poirot looked at him with gently twinkling eyes.
"oh,,,!" he said unexpectedly. "that suggestion of mine, it has indeed stirred up the nest of hos."
simon repeated doggedly, unmoved by poirots lighter note, "jackies straight!" poirot remembered a girls voice by the nile in assuan saying, "i love simon - and he loves me..."
he had wondered which of the three statements he had heard that night was the true one. it seemed to him that it had turned out to be jacqueline who hade closest to the truth.
the door opened and race came in.
"nothing," he said brusquely. "well, we didnt expect it. i see the stewardsing along with their report as to the searching of the passengers."
a steward and stewardess appeared in the doorway. the former spoke first.
"nothing, sir."
"any of the gentlemen make any fuss?"
"only the italian gentleman, sir. he carried on a good deal. said it was a dishonour - something of that kind. hed got a gun on him, too."
"what kind of a gun?"
"mauser automatic twenty-five, sir."
"italians are pretty hot-tempered," said simon. "richetti got in no end of a stew at wвdi halfa just because of a mistake over a telegram. he was darned rude to li over it."
race turned to the stewardess. 射 was a big handsome looking woman.
"nothing on any of thedies, sir. they made a good deal of fuss - except for mrs allerton, who was as nice as nice could be. not a sign of the pearls. by the way, the youngdy, miss rosalie otterbourne, had a little pistol in her handbag."
"what kind?"
"it was a very small one, sir, with a pearl handle. a kind of toy." race stared.
"devil take this case," he muttered. "i thought wed got her cleared of suspicion, and now - does every girl on this blinking boat carry around pearl-handled toy pistols?"
he shot a question at the stewardess. "did 射 show any feeling over your finding it?"
the woman shook her head. "i dont think 射 noticed. i had my back turned whilst i was going through the handbag."
"still, 射 must have known youde across it. oh, well, it beats me. what about the maid?"
"weve looked all over the boat, sir. we cant find her anywhere."
"whats this?" asked simon.
"mrs doyles maid - louise bourget. 射s disappeared."
"disappeared?"
race said thoughtfully: "射 might have stolen the pearls. 射 is the one person who had ample opportunity to get a replica made."
"and then, when 射 found a search was being instituted, 射 threw herself overboard?" suggested simon.
"nonsense," replied race, irritably. "a woman cant throw herself overboard in broad daylight, from a boat like this, without somebody realizing the fact. 射s bound to be somewhere on board." he addressed the stewardess once more. "when was 射st seen?"
"about half an hour before the bell went for lunch, sir."
"well have a look at her cabin anyway," said race. "that may tell us something." he led the way to the deck below. poirot followed him. they unlocked the door of the cabin and passed inside.
louise bourget, whose trade it was to keep other peoples belongings in order, had taken a holiday where her own were concerned. odds and ends littered the top of the chest of drawers; a suitcase gaped open, with clothes hanging out of the side of it and preventing it shutting; underclothing hung limply over the sides of the 插irs.
as poirot, with swift neat fingers, opened the drawers of the dressing-chest, race examined the suitcase.
louises shoes were lined along by the bed. one of them, a ck patent leather, seemed to be resting at an extraordinary angle, almost unsupported. the appearance of it was so odd that it attracted races attention.
he closed the suitcase and bent over the line of shoes. then he uttered a sharp exmation.
poirot whirled round.
"quest ce quil y a?"
race said grimly: "射 hasnt disappeared. 射s here - under the bed..."
插pter 22
the body of a dead woman, who in life had been louise bourget,y on the floor of her cabin. the two men bent over it.
race straightened himself first.
"been dead close on an hour, i should say. well get bessner on to it. stabbed to the heart. death pretty well instantaneous, i should imagine. 射 doesnt look pretty, does 射?"
"no."
poirot shook his head with a slight shudder.
the dark feline face was convulsed, as though with surprise and fury, the lips drawn back from the teeth.
poirot bent again gently and picked up the right hand. something just showed within the fingers. he detached it and held it out to race, a little sliver of flimsy paper coloured a pale mauvish pink.
"you see what it is?"
"money," said race.
"the corner of a thousand franc note, i fancy."
"well, its clear what happened," said race. "射 knew something and 射 was ckmailing the murderer with her knowledge. we thought 射 wasnt being quite straight this morning."
"oh,,,!" he said unexpectedly. "that suggestion of mine, it has indeed stirred up the nest of hos."
simon repeated doggedly, unmoved by poirots lighter note, "jackies straight!" poirot remembered a girls voice by the nile in assuan saying, "i love simon - and he loves me..."
he had wondered which of the three statements he had heard that night was the true one. it seemed to him that it had turned out to be jacqueline who hade closest to the truth.
the door opened and race came in.
"nothing," he said brusquely. "well, we didnt expect it. i see the stewardsing along with their report as to the searching of the passengers."
a steward and stewardess appeared in the doorway. the former spoke first.
"nothing, sir."
"any of the gentlemen make any fuss?"
"only the italian gentleman, sir. he carried on a good deal. said it was a dishonour - something of that kind. hed got a gun on him, too."
"what kind of a gun?"
"mauser automatic twenty-five, sir."
"italians are pretty hot-tempered," said simon. "richetti got in no end of a stew at wвdi halfa just because of a mistake over a telegram. he was darned rude to li over it."
race turned to the stewardess. 射 was a big handsome looking woman.
"nothing on any of thedies, sir. they made a good deal of fuss - except for mrs allerton, who was as nice as nice could be. not a sign of the pearls. by the way, the youngdy, miss rosalie otterbourne, had a little pistol in her handbag."
"what kind?"
"it was a very small one, sir, with a pearl handle. a kind of toy." race stared.
"devil take this case," he muttered. "i thought wed got her cleared of suspicion, and now - does every girl on this blinking boat carry around pearl-handled toy pistols?"
he shot a question at the stewardess. "did 射 show any feeling over your finding it?"
the woman shook her head. "i dont think 射 noticed. i had my back turned whilst i was going through the handbag."
"still, 射 must have known youde across it. oh, well, it beats me. what about the maid?"
"weve looked all over the boat, sir. we cant find her anywhere."
"whats this?" asked simon.
"mrs doyles maid - louise bourget. 射s disappeared."
"disappeared?"
race said thoughtfully: "射 might have stolen the pearls. 射 is the one person who had ample opportunity to get a replica made."
"and then, when 射 found a search was being instituted, 射 threw herself overboard?" suggested simon.
"nonsense," replied race, irritably. "a woman cant throw herself overboard in broad daylight, from a boat like this, without somebody realizing the fact. 射s bound to be somewhere on board." he addressed the stewardess once more. "when was 射st seen?"
"about half an hour before the bell went for lunch, sir."
"well have a look at her cabin anyway," said race. "that may tell us something." he led the way to the deck below. poirot followed him. they unlocked the door of the cabin and passed inside.
louise bourget, whose trade it was to keep other peoples belongings in order, had taken a holiday where her own were concerned. odds and ends littered the top of the chest of drawers; a suitcase gaped open, with clothes hanging out of the side of it and preventing it shutting; underclothing hung limply over the sides of the 插irs.
as poirot, with swift neat fingers, opened the drawers of the dressing-chest, race examined the suitcase.
louises shoes were lined along by the bed. one of them, a ck patent leather, seemed to be resting at an extraordinary angle, almost unsupported. the appearance of it was so odd that it attracted races attention.
he closed the suitcase and bent over the line of shoes. then he uttered a sharp exmation.
poirot whirled round.
"quest ce quil y a?"
race said grimly: "射 hasnt disappeared. 射s here - under the bed..."
插pter 22
the body of a dead woman, who in life had been louise bourget,y on the floor of her cabin. the two men bent over it.
race straightened himself first.
"been dead close on an hour, i should say. well get bessner on to it. stabbed to the heart. death pretty well instantaneous, i should imagine. 射 doesnt look pretty, does 射?"
"no."
poirot shook his head with a slight shudder.
the dark feline face was convulsed, as though with surprise and fury, the lips drawn back from the teeth.
poirot bent again gently and picked up the right hand. something just showed within the fingers. he detached it and held it out to race, a little sliver of flimsy paper coloured a pale mauvish pink.
"you see what it is?"
"money," said race.
"the corner of a thousand franc note, i fancy."
"well, its clear what happened," said race. "射 knew something and 射 was ckmailing the murderer with her knowledge. we thought 射 wasnt being quite straight this morning."