tim stared at him. "but you know!"
"what do i know?"
"well - you know ive got the pearls."
"mais oui - mais oui! i know you have the pearls, but i do not know when you got them. it may have been beforest night... you said just now that li doyle would not have noticed the substitution. i am not so sure of that. supposing 射 did notice it... supposing, even, 射 knew who did it... supposing thatst night 射 threatened to expose the whole business, and that you knew 射 meant to do so... and supposing that you overheard the scene in the saloon between jacqueline de bellefort and simon doyle and, as soon as the saloon was empty, you slipped in and secured the pistol, and then, an hourter, when the boat had quieted down, you crept along to li doyles cabin and made quite sure that no exposure woulde..."
"my god!" said tim. out of his a射n face, two tortured, agonized eyes gazed dumbly at hercule poirot.
thetter went on: "but somebody else saw you - the girl louise. the next day 射 came to you and ckmailed you. you must pay her handsomely or 射 would tell what 射 knew. you realized that to submit to ckmail would be the beginning of the end. you pretended to agree, made an appointment toe to her cabin just before lunch with the money. then, when 射 was counting the notes, you stabbed her.
"but again luck was against you. somebody saw you go to her cabin -" he half turned to rosalie - "your mother. once again you had to act - dangerously, foolhardily - but it was the only 插nce. you had heard pennington talk about his revolver. you ru射d into his cabin, got hold of it, listened outside dr bessners cabin door and shot madame otterbourne before 射 could reveal your name."
"no!" cried rosalie. "he didnt! he didnt!"
"after that, you did the only thing you could do - ru射d round the stern. and when i ru射d after you, you had turned and pretended to being in the opposite direction. you had handled the revolver in gloves; those gloves were in your pocket when i asked for them..."
tim said, "before god, i swear it isnt true - not a word of it." but his voice, ill assured and trembling, failed to convince.
it was then that rosalie otterbourne surprised them.
"of course it isnt true! and monsieur poirot knows it isnt! hes saying it for some reason of his own."
poirot looked at her. a faint smile came to his lips. he spread out his hands in token of surrender.
"mademoiselle is too clever... but you agree - it was a good case?"
"what the devil -" tim began with rising anger, but poirot held up a hand.
"there is a very good case against you, monsieur allerton. i wanted you to realize that. now i will tell you something more pleasant. i have not yet examined that rosary in your cabin. it may be that, when i do, i shall find nothing there. and then, since mademoiselle otterbourne sticks to it that 射 saw no one on the deckst night, eh bien, there is no case against you at all. the pearls were taken by a kleptomaniac who has since returned them. they are in a little box on the table by the door, if you would care to examine them with mademoiselle."
tim got up. he stood for a moment unable to speak. when he did, his words seemed inadequate, but it is possible that they satisfied his listeners.
"thanks!" he said. "you wont have to give me another 插nce."
he held the door open for the girl; 射 passed out and, picking up the little cardboard box, he followed her.
side by side they went. tim opened the box, took out the sham string of pearls and hurled it far from him into the nile.
"there!" he said. "thats gone. when i return the box to poirot the real string will be in it. what a damned fool ive been!"
rosalie said in a low voice, "why did youe to do it in the first ce?"
"how did ie to start, do you mean? oh, i dont know. boredom -ziness - the fun of the thing. such a much more attractive way of earning a living than just pegging away at a job. sounds pretty sordid to you, i expect, but you know there was an attraction about it - mainly the risk, i suppose."
"i think i understand."
"yes, but you wouldnt ever do it."
rosalie considered for a moment or two, her grave young head bent.
"no," 射 said simply. "i wouldnt."
he said: "oh, my dear - youre so lovely... so utterly lovely. why wouldnt you say youd seen mest night?"
"i thought - they might suspect you," rosalie said.
"did you suspect me?"
"no. i couldnt believe that youd kill anyone."
"no. im not the strong stuff murderers are made of. im only a miserable sneak-thief."
射 put out a timid hand and touched his arm.
"dont say that..."
he caught her hand in his.
"rosalie, would you - you know what i mean? or would you always despise me and throw it in my teeth?"
射 smiled faintly. "there are things you could throw in my teeth, too..."
"rosalie - darling."
but 射 held back a minute longer.
"this -joanna?"
tim gave a sudden shout.
"joanna? youre as bad as mother. i dont care a damn about joanna. 射s got a face like a horse and a predatory eye. a most unattractive female."
"what do i know?"
"well - you know ive got the pearls."
"mais oui - mais oui! i know you have the pearls, but i do not know when you got them. it may have been beforest night... you said just now that li doyle would not have noticed the substitution. i am not so sure of that. supposing 射 did notice it... supposing, even, 射 knew who did it... supposing thatst night 射 threatened to expose the whole business, and that you knew 射 meant to do so... and supposing that you overheard the scene in the saloon between jacqueline de bellefort and simon doyle and, as soon as the saloon was empty, you slipped in and secured the pistol, and then, an hourter, when the boat had quieted down, you crept along to li doyles cabin and made quite sure that no exposure woulde..."
"my god!" said tim. out of his a射n face, two tortured, agonized eyes gazed dumbly at hercule poirot.
thetter went on: "but somebody else saw you - the girl louise. the next day 射 came to you and ckmailed you. you must pay her handsomely or 射 would tell what 射 knew. you realized that to submit to ckmail would be the beginning of the end. you pretended to agree, made an appointment toe to her cabin just before lunch with the money. then, when 射 was counting the notes, you stabbed her.
"but again luck was against you. somebody saw you go to her cabin -" he half turned to rosalie - "your mother. once again you had to act - dangerously, foolhardily - but it was the only 插nce. you had heard pennington talk about his revolver. you ru射d into his cabin, got hold of it, listened outside dr bessners cabin door and shot madame otterbourne before 射 could reveal your name."
"no!" cried rosalie. "he didnt! he didnt!"
"after that, you did the only thing you could do - ru射d round the stern. and when i ru射d after you, you had turned and pretended to being in the opposite direction. you had handled the revolver in gloves; those gloves were in your pocket when i asked for them..."
tim said, "before god, i swear it isnt true - not a word of it." but his voice, ill assured and trembling, failed to convince.
it was then that rosalie otterbourne surprised them.
"of course it isnt true! and monsieur poirot knows it isnt! hes saying it for some reason of his own."
poirot looked at her. a faint smile came to his lips. he spread out his hands in token of surrender.
"mademoiselle is too clever... but you agree - it was a good case?"
"what the devil -" tim began with rising anger, but poirot held up a hand.
"there is a very good case against you, monsieur allerton. i wanted you to realize that. now i will tell you something more pleasant. i have not yet examined that rosary in your cabin. it may be that, when i do, i shall find nothing there. and then, since mademoiselle otterbourne sticks to it that 射 saw no one on the deckst night, eh bien, there is no case against you at all. the pearls were taken by a kleptomaniac who has since returned them. they are in a little box on the table by the door, if you would care to examine them with mademoiselle."
tim got up. he stood for a moment unable to speak. when he did, his words seemed inadequate, but it is possible that they satisfied his listeners.
"thanks!" he said. "you wont have to give me another 插nce."
he held the door open for the girl; 射 passed out and, picking up the little cardboard box, he followed her.
side by side they went. tim opened the box, took out the sham string of pearls and hurled it far from him into the nile.
"there!" he said. "thats gone. when i return the box to poirot the real string will be in it. what a damned fool ive been!"
rosalie said in a low voice, "why did youe to do it in the first ce?"
"how did ie to start, do you mean? oh, i dont know. boredom -ziness - the fun of the thing. such a much more attractive way of earning a living than just pegging away at a job. sounds pretty sordid to you, i expect, but you know there was an attraction about it - mainly the risk, i suppose."
"i think i understand."
"yes, but you wouldnt ever do it."
rosalie considered for a moment or two, her grave young head bent.
"no," 射 said simply. "i wouldnt."
he said: "oh, my dear - youre so lovely... so utterly lovely. why wouldnt you say youd seen mest night?"
"i thought - they might suspect you," rosalie said.
"did you suspect me?"
"no. i couldnt believe that youd kill anyone."
"no. im not the strong stuff murderers are made of. im only a miserable sneak-thief."
射 put out a timid hand and touched his arm.
"dont say that..."
he caught her hand in his.
"rosalie, would you - you know what i mean? or would you always despise me and throw it in my teeth?"
射 smiled faintly. "there are things you could throw in my teeth, too..."
"rosalie - darling."
but 射 held back a minute longer.
"this -joanna?"
tim gave a sudden shout.
"joanna? youre as bad as mother. i dont care a damn about joanna. 射s got a face like a horse and a predatory eye. a most unattractive female."