«And now,» said Caroline, rising, «this child will go upstairs and lie down. Don’t worry, my dear. M. Poirot will do everything he can — be sure of that.
«I must go back to Fernly,» said Ursula.
«Nonsense,» said Caroline. «You are in my hands now. And you will stay here for some time — eh, M. Poirot?»
«It will be the best plan,» agreed Poipot. «I want mademoiselle — pardon, madam — to attend my little conference. Nine o’clock at my house. It is very important.»
Caroline nodded and went with Ursula out of the room. «Well,» said Poirot, «things are getting clearer now.»
«They are getting blacker and blacker against Ralph Paton,» I said.
Poirot nodded. «Yes, that is so. But it was to be expected1, wasn’t it?»
I looked at him, surprised. He was sitting in the armchair, with his eyes half closed. Suddenly he sighed and shook his head.
«What is it?» I asked.
«I often remember my friend Hastings,» he said. «He sometimes worked with me. He greatly helped me by keeping notes2 of our cases with all the details.»
«As it happens,» I said, «I am also keeping notes of this case.» I don’t know why I said it, but he was very interested. «Really?» he exclaimed. «Let me see your notes, please. They will be very useful.»
1it was to be expected — этого следовало ожидать
2by keeping notes — тем, что вел записи
I brought him my notes. It was a thick note-book. I left him reading them and went out because I had to visit one of my patients. When I came back, it was past eight, and he had finished reading. I asked him what he thought of my notes.
«Very good work,» he said. «You have described all the facts carefully and exactly. But you were too modest in describing your own role in them.»
«Has it helped you?»
«Yes, I must say that it has helped me. But now it is time for us to go to my house for my little conference.»
Caroline was in the hall. It was clear that she wanted to go with us. Poirot was very tactful. «I would like you to be present, mademoiselle,» he said, «but it will not be wise at this moment. You see, all these people who are at my house tonight, are suspects. Among them I shall find the person who killed Mr. Ackroyd.»
«Do you really believe that?» I said.
«I see that you don’t believe,» said Poirot. «So you have not yet understood what kind of man Hercule Poirot is.»
At that moment Ursula came down the stairs.
«Are you ready, my child?» asked Poirot. «That is good. We will go to my house together. Good evening, Mademoiselle Caroline.»
The little drawing-room in Poirot’s house was ready. On the table there were drinks and glasses. Several chairs had been brought from other rooms.
Soon we heard the door bell.
«They are coming,» said Poirot.
Poirot went to the door and greeted Mrs. Ackroyd and Flora. «It is very good of you to come,» he said. «And Major Blunt and Mr. Raymond.»
When everybody was sitting, Poirot said, «First of all I want to make an announcement.» He took Ursula’s hand. «This lady is Mrs. Ralph Paton. She was married to Captain Paton last March.»
«Ralph! Married!» exclaimed Mrs. Ackroyd. «Oh! It’s absurd. How can it be? Married to Ursula Bourne? Really, M. Poirot, I don’t believe you.»
Ursula wanted to speak, but Flora quickly came up to her and put her hand through her arm. «Don’t pay attention to our surprise,» she said. «You see, we had no idea of it. You and Ralph kept your secret very well. I am — very glad.»
«You are very kind, Miss Ackroyd,» said Ursula, «and you have every right to be angry. Ralph behaved very badly, and especially to you.»
«Don’t worry about that,» said Flora. «Ralph was in a terribly difficult situation and took the only way out. But tell me one thing. Where is Ralph? You must know it.»
«But I don’t,» cried Ursula.
«Isn’t he arrested in Liverpool?» asked Raymond. «The newspaper says it.»
«He is not in Liverpool,» said Poirot.
«In fact,» I said, «no one knows where he is.»
«Except Hercule Poirot, eh?» said Raymond.
Poirot replied seriously to Raymond’s joke. «I know everything,» he said. «Remember that.»
«Everything?» said Raymond. He whistled.
«Do you mean to say that you can really guess where Ralph Paton is hiding?» I asked.
«I don’t guess. I know, my friend,» said Poirot.
The door opened once more and two other people came in and sat down near the door. They were Parker and the housekeeper.
«We can begin now,» said Poirot. «Everyone is here,» he took a list and read: «Mrs. Ackroyd, Miss Flora Ackroyd, Major Blunt, Mr. Geoffrey Raymond, Mrs. Ralph Paton, John Parker, Elizabeth Russell.»
«What is the meaning of all this?» began Raymond.
«The list which I have just read,» said Poirot, «is a list of suspected persons. Everyone of you who are present here had the opportunity to kill Mr. Ackroyd — »
With a cry Mrs. Ackroyd jumped to her feet. «I don’t like it,» she said. «I don’t like it. I would like to go home.»
«You cannot go home, madam,» said Poirot, «until you have heard what I have to say.»
He was silent a moment, then went on. «I will start at the beginning. When Miss Ackroyd asked me to investigate the case, I went to Fernly Park with Dr. Sheppard. I walked with him along the terrace, and he showed me the footmarks on the window-sill. From there Inspector Raglan took me along the path which leads to the gate. I noticed a little summer-house and searched it. I found two things: a piece of cambric and a goose quill. When I saw the piece of cambric, I immediately thought of a maid’s apron. When Inspector Raglan showed me his list of the people in the house, I noticed at once that one of the maids — Ursula Bourne — had no real alibi. According to her own story, she was in her bedroom from nine-thirty until ten. But let’s suppose that instead of it she was in the summer-house. If so, probably she went there to meet someone. Now we know from Dr. Sheppard that someone from outside really came to the house that night — the stranger whom he met by the gate. We may think that our problem is solved and that the stranger went to the summer-house to meet Ursula Bourne. It was clear that he went to the summer-house because of the goose quill. I thought at once that the man took drugs and that he had come from America: in America people who take drugs, often do it with the help of a quill. And Dr. Sheppard said that the man had spoken with an American accent.
«But one thing was wrong. The times were different. Ursula Bourne went to the summer-house at nine-thirty — not before. And the man came there a few minutes after nine. Then I supposed that there had been two separate meetings in the summer-house that night. All right, as soon as I thought of that possibility, I found out some important facts. I found out that Miss Russell, the housekeeper, had visited Dr. Sheppard that morning and asked him questions about poisons and drugs. I connected this fact with the goose quill and decided that the man had come to Fernly to meet the housekeeper and not Ursula Bourne. If so — whom did Ursula Bourne meet in the summer-house? It was not difficult for me to understand. First I found a ring — a wedding ring with the date and the inscription: «From R». Then I learnt that at twenty-five minutes past nine somebody saw Ralph Paton, who came in through the gate and went along the path in the direction of the summer-house. I also heard about a conversation which had taken place in the wood near the village that very afternoon — a «conversation between Ralph Paton and some girl. So I had my facts in a good order. A secret marriage, an engagement which was announced on the day of the tragedy, the stormy conversation in the wood and the meeting in the summer-house that night.
«By the way, this proved to me one thing, that both Ralph Paton and Ursula Bourne (or Paton) had the strongest motives for murdering Mr. Ackroyd. And one more thing was quite clear: the man who was with Mr. Ackroyd in the study at nine-thirty was not Ralph Paton.
«Now we come to another, and very interesting, aspect of the crime. Who was in the study with Mr. Ackroyd at nine-thirty? Not Ralph Paton, who was in the summer-house with his wife. Not Charles Kent, who had already left — you remember that he was in the bar a mile’s distance at a quarter to ten. Then who? And I asked my cleverest question: Was anyone with him?»
Everybody was silent. But Raymond spoke. «Maybe you are trying to say that I am a liar, M. Poirot, when I say that I heard Mr. Ackroyd’s voice. But it is not only my evidence. Major Blunt who was on the terrace also heard that Mr. Ackroyd was talking to someone.»
Poirot nodded. «I have not forgotten,» lie said quietly. «You all have forgotten one thing: the stranger who had come to the house and spoken to Mr. Ackroyd some days before.»
Everybody looked at him in surprise.
«But yes,» continued Poirot, «The young man himself was not important. But the firm that had sent him interested me very much.»
«The Dictaphone Company,» exclaimed Raymond. » Now I see. A dictaphone. Is that what you think?»
Poirot nodded. «You remember that Mr. Ackroyd was thinking of buying a dictaphone. You said he had not bought it. But I asked the company. And they told me that Mr. Ackroyd had bought a dictaphone. Why he did not tell you about it — I don’t know.»
Raymond shrugged his shoulders. «Maybe he wanted to surprise me with it,» he said. «He liked to surprise people — just like a child. Still I don’t understand,» he went on. «Now we know that Mr. Ackroyd was speaking into the dictaphone at nine-thirty. It means that he was alive at that time. It, is also clear to us that Charles Kent had already gone by that time. As to Ralph Paton — ?» He looked at Ursula.
«Ralph and I parted just before a quarter to ten,» said Ursula. «He never went near the house, I am sure of that. He did not want to see his stepfather.»
«I am sure you are telling the truth,» said Raymond. «I have always been sure that Captain Paton is innocent. But his position is very — unsafe. It will be so good if he comes — »
Poirot interrupted him. «This is your advice? Do you think that he must come?»
«Certainly. If you know where he is — «.
«I see you still don’t believe me that I know. And I have just told you that I know everything. I know the truth of the telephone call, the truth of the foot-marks on the window-sill, the hiding-place of Ralph Paton — »
«Where is he?» said Blunt.
«Not very far away,» said Poirot, smiling. «He is — there!» He pointed to the door. Everybody turned their heads. Ralph Paton was standing in the doorway.
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6.3. But we know (according to Geofrey Raymond) that Roger Ackroyd was talking to someone at 9.30. Let us follow Poirot’s logic: