牙医谋杀案15

IX

Miss Sainsbury Seale was in the dimly lit lounge of the Glengowrie Court Hotel having tea.

She was flustered¹ by the appearance of a police officer in plain clothes—but her excitement wasof a pleasurable nature, he observed. Poirot noticed, with sorrow, that she had not yet sewn thebuckle on her shoe.

“Really, officer,” fluted² Miss Sainsbury Seale, glancing round, “I really don’t know where wecould go to be private. So difficult—just teatime—but perhaps you would care for some tea—and—and your friend—”

“Not for me, Madam,” said Japp. “This is M. Hercule Poirot.”

“Really?” said Miss Sainsbury Seale. “Then perhaps—you’re sure—you won’t either of youhave tea? No. Well, perhaps we might try the drawing room, though that’s very often full—Oh, Isee, there is a corner over there—in the recess³. The people are just leaving. Shall we go there—”

She led the way to the comparative seclusion⁴ of a sofa and two chairs in an alcove⁵. Poirot andJapp followed her, the former picking up a scarf and a handkerchief that Miss Sainsbury Seale hadshed en route.

He restored them to her.

“Oh, thank you—so careless of me. Now please, Inspector⁶—No, Chief Inspector, isn’t it?—doask me anything you like. So distressing⁷, the whole business. Poor man — I suppose he hadsomething on his mind? Such worrying times we live in!”

“Did he seem to you worried, Miss Sainsbury Seale?”

“Well—” Miss Sainsbury Seale reflected, and finally said unwillingly⁸:

“I can’t really say, you know, that he did! But then perhaps I shouldn’t notice—not under thecircumstances. I’m afraid I’m rather a coward, you know.” Miss Sainsbury Seale tittered a littleand patted her bird’s-nest-like curls.

“Can you tell us who else was in the waiting room while you were there?”

“Now let me see—there was just one young man there when I went in. I think he was in painbecause he was muttering to himself and looking quite wild and turning over the leaves of amagazine just anyhow. And then suddenly he jumped up and went out. Really acute toothache hemust have had.”

“You don’t know whether he left the house when he went out of the room?”

“I don’t know at all. I imagined he just felt he couldn’t wait any longer and must see the dentist.

But it couldn’t have been Mr. Morley he was going to, because the boy came in and took me up toMr. Morley only a few minutes later.”

“Did you go into the waiting room again on your way out?”

“No. Because, you see, I’d already put on my hat and straightened my hair up in Mr. Morley’sroom. Some people,” went on Miss Sainsbury Seale, warming to her subject, “take off their hatsdownstairs in the waiting room, but I never do. A most distressing thing happened to a friend ofmine who did that. It was a new hat and she put it very carefully on a chair, and when she camedown, would you believe it, a child had sat on it and squashed it flat. Ruined! Absolutely ruined!”

“A catastrophe,” said Poirot politely.

“I blame the mother entirely,” said Miss Sainsbury Seale judicially⁹. “Mothers should keep aneye on their children. The little dears do not mean any harm, but they have to be watched.”

Japp said:

“Then this young man with toothache was the only other patient you noticed at 58, QueenCharlotte Street.”

“A gentleman came down the stairs and went out just as I went up to Mr. Morley—Oh! and Iremember—a very peculiar¹⁰ looking foreigner came out of the house just as I arrived.”

Japp coughed. Poirot said with dignity:

“That was I, Madame.”

“Oh dear!” Miss Sainsbury Seale peered at him. “So it was! Do forgive—so shortsighted—andvery dark here, isn’t it?” She tailed off into incoherencies. “And really, you know, I flatter myselfthat I have a very good memory for faces. But the light here is dim, isn’t it? Do forgive my mostunfortunate mistake!”

They soothed¹¹ the lady down, and Japp asked:

“You are quite sure Mr. Morley didn’t say anything such as — for instance — that he wasexpecting a painful interview this morning? Anything of that kind?”

“No, indeed, I’m sure he didn’t.”

“He didn’t mention a patient by the name of Amberiotis?”

“No, no. He really said nothing—except, I mean, the things that dentists have to say.”

Through Poirot’s mind there ran quickly: “Rinse. Open a little wider, please. Now close gently.”

Japp had proceeded to his next step. It would possibly be necessary for Miss Sainsbury Seale togive evidence at the inquest.

After a first scream of dismay, Miss Sainsbury Seale seemed to take kindly¹² to the idea. Atentative inquiry¹³ from Japp produced Miss Sainsbury Seale’s whole life history.

She had, it seemed, come from India to England six months ago. She had lived in various hotelsand boardinghouses and had finally come to the Glengowrie Court which she liked very muchbecause of its homely¹⁴ atmosphere; in India she had lived mostly in Calcutta where she had doneMission work and had also taught elocution.

“Pure, well-enunciated English—most important, Chief Inspector. You see,” Miss SainsburySeale simpered and bridled¹⁵, “as a girl I was on the stage. Oh! only in small parts, you know. Theprovinces! But I had great ambitions. Repertory. Then I went on a world tour—Shakespeare,Bernard Shaw.” She sighed. “The trouble with us poor women is heart—at the mercy of ourhearts. A rash impulsive¹⁶ marriage. Alas¹⁷! we parted almost immediately. I—I had been sadlydeceived. I resumed my maiden¹⁸ name. A friend kindly provided me with a little capital and Istarted my elocution school. I helped to found a very good amateur dramatic society. I must showyou some of our notices.”

Chief Inspector Japp knew the dangers of that! He escaped, Miss Sainsbury Seale’s last wordsbeing: “and if, by any chance, my name should be in the papers—as a witness at the inquest, Imean — you will be sure that it is spelt right. Mabelle Sainsbury Seale — Mabelle speltM.A.B.E.L.L.E, and Seale S.E.A.L.E. And, of course, if they did care to mention that I appearedin As You Like It at the Oxford¹⁹ Repertory Theatre—”

“Of course, of course.” Chief Inspector Japp fairly fled.

In the taxi, he sighed and wiped his forehead.

“If it’s ever necessary, we ought to be able to check up on her all right,” he observed, “unless itwas all lies—but that I don’t believe!”

Poirot shook his head. “Liars,” he said, “are neither so circumstantial nor so inconsequential.”

Japp went on:

“I was afraid she’d jib at the inquest—most middle-aged²⁰ spinsters do—but her having been anactress accounts for her being eager. Bit of limelight for her!”

Poirot said:

“Do you really want her at the inquest?”

“Probably not. It depends.” He paused and then said: “I’m more than ever convinced, Poirot.

This wasn’t suicide.”

“And the motive²¹?”

“Has us beat for the moment. Suppose Morley once seduced²² Amberiotis’ daughter?”

Poirot was silent. He tried to visualize²³ Mr. Morley in the role of seducer²⁴ to a luscious-eyedGreek maiden, but failed lamentably²⁵.

He reminded Japp that Mr. Reilly had said his partner had had no joy of living.

Japp said vaguely²⁶: “Oh well, you never know what may happen on a cruise!” and he added withsatisfaction, “We shall know better where we stand when we’ve talked to this fellow.”

They paid off the taxi and entered the Savoy.

Japp asked for Mr. Amberiotis.

The clerk looked at them rather oddly. He said:

“Mr. Amberiotis? I’m sorry, sir, I’m afraid you can’t see him.”

“Oh, yes, I can, my lad,” Japp said grimly. He drew the other a little aside and showed him hiscredentials.

The clerk said:

“You don’t understand, sir. Mr. Amberiotis died half an hour ago.”

To Hercule Poirot it was as though a door had gently but firmly shut.

 

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