impossible - that it could not be?'
The quiet sympathy of his tone seemed to break down Jane
Plenderleith's defences. She replied eagerly, naturally, without
stiffness.
'That's just it. Even if Barbara didkill herself, I can't imagine
her In?ling herself that way.'
'Yet she had a pistol?'
Jane Plenderleith made an impatient gesture.
'Yes, but that pistol was a - oh! a hang over. She'd been in
out-of-the-way places. She kept it out of habit - not with any
other idea. I'm sure of that.'
'Ah! and why are you sure of that?'
'Oh, because of the things she said.'
'Such as ?'
His voice was very gentle and friendly. It led her on subtly.
'Well, for instance, we were discussing suicide once and she
said much the easiest way would be to turn the gas on and stuff
up all the cracks and just go to bed. I said I thought that would
be impossible - to lie there waiting. I said I'd far rather shoc
myself. And she said no, she could never shoot herself. She'd
be too frightened in case it didn't come offand anyway she sai
she'd hate the bang.'
'I see,' said Poirot. 'As you say, it is odd... Because, as yo
have just told me, there was a gas fiYe in her room.'
Jane Plenderleith looked at him, slightly startled.
74
'Yes, there was... I can't understand - no, I can't under
stand why she didn't do it that way.'
Poirot shook his head.
'Yes, it seems - odd - not natural somehow.'
i 'The whole thing doesn't
natural. I still can't believe
seem
':flae killed herself. I suppose it must be,suicide?'
'Well, there is one other
possibility.
i! 'What do you mean?'
.t Poirot looked straight at her.
/?-- 'It might be- murder.'
'Oh, no?' Jane Penderleith shrank back. 'Oh no! What a
horrible suggestion.
'orrible, perhaps, but does it strike you as an impossible
one?
:: 'But the door locked the inside. So
the window.'
was
on
'The door was locked - yes. But there is nothing to show if
were locked from the inside or the outside. You se, the key
missing.'
[i: 'But then - if it is missing...' She took a minute or two.
[]"Then it must have been locked from the outside. Otherwise it
would be somewhere in the room.'
'Ah, but it may be. The room has not been thoroughly
searched yet, remember. Or it may have been thrown out of the
window and somebody may have picked it up.'
'Murder!' said Jane Plenderleith. She turned over the
possibility, her dark clever face eager on the scent. 'I believe
you're right.'
'But if it were murder there would have been a motive. Do
you know of a motive, mademoiselle?'
Slowly she shook her head. And yet, in spite of the denial,
Poirot again got the impression that Jane Ple-derleith was
deliberately keeping something back. The door opened and
Japp came in.
Poirot rose.
'I have been suggesting to Miss Plenderleith,' he said, 'that
her friend's death was not suicide.'
75
Japp looked momentarily put out. He cast a glance of
reproach at Poirot.
'It's a bit early to say anything definite,' he remarked.
'We've always got to take all possibilities into account, you
understand. That's all there is to it at the moment.'-Jane
Plenderleith replied quietly.
'I see.'
Japp came towards her.
'Now then, Miss Plenderleith, have you ever seen this
before?'
On the palm of his hand he held out a small oval of dark blue
enamel.
Jane Plenderleith shook her head.
'No, never.'
'It's not yours nor Mrs Allen's?'
'No. It's not the kind of thing usually worn by our sex, is it?'
'Oh! so you recognize it.'
'Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? That's half of a man's cuff
link.'
CHAPTER4
'That young woman's too cocky by half,' Japp complained.
The two men were once more in Mrs Allen's bedroom. The
body had been photographed and removed and the fingerprint
man had done his work and departed.
'It would be unadvisable to treat her as a fool,' agreed Poi?or.
'She most emphatically is not a fool. She is, in fact, a
particularly clever and competent young woman.'
'Think she did it?' asked Japp with a momentary ray of hope.
'She might have, you know. We'll have to get her alibi looked
into. Some quarrel over this young man - this budding M.P.
She's rather too scathing about him, I think! Sounds fishy.
76
Rather as though she were sweet on him herself and he'd
turned her down. She's the kind that would bump anyone off
if she felt like it, and keep her head while she was doing it, too.
Yes, we'll have to look into that alibi. She had it very pat and
after all Essex isn't very far away. Plenty of trains. Or a fast car.
It's worth while finding out if she went to bed with a headache
for instance last night.'
'You are right,' agreed Poirot.
'In any case,' continued Japp, 'she's holding out on us. Eh?
Didn't you feel that too? That young woman knows something.'
Poirot nodded thoughtfully.
'Yes, that could be clearly seen.'
'That's always a difficulty in these cases,' Japp complained.
'People will hold their tongues - sometimes out of the most
honourable motives.'
'For which one can hardly blame them, my friend.'
'No, but it makes it much harder for us,' Japp grumbled.
'It merely displays to its full advantage your ingenuity.'
Poirot consoled him. 'What about fingerprints, by the way?'
'Well, it's murder all right. No prints whatever on the pistol.
Wiped clean before being placed in her hand. Even if she
managed to wind her arm round her head in some marvellous
acrobatic fashion she could hardly fire off a pistol without
hanging on to it and she couldn't wipe it after she was dead.'
'No, no, an outside agency is clearly indicated.'
'Otherwise the prints are disappointing. None on the door-handle.
None on the window. Suggestive, eh? Plenty of Mrs
Allen's all over the place.'
'Did Jameson get anything?'
'Out of the daily woman? No. She talked a lot but she didn't
really know much. Confirmed the fact that Allen and Plenderleith
were on good terms. I've sent Jameson out to make
inquiries in the mews. We'll have to have a word with Mr
Laverton-West too. Find out where he was and what he was
doing last night. In the meantime we'll have a look through her
77
He set to without more ado. Occasionally he grunted
tossed something over to Poirot. The search did not take log.
There were not many papers in the desk and what there were
were neatly arranged and docketed.
Finally Japp leant back and uttered a sigh.
'Not very much, is there?'
'As you say.'
'Most of it quite straightforward - receipted bills, a few bills
as yet unpaid - nothing particularly outstanding. Social stuff
invitations. Notes from friends. These -' he laid his hand on a
pile of seven or eight letters - 'and her cheque book and
passbook. Anything strike you there?'
'Yes, she was overdrawn.'
'Anything else?'
Poirot smiled.
'Is it an examination that you put me through? But yes, I
noticed what you are thinking of. Two hundred pounds drwn
to self three months ago - and two hundred pounds drawn 3ut
yesterday-'
'And nothing on the counterfoil of the cheque book. %
other cheques to self except small sums - fifteen pounds
highest. And I'll tell you this - there's no such sum of mo: y
in the house. Four pounds ten in a handbag and an odd shiL;g
or two in another bag. That's pretty clear, I think.'
'Meaning that she paid that sum away yesterday.'
'Yes. Now who did she pay it to?'
The door opened and Inspector Jameson entered.
'Well, Jameson, get anything?'
'Yes, sir, several things. To begin with, nobody actually
heard the shot. Two or three women say they did because they
want to think they did - but that's all there is to it. With all
those fireworks going off there isn't a dog's chance.'
Japp grunted.
'Don't suppose there is. Go on.'
'Mrs Allen was at home most of yesterday afternoon and
evening. Came in about five o'clock. Then she went out again
about six but only to the post box at the end of the mews. At
78
about nine-thirty a car drove up - Standard Swallow saloon and
a man got out. Description about forty-five, well set up
military-looking gent, dark blue overcoat, bowler hat, toothbrush
moustache. James Hogg, chauffeur from No. 18 says
he's seen him calling on Mrs Allen before.'
'Forty-five,' said Japp. 'Can't very well be Laverton-West.'
'This man, whoever he was, stayed here for just under an
hour. Left at about ten-twenty. Stopped in the doorway to
speak to Mrs. Allen. Small boy, Frederick Hogg, was hanging
about quite near and heard what he said.'
'And what did he say?'
'"Well, think it over and let me know." And then she said
something and he answered: "All right. So long." After that he
got in his car and drove away.'
'That was at ten-twenty,' said Poirot thoughtfully.
Japp rubbed his nose.
'Then at ten-twenty Mrs Allen was still alive,' he said. 'What
next?'
'Nothing more, sir, as far as I can learn. The chauffeur at No. 22 got in at half-past ten and he'd promised his kids to let off
some fireworks for them. They'd been waiting for him - and all
the other kids in the mews too. He let 'em off and everybody
around about was busy watching them. After that everyone
went to bed.'
And nobody else was seen to enter No. 147'
:lqo - but that's not to say they didn't. Nobody would have
noticed.'
'H'm,' said Japp. 'That's true. Well, we'll have to get hold of
this "military gentleman with the toothbrush moustache." It's
pretty clear that he was the last person to see her alive. I wonder
who he was?'
Miss Plenderleith might tell us,' suggested Poirot.
he might,' said Japp gloomily. 'On the other hand she
m!ght not. I've no doubt she could tell us a good deal if she
'hld. What about you, Poirot, old boy? You were alone with
for a bit. Didn't you trot out that Father Confessor manner
that sometimes makes such a hit?'
79
Poirot spread out his hands.
'Alas, we talked only of gas fires.'
'Gas fires - gas rues.' Japp sounded disgusted. 'What' 'he
matter with you, old cock? Ever since you've been here th¢ :.
things you've taken an interest in are quill pens and
paper baskets. Oh, yes, I saw you having a quiet look im(he
one downstairs. Anything in it?'
Poirot sighed.
'A catalogue of bulbs and an old magazine.'
'What's the idea, anyway? If anyone wants to throw aw
incriminating document or whatever it is you have in mind
they're not likely just to pitch it into a waste-paper baske?.'
'That is very true what you say there. Only something
unimportant would be thrown away like that.'
Poirot spoke meekly. Nevertheless Japp looked at him
suspiciously.
'Well,' he said. 'I know what I'm going to do next. Wh,.at
'Eh b/eh,' said Poirot. 'I shall complete my search for the
unimportant. There is still the dustbin.'
He skipped nimbly out of the room. Japp looked after him
with an air of disgust.
'Potty,' he said. 'Absolutely potty.'
Inspector Jameson preserved a respectful silence. His ihce
said with British superiority: 'Foreigners?
Aloud he said:
'So that's Mr Hercule Poirot! I've heard of him.'
'Old friend of mine,' explained Japp. 'Not half as balmy as
he looks, mind you. All the same he's getting on now.'
'Gone a bit gaga as they say, sir,' suggested Inspector
Jameson. 'Ah well, age will tell.'
'All the same,' said Japp, 'I wish I knew what he was u
He walked over to the writing-table and stared uneasily at
emerald green quill pen.
80
CHAPTER 5
Japp was just engaging his third chauffeur's wife in conversa-tion
when Poirot, walking noiselessly as a .cat, suddenly
appeared at his elbow.
'Whew, you made me jump,' said Japp. 'Got anything?'
'Not what I was looking for.'
Japp turned back to Mrs James Hogg.
'And you say you've seen this gentleman before?'
'Oh, yes sir. And my husband too. We knew him at once.'
'Now look here, Mrs Hogg, you're a shrewd woman, I can
see. I've no doubt that you know all about everyone in the
mews. And you're a woman of judgment - unusually good
judgment, I can tell that -' Unblushingly he repeated this
remark for the third time. Mrs Hogg bridled slightly and
assumed an expression of superhuman intelligence. 'Give me a
line on those two young women - Mrs Allen and Miss
Plendedeith. What were they like? Gay? Lots of parties? That
sort of thing?'
'Oh, no sir, nothing of the kind. They went out a good bit -Mrs
Allen especially - but they're class, if you know what I
mean. Not like some as I could name down the other end. I'm
sure the way that Mrs Stevens goes on - if she is a Mrs at all
which I doubt - well I shouldn't like to tell you what goes on
there - I...'
'Quite so,' said Japp, dexterously stopping the flow. 'Now
that's very important what you've told me. Mrs Allen and Miss
Plenderleith were well liked, then?'
'Oh yes, sir, very nice ladies, both of them - especially Mrs
Allen. Always spoke a nice word to the children, she did. Lost
her own little girl, I believe, poor dear. Ah well, I've buried
three myself. And what I say is...'
81
'Yes, yes, very sad. And Miss Plenderleith?'
'Well, of course she was a nice lady too, but much mor:
abrupt if you know what I mean. Just go by with a nod, sh:
would, and not stop to pass the time of day. But I've nothing
against her - nothing at all.'
'She and Mrs Allen got on well together?'
'Oh, yes sir. No quarrelling - nothing like that. Very happ,:
and contented they were - I'm sure Mrs Pierce will bear me
out.'
'Yes, we've talked to her. Do you know Mrs Allen's fianc by
sight?'
'The gentleman she's going to marry? Oh, yes. He's been
here quite a bit offand on. Member of Parliament, they do say.'
'It wasn't he who came last night?'
'No, sir, it was not.' Mrs Hogg drew herself up. A note of
excitement disguised beneath intense primness came into her
voice. 'And if you ask me, sir, what you are thinking is all wrong. Mrs Allen wasn't that kind of lady, I'm sure. It's true
there was no one in the house, but I do not believe anything of
the kind - I said so to Hogg only this morning. "No, Hogg," I
said, "Mrs Allen was a lady - a real lady - so don't
suggesting things" - knowing what a man's mind is, if you
excuse my mentioning it. Always coarse in their ideas.'
Passing this insult by, Japp proceeded:
'You saw him arrive and you saw him leave - that's so, isn't