The ABC Murders
Chapter Twenty-Two (Not from Captain Hastings'Personal Narrative)
Mr Alexander Bonaparte Cust sat very still.His breakfast lay cold and
untasted on his plate.A newspaper was propped up against the teapot and it
was this newspaper that Mr Cust was reading with avid interest.
Suddenly he got up£¬paced to and fro for a minute£¬then sank back into a
chair by the window.He buried his head in his hands with a stifled groan.
He did not hear the sound of the opening door.His landlady£¬Mrs Marbury£¬
stood in the doorway.
"I was wondering£¬Mr Cust£¬if you'd fancy a nice-why£¬whatever is it?
Aren't you feeling well?"
Mr Cust raised his head from his hands.
"Nothing.It's nothing at all£¬Mrs Marbury.I'm not-feeling very well this
morning."
Mrs Marbury inspected the breakfast tray.
"So I see.You haven't touched your breakfast.
Is it your head troubling you again?"
"No.At least£¬yes......I-I just feel a bit out of sorts."
"Well£¬I'm sorry£¬I'm sure.You'll not be going away today£¬then?"
Mr Cust sprang up abruptly.
"No£¬no.I have to go.It's business.
Important.Very important."
His hands were shaking.Seeing him so agitated£¬Mrs Marbury tried to
soothe him.
"Well£¬if you must-you must.Going far this time?"
"No.I'm going to"-he hesitated for a minute or two-"Cheltenham."
There was something so peculiar about the tentative way he said the word
that Mrs Marbury looked at him in surprise.
"Cheltenham's a nice place£¬"she said conversationally."I went there
from Bristol one year.The shops are ever so nice."
"I suppose so-yes."
Mrs Marbury stooped rather stiffly-for stooping did not suit her
figure-to pick up the paper that was lying crumpled on the floor.
"Nothing but this murdering business in the papers nowadays£¬"she said
as she glanced at the headlines before putting it back on the table."Gives
me the creeps£¬it does.I don't read it.It's like Jack the Ripper all over
again."
Mr Cust's lips moved£¬but no sound came from them.
"Doncaster-that's the place he's going to do his next murder£¬"said Mrs
Marbury."And tomorrow!Fairly makes your flesh creep£¬doesn't it?If I lived
in Doncaster and my name began with a D£¬I'd take the first train away£¬that
I would.I'd run no risks.What did you say£¬Mr Cust?"
"Nothing£¬Mrs Marbury-nothing."
"It's the races and all.No doubt he thinks he'll get his opportunity
there.Hundreds of police£¬they say£¬they're drafting in and-Why£¬Mr Cust£¬
you do look bad.Hadn't you better have a little drop of something?Really£¬
now£¬you oughtn't to go travelling today."
Mr Cust drew himself up.
"It is necessary£¬Mrs Marbury.I have always been punctual in
my-engagements.People must have-must have confidence in you!When I have
undertaken to do a thing£¬I carry it through.It is the only way to get on
in-in-business."
"But if you're ill?"
"I am not ill£¬Mrs Marbury.Just a little worried over-various personal
matters.I slept badly.I am really quite all right."
His manner was so firm that Mrs Marbury gathered up the breakfast things
and reluctantly left the room.
Mr Cust dragged out a suitcase from under the bed and began to pack.
Pyjamas£¬sponge-bag£¬spare collar£¬leather slippers.
Then unlocking a cupboard£¬he transferred a dozen or so flattish
cardboard boxes about ten inches by seven from a shelf to the suitcase.
He just glanced at the railway guide on the table and then left the room£¬
suitcase in hand.
Setting it down in the hall£¬he put on his hat and overcoat.As he did so
he sighed deeply£¬so deeply that the girl who came out from a room at the
side looked at him in concern.
"Anything the matter£¬Mr Cust?"
"Nothing£¬Miss Lily."
"You were sighing so!"
Mr Cust said abruptly:
"Are you at all subject to premonitions£¬Miss Lily?To presentiments?"
"Well£¬I don't know that I am£¬really......Of course£¬there are days
when you just feel everything's going wrong£¬and days when you feel
everything's going right."
"Quite£¬"said Mr Cust.
He sighed again.
"Well£¬don't say goodbye as though you were going away for ever£¬
"laughed Lily.
"No£¬no£¬of course not."
"See you Friday£¬"laughed the girl.
"Where are you going this time?
Seaside again."
"No£¬no-er-Cheltenham."
"Well£¬that's nice£¬too.But not quite as nice as Torquay.That must have
been lovely.I want to go there for my holiday next year.By the way£¬you must
have been quite near where the murder was-the A B C murder.It happened whild
you were down there£¬didn't it?"
"Er-yes.But Churston's sic or seven miles away."
"All the same£¬it must have been exciting!Why£¬you may have passed the
murderer in the street!You may have been quite near to him!"
"Yes£¬I may£¬of course£¬"said Mr Cust with such a ghastlly and contorted
smile that Lily Marbury noticed it.
"Oh£¬Mr Cust£¬you don't look well."
"I'm quite all right£¬quite all right.Goodbye£¬Miss Marbury."
He fumbled to raise his hat£¬caught up his suitcase and fairly hastened
out of the front door.
"Funny old thing£¬"said Lily Marbury indulgently."Looks half batty to my
mind."
Inspector Crome said to his subordinate:
"Get me out a list of all stocking manufacturing firms and circularize
them.I want a list of all their agents-you know£¬fellows who sell on
commission and tout for orders."
"This the A B C case£¬sir?"
"Yes.One of Mr Hercule Poirot's ideas."
The inspector's tone was disdainful."Probably nothing in it£¬but it
doesn't do to neglect any chance£¬however faint."
"Right£¬sir.Mr Poirot's done some good stuff in his time£¬but I think
he's a bit gaga now£¬sir."
"He's a mountebank£¬"said Inspector Crome.
"Always posing.Takes in some people.It doesn't take in me.Now then£¬
about the arrangement for Doncaster......"
Tom Hartigan said to Lily Marbury:
"Saw your old dugout this morning."
"Who?Mr Cust?"
"Cust it was.At Euston.Looking like a lost hen£¬as usual.I think the
fellow's half loony.He needs someone to look after him.First he dropped his
paper and then he dropped his ticket.I picked that up-he hadn't the faintest
idea he'd lost it.Thanked me in an agitated sort of manner£¬but I don't
think he recognized me."
"Oh£¬well£¬"said Lily."He's only seen you passing in the hall£¬and not
very often at that."
They danced once round the floor.
"You dance something beautiful£¬"said Tom.
"Go on£¬"said Lily and wriggled yet a little closer.
They danced round again.
"Did you say Euston or Paddington?"asked Lily abruptly."Where you saw
old Cust£¬I mean?"
"Euston."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure.What do you think?"
"Funny.I thought you went to Cheltenham from Paddington."
"So you do.But old Cust wasn't going to Cheltenham.He was going to
Doncaster."
"Cheltenham."
"Doncaster.I know£¬my girl!After all£¬I picked up his ticket£¬didn't I?"
"Well£¬he told me he was going to Cheltenham.
I'm sure he did."
"Oh£¬you've got it wrong.He was going to Doncaster all right.Some people
have all the luck.I've got a bit on Firefly for the Leger and I'd love to
see it run."
"I shouldn't think Mr Cust went to race-meetings£¬he doesn't look the
kind.Oh£¬Tom£¬I hope he won't get murdered.It's Doncaster the A B C murder's
going to be."
"Cust'll be all right.His name doesn't begin with a D."
"He might have been murdered last time.He was down near Churston at
Torquay when the last murder happened."
"Was he?That's a bit of a coincidence£¬isn't it?"
He laughed.
"He wasn't at Bexhill the time before£¬was he?"
Lily crinkled her brows.
"He was away......Yes£¬I remember he was away......because he forgot his
bathing-dress.Mother was mending it for him.And she said:"There-Mr Cust went
away yesterday without his bathing-dress after all£¬"and I said:"Oh£¬never
mind the old bathing-dress-there's been the most awful murder£¬"I said£¬"a
girl strangled at Bexhill."
"Well£¬if he wanted his bathing-dress£¬he must have been going to the
seaside.I say£¬Lily'-his face crinkled up with amusement."What price your
old dugout being the murderer himself?"
"Poor Mr Cust?He wouldn't hurt a fly£¬"laughed Lily.
They danced on happily-in their conscious minds nothing but the pleasure
of being together.
In their unconscious minds something stirred......
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