Best detective stories of Agatha Christie, Page 3

  “But why?”

  “Because if Ridgeway merely opens the packet and finds it a dummy, suspicion flies at once to London. No, the man on board in the cabin next door does his work, pretends to force the lock in an obvious manner so as to draw immediate attention to the theft, really unlocks the trunk with a duplicate key, throws the package overboard and waits until the last to leave the boat. Naturally he wears glasses to conceal his eyes, and is an invalid since he does not want to run the risk of meeting Ridgeway. He steps ashore in New York and returns by the first boat available.”

  “But who - which was he?”

  “The man who had a duplicate key, the man who ordered the lock, the man who has not been severely ill with bronchitis at his home in the country - enfin, the ‘stodgy’ old man, Mr Shaw! There are criminals in high places sometimes, my friend. Ah, here we are. Mademoiselle, I have succeeded! You permit?”

  And, beaming, Poirot kissed the astonished girl lightly on either cheek!

  THE MYSTERY OF HUNTER’S LODGE

  “After all,” murmured Poirot, “it is possible that I shall not die this time.”

  Coming from a convalescent influenza patient, I hailed the remark as showing a beneficial optimism. I myself had been the first sufferer from the disease. Poirot in his turn had gone down. He was now sitting up in bed, propped up with pillows, his head muffled in a woollen shawl, and was slowly sipping a particularly noxious tisane which I had prepared according to his directions. His eye rested with pleasure upon a neatly graduated row of medicine bottles which adorned the mantelpiece.

  “Yes, yes,” my little friend continued. “Once more shall I be myself again, the great Hercule Poirot, the terror of evil-doers! Figure to yourself, mon ami, that I have a little paragraph to myself in Society Gossip. But yes! Here it is: ‘Go it - criminals - all out! Hercule Poirot - and believe me, girls, he’s some Hercules! - our own pet society detective can’t get a grip on you. ‘Cause why? ‘Cause he’s got la grippe himself’!”

  I laughed.

  “Good for you, Poirot. You are becoming quite a public character. And fortunately you haven’t missed anything of particular interest during this time.”

  “That is true. The few cases I have had to decline did not fill me with any regret.”

  Our landlady stuck her head in at the door.

  “There’s a gentleman downstairs. Says he must see Monsieur Poirot or you, Captain. Seeing as he was in a great to-do - and with all that quite the gentleman - I brought up’is card.”

  She handed me the bit of pasteboard. “Mr Roger Havering,”I read.

  Poirot motioned with his head towards the bookcase, and I obediently pulled forth Who’s Who. Poirot took it from me and scanned the pages rapidly.

  “Second son of fifth Baron Windsor. Married 1913 Zoe, fourth daughter of William Crabb.”

  “H’m!” I said. “I rather fancy that’s the girl who used to act at the Frivolity - only she called herself Zoe Carrisbrook. I remember she married some young man about town just before the War.”

  “Would it interest you, Hastings, to go down and hear what our visitor’s particular little trouble is? Make him all my excuses.”

  Roger Havering was a man of about forty, well set up and of smart appearance. His face, however, was haggard, and he was evidently labouring under great agitation.

  “Captain Hastings? You are Monsieur Poirot’s partner, I understand. It is imperative that he should come with me to Derbyshire today.”

  “I’m afraid that’s impossible,” I replied. “Poirot is ill in bed - influenza.”

  His face fell.

  “Dear me, that is a great blow to me.”

  “The matter on which you want to consult him is serious?”

  “My God, yes! My uncle, the best friend I have in the world, was foully murdered last night.”

  “Here in London?”

  “No, in Derbyshire. I was in town and received a telegram from my wife this morning. Immediately upon its receipt I determined to come round and beg Monsieur Poirot to undertake the case.”

  “If you will excuse me a minute,” I said, struck by a sudden idea.

  I rushed upstairs, and in a few brief words acquainted Poirot with the situation. He took any further words out of my mouth.

  “I see. I see. You want to go yourself, is it not soT Well, why not? You should know my methods by now. All I ask is that you should report to me fully every day, and follow implicitly any instructions I may wire you.” To this I willingly agreed.

  l L

  An hour later I was sitting opposite Mr Havering in a first- class carriage on the Midland Railway, speeding rapidly away from London.

  “To begin with, Captain Hastings, you must understand that Hunter’s Lodge, where we are going and where the tragedy took place, is only a small shooting box in the heart of the Derbyshire moors. Our real home is near Newmarket, and we usually rent a flat in town for the season. Hunter’s Lodge is looked after by a housekeeper who is quite capable of doing all we need when we run down for an occasional weekend. Of course, during the shooting season, we take down some of our own servants from Newmarket. My uncle, Mr Harrington Pace (as you may know, my mother was a Miss Pace of New York), has, for the last three years, made his home with us. He never got on well with my father, or my elder brother, and I suspect that my being somewhat of a prodigal son myself rather increased than diminished his affection towards me. Of course I am a poor man, and my uncle was a rich one - in other words, he paid the piper! But, though exacting in many ways, he was not really hard to get on with, and we all three lived very harmoniously together. Two days ago my uncle, rather wearied with some recent gaieties of ours in town, suggested that we should run down to Derbyshire for a day or two. My wife telegraphed to Mrs Middleton, the housekeeper, and we went down that same afternoon. Yesterday evening I was forced to return to town, but my wife and my uncle remained on. This morning I received this telegram.” He handed it over to me:

  “Come at once Uncle Harrington murdered last night bring good detective if you can but do come - Zoe.”

  “Then, as yet you know no details?”

  “No, I suppose it will be in the evening papers. Without doubt the police are in charge.”

  It was about three o’clock when we arrived at tfie little station of Elmer’s Dale. From there a five-mile drive brought us to a small grey stone building in the midst of the rugged moors.

  “A lonely place,” I observed with a shiver. Havering nodded.

  “I shall try and get rid of it. I could never live here again.”

  We unlatched the gate and were walking up the narrow path to the oak door when a familiar figure emerged and came to meet us.

  “Japp!”I ejaculated.

  The Scotland Yard inspector grinned at me in a friendly fashion before addressing my companion.

  “Mr Havering, I think? I’ve been sent down from London to take charge of this case, and I’d like a word with you, if I may, sir.”

  “My wife -”

  “I’ve seen your good lady, sir -and the housckeeper. I won’t keep you a moment, but I’m anxious to get back to the village now that I’ve seen all there is to see here.”

  “I know nothing as yet as to what -”

  “Ex-actly,” said Japp soothingly. “But there are just one or two little Points I’d like your opinion about all the same. Captain Hastings here, he knows me, and he’ll go on up to the house and tell them you’re coming. What have you done with the little man, by the way, Captain Hastings?” “He’s ill in bed with influenza.” “Is he now? I’m sorry to hear that. Rather the case of the cart without the horse, your being here without him, isn’t it?”

  And on his rather ill-timed jest I went on to the house. I rang the bell, as Japp had closed the door behind him. After some moments it was opened to me by a middle-aged woman in black.

  “Mr Havering will be here in a moment,” I explained.

  “He has been detained by the inspector. I hav
e come down with him from London to look into the case. Perhaps you can tell me briefly what occurred last night.”

  “Come inside, sir.” She closed the door behind me, and we stood in the dimly-lighted hall. “It was after dinner last night, sir, that the man came. He asked to see Mr Pace, sir, and, seeing that he spoke the same way, I thought it was an American gentleman friend of Mr Pace’s and I showed him into the gunroom, and then went to tell Mr Pace. He wouldn’t give any name, which, of course, was a bit odd, now I come to think of it. I told Mr Pace, and he seemed puzzled like, but he said to the mistress: ‘Excuse me, Zoe, while I just see what this fellow wants.’ He went off to the gunroom, and I went back to the kitchen, but after a while I heard loud voices, as if they were quarrelling, and I came out into the hall. At the same time, the mistress she comes out too, and just then there was a shot and then a dreadful silence. We both ran to the gunroom door, but it was locked and we had to go round to the window. It was open, and there inside was Mr Pace, all shot and bleeding.”

  “What became of the man?”

  “He must have got away through the window, sir, before we got to it.”

  “And then?”

  “Mrs Havering sent me to fetch the police. Five miles to walk it was. ?’hey came back with me, and the constable he stayed all night, and this morning the police gentleman from London arrived.”

  “What was this man like who called to see Mr Pace?” The housekeeper reflected.

  “He had a black beard, sir, and was about middle-aged, and had on a light overcoat. Beyond the fact that he spoke like an American I didn’t notice much about him.”

  “I see. Now I wonder if I can see Mrs Havering?”

  “She’s upstairs, sir. Shall I tell her?”

  “If you please. Tell her that Mr Havering is outside with Inspector Japp, and that the gentleman he has brought back with him from London is anxious to speak to her as soon as possible.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  I was in a fever of impatience to get at all the facts. Japp had two or three hours’ start of me, and his anxiety to be gone made me keen to be close at his heels.

  Mrs Havering did not keep me waiting long. In a few minutes I heard a light step descending the stairs, and looked up to see a very handsome young woman coming towards me. She wore a flame-coloured jumper that set off the slender boyishness of her figure. On her dark head was a little hat of flame-coloured leather. Even the present tragedy could not dim the vitality of her personality.

  I introduced myself, and she nodded in quick comprehension.

  “Of course I have often heard of you and your colleague, Monsieur Poirot. You have done some wonderful things together, haven’t you? It was very clever of my husband to get you so promptly. Now will you ask me questions? That is the easiest way, isn’t it, of getting to know all you want to about this dreadful affair?”

  “Thank you, Mrs Havering. Now what time was it that this man arrived?”

  “It must have been just before nine o’clock. We had finished dinner, and were sitting over our coffee and cigarettes.”

  “Your husband had already left for London?”

  “Yes, he went up by the 6.15.”

  “Did he go by car to the station, or did he walk?”

  “Our own car isn’t down here. One came out from the garage in Elmer’s Dale to fetch him in time for the train.”

  “Was Mr Pace quite his usual self?”

  “Absolutely. Most normal in every way.”

  “Now, can you describe this visitor at all?”

  “I’m afraid not. I didn’t see him. Mrs Middleton showed him straight into the gunroom and then came to tell my uncle.”

  “What did your uncle say?”

  “He seemed rather annoyed, but went off at once. It was about five minutes later that I heard the sound of raised voices. I ran out into the hall and almost collided with Mrs Middleton. Then we heard the shot. The gunroom door was locked on the inside, and we had to go right round the house to the window. Of course that took some time, and the murderer had been able to get well away. My poor uncle” -her voice faltered- “had been shot through the head. I saw at once that he was dead. I sent Mrs Middleton for the police. I was careful to touch nothing in the room but to leave it exactly as I found it.”

  I nodded approval.

  “Now, as to the weapon?”

  “Well, I can make a guess at it, Captain Hastings. A pair of revolvers of my husband’s were mounted upon the wall. One of them is missing. I pointed this out to the police, and they took the other one away with them. When they have extracted the bullet, I suppose they will know for certain.”

  “May I go to the gunroom?”

  “Certainly. The police have finished with it. But the body has been removed.”

  She accompanied me to the scene of the crime. At that moment Havering entered the hall, and with a quick apology his wife ran to him. I was left to undertake my investigations alone.

  I may as well confess at once that they were rather disappointing. In detective novels clues abound, but here I could find nothing that struck me as out of the ordinary except a large bloodstain on the carpet where I judged the dead man had fallen. I examined everything with painstaking care and took a couple of pictures of the room with my little camera which I had brought with me. I also examined the ground outside the window, but it appeared to have been so heavily trampled underfoot that I judged it was useless to waste time over it. No, I had seen all that Hunter’s Lodge had to show me. I must go back to Elmer’s Dale and get into touch with Japp. Accordingly I took leave of the Haverings, and was driven off in the car that had brought us up from the station. I found Japp at the Matlock Arms and he took me forthwith to see the body. Harrington Pace was a small, spare, clean-shaven man, typically American in appearance. He had been shot through the back of the head, and the revolver had been discharged at close quarters.

  “Turned away for a moment,” remarked Japp, “and the other fellow snatched up a revolver and shot him. The one Mrs Havering handed over to us was fully loaded and I suppose the other one was also. Curious what darn fool things people do. Fancy keeping two loaded revolvers hanging up on your wall.”

  “What do you think of the case?” I asked, as we left the gruesome chamber behind us.

  “Well, I’d got my eye on Havering to begin with. Oh, yes!” -noting my exclamation of astonishment. “Havering has one or two shady incidents in his past. When he was a boy at Oxford there was some funny business about the signature on one of his father’s cheques. All hushed up of course. Then, he’s pretty heavily in debt now, and they’re the kind of debts he wouldn’t like to go to his uncle about, whereas you may be sure the uncle’s will would be in his favour. Yes, I’d got my eye on him, and that’s why I wanted to speak to him before he saw his wife, but their statements dovetail all right, and I’ve been to the station and there’s no doubt whatever that he left by the 6. 15. That gets up to London about 10.30. He went straight to his club, he says, and if that’s confirmed all right -why, he couldn’t have been shooting his uncle here at nine o’clock in a black beard!”

  “Ah, yes, I was going to ask you what you thought about that beard?”

  Japp winked.

  “I think it grew pretty fast - grew in the five miles from Elmer’s Dale to Hunter’s Lodge. Americans that I’ve met are mostly clean-shaven. Yes, it’s amongst Mr Pace’s American associates that we’ll have to look for the murderer. I ques- tioned the housekeeper first, and then her mistress, and their stories agree all right, but I’m sorry Mrs Havering didn’t get a look at the fellow. She’s a smart woman, and she might have noticed something that would set us on the track.”

  I sat down and wrote a minute and lengthy account to Poirot. I was able to add various further items of information before I posted the letter.

  The bullet had been extracted and was proved to have been fired from a revolver identical with the one held by the police. Furthermore, Mr Havering’s movements on
the night in question had been checked and verified, and it was proved beyond doubt that he had actually arrived in London by the train in question. And, thirdly, a sensational development had occurred. A city gentleman, living at Ealing, on crossing Haven Green to get to the District Railway Station that morning, had observed a brown-paper parcel stuck between the railings. Opening it, he found that it contained a revolver. He handed the parcel over to the local police station, and before night it was proved to be the one we were in search of, the fellow to that given us by Mrs Havering. One bullet had been fired from it.

  All this I added to my report. A wire from Poirot arrived whilst I was at breakfast the following morning:

  “Of course black-bearded man was not Havering only you or Japp would have such an idea wire me description of housekeeper and what clothes she wore this morning same of Mrs Havering do not waste time taking photographs of inte- riors they are underexposed and not in the least artistic.”

  l L

  It seemed to me that Poirot’s style was unnecessarily facetious. I also fancied he was a shade jealous of my position on the spot with full facilities for handling the case. His request For a description of the clothes worn by the two women appeared to me to be sinlply ridiculous, but I complied as well as I, a mere man, was able to.

  At eleven a reply wire came from Poirot:

  “Advise Japp arrest housekeeper before it is too late.”

  Dumbfounded, I took the wire to Japp He swore softly under his breath.

  “He’s the goods, Monsieur Poirot! If he says so, there’s something in it. And I hardly noticed the woman. I don’t know that I can go so far as arresting her, but I’ll have her watched. We’ll go up right away, and take another look at her.”