Twenty-One

If Miss Bowers¹ had been the kind of woman who enjoyed creating a sensation, she would havebeen richly repaid by the result of her action.

A look of utter astonishment² passed over Colonel Race’s face as he picked up the pearls fromthe table.

“This is most extraordinary,” he said. “Will you kindly³ explain, Miss Bowers?”

“Of course. That’s what I’ve come to do.” Miss Bowers settled herself comfortably in a chair.

“Naturally it was a little difficult for me to decide what it was best for me to do. The family wouldnaturally be averse⁴ to scandal of any kind, and they trusted my discretion⁵, but the circumstancesare so very unusual that it really leaves me no choice. Of course, when you didn’t find anything inthe cabins, your next move would be a search of the passengers, and, if the pearls were then foundin my possession, it would be rather an awkward situation and the truth would come out just thesame.”

“And just what is the truth? Did you take these pearls from Mrs. Doyle’s cabin?”

“Oh, no, Colonel Race, of course not. Miss Van Schuyler did.”

“Miss Van Schuyler?”

“Yes. She can’t help it, you know, but she does—er—take things. Especially jewellery. That’sreally why I’m always with her. It’s not her health at all; it’s this little idiosyncrasy. I keep on thealert, and fortunately there’s never been any trouble since I’ve been with her. It just means beingwatchful, you know. And she always hides the things she takes in the same place—rolled up in apair of stockings—so that it makes it very simple. I look each morning. Of course I’m a lightsleeper, and I always sleep next door to her, and with the communicating door open if it’s in ahotel, so that I usually hear. Then I go after her and persuade her to go back to bed. Of course it’sbeen rather more difficult on a boat. But she doesn’t usually do it at night. It’s more just picking upthings that she sees left about. Of course, pearls have a great attraction for her always.”

Miss Bowers ceased speaking.

Race asked: “How did you discover they had been taken?”

“They were in her stockings this morning. I knew whose they were, of course. I’ve oftennoticed them. I went along to put them back, hoping that Mrs. Doyle wasn’t up yet and hadn’tdiscovered her loss. But there was a steward⁶ standing⁷ there, and he told me about the murder andthat no one could go in. So then, you see, I was in a regular quandary⁸. But I still hoped to slipthem back in the cabin later, before their absence had been noticed. I can assure you I’ve passed avery unpleasant morning wondering what was the best thing to do. You see, the Van Schuylerfamily is so very particular and exclusive. It would never do if this got into the newspapers. Butthat won’t be necessary, will it?”

Miss Bowers really looked worried.

“That depends on circumstances,” said Colonel Race cautiously.

“But we shall do our best for you, of course. What does Miss Van Schuyler say to this?”

“Oh, she’ll deny it, of course. She always does. Says some wicked person has put it there. Shenever admits taking anything. That’s why if you catch her in time she goes back to bed like alamb. Says she just went out to look at the moon. Something like that.”

“Does Miss Robson know about this—er—failing?”

“No, she doesn’t. Her mother knows, but she’s a very simple kind of girl and her motherthought it best she should know nothing about it. I was quite equal to dealing⁹ with Miss VanSchuyler,” added the competent Miss Bowers.

“We have to thank you, Mademoiselle, for coming to us so promptly,” said Poirot.

Miss Bowers stood up.

“I’m sure I hope I acted for the best.”

“Be assured that you have.”

“You see, what with there being a murder as well—”

Colonel Race interrupted her. His voice was grave.

“Miss Bowers, I am going to ask you a question, and I want to impress upon you that it has gotto be answered truthfully. Miss Van Schuyler is unhinged mentally to the extent of being akleptomaniac. Has she also a tendency to homicidal mania¹⁰?”

Miss Bowers’ answer came immediately: “Oh, dear me, no! Nothing of that kind. You can takemy word for it absolutely. The old lady wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

The reply came with such positive assurance that there seemed nothing more to be said.

Nevertheless Poirot did interpolate one mild inquiry¹¹.

“Does Miss Van Schuyler suffer at all from deafness?”

“As a matter of fact she does, Monsieur Poirot. Not so that you’d notice in any way, not if youwere speaking to her, I mean. But quite often she doesn’t hear you when you come into a room.

Things like that.”

“Do you think she would have heard anyone moving about in Mrs. Doyle’s cabin, which is nextdoor to her own?”

“Oh, I shouldn’t think so—not for a minute. You see, the bunk¹² is the other side of the cabin, noteven against the partition wall. No, I don’t think she would have heard anything.”

“Thank you, Miss Bowers.”

Race said: “Perhaps you will now go back to the dining saloon and wait with the others?”

He opened the door for her and watched her go down the staircase and enter the saloon. Then heshut the door and came back to the table. Poirot had picked up the pearls.

“Well,” said Race grimly, “that reaction came pretty quickly. That’s a very coolheaded andastute young woman—perfectly capable of holding out on us and still further if she thinks it suitsher book. What about Miss Marie Van Schuyler now? I don’t think we can eliminate her from thepossible suspects. You know, she might have committed murder to get hold of those jewels. Wecan’t take the nurse’s word for it. She’s all out to do the best for the family.”

Poirot nodded in agreement. He was very busy with the pearls, running them through hisfingers, holding them up to his eyes.

He said: “We may take it, I think, that part of the old lady’s story to us is true. She did look outof her cabin and she did see Rosalie Otterbourne. But I don’t think she heard anything or anyonein Linnet Doyle’s cabin. I think she was just peering out from her cabin preparatory to slippingalong and purloining¹³ the pearls.”

“The Otterbourne girl was there, then?”

“Yes. Throwing her mother’s secret cache of drink overboard.”

Colonel Race shook his head sympathetically.

“So that’s it! Tough on a young ’un.”

“Yes, her life has not been very gay, cette pauvre petite Rosalie.”

“Well, I’m glad that’s been cleared up. She didn’t see or hear anything?”

“I asked her that. She responded—after a lapse¹⁴ of quite twenty seconds—that she saw nobody.”

“Oh?” Race looked alert.

“Yes, it is suggestive, that.”

Race said slowly: “If Linnet Doyle was shot round about ten minutes past one, or indeed anytime after the boat had quieted down, it has seemed amazing to me that no one heard the shot. Igrant you that a little pistol like that wouldn’t make much noise, but all the same the boat would bedeadly quiet, and any noise, even a little pop, should have been heard. But I begin to understandbetter now. The cabin on the forward side of hers was unoccupied—since her husband was in Dr.

Bessner’s cabin. The one aft was occupied by the Van Schuyler woman, who was deaf. Thatleaves only—”

He paused and looked expectantly at Poirot, who nodded.

“The cabin next to her on the other side of the boat. In other words—Pennington. We alwaysseem to come back to Pennington.”

“We will come back to him presently with the kid gloves removed! Ah, yes, I am promisingmyself that pleasure.”

“In the meantime we’d better get on with our search of the boat. The pearls still make aconvenient excuse, even though they have been returned — but Miss Bowers is not likely toadvertise the fact.”

“Ah, these pearls!” Poirot held them up against the light once more. He stuck out his tongue andlicked them; he even gingerly tried one of them between his teeth. Then, with a sigh, he threwthem down on the table.

“Here are more complications, my friend,” he said. “I am not an expert on precious stones, but Ihave had a good deal to do with them in my time and I am fairly certain of what I say. Thesepearls are only a clever imitation.”

 

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