Закрытый контент сайта. Chapter 13. Goose Quill
That evening Poirot invited me to his house. He received me in his drawing-room and put a bottle of whisky and a glass on a little table. He himself was drinking hot chocolate which, as I found out later, was his favourite drink.
He asked how my sister was and said that she was a remarkable woman.
«When you visited her, I think she told you all the local gossip,» I said.
«And a lot of useful information,» he said.
«She says you were interested in my patients,» I said.
«Only in one of them,» he said.
«I’d like you to tell me,» I said suddenly, «what you really think of all that.»
He put down his cup. «You wish that?»
«Yes, I do.»
«You have seen what I have seen. So our ideas must be the same.»
«I am afraid you are laughing at me,» I said. «Of course I have no experience of a detective which you have.»
«All right. Then I’ll give you a little lecture. First of all we must remember everything that happened that evening. We must also remember that the person who is speaking may tell us lies.»
I raised my eyebrows.
«But of course it is necessary to remember that. Well, here are the facts. First, Dr. Sheppard left the house at ten minutes to nine. How do I know that?»
«Because I told you so.»
«But maybe you were not telling the truth, or maybe your watch was wrong. But Parker also says that you left the house at ten minutes to nine. Let’s go on. At nine o’clock you met a man, just outside the Park gates. How do I know that it is really so?»
«I told you so,» I began again, but Poirot interrupted me.
«Ah, you are a little stupid today, my friend.You know that it is so — but how do I know? All right, it just happened that the maid of one of your sister’s friends met him a few minutes before you did, not far away from that place and he asked her too, how to get to Fernly Park. By this we can be sure of two things: that he was a stranger in these parts and that he did not make a secret of his going to Fernly Park, because he asked two people the way there.»
«Yes,» I said, «I see that.»
«Now I decided to find out more information about this man. I asked questions. He had a drink at the Three Boars, and the barmaid there says he spoke with an American accent and said that he had just come from the States. Did you also notice his American accent?»
«Yes, I think I did.»
«Very good. Now do you remember what I found in the summer-house?»
He showed me the goose quill. I looked at it. Then I remembered something which I had read.
«Yes,» said Poirot who had watched my face. «Heroin. People who take drugs1 often carry heroin like this, inside quills, and sniff it. This method of taking drugs is often used in America. And so this is another proof that this man came from Canada or the States.»
«What made you think about the summer-house?» I asked.
«The summer-house stands near the path which runs from the gate to the terrace. We know now that the stranger did not go into the house. Then why did he come? Perhaps someone came out of the house to meet him? Then the summer-house is a very good place for the meeting. I searched the summer-house hoping to find some clue there. I found two clues — this quill and a piece of cambric.»
«So, this man went to the summer-house to meet somebody,» I said. «Who was that somebody?»
«That’s a good question,» said Poirot. «Do you remember that Mrs. Ackroyd and her daughter came to live here from Canada?»
He gave me no time to answer. «Here is another thing,» he said. «What do you think of the maid’s story?»
«What story?»
«That she says that Mr. Ackroyd told her to leave the house because she had misplaced some of his papers. And remember also, that though she says she was in her bedroom from nine-thirty until ten o’clock, nobody confirms that. But now tell me your own ideas and theories.»
1 take drugs — принимают наркотики
I took a piece of paper from my pocket. «I have written down some points,» I said.
«Excellent! You have a method. Let’s see you points.» I read the following:
Point 1.
People heard that Mr. Ackroyd was talking to someone at half-past nine.
Point 2.
Evidently at some time during the evening Ralph Paton came into the study through the window: his footmarks are left on the window-sill.
Point 3.
Mr. Ackroyd was nervous that evening. So if he let somebody in, this person was somebody whom he knew.
Point 4.
The person who was speaking with Mr. Ackroyd at nine-thirty, was asking for money. We know that Ralph Paton was in money difficulties.
«These points show that the person who was speaking with Mr. Ackroyd at nine-thirty was Ralph Paton. But we know that Mr. Ackroyd was alive at a quarter to ten, therefore it was not Ralph who killed him. Ralph left the window open. Afterwards the murderer came in that way.»
«And who was the murderer?» asked Poirot.
«The American stranger. Maybe he was connected with Parker, and perhaps Parker was the man who had blackmailed Mrs. Ferrars. If so, Parker, who was listening to my conversation with Mr. Ackroyd, understood that the game was over1. He gave the American fellow the dagger, with which he killed Mr. Ackroyd.»
1 the game was over — игра окончена
«It is a theory,» said Poirot. «But this theory leaves some questions without an answer.»
«What questions?»
«The telephone call, the armchair which was moved out of its usual place — »
«Do you really think the armchair is important?» I interrupted.
«Perhaps not. Then the forty pounds which have been stolen.»
«Maybe Ackroyd gave them to Ralph,» I said.
«We must not forget one thing,» said Poirot.
«I know what you want to say,» said I, «motive. Ralph Paton inherits a lot of money after Ackroyd’s death.»
«That is one motive,» said Poirot.
«One?»
«But yes. We can easily see two motives. Somebody stole the blue envelope with Mrs. Ferrars’ letter. Blackmail! That is the second motive.»
«Dear me!1» I said. «His situation seems to be very dangerous.»
«Here I don’t agree with you,» said Poirot. «Two motives — that is too much. I think that Ralph Paton is innocent.»
1 Dear me! — Боже мой!
Remember a good expression: «If I am not mistaken,….» — Если я не ошибаюсь,…