Chapter 16

Plan of Campaign

From Mr Clancy’s house they took a taxi to the Monseigneur, where they found Norman Galeawaiting them.

Poirot ordered some consommé and a chaud-froid of chicken.

‘Well?’ said Norman. ‘How did you get on?’

‘Miss Grey,’ said Poirot, ‘has proved herself the super-secretary.’

‘I don’t think I did so very well,’ said Jane. ‘He spotted² my stuff when he passed behind me.

You know, he must be very observant.’

‘Ah, you noticed that? This good Mr Clancy is not quite so absent- minded as one mightimagine.’

‘Did you really want those addresses?’ asked Jane.

‘I think they might be useful—yes.’

‘But if the police—’

‘Ah, the police! I should not ask the same questions as the police have asked. Though, as amatter of fact, I doubt whether the police have asked any questions at all. You see, they know thatthe blowpipe found in the plane was purchased in Paris by an American.’

‘In Paris? An American? But there wasn’t any American in the aeroplane.’

Poirot smiled kindly³ on her.

‘Precisely. We have here an American just to make it more difficult. Voilà tout⁴.’

‘But it was bought by a man?’ said Norman.

Poirot looked at him with rather an odd expression.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘it was bought by a man.’

Norman looked puzzled.

‘Anyway,’ said Jane, ‘it wasn’t Mr Clancy. He’d got one blowpipe already, so he wouldn’t wantto go about buying another.’

Poirot nodded his head.

‘That is how one must proceed. Suspect everyone in turn and then wipe him or her off the list.’

‘How many have you wiped off so far?’ asked Jane.

‘Not so many as you might think, Mademoiselle,’ said Poirot with a twinkle. ‘It depends, yousee, on the motive⁵.’

‘Has there been—?’ Norman Gale¹ stopped and then added apologetically: ‘I don’t want to buttin on official secrets, but is there no record of this woman’s dealings?’

Poirot shook his head.

‘All the records are burnt.’

‘That’s unfortunate.’

‘Evidemment! But it seems that Madame Giselle combined a little blackmailing⁷ with herprofession of moneylending, and that opens up a wider field. Supposing, for instance, thatMadame Giselle had knowledge of a certain criminal offence—say, attempted murder on the partof someone.’

‘Is there any reason to suppose such a thing?’

‘Why, yes,’ said Poirot slowly. ‘There is—one of the few pieces of documentary evidence thatwe have in this case.’

He looked from one to the other of their interested faces and gave a little sigh.

‘Ah, well,’ he said, ‘that is that. Let us talk of other matters—for instance, of how this tragedyhas affected⁸ the lives of you two young people.’

‘It sounds horrible to say so, but I’ve done well out of it,’ said Jane.

She related her rise of salary.

‘As you say, Mademoiselle, you have done well, but probably only for the time being. Even anine-days’ wonder does not last longer than nine days, remember.’

Jane laughed. ‘That’s very true.’

‘I’m afraid it’s going to last more than nine days in my case,’ said Norman.

He explained the position. Poirot listened sympathetically.

‘As you say,’ he observed thoughtfully, ‘it will take more than nine days—or nine weeks—ornine months. Sensationalism dies quickly—fear is long-lived.’

‘Do you think I ought to stick it out?’

‘Have you any other plan?’

‘Yes—chuck up the whole thing. Go out to Canada or somewhere and start again.’

‘I’m sure that would be a pity,’ said Jane firmly.

Norman looked at her.

Poirot tactfully became engrossed⁹ with his chicken.

‘I don’t want to go,’ said Norman.

‘If I discover who killed Madame Giselle, you will not have to go,’ said Poirot cheerfully.

‘Do you really think you will?’ asked Jane.

Poirot looked at her reproachfully.

‘If one approaches a problem with order and method there should be no difficulty in solving it—none whatever,’ said Poirot severely¹⁰.

‘Oh, I see,’ said Jane, who didn’t.

‘But I should solve this problem quicker if I had help,’ said Poirot.

‘What kind of help?’

Poirot did not speak for a moment or two. Then he said:

‘Help from Mr Gale. And perhaps, later, help from you also.’

‘What can I do?’ asked Norman.

Poirot shot a sideways glance at him.

‘You will not like it,’ he said warningly.

‘What is it?’ repeated the young man impatiently.

Very delicately, so as not to offend English susceptibilities, Poirot used a toothpick. Then hesaid: ‘Frankly, what I need is a blackmailer¹¹.’

‘A blackmailer?’ exclaimed Norman. He stared at Poirot as a man does who cannot believe hisears.

Poirot nodded.

‘Precisely,’ he said. ‘A blackmailer.’

‘But what for?’

‘Parbleu! To blackmail⁶.’

‘Yes, but I mean who? Why?’

‘Why,’ said Poirot, ‘is my business. As to whom—’ He paused for a moment, then went on in acalm business-like tone:

‘Here is the plan I will outline for you. You will write a note—that is to say, I will write a noteand you will copy it—to the Countess of Horbury. You will mark it “Personal”. In the note youwill ask for an interview. You will recall yourself to her memory as having travelled to England byair on a certain occasion. You will also refer to certain business dealings of Madame Giselle’shaving passed into your hands.’

‘And then?’

‘And then you will be accorded an interview. You will go and you will say certain things (inwhich I will instruct you). You will ask for—let me see—ten thousand pounds.’

‘You’re mad!’

‘Not at all,’ said Poirot. ‘I am eccentric, possibly, but mad, no.’

‘And suppose Lady Horbury sends for the police? I shall go to prison.’

‘She will not send for the police.’

‘You can’t know that.’

‘Mon cher, practically speaking, I know everything.’

‘And, anyway, I don’t like it.’

‘You will not get the ten thousand pounds—if that makes your conscience any clearer,’ saidPoirot with a twinkle.

‘Yes, but look here, M. Poirot—this is the sort of wildcat scheme that might ruin me for life.’

‘Ta—ta—ta—the lady will not go to the police—that I assure you.’

‘She may tell her husband.’

‘She will not tell her husband.’

‘I don’t like it.’

‘Do you like losing your patients and ruining your career?’

‘No, but—’

Poirot smiled at him kindly.

‘You have the natural repugnance¹², yes? That is very natural. You have, too, the chivalrousspirit. But I can assure you that Lady Horbury is not worth all this fine feeling—to use your idiomshe is a very nasty piece of goods.’

‘All the same, she can’t be a murderess.’

‘Why?’

‘Why? Because we should have seen her. Jane and I were sitting just opposite.’

‘You have too many preconceived ideas. Me, I desire to straighten things out; and to do that Imust know.’

‘I don’t like the idea of blackmailing a woman.’

‘Ah, mon Dieu—what there is in a word! There will be no blackmail. You have only to producea certain effect. After that, when the ground is prepared, I will step in.’

Norman said, ‘If you land me in prison—’

‘No, no, no, I am very well known at Scotland Yard. If anything should occur I will take theblame. But nothing will occur other than what I have prophesied¹³.’

Norman surrendered with a sigh.

‘All right. I’ll do it. But I don’t half like it.’

‘Good. This is what you will write. Take a pencil.’

He dictated¹⁴ slowly.

‘Voilà,’ he said. ‘Later I will instruct you as to what you are to say. Tell me, Mademoiselle, doyou ever go to the theatre?’

‘Yes, fairly often,’ said Jane.

‘Good. Have you seen, for instance, a play called Down Under?’

‘Yes. I saw it about a month ago. It’s rather good.’

‘An American play, is it not?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you remember the part of Harry¹⁵, played by Mr Raymond Barraclough?’

‘Yes. He was very good.’

‘You thought him attractive? Yes?’

‘Frightfully attractive.’

‘Ah, il a le sex appeal?’

‘Decidedly,’ said Jane, laughing.

‘Just that—or is he a good actor as well?’

‘Oh, I think he acts well too.’

‘I must go and see him,’ said Poirot.

Jane stared at him, puzzled.

What an odd little man he was—hopping from subject to subject like a bird from one branch toanother!

Perhaps he read her thoughts. He smiled:

‘You do not approve of me, Mademoiselle? Of my methods?’

‘You jump about a good deal.’

‘Not really. I pursue my course logically with order and method. One must not jump wildly to aconclusion. One must eliminate.’

‘Eliminate?’ said Jane. ‘Is that what you’re doing?’ She thought a moment. ‘I see. You’veeliminated Mr Clancy—’

‘Perhaps,’ said Poirot.

‘And you’ve eliminated us; and now you’re going, perhaps, to eliminate Lady Horbury. Oh!’

She stopped as a sudden thought struck her.

‘What is it, Mademoiselle?’

‘That talk of attempted murder? Was that a test?’

‘You are very quick, Mademoiselle. Yes, that was part of the course I pursue. I mentionattempted murder and I watch Mr Clancy, I watch you, I watch Mr Gale—and in neither of youthree is there any sign—not so much as the flicker¹⁶ of an eyelash. And let me tell you that I couldnot be deceived on that point. A murderer can be ready to meet any attack that he foresees. Butthat entry in a little notebook could not have been known to any of you. So, you see, I amsatisfied.’

‘What a horrible, tricky¹⁷ sort of person you are, M. Poirot,’ said Jane, rising. ‘I shall never knowwhy you are saying things.’

‘That is quite simple. I want to find out things.’

‘I suppose you’ve got very clever ways of finding out things?’

‘There is only one really simple way.’

‘What is that?’

‘To let people tell you.’

Jane laughed.

‘Suppose they don’t want to?’

‘Everyone likes talking about themselves.’

‘I suppose they do,’ admitted Jane.

‘That is how many a quack¹⁸ makes a fortune. He encourages patients to come and sit and tellhim things. How they fell out of the perambulator when they were two, and how their mother ate apear and the juice fell on her orange dress, and how when they were one and a half they pulledtheir father’s beard; and then he tells them that now they will not suffer from the insomnia¹⁹ anylonger, and he takes two guineas; and they go away, having enjoyed themselves—oh, so much—and perhaps they do sleep.’

‘How ridiculous,’ said Jane.

‘No, it is not so ridiculous as you think. It is based on a fundamental need of human nature—theneed to talk—to reveal oneself. You yourself, Mademoiselle, do you not like to dwell on yourchildhood memories—on your mother and your father?’

‘That doesn’t apply in my case. I was brought up in an orphanage²⁰.’

‘Ah, that is different. It is not gay, that.’

‘I don’t mean that we were the kind of charity orphans²¹ who go out in scarlet²² bonnets²³ and cloaks.

It was quite fun really.’

‘It was in England?’

‘No, in Ireland—near Dublin.’

‘So you are Irish. That is why you have the dark hair and the blue-grey eyes, with the look—’

‘As though they had been put in with a smutty finger—’ Norman finished with amusement.

‘Comment? What is that you say?’

‘That is a saying about Irish eyes—that they have been put in with a smutty finger.’

‘Really? It is not elegant, that. And yet—it expresses it well.’ He bowed to Jane. ‘The effect isvery good, Mademoiselle.’

Jane laughed as she got up.

‘You’ll turn my head, M. Poirot. Good night, and thank you for supper. You’ll have to stand meanother if Norman is sent to prison for blackmail.’

A frown came over Norman’s face at the reminder²⁴.

Poirot bade the two young people good night.

When he got home he unlocked a drawer and took out a list of eleven names.

Against four of these names he put a light tick. Then he nodded his head thoughtfully.

‘I think I know,’ he murmured to himself. ‘But I have got to be sure. Il faut continuer.’

 

点击收听单词发音