Five

THE MILLION DOLLAR BOND ROBBERY

“What a number of bond robberies there have been lately!” I observed one morning, laying asidethe newspaper. “Poirot, let us forsake¹ the science of detection, and take to crime instead!”

“You are on the-how do you say it?-get-rich-quick tack², eh, mon ami?”

“Well, look at this last coup³, the million dollars’ worth of Liberty Bonds which the Londonand Scottish Bank were sending to New York, and which disappeared in such a remarkablemanner on board the Olympia.”

“If it were not for mal de mer, and the difficulty of practising the so excellent method ofLaverguier for a longer time than the few hours of crossing the Channel, I should delight tovoyage myself on one of these big liners,” murmured Poirot dreamily.

“Yes, indeed,” I said enthusiastically. “Some of them must be perfect palaces; the swimmingbaths, the lounges, the restaurant, the palm courts-really, it must be hard to believe that one is onthe sea.”

“Me, I always know when I am on the sea,” said Poirot sadly. “And all those bagatelles thatyou enumerate⁴, they say nothing to me; but, my friend, consider for a moment the genuises thattravel as it were incognito⁵! On board these floating palaces, as you so justly call them, one wouldmeet the élite, the haute noblesse of the criminal world!”

I laughed.

“So that’s the way your enthusiasm runs! You would have liked to cross swords with the manwho sneaked⁶ the Liberty Bonds?”

The landlady⁷ interrupted us.

“A young lady as wants to see you, Mr.?Poirot. Here’s her card.”

The card bore the inscription⁸: Miss?Esmée Farquhar, and Poirot, after diving under the tableto retrieve⁹ a stray crumb¹⁰, and putting it carefully in the wastepaper basket, nodded to the landladyto admit her.

In another minute one of the most charming girls I have ever seen was ushered¹¹ into the room.

She was perhaps about five-and-twenty, with big brown eyes and a perfect figure. She was well-dressed and perfectly¹² composed in manner.

“Sit down, I beg of you, mademoiselle. This is my friend, Captain Hastings, who aids me inmy little problems.”

“I am afraid it is a big problem I have brought you today, Monsieur Poirot,” said the girl,giving me a pleasant bow as she seated herself. “I dare say you have read about it in the papers. Iam referring to the theft of Liberty Bonds on the Olympia.” Some astonishment¹³ must have shownitself on Poirot’s face, for she continued quickly: “You are doubtless asking yourself what have Ito do with a grave institution like the London and Scottish Bank. In one sense nothing, in anothersense everything. You see, Monsieur Poirot, I am engaged to Mr.?Philip Ridgeway.”

“Aha! and Mr.?Philip Ridgeway-”

“Was in charge of the bonds when they were stolen. Of course no actual blame can attach tohim, it was not his fault in any way. Nevertheless, he is half distraught over the matter, and hisuncle, I know, insists that he must carelessly have mentioned having them in his possession. It is aterrible setback¹⁴ to his career.”

“Who is his uncle?”

“Mr.?Vavasour, joint¹⁵ general manager of the London and Scottish Bank.”

“Suppose, Miss?Farquhar, that you recount to me the whole story?”

“Very well. As you know, the Bank wished to extend their credits in America, and for thispurpose decided¹⁶ to send over a million dollars in Liberty Bonds. Mr.?Vavasour selected hisnephew, who had occupied a position of trust in the Bank for many years and who was conversantwith all the details of the Bank’s dealings in New York, to make the trip. The Olympia sailed fromLiverpool on the 23rd, and the bonds were handed over to Philip on the morning of that day byMr.?Vavasour and Mr.?Shaw, the two joint general managers of the London and Scottish Bank.

They were counted, enclosed in a package, and sealed in his presence, and he then locked thepackage at once in his portmanteau.”

“A portmanteau with an ordinary lock?”

“No, Mr.?Shaw insisted on a special lock being fitted to it by Hubbs. Philip, as I say, placedthe package at the bottom of the trunk. It was stolen just a few hours before reaching New York. Arigorous search of the whole ship was made, but without result. The bonds seemed literally¹⁷ to havevanished into thin air.”

Poirot made a grimace¹⁸.

“But they did not vanish absolutely, since I gather that they were sold in small parcels withinhalf an hour of the docking of the Olympia! Well, undoubtedly¹⁹ the next thing is for me to seeMr.?Ridgeway.”

“I was about to suggest that you should lunch with me at the ‘Cheshire Cheese.’ Philip willbe there. He is meeting me, but does not yet know that I have been consulting you on his behalf.”

We agreed to this suggestion readily enough, and drove there in a taxi.

Mr.?Philip Ridgeway was there before us, and looked somewhat surprised to see his fiancéearriving with two complete strangers. He was a nice looking young fellow, tall and spruce, with atouch of greying hair at the temples, though he could not have been much over thirty.

Miss?Farquhar went up to him and laid her hand on his arm.

“You must forgive me acting²⁰ without consulting you, Philip,” she said. “Let me introduceyou to Monsieur Hercule Poirot, of whom you must often have heard, and his friend, CaptainHastings.”

Ridgeway looked very astonished.

“Of course I have heard of you, Monsieur Poirot,” he said, as he shook hands. “But I had noidea that Esmée was thinking of consulting you about my-our trouble.”

“I was afraid you would not let me do it, Philip,” said Miss Farquhar meekly²¹.

“So you took care to be on the safe side,” he observed, with a smile. “I hope Monsieur Poirotwill be able to throw some light on this extraordinary puzzle, for I confess frankly²² that I am nearlyout of my mind with worry and anxiety about it.”

Indeed, his face looked drawn²³ and haggard and showed only too clearly the strain underwhich he was labouring.

“Well, well,” said Poirot. “Let us lunch, and over lunch we will put our heads together andsee what can be done. I want to hear Mr.?Ridgeway’s story from his own lips.”

Whilst we discussed the excellent steak and kidney pudding of the establishment, PhilipRidgeway narrated²⁴ the circumstances leading to the disappearance²⁵ of the bonds. His story agreedwith that of Miss?Farquhar in every particular. When he had finished, Poirot took up the threadwith a question.

“What exactly led you to discover that the bonds had been stolen, Mr.?Ridgeway?”

He laughed rather bitterly.

“The thing stared me in the face, Monsieur Poirot. I couldn’t have missed it. My cabin trunkwas half out from under the bunk²⁶ and all scratched and cut about where they’d tried to force thelock.”

“But I understood that it had been opened with a key?”

“That’s so. They tried to force it, but couldn’t. And in the end, they must have got it unlockedsomehow or other.”

“Curious,” said Poirot, his eyes beginning to flicker²⁷ with the green light I knew so well.

“Very curious! They waste much, much time trying to prise it open, and then-sapristi! they findthey have the key all the time-for each of Hubbs’s locks are unique.”

“That’s just why they couldn’t have had the key. It never left me day or night.”

“You are sure of that?”

“I can swear to it, and besides, if they had had the key or a duplicate, why should they wastetime trying to force an obviously unforceable lock?”

“Ah! there is exactly the question we are asking ourselves! I venture to prophesy²⁸ that thesolution, if we ever find it, will hinge on that curious fact. I beg of you not to assault me if I askyou one more question: Are you perfectly certain that you did not leave the trunk unlocked?”

Philip Ridgeway merely looked at him, and Poirot gesticulated apologetically.

“Ah, but these things can happen, I assure you! Very well, the bonds were stolen from thetrunk. What did the thief do with them? How did he manage to get ashore³⁰ with them?”

“Ah!” cried Ridgeway. “That’s just it. How? Word was passed to the Customs authorities,and every soul that left the ship was gone over with a toothcomb!”

“And the bonds, I gather, made a bulky package?”

“Certainly they did. They could hardly have been hidden on board-and anyway we knowthey weren’t, because they were offered for sale within half an hour of the Olympia’s arrival, longbefore I got the cables going and the numbers sent out. One broker³¹ swears he bought some of themeven before the Olympia got in. But you can’t send bonds by wireless³².”

“Not by wireless, but did any tug³³ come alongside?”

“Only the official ones, and that was after the alarm was given when everyone was on thelookout. I was watching out myself for their being passed over to someone that way. My God,Monsieur Poirot, this thing will drive me mad! People are beginning to say I stole them myself.”

“But you also were searched on landing, weren’t you?” asked Poirot gently.

“Yes.”

The young man stared at him in a puzzled manner.

“You do not catch my meaning, I see,” said Poirot, smiling enigmatically. “Now I should liketo make a few inquiries³⁴ at the Bank.”

Ridgeway produced a card and scribbled³⁵ a few words on it.

“Send this in and my uncle will see you at once.”

Poirot thanked him, bade farewell to Miss?Farquhar, and together we started out forThreadneedle Street and the head office of the London and Scottish Bank. On production ofRidgeway’s card, we were led through the labyrinth³⁶ of counters and desks, skirting paying-inclerks and paying-out clerks and up to a small office on the first floor where the joint generalmanagers received us. They were two grave gentlemen, who had grown grey in the service of theBank. Mr.?Vavasour had a short white beard, Mr.?Shaw was clean shaven.

“I understand you are strictly³⁷ a private inquiry³⁸ agent?” said Mr.?Vavasour. “Quite so, quiteso. We have, of course, placed ourselves in the hands of Scotland Yard. Inspector³⁹ McNeil hascharge of the case. A very able officer, I believe.”

“I am sure of it,” said Poirot politely. “You will permit a few questions, on your nephew’sbehalf? About this lock, who ordered it from Hubbs’s?”

“I ordered it myself,” said Mr.?Shaw. “I would not trust to any clerk in the matter. As to thekeys, Mr.?Ridgeway had one, and the other two are held by my colleague and myself.”

“And no clerk has had access to them?”

Mr.?Shaw turned inquiringly to Mr.?Vavasour.

“I think I am correct in saying that they have remained in the safe where we placed them onthe 23rd,” said Mr.?Vavasour. “My colleague was unfortunately taken ill a fortnight ago-in facton the very day that Philip left us. He has only just recovered.”

“Severe bronchitis is no joke to a man of my age,” said Mr.?Shaw ruefully. “But I’m afraidMr.?Vavasour has suffered from the hard work entailed⁴⁰ by my absence, especially with thisunexpected worry coming on top of everything.”

Poirot asked a few more questions. I judged that he was endeavouring to gauge⁴¹ the exactamount of intimacy⁴² between uncle and nephew. Mr.?Vavasour’s answers were brief andpunctilious. His nephew was a trusted official of the Bank, and had no debts or money difficultiesthat he knew of. He had been entrusted⁴³ with similar missions in the past. Finally we were politelybowed out.

“I am disappointed,” said Poirot, as we emerged into the street.

“You hoped to discover more? They are such stodgy⁴⁴ old men.”

“It is not their stodginess⁴⁵ which disappoints me, mon ami. I do not expect to find in a Bankmanager, a ‘keen financier with an eagle glance,’ as your favourite works of fiction put it. No, Iam disappointed in the case-it is too easy!”

“Easy?”

“Yes, do you not find it almost childishly simple?”

“You know who stole the bonds?”

“I do.”

“But then-we must-why-”

“Do not confuse and fluster⁴⁶ yourself, Hastings. We are not going to do anything at present.”

“But why? What are you waiting for?”

“For the Olympia. She is due on her return trip from New York on Tuesday.”

“But if you know who stole the bonds, why wait? He may escape.”

“To a South Sea island where there is no extradition⁴⁷? No, mon ami, he would find life veryuncongenial there. As to why I wait-eh bien, to the intelligence of Hercule Poirot the case isperfectly clear, but for the benefit of others, not so greatly gifted by the good God-the Inspector,McNeil, for instance-it would be as well to make a few inquiries to establish the facts. One musthave consideration for those less gifted than oneself.”

“Good Lord, Poirot! Do you know, I’d give a considerable sum of money to see you make athorough ass²⁹ of yourself-just for once. You’re so confoundedly conceited⁴⁸!”

“Do not enrage⁴⁹ yourself, Hastings. In verity⁵⁰, I observe that there are times when you almostdetest me! Alas⁵¹, I suffer the penalties of greatness!”

The little man puffed⁵² out his chest, and sighed so comically that I was forced to laugh.

Tuesday saw us speeding to Liverpool in a first-class carriage of the L and NWR. Poirot hadobstinately refused to enlighten me as to his suspicions-or certainties. He contented⁵³ himself withexpressing surprise that I, too, was not equally au fait with the situation. I disdained⁵⁴ to argue, andentrenched my curiosity behind a rampart of pretended indifference⁵⁵.

Once arrived at the quay⁵⁶ alongside which lay the big transatlantic liner, Poirot became briskand alert. Our proceedings⁵⁷ consisted in interviewing four successive stewards⁵⁹ and inquiring after afriend of Poirot’s who had crossed to New York onthe 23rd.

“An elderly gentleman, wearing glasses. A great invalid⁶⁰, hardly moved out of his cabin.”

The description appeared to tally⁶¹ with one Mr.?Ventnor who had occupied the cabin C24which was next to that of Philip Ridgeway. Although unable to see how Poirot had deducedMr.?Ventnor’s existence and personal appearance, I was keenly excited.

“Tell me,” I cried, “was this gentleman one of the first to land when you got to New York?”

The steward⁵⁸ shook his head.

“No, indeed, sir, he was one of the last off the boat.”

I retired⁶² crestfallen⁶³, and observed Poirot grinning at me. He thanked the steward, a notechanged hands, and we took our departure.

“It’s all very well,” I remarked heatedly, “but that last answer must have damned yourprecious theory, grin as you please!”

“As usual, you see nothing, Hastings. That last answer is, on the contrary, the copingstone ofmy theory.”

I flung up my hands in despair.

“I give it up.”

II

When we were in the train, speeding towards London, Poirot wrote busily for a few minutes,sealing up the result in an envelope.

“This is for the good Inspector McNeil. We will leave it at Scotland Yard in passing, and thento the Rendezvous⁶⁴ Restaurant, where I have asked Miss?Esmée Farquhar to do us the honour ofdining with us.”

“What about Ridgeway?”

“What about him?” asked Poirot with a twinkle.

“Why, you surely don’t think-you can’t-”

“The habit of incoherence is growing upon you, Hastings. As a matter of fact I did think. IfRidgeway had been the thief-which was perfectly possible-the case would have been charming;a piece of neat methodical work.”

“But not so charming for Miss?Farquhar.”

“Possibly you are right. Therefore all is for the best. Now, Hastings, let us review the case. Ican see that you are dying to do so. The sealed package is removed from the trunk and vanishes, asMiss?Farquhar puts it, into thin air. We will dismiss the thin air theory, which is not practicable atthe present stage of science, and consider what is likely to have become of it. Everyone asserts theincredulity of its being smuggled⁶⁵ ashore-”

“Yes, but we know-”

“You may know, Hastings, I do not. I take the view that, since it seemed incredible, it wasincredible. Two possibilities remain: it was hidden on board-also rather difficult-or it wasthrown overboard.”

“With a cork⁶⁶ on it, do you mean?”

“Without a cork.”

I stared.

“But if the bonds were thrown overboard, they couldn’t have been sold in New York.”

“I admire your logical mind, Hastings. The bonds were sold in New York, therefore theywere not thrown overboard. You see where that leads us?”

“Where we were when we started.”

“Jamais de la vie! If the package was thrown overboard and the bonds were sold in NewYork, the package could not have contained the bonds. Is there any evidence that the package didcontain the bonds? Remember, Mr.?Ridgeway never opened it from the time it was placed in hishands in London.”

“Yes, but then-”

Poirot waved an impatient hand.

“Permit me to continue. The last moment that the bonds are seen as bonds is in the office ofthe London and Scottish Bank on the morning of the 23rd. They reappear in New York half anhour after the Olympia gets in, and according to one man, whom nobody listens to, actually beforeshe gets in. Supposing then, that they have never been on the Olympia at all? Is there any otherway they could get to New York? Yes. The Gigantic leaves Southampton on the same day as theOlympia, and she holds the record for the Atlantic. Mailed by the Gigantic, the bonds would be inNew York the day before the Olympia arrived. All is clear, the case begins to explain itself. Thesealed packet is only a dummy⁶⁷, and the moment of its substitution must be in the office in thebank. It would be an easy matter for any of the three men present to have prepared a duplicatepackage which could be substituted for the genuine one. Très bien, the bonds are mailed to aconfederate in New York, with instructions to sell as soon as the Olympia is in, but someone musttravel on the Olympia to engineer the supposed moment of robbery.”

“But why?”

“Because if Ridgeway merely opens the packet and finds it a dummy, suspicion flies at onceto London. No, the man on board in the cabin next door does his work, pretends to force the lockin an obvious manner so as to draw immediate⁶⁸ attention to the theft, really unlocks the trunk witha duplicate key, throws the package overboard and waits until the last to leave the boat. Naturallyhe wears glasses to conceal⁶⁹ his eyes, and is an invalid since he does not want to run the risk ofmeeting Ridgeway. He steps ashore in New York and returns by the first boat available.”

“But who-which was he?”

“The man who had a duplicate key, the man who ordered the lock, the man who has not beenseverely ill with bronchitis at his home in the country-enfin, the ‘stodgy’ old man, Mr.?Shaw!

There are criminals in high places sometimes, my friend. Ah, here we are, Mademoiselle, I havesucceeded! You permit?”

And, beaming, Poirot kissed the astonished girl lightly on either cheek!

 

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