PART SIX DECEMBER 27TH V
Superintendent Sugden looked round at the circle of faces. He said, with something as near
irritation as he had yet shown
This is very irregular, Mr. Poirot.
Poirot said
It is a little idea of mine. I wish to share with everyone the knowledge that I have acquired. I
shall then invite their cooperation, and so we shall get at the truth.
Sugden murmured under his breath: “Monkey tricks.
He leaned back in his chair. Poirot said
To begin with, you have, I think, an explanation to ask of Mr. Farr.
Sugden’s mouth tightened.
I should have chosen a less public moment,” he said. “However, I’ve no objection.” He
handed the cable to Stephen Farr. “Now, Mr. Farr, as you call yourself, perhaps you can explain
this
Stephen Farr took it. Raising his eyebrows, he read it slowly out loud. Then, with a bow, he
handed it back to the superintendent.
Yes,” he said. “It’s pretty damning, isn’t it
Sugden said
Is that all you’ve got to say about it? You quite understand there is no obligation on you to
make a statement
Stephen Farr interrupted. He said
You needn’t caution me, Superintendent. I can see it trembling on your tongue! Yes, I’ll
give you an explanation. It’s not a very good one, but it’s the truth.
He paused. Then he began
I’m not Ebenezer Farr’s son. But I knew both father and son quite well. Now try and put
yourself in my place. (My name is Stephen Grant, by the way.) I arrived in this country for the first
time in my life. I was disappointed. Everything and everybody seemed drab and lifeless. Then I
was travelling by train and I saw a girl. I’ve got to say it straight out: I fell for that girl! She was
the loveliest and most unlikely creature in the world! I talked to her for a while in the train and I
made up my mind then and there not to lose sight of her. As I was leaving the compartment I
caught sight of the label on her suitcase. Her name meant nothing to me, but the address to which
she was travelling did. I’d heard of Gorston Hall, and I knew all about its owner. He was Ebenezer
Farr’s one-time partner and old Eb often talked about him and said what a personality he was.
Well, the idea came to me to go to Gorston Hall and pretend I was Eb’s son. He had died, as
this cable says, two years ago, but I remembered old Eb saying that he had not heard from Simeon
Lee now for many years, and I judged that Lee would not know of the death of Eb’s son. Anyway
I felt it was worth trying.
Sugden said: “You didn’t try it on at once, though. You stayed in the King’s Arms at
Addlesfield for two days.
Stephen said
I was thinking it over—whether to try it or not. At last I made up my mind I would. It
appealed to me as a bit of an adventure. Well, it worked like a charm! The old man greeted me in
the friendliest manner and at once asked me to come and stay in the house. I accepted. There you
are, Superintendent, there’s my explanation. If you don’t fancy it, cast your mind back to your
courting days and see if you don’t remember some bit of foolishness you indulged in then. As for
my real name, as I say, it’s Stephen Grant. You can cable to South Africa and check up on me, but
I’ll tell you this: you’ll find I’m a perfectly respectable citizen. I’m not a crook or a jewel thief.
Poirot said softly: “I never believed you were.
Superintendent Sugden stroked his jaw cautiously. He said
I’ll have to check up on that story. What I’d like to know is this: Why didn’t you come clean
after the murder instead of telling us a pack of lies
Stephen said disarmingly
Because I was a fool! I thought I could get away with it! I thought it would look fishy if I
admitted to being here under a false name. If I hadn’t been a complete idiot I would have realized
you were bound to cable to Jo’burg.
Sugden said
Well, Mr. Farr—er—Grant—I’m not saying I disbelieve your story. It will be proved or
disproved soon enough.
He looked across inquiringly at Poirot. The latter said
I think Miss Estravados has something to say.
Pilar had gone very white. She said, in a breathless voice
It is true. I would never have told you, but for Lydia and the money. To come here and
pretend and cheat and act—that was fun, but when Lydia said the money was mine and that it was
only justice, that was different; it was not fun any longer.
Alfred Lee said with a puzzled face
I do not understand, my dear, what you are talking about.
Pilar said
You think I am your niece, Pilar Estravados? But that is not so! Pilar was killed when I was
travelling with her in a car in Spain. A bomb came and it hit the car and she was killed, but I was
not touched. I did not know her very well, but she had told me all about herself and how her
grandfather had sent for her to go to England and that he was very rich. And I had no money at all
and I did not know where to go or what to do. And I thought suddenly: ‘Why should not I take
Pilar’s passport and go to England and become very rich?’ ” Her face lit up with its sudden wide
smile. “Oh, it was fun wondering if I could get away with it! Our faces on the photograph were not
unlike. But when they wanted my passport here I opened the window and threw it out and ran
down to get it, and then I rubbed some earth just over the face a little because at a barrier
travelling they do not look very closely, but here they might
Alfred Lee said angrily
Do you mean to say that you represented yourself to my father as his granddaughter, and
played on his affection for you
Pilar nodded. She said complacently
Yes, I saw at once I could make him like me very much.
George Lee broke out
Preposterous!” he spluttered. “Criminal! Attempting to get money by false pretences.
Harry Lee said
She didn’t get any from you, old boy! Pilar, I’m on your side! I’ve got a profound
admiration for your daring. And, thank goodness, I’m not your uncle any more! That gives me a
much freer hand.
Pilar said to Poirot: “You knew? When did you know
Poirot smiled
Mademoiselle, if you have studied the laws of Mendel you would know that two blue-eyed
people are not likely to have a brown-eyed child. Your mother was, I was sure, a most chaste and
respectable lady. It followed, then, that you were not Pilar Estravados at all. When you did your
trick with the passport, I was quite sure of it. It was ingenious, but not, you understand, quite
ingenious enough.
Superintendent Sugden said unpleasantly
The whole thing’s not quite ingenious enough.
Pilar stared at him. She said
I don’t understand. . . .
Sugden said: “You’ve told us a story—but I think there’s a good deal more you haven’t told.
Stephen said: “You leave her alone
Superintendent Sugden took no notice. He went on
You’ve told us that you went up to your grandfather’s room after dinner. You said it was an
impulse on your part. I’m going to suggest something else. It was you who stole those diamonds.
You’d handled them. On occasion, perhaps, you’d put them away in the safe and the old man
hadn’t watched you do it! When he found the stones were missing, he saw at once that only two
people could have taken them. One was Horbury, who might have got to know the combination
and have crept in and stolen them during the night. The other person was you.
Well, Mr. Lee at once took measures. He rang me up and had me come to see him. Then he
sent word to you to come and see him immediately after dinner. You did so and he accused you of
the theft. You denied it; he pressed the charge. I don’t know what happened next—perhaps he
tumbled to the fact that you weren’t his granddaughter, but a very clever little professional thief.
Anyway, the game was up, exposure loomed over you, and you slashed at him with a knife. There
was a struggle and he screamed. You were properly up against it then. You hurried out of the
room, turned the key from the outside and then, knowing you could not get away, before the
others came, you slipped into the recess by the statues.
Pilar cried shrilly
It is not true! It is not true! I did not steal the diamonds! I did not kill him. I swear it by the
Blessed Virgin.
Sugden said sharply
Then who did? You say you saw a figure standing outside Mr. Lee’s door. According to
your story, that person must have been the murderer. No one else passed the recess! But we’ve
only your word for it that there was a figure there at all. In other words, you made that up to
exculpate yourself
George Lee said sharply
Of course she’s guilty! It’s all clear enough! I always said an outsider killed my father
Preposterous nonsense to pretend one of his family would do a thing like that! It—it wouldn’t be
natural
Poirot stirred in his seat. He said
I disagree with you. Taking into consideration the character of Simeon Lee, it would be a
very natural thing to happen.
Eh?” George’s jaw dropped. He stared at Poirot.
Poirot went on
And, in my opinion, that very thing did happen. Simeon Lee was killed by his own flesh and
blood, for what seemed to the murderer a very good and sufficient reason.
George cried: “One of us? I deny
Poirot’s voice broke in hard as steel.
There is a case against every person here. We will, Mr. George Lee, begin with the case
against you. You had no love for your father! You kept on good terms with him for the sake of
money. On the day of his death he threatened to cut down your allowance. You knew that on his
death you would probably inherit a very substantial sum. There is the motive. After dinner you
went, as you say, to telephone. You did telephone—but the call lasted only five minutes. After that
you could easily have gone to your father’s room, chatted with him, and then attacked him and
killed him. You left the room and turned the key from outside, for you hoped the affair would be
put down to a burglar. You omitted, in your panic, to make sure that the window was fully open so
as to support the burglar theory. That was stupid; but you are, if you will pardon my saying so
rather a stupid man
However,” said Poirot, after a brief pause during which George tried to speak and failed
many stupid men have been criminals
He turned his eyes on Magdalene.
Madame, too, she also had a motive. She is, I think, in debt, and the tone of certain of your
father’s remarks may—have caused her uneasiness. She, too, has no alibi. She went to telephone
but she did not telephone, and we have only her word for what she did do. . . .
Then,” he paused, “there is Mr. David Lee. We have heard, not once but many times, of the
revengeful tempers and long memories that went with the Lee blood. Mr. David Lee did not forget
or forgive the way his father had treated his mother. A final jibe directed at the dead lady may
have been the last straw. David Lee is said to have been playing the piano at the time of the
murder. By a coincidence he was playing the ‘Dead March.’ But suppose somebody else was
playing that ‘Dead March,’ somebody who knew what he was going to do, and who approved his
action
Hilda Lee said quietly
That is an infamous suggestion.
Poirot turned to her. “I will offer you another, madame. It was your hand that did the deed. It
was you who crept upstairs to execute judgment on a man you considered beyond human
forgiveness. You are of those, madame, who can be terrible in anger. . . .
Hilda said: “I did not kill him.
Superintendent Sugden said brusquely
Mr. Poirot’s quite right. There is a possible case against everyone except Mr. Alfred Lee
Mr. Harry Lee, and Mrs. Alfred Lee.
Poirot said gently
I should not even except those three. . . .
The superintendent protested: “Oh, come now, Mr. Poirot
Lydia Lee said
And what is the case against me, M. Poirot
She smiled a little as she spoke, her brows raised ironically.
Poirot bowed. He said
Your motive, madame, I pass over. It is sufficiently obvious. As to the rest, you were
wearing last night a flowered taffeta dress of a very distinctive pattern with a cape. I will remind
you of the fact that Tressilian, the butler, is shortsighted. Objects at a distance are dim and vague
to him. I will also point out that your drawing room is big and lighted by heavily shaded lamps.
On that night, a minute or two before the cries were heard, Tressilian came into the drawing room
to take away the coffee-cups. He saw you, as he thought, in a familiar attitude by the far window
half concealed by the heavy curtains.
Lydia Lee said: “He did see me.
Poirot went on
I suggest that it is possible that what Tressilian saw was the cape of your dress, arranged to
show by the window curtain, as though you yourself were standing there.
Lydia said: “I was standing there. . . .
Alfred said: “How dare you suggest
Harry interrupted him.
Let him go on, Alfred. It’s our turn next. How do you suggest that dear Alfred killed his
beloved father since we were both together in the dining room at the time
Poirot beamed at him.
That,” he said, “is very simple. An alibi gains in force accordingly as it is unwillingly given.
You and your brother are on bad terms. It is well known. You jibe at him in public. He has not a
good word to say for you! But, supposing that were all part of a very clever plot. Supposing that
Alfred Lee is tired of dancing attendance upon an exacting taskmaster. Supposing that you and he
have got together some time ago. Your plan is laid. You come home. Alfred appears to resent your
presence. He shows jealousy and dislike of you. You show contempt for him. And then comes the
night of the murder you have so cleverly planned together. One of you remains in the dining room
talking and perhaps quarrelling aloud as though two people were there. The other goes upstairs
and commits the crime. . . .
Alfred sprang to his feet.
You devil!” he said. His voice was inarticulate.
Sugden was staring at Poirot. He said
Do you really mean
Poirot said, with a sudden ring of authority in his voice
I have had to show you the possibilities! These are the things that might have happened
Which of them actually did happen we can only tell by passing from the outside appearance to the
inside reality. . . .
He paused and then said slowly
We must come back, as I said before, to the character of Simeon Lee himself. . . .
