The ABC Murders
Chapter Chirteen A Conference
Conferences!
Much of my memories of the A B C case seem to be of conferences.
Conferences at Scotland Yard.At Poirot's rooms.Official conferences.
Unofficial conferences.
This particular conference was to decide whether or not the facts
relative to the anonymous letters should or should not be made public in the
press.
The Bexhill murder had attracted much attention than the Andover one.
It had£¬of course£¬far more elements of popularity.To begin with the
victim was a young and good-looking girl.Also£¬it had taken placed at a
popular seaside resort.
All the details of the crime were reported fully and rehashed daily in
thin disguises.The A B C railway guide came in for its share of attention.
The favourite theory was that it had been bought locally by the murderer
and that it was a valuable clue to his identity.It also seemed to show that
he had come to the place by train and was intending to leave for London.
The railway guide had not figured at all in the meagre accounts of the
Andover murder£¬so there seemed at present little likelihood of the two
crimes being connected in the public eye.
"We've got to decide upon a policy£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner.
"The thing is-which way will give us the best results?Shall we give the
public the facts-enlist their cooperation-after all£¬it'll be the
cooperation of several million people£¬looking our for a madman-""He won't
look like a madman£¬"interjected Dr Thompson.
"-looking our for sales of A B C's-and so on.Against that I suppose
there's the advantage of working in the dark-not letting our man know what
we're up to£¬but then there's the fact that he knows very well that we
know.He's drawn attention to himself deliberately by his letters.Eh£¬Crome£¬
What's your opinion?"
"I look at it this way£¬sir.If you make it public£¬you're playing A B
C's game.That's what he wants-publicity-notoriety.That's what he's our
after.I'm right£¬aren't I£¬doctor?He wants to make a splash."
Thompson nodded.
The Assistant Commissioner said thoughtfully:
"So you're for balking him.Refusing him the publicity he's hankering
after.What about you£¬M.Poirot?"
Poirot did not speak for a minute.When he did it was with an air of
choosing his words carefully.
"It is difficult for me£¬Sir Lionel£¬"he said."I am£¬as you might say£¬
an interested party.The challenge was sent to me.If I say "Suppose that
fact-do not make it public£¬"may it not be thought that it is my vanity that
speaks?That I am afraid for my reputation?It is difficult!To speak out-to
tell all-that has its advantages.It is£¬at least£¬a warning......On the
other hand£¬I am as convinced as Inspector Crome that it is what the
murderer wants us to do."
"H'm!"said the Assistant Commissioner£¬rubbing his chin.He looked across
at Dr Thompson."Suppose we refuse our lunatic the satisfaction of the
publicity he craves.What's he likely to do?"
"Commit another crime£¬"said the doctor promptly."Force your hand."
"And if we splash the thing about in headlines.Then what's his
reaction?"
"Same answer.One way you feed his megalomania£¬the other you balk it.
The result's the same.Another crime."
"What do you say£¬M.Poirot?"
"I agree with Dr Thompson."
"A cleft stick-eh?How many crimes do you think this-lunatic has in
mind?"
Dr Thompson looked across at Poirot.
"Looks like A to Z£¬"he said cheerfully.
"Of course£¬"he went on£¬"he won't get there.Not nearly.You'll have him
by the heels long before that.Interesting to know how he'd have dealt with
the letter X."He recalled himself guiltily from this purely enjoyable
speculation."But you'll have him long before that.G or H£¬let's say."
The Assistant Commissioner struck the table with his fist.
"My God£¬are you telling me we're going to have five more murders?"
"It won't be as much as that£¬sir£¬"said Inspector Crome."Trust me."
He spoke with confidence.
"Which letter of the alphabet do you place it at£¬inspector?"asked Poirot.
There was a slight ironic note in his voice.Crome£¬I thought£¬looked at
him with a tinge of dislike adulterating the usual calm superiority.
"Might get him next time£¬M.Poirot.At any rate£¬I'd guarantee to get him
by the time he gets to F."
He turned to the Assistant Commissioner.
"I think I've got the psychology of the case fairly clear.Dr Thompson
will correct me if I'm wrong.I take it that every time A B C brings a crime
off£¬his self-confidence increases about a hundred percent.Every time he
feels "I'm clever-they can't catch me!"he becomes so over-weeningly
confident that he also becomes careless.He exaggerates his own cleverness
and everyone else's stupidity.Very soon he'd be hardly bothering to take any
precautions at all.That's right£¬isn't it£¬doctor?"
Thompson nodded.
"That's usually the case.In non-medical terms it couldn't have been put
better.You know something about such things£¬M.Poirot.Don't you agree?"
I don't think that Crome liked Thompson's appeal to Poirot.He considered
that he and he only was the expert on this subject.
"It is as Inspector Crome says£¬"agreed Poirot.
"Paranoia£¬"murmured the doctor.
Poirot turned to Crome.
"Are there any material facts of interest in the Bexhill case?"
"Nothing very definite.A waiter at the Splendide at Eastbourne
recognizes the dead girl's photograph as that of a young woman who dined
there on the evening of the 24th in company with a middle-aged man in
spectacles.It's also been recognised at a roadhouse place called the Scarlet
Runner half-way between Bexhill and London.They say she was there about 9pm
on the 24th with a man who looked like a naval officer.They can't both be
right£¬but either of them's probable.Of course£¬there's a host of other
identifications£¬but most of them not good for much.We haven't been able to
trace the A B C."
"Well£¬you seem to be doing all that can be done£¬Crome£¬"said the
Assistant Commissioner."What do you say£¬M.Poirot?Does any line of inquiry
suggest itself to you?"
Poirot said slowly:
"It weems to me that there is one very important clue-the discovery of
the motive."
"Isn't that pretty obvious?An alphabetical complex.Isn't that what you
called it£¬doctor?"
"Ca£¬oui£¬"said Poirot."There is an alphabetical complex.But why an
alphabetical complex?A madman in particular has always a very strong reason
for the crimes he commits."
"Come£¬come£¬M.Poirot£¬"said Crome."Look at Stoneman in 1929.He ended by
trying to do away with anyone who annoyed him in the slightest degree."
Poirot turned to him.
"Quite so.But if you are a sufficiently great and important person£¬it
is necessary that you should be spared small annoyances.If a fly settles on
your forehead again and again£¬maddening you by its tickling-what do you
do?You endeavour to kill that fly.You have no qualms about it.You are
important-the fly is not.You kill the fly and the annoyance ceases.Your
action appears to you sane and justifiable.Another reason for killing a fly
is if you have a strong passion for hygiene.The fly is a potental source of
danger to the community-the fly must go.So works the mind of the mentally
deranged criminal.But consider now this case-if the victims are
alphabetically selected£¬then they are not being removed because they are a
source of annoyance to the murderer personally.It would be too much of a
coincidence to combine the two."
"That's a point£¬"said Dr Thompson."I remember a case where a woman's
husband was condemned to death.She started killing the members of the jury
one by one.Quite a time before the crimes were connected up.They seemed
entirely haphazard.But as M.Poirot says£¬there isn't such a thing as a
murderer who commits crimes at random.Either he removes people who stand
(however insignificantly)in his path£¬or else he kills by conviction.He
removes clergymen£¬or policemen£¬or prostitutes because he firmly believes
that they should be removed.That doesn't apply here either as far as I can
see.Mrs Ascher and Betty Barnard cannot be linked as members of the same
class.Of course£¬it's possible that there is a sex complex.Both victims have
been women.We can tell better£¬of course£¬after the next crime-""For God's
sake£¬Thompson£¬don't speak so glibly of the next crime£¬"said Sir Lionel
irritably."We're going to do all we can to prevent another crime."
Dr Thompson held his peace and blew his nose with some violence.
"Have it your own way£¬"the noise seemed to say."If you won't face
facts-"The Assistant Commissioner turned to Poirot.
"I see what you're driving at£¬but I'm not quite clear yet."
"I ask myself£¬"said Poirot£¬"what passes exactly in the mind of the
murderer?He kills£¬it would seem from his letters£¬pour le sport-to amuse
himself.Can that really be true?And even if it is true£¬on what principle
does he select his victims apart from the merely alphabetical one?If he
kills merely to amuse himself he would not advertise the fact£¬since£¬
otherwise£¬he could kill with impunity.But no£¬he seeks£¬as well all agree£¬
to make the splash in the public eye-to assert his personality.In what way
has his personality been suppressed that one can connect with the two
victims he has so far selected?A final suggestion:Is his motive direct
personal hatred of me£¬of Hercule Poirot?Does he challenge me in public
because I have (unknown to myself)vanquished him somewhere in the course of
my career?Or is his animosity impersonal-directed against a foreigner?And if
so£¬what again has led to that?What injury has he suffered at a foreigner's
hand?"
"All very suggestive questions£¬"said Dr Thompson.
Inspector Crome cleared his throat.
"Oh£¬yes?A little unanswerable at present£¬perhaps."
"Nevertheless£¬my friend£¬"said Poirot£¬looking straight at him£¬"It is
there£¬in those questions£¬that the solution lies.If we knew the exact
reason-fantastic£¬perhaps£¬to us-but logical to him-of why our madman
commits these crimes£¬we should know£¬perhaps£¬who the next victim is likely
to be."
Crome shook his head.
"He selects them haphazard-that's my opinion."
"The magnanimous murderer£¬"said Poirot.
"What's that you say?"
"I said-the magnanimous murderer!Franz Ascher would have been arrested
for the murder of his wife-Donald Fraser might have been arrested for the
murder of Betty Barnard-if it had not been for the warning letters of A B
C.Is he£¬then£¬so soft-hearted that he cannot bear others to suffer for
something they did not do?"
"I've known stranger things happen£¬"said Dr Thompson."I've known men
who've killed half a dozen victims all broken up because one of their
victims didn't die instantaneously and suffered pain.All the same£¬I don't
think that that is our fellow's reason.He wants the credit of these crimes
for his own honour and glory.That's the explanation that fits best."
"We've come to no decision about the publicity business£¬"said the
Assistant Commissioner.
"If I may make a suggestion£¬sir£¬"said Crome."Why not wait till the
receipt of the next letter?Make it public then-special editions£¬etc.It will
make a bit of a panic in the particular town named£¬but it will put everyone
whose name begins with C on their guard£¬and it'll put A B C on his
mettle.He'll be determined to succeed.And that's when we'll get him."
How little we knew what the future held.
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