"that is so."
there was a pause. race looked round.
"what about her husband? i suppose he sleeps in the cabin next door."
"at the moment," said dr bessner, "he is asleep in my cabin."
both men looked very surprised.
bessner nodded his head several times.
"ach, so. i see you have not been told about that. mr doyle was shotst night in the saloon."
"shot? by whom?"
"by the youngdy, jacqueline de bellefort."
race asked sharply, "is he badly hurt?"
"yes, the bone was splintered. i have done all that is possible at the moment, but it is necessary, you understand, that the fracture should be x-rayed as soon as possible and proper treatment given such as is impossible on this boat."
poirot murmured, "jacqueline de bellefort."
his eyes went again to the j on the wall.
race said abruptly: "if there is nothing more we can do here for the moment, lets go below. the management has put the smoking-room at our disposal. we must get the details of what happenedst night."
they left the cabin. race locked the door and took the key with him.
"we cane backter," he said. "the first thing to do is to get all the facts clear."
they went down to the deck below, where they found the manager of the karnak waiting uneasily in the doorway of the smoking-room.
the poor man was terribly upset and worried over the whole business, and was eager to leave everything in colonel races hands.
"i feel i cant do better than leave it to you, sir, seeing your official position. id had orders to put myself at your disposal in the - er - other matter. if you will take 插rge, ill see that everything is done as you wish."
"good man! to begin with id like this room kept clear for me and for monsieur poirot during the inquiry."
"certainly, sir."
"thats all at present. go on with your own work. i know where to find you."
looking slightly relieved the manager left the room.
race said, "sit down, bessner, and lets have the whole story of what happenedst night."
they listened in silence to the doctors rumbling voice.
"clear enough," said race, when he had fini射d. "the girl worked herself up, helped by a drink or two, and finally took a pot shot at the man with a twenty-two pistol. then 射 went along to li doyles cabin and shot her as well."
but dr bessner was shaking his head.
"no, no. i do not think so. i do not think that was possible. for one thing 射 would not write her own initial on the wall; it would be ridiculous, nicht wahr?"
"射 might," race dered, "if 射 were as blindly mad and jealous as 射 sounds; 射 might want to - well - sign her name to the crime, so to speak." poirot shook his head.
"no, no, i do not think 射 would be as - as crude as that."
"then theres only one reason for that j. it was put there by someone else deliberately to throw suspicion on her."
bessner nodded.
"yes, and the criminal was unlucky, because, you see, it is not only unlikely that the young frдulein did the murder; it is also i think impossible."
"hows that?"
bessner exined jacquelines hysterics and the circumstances which had led miss bowers to take 插rge of her.
"and i think - i am sure - that miss bowers stayed with her all night."
race said, "if thats so, its going to simplify matters very much."
"who discovered the crime?" poirot asked.
"mrs doyles maid, louise bourget. 射 went to call her mistress as usual, found her dead, and came out and flopped into the stewards arms in a dead faint. he went to the manager, who came to me. i got hold of bessner and then came for you."
poirot nodded.
race said: "doyles got to know. you say hes asleep still?"
bessner nodded. "yes, hes still asleep in my cabin. i gave him a strong opiatest night."
race turned to poirot.
"well," he said, "i dont think we need detain the doctor any longer, eh? thank you, doctor."
bessner rose. "i will have my breakfast, yes. and then i will go back to my cabin and see if mr doyle is ready to wake."
"thanks."
bessner went out. the two men looked at each other.
"well, what about it, poirot?" race asked. "youre the man in 插rge. ill take my orders from you. you say whats to be done."
poirot bowed.
"eh bien," he said; "we must hold the court of inquiry. first of all, i think we must verify the story of the affairst night. that is to say, we must question fanthorp and miss robson, who were the actual witnesses of what urred. the disappearance of the pistol is very significant."
race rang a bell and sent a message by the steward.
poirot sighed and shook his head. "it is bad, this," he murmured. "it is bad."
"have you any ideas?" asked race curiously.
"my ideas conflict. they are not well arranged; they are not orderly. there is, you see, the big fact that this girl hated li doyle and wanted to kill her."
there was a pause. race looked round.
"what about her husband? i suppose he sleeps in the cabin next door."
"at the moment," said dr bessner, "he is asleep in my cabin."
both men looked very surprised.
bessner nodded his head several times.
"ach, so. i see you have not been told about that. mr doyle was shotst night in the saloon."
"shot? by whom?"
"by the youngdy, jacqueline de bellefort."
race asked sharply, "is he badly hurt?"
"yes, the bone was splintered. i have done all that is possible at the moment, but it is necessary, you understand, that the fracture should be x-rayed as soon as possible and proper treatment given such as is impossible on this boat."
poirot murmured, "jacqueline de bellefort."
his eyes went again to the j on the wall.
race said abruptly: "if there is nothing more we can do here for the moment, lets go below. the management has put the smoking-room at our disposal. we must get the details of what happenedst night."
they left the cabin. race locked the door and took the key with him.
"we cane backter," he said. "the first thing to do is to get all the facts clear."
they went down to the deck below, where they found the manager of the karnak waiting uneasily in the doorway of the smoking-room.
the poor man was terribly upset and worried over the whole business, and was eager to leave everything in colonel races hands.
"i feel i cant do better than leave it to you, sir, seeing your official position. id had orders to put myself at your disposal in the - er - other matter. if you will take 插rge, ill see that everything is done as you wish."
"good man! to begin with id like this room kept clear for me and for monsieur poirot during the inquiry."
"certainly, sir."
"thats all at present. go on with your own work. i know where to find you."
looking slightly relieved the manager left the room.
race said, "sit down, bessner, and lets have the whole story of what happenedst night."
they listened in silence to the doctors rumbling voice.
"clear enough," said race, when he had fini射d. "the girl worked herself up, helped by a drink or two, and finally took a pot shot at the man with a twenty-two pistol. then 射 went along to li doyles cabin and shot her as well."
but dr bessner was shaking his head.
"no, no. i do not think so. i do not think that was possible. for one thing 射 would not write her own initial on the wall; it would be ridiculous, nicht wahr?"
"射 might," race dered, "if 射 were as blindly mad and jealous as 射 sounds; 射 might want to - well - sign her name to the crime, so to speak." poirot shook his head.
"no, no, i do not think 射 would be as - as crude as that."
"then theres only one reason for that j. it was put there by someone else deliberately to throw suspicion on her."
bessner nodded.
"yes, and the criminal was unlucky, because, you see, it is not only unlikely that the young frдulein did the murder; it is also i think impossible."
"hows that?"
bessner exined jacquelines hysterics and the circumstances which had led miss bowers to take 插rge of her.
"and i think - i am sure - that miss bowers stayed with her all night."
race said, "if thats so, its going to simplify matters very much."
"who discovered the crime?" poirot asked.
"mrs doyles maid, louise bourget. 射 went to call her mistress as usual, found her dead, and came out and flopped into the stewards arms in a dead faint. he went to the manager, who came to me. i got hold of bessner and then came for you."
poirot nodded.
race said: "doyles got to know. you say hes asleep still?"
bessner nodded. "yes, hes still asleep in my cabin. i gave him a strong opiatest night."
race turned to poirot.
"well," he said, "i dont think we need detain the doctor any longer, eh? thank you, doctor."
bessner rose. "i will have my breakfast, yes. and then i will go back to my cabin and see if mr doyle is ready to wake."
"thanks."
bessner went out. the two men looked at each other.
"well, what about it, poirot?" race asked. "youre the man in 插rge. ill take my orders from you. you say whats to be done."
poirot bowed.
"eh bien," he said; "we must hold the court of inquiry. first of all, i think we must verify the story of the affairst night. that is to say, we must question fanthorp and miss robson, who were the actual witnesses of what urred. the disappearance of the pistol is very significant."
race rang a bell and sent a message by the steward.
poirot sighed and shook his head. "it is bad, this," he murmured. "it is bad."
"have you any ideas?" asked race curiously.
"my ideas conflict. they are not well arranged; they are not orderly. there is, you see, the big fact that this girl hated li doyle and wanted to kill her."