II

There was at least three minutes’ silence. Then Roberts laughed a rather menacing laugh.

“Are you quite mad, M. Poirot? I certainly did not murder Mr. Shaitana, and I could notpossibly have murdered Mrs. Lorrimer. My dear Battle”—he turned to the Scotland Yard man—“are you standing¹ for this?”

“I think you’d better listen to what M. Poirot has to say,” said Battle quietly.

Poirot said:

“It is true that though I have known for some time that you—and only you—could have killedShaitana, it would not be an easy matter to prove it. But Mrs. Lorrimer’s case is quite different.”

He leaned forward. “It is not a case of my knowing. It is much simpler than that—for we have aneyewitness who saw you do it.”

Roberts grew very quiet. His eyes glittered. He said sharply:

“You are talking rubbish!”

“Oh, no, I am not. It was early in the morning. You bluffed² your way into Mrs. Lorrimer’sroom, where she was still heavily asleep under the influence of the drug she had taken the nightbefore. You bluff³ again—pretend to see at a glance that she is dead! You pack the parlourmaid offfor brandy—hot water—all the rest of it. You are left alone in the room. The maid has only hadthe barest peep. And then what happens?

“You may not be aware of the fact, Dr. Roberts, but certain firms of window cleaners specializein early morning work. A window cleaner with his ladder arrived at the same time as you did. Heplaced his ladder against the side of the house and began his work. The first window he tackledwas that of Mrs. Lorrimer’s room. When, however, he saw what was going on, he quickly retiredto another window, but he had seen something first. He shall tell us his own story.”

Poirot stepped lightly across the floor, turned a door handle, called:

“Come in, Stephens,” and returned.

A big awkward-looking man with red hair entered. In his hand he held a uniformed hat bearingthe legend “Chelsea Window Cleaners’ Association” which he twirled awkwardly.

Poirot said:

“Is there anybody you recognize in this room?”

The man looked round, then gave a bashful nod of the head towards Dr. Roberts.

“Him,” he said.

“Tell us when you saw him last and what he was doing.”

“This morning it was. Eight o’clock job at a lady’s house in Cheyne Lane. I started on thewindows there. Lady was in bed. Looked ill she did. She was just turning her head round on thepillow. This gent I took to be a doctor. He shoved her sleeve up and jabbed something into her armabout here—” He gestured. “She just dropped back on the pillow again. I thought I’d better hop⁴ itto another window, so I did. Hope I didn’t do wrong in any way?”

“You did admirably, my friend,” said Poirot.

He said quietly:

“Eh bien, Dr. Roberts?”

“A — a simple restorative —” stammered⁵ Roberts. “A last hope of bringing her round. It’smonstrous—”

Poirot interrupted him.

“A simple restorative?—N-methyl—cyclo—hexenyl—methyl—malonyl urea,” said Poirot. Herolled out the syllables⁶ unctuously⁷. “Known more simply as Evipan. Used as an anaesthetic forshort operations. Injected intravenously in large doses it produces instant unconsciousness. It isdangerous to use it after veronal or any barbiturates have been given. I noticed the bruised⁸ placeon her arm where something had obviously been injected into a vein⁹. A hint to the police surgeonand the drug was easily discovered by no less a person than Sir Charles Imphery, the Home OfficeAnalyst.”

“That about cooks your goose, I think,” said Superinten dent¹⁰ Battle. “No need to prove theShaitana business, though, of course, if necessary we can bring a further charge as to the murder ofMr. Charles Craddock—and possibly his wife also.”

The mention of those two names finished Roberts.

He leaned back in his chair.

“I throw in my hand,” he said. “You’ve got me! I suppose that sly devil Shaitana put you wisebefore you came that evening. And I thought I’d settled his hash so nicely.”

“It isn’t Shaitana you’ve got to thank,” said Battle. “The honours lie with M. Poirot here.”

He went to the door and two men entered.

Superintendent¹¹ Battle’s voice became official as he made the formal arrest.

As the door closed behind the accused man Mrs. Oliver said happily, if not quite truthfully:

“I always said he did it!”

 

点击收听单词发音