she is found dead,Miss King realizes that
Raymond has killed her,and to save him,she lies -knowing that Dr Gerard is down
with fever and cannot expose her lie!"
"I did not lie!"said Sarah clearly.
"There is yet another possibility.Miss King,as I have said,reached the camp
a few minutes after Raymond.If Raymond Boynton found his mother alive,it may
have been Miss King who administered the fatal injection.She believed that Mrs
Boynton was fundamentally evil.She may have seen herself as a just
executioner.That would equally well explain her lying about the time of death."
Sarah had grown very pale.She spoke in a low,steady voice.
"It is true that I spoke of the expediency of one person dying to save
many.It was the Place of Sacrifice that suggested the idea to me.But I can swear
to you that I never harmed that disgusting old woman -nor would the idea of
doing so ever have entered my head!"
"And yet,"said Poirot softly,"one of you two must be lying."
Raymond Boynton shifted in his chair.He cried out impetuously:
"You win,M.Poirot!I'm the liar.Mother was dead when I went up to her.It -it
quite knocked me out.I'd been going,you see,to have it out with her.To tell her
that from henceforth I was a free agent.I was -all set,you understand.And there
she was -dead!Her hand all cold and flabby.And I thought -just what you said.I
thought maybe Carol -you see,there was the mark on her wrist -"
Poirot said quickly: "That is the one point on which I am not completely
informed.What was the method you counted on employing?You had a method -and it
was connected with a hypodermic syringe.That much I know.If you want me to
believe you,you must tell me the rest."
Raymond said hurriedly: "It was a way I read in a book -an English detective
story -you stuck an empty hypodermic syringe into someone and it did the
trick.It sounded perfectly scientific.I -I thought we'd do it that way."
"Ah,"said Poirot."I comprehend.And you purchased a syringe?"
"No.As a matter of fact I pinched Nadine's"
Poirot shot a quick look at her."The syringe that is in your baggage in
Jerusalem?"he murmured.
A faint colour showed in the young woman's face.
"I -I wasn't sure what had become of it,"she murmured.
Poirot murmured: "You are so quick-witted,madame."
|
|
