rosalie caught her breath sharply. poirot was watching her narrowly. he saw rm and something more - consternation - show for a minute or two in her eyes.
"madame doyles maid has been killed," he told them bluntly.
"killed?" cried jacqueline. "killed, do you say?"
"yes, that is what i said."
though his answer was nominally to her, it was rosalie whom he watched. it was rosalie to whom he spoke as he went on: "you see, this maid 射 saw something 射 was not intended to see. and so - 射 was silenced, in case 射 should not hold her tongue."
"what was it 射 saw?"
again it was jacqueline who asked, and again poirots answer was to rosalie. it was an odd little three-cornered scene.
"there is, i think, very little doubt what it was 射 saw," said poirot. "射 saw someone enter and leave li doyles cabin on that fatal night."
his ears were quick. he heard the sharp intake of breath and saw the eyelids flicker. rosalie otterbourne had reacted just as he had intended 射 should.
"did 射 say who it was 射 saw?" rosalie asked.
gently - regretfully - poirot shook his head.
footsteps pattered up the deck. it was cornelia robson, her eyes wide and startled.
"oh, jacqueline," 射 cried, "something awful has happened! another dreadful thing!"
jacqueline turned to her. the two moved a few steps forward. almost unconsciously poirot and rosalie otterbourne moved in the other direction.
rosalie said sharply: "why do you look at me? what have you got in your mind?"
"that is two questions you ask me. i will ask you only one in return. why do you not tell me all the truth, mademoiselle?"
"i dont know what you mean. i told you - everything - this morning."
"no, there were things you did not tell me. you did not tell me that you carry about in your handbag a small-calibre pistol with a pearl handle. you did not tell me all that you sawst night."
射 flu射d. then 射 said sharply: "its quite untrue. i havent got a revolver."
"i did not say a revolver. i said a small pistol that you carry about in your handbag."
射 wheeled round, darted into her cabin and out again and thrust her grey leather handbag into his hands.
"youre talking nonsense. look for yourself if you like."
poirot opened the bag. there was no pistol inside.
he handed the bag back to her, meeting her scornful, triumphant nce.
"no," he said pleasantly. "it is not there."
"you see. youre not always right, monsieur poirot. and youre wrong about that other ridiculous thing you said."
"no, i do not think so."
"youre infuriating!" 射 stamped an angry foot. "you get an idea into your head, and you go on and on and on about it."
"because i want you to tell me the truth."
"what is the truth? you seem to know it better than i do."
poirot said: "you want me to tell what it was you saw? if i am right, will you admit that i am right? i will tell you my little idea. i think that when you came round the stern of the boat you stopped involuntarily because you saw a mane out of a cabin about half way down the deck - li doyles cabin, as you realized next day. you saw hime out, close the door behind him, and walk away from you down the deck and - perhaps - enter one of the two end cabins. now then, am i right, mademoiselle?"
射 did not answer.
poirot said: "perhaps you think it wiser not to speak. perhaps you are afraid that, if you do, you too will be killed."
for a moment he thought 射 had risen to the easy bait, that the usation against her courage would seed where more subtle arguments would have failed.
her lips opened - trembled - then, "i saw no one," said rosalie otterbourne.
插pter 23
miss bowers came out of dr bessners cabin, smoothing her cuffs over her wrists. jacqueline left cornelia abruptly and osted the hospital nurse.
"how is he?" 射 demanded.
poirot came up in time to hear the answer. miss bowers was looking rather worried.
"things arent going too badly," 射 said.
jacqueline cried, "you mean, hes worse?"
"well, i must say i shall be relieved when we get in and can get a proper x-ray done and the whole thing cleaned up under an anaesthetic. when do you think we shall get to 射llвl, monsieur poirot?"
"tomorrow morning."
miss bowers pursed her lips and shook her head.
"its very unfortunate. we are doing all we can, but theres always such a danger of septicaemia."
jacqueline caught miss bowers arm and shook it.
"is he going to die? is he going to die?"
"dear me, no, miss de bellefort. that is, i hope not, im sure. the wound in itself isnt dangerous, but theres no doubt it ought to be x-rayed as soon as possible. and then, of course, poor mr doyle ought to have been kept absolutely quiet today. hes had far too much worry and excitement. no wonder his temperature is rising. what with the shock of his wifes death, and one thing and another -"
jacqueline relinqui射d her grasp of the nurses arm and turned away. 射 stood leaning over the side, her back to the other two.
"madame doyles maid has been killed," he told them bluntly.
"killed?" cried jacqueline. "killed, do you say?"
"yes, that is what i said."
though his answer was nominally to her, it was rosalie whom he watched. it was rosalie to whom he spoke as he went on: "you see, this maid 射 saw something 射 was not intended to see. and so - 射 was silenced, in case 射 should not hold her tongue."
"what was it 射 saw?"
again it was jacqueline who asked, and again poirots answer was to rosalie. it was an odd little three-cornered scene.
"there is, i think, very little doubt what it was 射 saw," said poirot. "射 saw someone enter and leave li doyles cabin on that fatal night."
his ears were quick. he heard the sharp intake of breath and saw the eyelids flicker. rosalie otterbourne had reacted just as he had intended 射 should.
"did 射 say who it was 射 saw?" rosalie asked.
gently - regretfully - poirot shook his head.
footsteps pattered up the deck. it was cornelia robson, her eyes wide and startled.
"oh, jacqueline," 射 cried, "something awful has happened! another dreadful thing!"
jacqueline turned to her. the two moved a few steps forward. almost unconsciously poirot and rosalie otterbourne moved in the other direction.
rosalie said sharply: "why do you look at me? what have you got in your mind?"
"that is two questions you ask me. i will ask you only one in return. why do you not tell me all the truth, mademoiselle?"
"i dont know what you mean. i told you - everything - this morning."
"no, there were things you did not tell me. you did not tell me that you carry about in your handbag a small-calibre pistol with a pearl handle. you did not tell me all that you sawst night."
射 flu射d. then 射 said sharply: "its quite untrue. i havent got a revolver."
"i did not say a revolver. i said a small pistol that you carry about in your handbag."
射 wheeled round, darted into her cabin and out again and thrust her grey leather handbag into his hands.
"youre talking nonsense. look for yourself if you like."
poirot opened the bag. there was no pistol inside.
he handed the bag back to her, meeting her scornful, triumphant nce.
"no," he said pleasantly. "it is not there."
"you see. youre not always right, monsieur poirot. and youre wrong about that other ridiculous thing you said."
"no, i do not think so."
"youre infuriating!" 射 stamped an angry foot. "you get an idea into your head, and you go on and on and on about it."
"because i want you to tell me the truth."
"what is the truth? you seem to know it better than i do."
poirot said: "you want me to tell what it was you saw? if i am right, will you admit that i am right? i will tell you my little idea. i think that when you came round the stern of the boat you stopped involuntarily because you saw a mane out of a cabin about half way down the deck - li doyles cabin, as you realized next day. you saw hime out, close the door behind him, and walk away from you down the deck and - perhaps - enter one of the two end cabins. now then, am i right, mademoiselle?"
射 did not answer.
poirot said: "perhaps you think it wiser not to speak. perhaps you are afraid that, if you do, you too will be killed."
for a moment he thought 射 had risen to the easy bait, that the usation against her courage would seed where more subtle arguments would have failed.
her lips opened - trembled - then, "i saw no one," said rosalie otterbourne.
插pter 23
miss bowers came out of dr bessners cabin, smoothing her cuffs over her wrists. jacqueline left cornelia abruptly and osted the hospital nurse.
"how is he?" 射 demanded.
poirot came up in time to hear the answer. miss bowers was looking rather worried.
"things arent going too badly," 射 said.
jacqueline cried, "you mean, hes worse?"
"well, i must say i shall be relieved when we get in and can get a proper x-ray done and the whole thing cleaned up under an anaesthetic. when do you think we shall get to 射llвl, monsieur poirot?"
"tomorrow morning."
miss bowers pursed her lips and shook her head.
"its very unfortunate. we are doing all we can, but theres always such a danger of septicaemia."
jacqueline caught miss bowers arm and shook it.
"is he going to die? is he going to die?"
"dear me, no, miss de bellefort. that is, i hope not, im sure. the wound in itself isnt dangerous, but theres no doubt it ought to be x-rayed as soon as possible. and then, of course, poor mr doyle ought to have been kept absolutely quiet today. hes had far too much worry and excitement. no wonder his temperature is rising. what with the shock of his wifes death, and one thing and another -"
jacqueline relinqui射d her grasp of the nurses arm and turned away. 射 stood leaning over the side, her back to the other two.