It was a hard blow for Inspector Raglan, and he was complaining all the way back to the village. «Think of those alibis! They are useless now! Now we must begin once again and find out what everyone was doing from nine-thirty. Nine-thirty — that is the time we must begin with. You were quite right about that man Kent: we shall not set him free. Let me see — nine-forty-five — the time when he came to the Dog and Whistle. If he ran, he could cover the distance between Fernly and the bar in fifteen minutes. So, it is possible that Mr. Raymond heard his voice asking for money, which Mr. Ackroyd refused. But one thing is clear: it was not he who spoke on the telephone to Dr. Sheppard. The station is a mile and a half from the Dog and Whistle, and he was at the Dog and Whistle until ten minutes past ten. That telephone call! We always come up to it!»
«Yes, indeed,» said Poirot. «It is curious.»
«If Captain Paton got into his uncle’s study through the window and found him dead, then maybe he made that telephone call.»
«Why?»
«Maybe he was not sure that his uncle was dead and wanted to get the doctor as soon as possible. But he was afraid to show that he knew about the murder. Yes, I think it is a good theory.» The inspector was proud.
We were near my house now. The inspector and Poirot went to the police station, and I went home because my patients were already waiting for me there.
When my last patient left, I went into the little room which I call my workshop. Every man has his hobby. I am proud of the little radio-set which I have made with my own hands. I was working in this workshop when Caroline opened the door and said that Poirot wanted to see me. I told her to send him to my workshop.
«Have you finished with your patients?» said Poirot.
«Yes,» I said.
«But you will have to see one more patient,» he said.
«Is this patient you?» I asked.
«Oh no,» said Poirot. «But you see, I want to talk to one lady, and I don’t want people to know that I want to talk to her. So, I have asked her to come to your house and pretend that she wanted to consult you about her health. It is the housekeeper.»
«Miss Russell!» I exclaimed.
«Yes.» He looked at my work. I felt very proud and showed him one or two inventions of my own — little things, but useful in the house.
«You must be an inventor by profession, not a doctor,» said Poirot. «Look, my friend, I want to show you something.»
«He took a sheet of paper from his pocket. Some words were written on it, and he read then aloud:
For several days the police were looking for Captain Ralph Paton, the nephew of Mr. Ackroyd of Fernly Park, who was murdered last Friday.
They found him in Liverpool when he was ready to get on a ship starting for America.
This will be in the newspapers tomorrow morning,» he said.
I looked at him very surprised. «But — but it isn’t true!He is not in Liverpool!»
«That’s right,» said Poirot, smiling. «And Inspector Raglan did not want to send this paragraph to the newspapers, especially because I did not tell him why I wanted it. But I told him that we should have very interesting results, and he agreed. But let’s go to see your patient, because it is already time for her to be here.»
«Miss Russell,» said Poirot when we entered the room in which she was sitting, «I have news for you.»
«Indeed!»
«The police have arrested Charles Kent in Liverpool.»
Her expression did not change. «Well, what of it?» she said.
But at that moment I suddenly understood what had seemed familiar to me when I met Charles Kent at the gate of Fernly. The man had reminded me of Miss Russell.
In answer to Miss Russell’s question Poirot said, «I thought it was interesting for you.»
«No, it isn’t,» said Miss Russell. «And who is this Charles Kent?»
«He is the man, mademoiselle, who was at Fernly at the night of the murder.»
«Really?»
«Fortunately for him he had an alibi. At a quarter to ten he was at a bar a mile from here. But we still do not know what he was doing at Fernly. We think he had come to meet someone, but we don’t know whom.»
«I am afraid I can’t help you,» said the housekeeper. «If that is all — »
«No, it isn’t quite all,» said Poirot. «This morning we found out something new. Now it seems that Mr. Ackroyd was murdered not at a quarter to ten, but before. Between ten minutes to nine, when Dr. Sheppard left, and a quarter to ten.»
Miss Russell’s face became suddenly white. «But Miss Ackroyd said — Miss Ackroyd said — »
«Miss Ackroyd was lying. She was never in the study at all that evening.»
«Then — »
«Then it looks that Charles Kent is the man for whom we are looking. He came to Fernly, he does not say what he was doing there — »
«I can tell you what he was doing there. He did not kill Mr. Ackroyd, he never went near the study. He didn’t do it, I tell you.» Miss Russell looked frightened. There was terror in her eyes. «M. Poirot! M. Poirot! Oh, please believe me!»
Poirot stood up and went up to her. He touched her shoulder. «But yes, but yes, I will believe you. You see, I had to make you speak.»
«Is it true what you said?»
«That the police suspect Charles Kent of the crime? Yes, that is true. Only you can save him. You can save him if you explain why he was at Fernly.»
«He came to see me. I went out to meet him — »
«In the summer-house, I know.»
«How do you know?»
«Mademoiselle, it is the business of Hercule Poirot to know things. So you went to meet him at ten minutes past nine. What did you say to each other?»
«It’s difficult. You see — »
«I will help you,» said Poirot. «This Charles Kent, he is your son, isn’t he?»
She nodded. «Nobody knows it,» she said. «It was long ago — long ago — in Kent. I was not married —»
«So you took the name of the county as a surname for your son. I understand.»
«When he grew up, he began to drink, then to take drugs. I managed to buy him a ticket and sent him away to Canada. I did not hear from him for about two years. I came here and found work. Then, not long ago, I received a letter from him in which he wrote that he was coming here. I wrote to him and told him that I should meet him in the summer-house. He came there. I gave him all the money I had, and then he went away.»
«At what time did he go away?»
«It was between twenty and twenty-five minutes past nine. It was not yet half past nine when I got back to the house.»
«Which way did he go?»
«Straight to the gate and left Fernly Park. Do — do you believe me, M. Poirot? That he did not kill Mr. Ackroyd?»
«I am sure that the man who was talking to Mr. Ackroyd in the study at nine-thirty was not your son. Don’t worry, mademoiselle. All will be well.»
Miss Russell stood up. «Thank you, M. Poirot, thank you very much,» she said. «You have been very kind.»
Miss Russell left. «So,» I said, «every time we come back to Ralph Paton.»
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