Thirty-three

ALEXANDER BONAPARTE CUST

I was not present at the interview that took place between Poirot and that strange man—AlexanderBonaparte Cust. Owing to his association with the police and the peculiar circumstances of thecase, Poirot had no difficulty in obtaining a Home Office order—but that order did not extend tome, and in any case it was essential, from Poirot’s point of view, that that interview should beabsolutely private—the two men face to face.

He has given me, however, such a detailed account of what passed between them that I set itdown with as much confidence on paper as though I had actually been present.

Mr. Cust seemed to have shrunk. His stoop was more apparent. His fingers plucked vaguely athis coat.

For some time, I gather, Poirot did not speak.

He sat and looked at the man opposite him.

The atmosphere became restful—soothing—full of infinite leisure….

It must have been a dramatic moment—this meeting of the two adversaries in the long drama.

In Poirot’s place I should have felt the dramatic thrill.

Poirot, however, is nothing if not matter-of-fact. He was absorbed in producing a certain effectupon the man opposite him.

At last he said gently:

“Do you know who I am?”

The other shook his head.

“No—no—I can’t say I do. Unless you are Mr. Lucas’s—what do they call it?—junior. Orperhaps you come from Mr. Maynard?”

(Maynard & Cole were the defending solicitors.)His tone was polite but not very interested. He seemed absorbed in some inner abstraction.

“I am Hercule Poirot….”

Poirot said the words very gently…and watched for the effect.

Mr. Cust raised his head a little.

“Oh, yes?”

He said it as naturally as Inspector Crome might have said it—but without the superciliousness.

Then, a minute later, he repeated his remark.

“Oh, yes?” he said, and this time his tone was different—it held an awakened interest. He raisedhis head and looked at Poirot.

Hercule Poirot met his gaze and nodded his own head gently once or twice.

“Yes,” he said. “I am the man to whom you wrote the letters.”

At once the contact was broken. Mr. Cust dropped his eyes and spoke irritably and fretfully.

“I never wrote to you. Those letters weren’t written by me. I’ve said so again and again.”

“I know,” said Poirot. “But if you did not write them, who did?”

“An enemy. I must have an enemy. They are all against me. The police—everyone—all againstme. It’s a gigantic conspiracy.”

Poirot did not reply.

Mr. Cust said:

“Everyone’s hand has been against me—always.”

“Even when you were a child?”

Mr. Cust seemed to consider.

“No—no—not exactly then. My mother was very fond of me. But she was ambitious—terriblyambitious. That’s why she gave me those ridiculous names. She had some absurd idea that I’d cuta figure in the world. She was always urging me to assert myself—talking about will-power…saying anyone could be master of his fate…she said I could do anything!”

He was silent for a minute.

“She was quite wrong, of course. I realized that myself quite soon. I wasn’t the sort of person toget on in life. I was always doing foolish things—making myself look ridiculous. And I was timid—afraid of people. I had a bad time at school—the boys found out my Christian names—theyused to tease me about them…I did very badly at school—in games and work and everything.”

He shook his head.

“Just as well poor mother died. She’d have been disappointed… Even when I was at theCommercial College I was stupid—it took me longer to learn typing and shorthand than anyoneelse. And yet I didn’t feel stupid—if you know what I mean.”

He cast a sudden appealing look at the other man.

“I know what you mean,” said Poirot. “Go on.”

“It was just the feeling that everybody else thought me stupid. Very paralyzing. It was the samething later in the office.”

“And later still in the war?” prompted Poirot.

Mr. Cust’s face lightened up suddenly.

“You know,” he said, “I enjoyed the war. What I had of it, that was. I felt, for the first time, aman like anybody else. We were all in the same box. I was as good as anyone else.”

His smile faded.

“And then I got that wound on the head. Very slight. But they found out I had fits…I’d alwaysknown, of course, that there were times when I hadn’t been quite sure what I was doing. Lapses,you know. And of course, once or twice I’d fallen down. But I don’t really think they ought tohave discharged me for that. No, I don’t think it was right.”

“And afterwards?” asked Poirot.

“I got a place as a clerk. Of course there was good money to be got just then. And I didn’t do sobadly after the war. Of course, a smaller salary…And—I didn’t seem to get on. I was always beingpassed over for promotion. I wasn’t go- ahead enough. It grew very difficult — really verydifficult…. Especially when the slump came. To tell you the truth, I’d got hardly enough to keepbody and soul together (and you’ve got to look presentable as a clerk) when I got the offer of thisstocking job. A salary and commission!”

Poirot said gently:

“But you are aware, are you not, that the firm whom you say employed you deny the fact?”

Mr. Cust got excited again.

“That’s because they’re in the conspiracy—they must be in the conspiracy.”

He went on:

“I’ve got written evidence—written evidence. I’ve got their letters to me, giving me instructionsas to what places to go to and a list of people to call on.”

“Not written evidence exactly—typewritten evidence.”

“It’s the same thing. Naturally a big firm of wholesale manufacturers typewrite their letters.”

“Don’t you know, Mr. Cust, that a typewriter can be identified? All those letters were typed byone particular machine.”

“What of it?”

“And that machine was your own—the one found in your room.”

“It was sent me by the firm at the beginning of my job.”

“Yes, but these letters were received afterwards. So it looks, does it not, as though you typedthem yourself and posted them to yourself?”

“No, no! It’s all part of the plot against me!”

He added suddenly:

“Besides, their letters would be written on the same kind of machine.”

“The same kind, but not the same actual machine.”

Mr. Cust repeated obstinately:

“It’s a plot!”

“And the A B C’s that were found in the cupboard?”

“I know nothing about them. I thought they were all stockings.”

“Why did you tick off the name of Mrs. Ascher in that first list of people in Andover?”

“Because I decided to start with her. One must begin somewhere.”

“Yes, that is true. One must begin somewhere.”

“I don’t mean that!” said Mr. Cust. “I don’t mean what you mean!”

“But you know what I meant?”

Mr. Cust said nothing. He was trembling.

“I didn’t do it!” he said. “I’m perfectly innocent! It’s all a mistake. Why, look at that secondcrime—that Bexhill one. I was playing dominoes at Eastbourne. You’ve got to admit that!”

His voice was triumphant.

“Yes,” said Poirot. His voice was meditative—silky. “But it’s so easy, isn’t it, to make amistake of one day? And if you’re an obstinate, positive man, like Mr. Strange, you’ll neverconsider the possibility of having been mistaken. What you’ve said you’ll stick to…He’s that kindof man. And the hotel register—it’s very easy to put down the wrong date when you’re signing it—probably no one will notice it at the time.”

“I was playing dominoes that evening!”

“You play dominoes very well, I believe.”

Mr. Cust was a little flurried by this.

“I—I—well, I believe I do.”

“It is a very absorbing game, is it not, with a lot of skill in it?”

“Oh, there’s a lot of play in it—a lot of play! We used to play a lot in the city, in the lunch hour.

You’d be surprised the way total strangers come together over a game of dominoes.”

He chuckled.

“I remember one man—I’ve never forgotten him because of something he told me—we just gottalking over a cup of coffee, and we started dominoes. Well, I felt after twenty minutes that I’dknown that man all my life.”

“What was it that he told you?” asked Poirot.

Mr. Cust’s face clouded over.

“It gave me a turn—a nasty turn. Talking of your fate being written in your hand, he was. Andhe showed me his hand and the lines that showed he’d have two near escapes of being drowned—and he had had two near escapes. And then he looked at mine and he told me some amazingthings. Said I was going to be one of the most celebrated men in England before I died. Said thewhole country would be talking about me. But he said—he said….”

Mr. Cust broke down—faltered….

“Yes?”

Poirot’s gaze held a quiet magnetism. Mr. Cust looked at him, looked away, then back againlike a fascinated rabbit.

“He said—he said—that it looked as though I might die a violent death—and he laughed andsaid: ‘Almost looks as though you might die on the scaffold,’ and then he laughed and said thatwas only his joke….”

He was silent suddenly. His eyes left Poirot’s face—they ran from side to side….

“My head—I suffer very badly with my head…the headaches are something cruel sometimes.

And then there are times when I don’t know—when I don’t know….”

He broke down.

Poirot leant forward. He spoke very quietly but with great assurance.

“But you do know, don’t you,” he said, “that you committed the murders?”

Mr. Cust looked up. His glance was quite simple and direct. All resistance had left him. Helooked strangely at peace.

“Yes,” he said, “I know.”

“But—I am right, am I not?—you don’t know why you did them?”

Mr. Cust shook his head.

“No,” he said. “I don’t.”