The ABC Murders
Chapter Twenty-Nine At Scotland Yard
Conference again.
The Assistant Commissioner£¬Inspector Crome£¬Poirot and myself.
The A.C.was saying:
"A good tip that yours£¬M.Poirot£¬about checking a large sale of
stockings."
Poirot spread out his hands.
"It was indicated.This man could not be a regular agent.He sold outright
instead of touting for orders."
"Got everything clear so far£¬inspector?"
"I think so£¬sir."Crome consulted a file.
"Shall I run over the position to date?"
"Yes£¬please."
"I've checked up with Churston£¬Paignton and Torquay.Got a list of
people where he went and offered stockings.I must say he did the thing
thoroughly.Stayed at the Pitt£¬small hotel near Torre Station.Returned to
the hotel at 10.30on the night of the murder.Could have taken a train from
Churston at 9.57£¬getting to Torre at 10.20.No one answering to his
description noticed on train or at station£¬but that Friday was Dartmouth
Regatta and the trains back from Kingswear were pretty full.
"Bexhill much the same.Stayed at the Globe under his own name.Offered
stockings to about a dozen addresses£¬including Mrs Barnard and including
the Ginger Cat.Left hotel early in the evening.
Arrived back in London about 11.30the following morning.As to Andover£¬
same procedure.Stayed at the Feathers.Offered stockings to Mrs Fowler£¬next
door to Mrs Ascher£¬and to half a dozen other people in the street.The pair
Mrs Ascher had I got from the niece (name of Drower)-they're identical with
Cust's supply."
"So far£¬good£¬"said the A.C.
"Acting on information received£¬"said the inspector£¬"I went to the
address given me by Hartigan£¬but found that Cust had left the house about
half an hour previously.He received a telephone message£¬I'm told.First time
such a thing had happened to him£¬so his landlady told me."
"An accomplice?"suggested the Assistant Commissioner.
"Hardly£¬"said Poirot."It is odd that-unless-"We all looked at him
inquiringly as he paused.
He shook his head£¬however£¬and the inspector proceeded.That search puts
the matter beyond doubt.I found a block of notepaper similar to that on
which the letters were written£¬a large quantity of hosiery and-at the back
of the cupboard where the hosiery was stored-a parcel much the same shape
and size but which turned out to contain-not hosiery-but eight new A B C
railway guides!"
"Proof positive£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner.
"I've found something else£¬too£¬"said the inspector-his voice becoming
suddenly almost human with triumph."Only found it this morning£¬sir.Not had
time to report yet.There was no sigh of the knife in his room-""It would be
the act of an imbecile to bring that back with him£¬"remarked Poirot.
"After all£¬he's not a reasonable human being£¬"remarked the inspector.
"Anway£¬it occurred to me that he might just possibly have brought it
back to the house and then realized the danger of hiding it (as M.Poirot
points out)in his room£¬and have looked about elsewhere.
What place in the house would he be likely to select?I got it straight
away.The hall stand-no one ever moves a hall stand.With a lot of trouble I
got it moved out from the wall-and there it was!"
"The knife?"
"The knife.Not a doubt of it.The dried blood's still on it."
"Good work£¬Crome£¬"said the A.C.
approvingly."We only need one thing more now."
"What's that?"
"The man himself."
"We'll get him£¬sir.Never fear."
The inspector's tone was confident.
"What do you say£¬M.Poirot?"
Poirot started out of a reverie.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We were saying that it was only a matter of time before we got our man.
Do you agree?"
"Oh£¬that-yes.Without a doubt."
His tone was so abstracted that the others looked at him curiously.
"Is there anything worrying you£¬M.Poirot?"
"There is something that worries me very much.
It is the why?The motive."
"But£¬my dear fellow£¬the man's crazy£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner
impatiently.
"I understand what M.Poirot means£¬"said Crome£¬coming graciously to the
rescue."He's quite right.There's got to be some definite obsession.I think
we'll find the root of the matter in an intensified inferiority
complex.There may be a persecution mania£¬too£¬and if so he may possibly
associate M.Poirot with it.He may have the delusion that M.Poirot is a
detective employed on purpose to hunt him down."
"H'm£¬"said the A.C."That's the jargon that's talked nowadays.In my day
if a man was mad and we didn't look about for scientific terms to soften it
down.I suppose a thoroughly up-to-date doctor would suggest putting a man
like A B C in a nursing home£¬telling him what a fine fellow he was for
forty-five days on end and then letting him out as a responsible member of
society."
Poirot smiled but did not answer.
The conference broke up.
"Well£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner.
"As you say£¬Crome£¬pulling him in is only a matter of time."
"We'd have had him before now£¬"said the inspector£¬"if he wasn't so
ordinary-looking.We've worried enough perfectly inoffensive citizens as it
is."
"I wonder where he is at this minute£¬"said the Assistant Commissioner.
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