帷幕28

II

Half an hour later I was in Poirot’s room. He was looking very exhausted.

Curtiss had put him to bed and was reviving him with a stimulant.

I was dying to talk but I had to contain myself until the valet had fin-ished and left the room.

Then I burst out. ‘Was that true, Poirot, what you said? That you saw abottle in Mrs Franklin’s hand when she came out of the laboratory?’

A very faint smile crept over Poirot’s bluish-tinged lips. He murmured:

‘Did not you see it, my friend?’

‘No, I did not.’

‘But you might not have noticed, hein?’

‘No, perhaps not. I certainly can’t swear she didn’t have it.’ I looked athim doubtfully. ‘The question is, are you speaking the truth?’

‘Do you think I would lie, my friend?’

‘I wouldn’t put it past you.’

‘Hastings, you shock and surprise me. Where is now your simple faith?’

‘Well,’ I conceded. ‘I don’t suppose you would really commit perjury.’

Poirot said mildly: ‘It would not be perjury. It was not on oath.’

‘Then it was a lie?’

Poirot waved his hand automatically. ‘What I have said, mon ami, issaid. It is unnecessary to discuss it.’

‘I simply don’t understand you!’ I cried. ‘What don’t you understand?’

‘Your evidence – all that about Mrs Franklin’s having talked about com-mitting suicide, about her being depressed.’

‘Enfin, you heard her say such things yourself.’

‘Yes. But it was only one of many moods. You didn’t make that clear.’

‘Perhaps I did not want to.’

I stared at him. ‘You wanted the verdict to be suicide?’

Poirot paused before replying. Then he said: ‘I think, Hastings, that youdo not appreciate the gravity of the situation. Yes, if you like, I wanted theverdict to be suicide …’

I said: ‘But you didn’t think – yourself – that she did commit suicide?’

Slowly Poirot shook his head.

I said: ‘You think – that she was murdered?’

‘Yes, Hastings, she was murdered.’

‘Then why try to hush it up, to have it labelled and put aside as suicide?

That stops all enquiry.’

‘Precisely.’

‘You want that?’

‘Yes.’

‘But why?’

‘Is it conceivable that you do not see? Never mind – let us not go intothat. You must take my word for it that it was murder – deliberate precon-ceived murder. I told you, Hastings, that a crime would be committedhere, and that it was unlikely we should be able to prevent it – for thekiller is both ruthless and determined.’

I shivered. I said: ‘And what happens next?’

Poirot smiled. ‘The case is solved – labelled and put away as suicide. Butyou and I, Hastings, go on working underground, like moles. And, sooneror later, we get X.’

I said: ‘And supposing that, meanwhile, someone else is killed?’

Poirot shook his head. ‘I do not think so. Unless, that is, somebody sawsomething or knows something, but if so, surely, they would have comeforward to say so … ?’

 

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