“She would have given me instructions to prepare a new will.”
“She might have taken the simpler course of merely destroying the will lately made, in which case the older will would have been good?”
“That is a somewhat debatable point. All earlier wills, you understand, had been definitely revoked by the testator.”
“But Miss Arundell would not have had the legal knowledge to appreciate that point. She may have thought that by destroying the latter will, the earlier one would stand.”
“It is quite possible.”
“Actually, if she died intestate, her money would pass to her family?”
“Yes. One half to Mrs. Tanios, one half divisible between Charles and Theresa Arundell. But the fact remains, however, that she did not change her mind! She died with her decision unchanged.”
“But that,” said Poirot, “is where I come in.”
The lawyer looked at him inquiringly.
Poirot leaned forward.
“Supposing,” he said, “that Miss Arundell, on her deathbed, wished to destroy that will. Supposing that she believed that she had destroyed it—but that, in reality, she only destroyed the first will.”
Mr. Purvis shook his head.
“No, both wills were intact.”
“Then supposing she destroyed a dummy will—under the impression that she was destroying the genuine document. She was very ill, remember, it would be easy to deceive her.”
“You would have to bring evidence to that effect,” said the lawyer sharply.
“Oh! undoubtedly—undoubtedly….”
“Is there—may I ask—is there any reason to believe something of that kind happened?”
Poirot drew back a little.
“I should not like to commit myself at this stage—”
“Naturally, naturally,” said Mr. Purvis, agreeing with a phrase that was familiar to him.
“But may I say, strictly in confidence, that there are some curious features about this business!”
“Really? You don’t say so?”
Mr. Purvis rubbed his hands together with a kind of pleasurable anticipation.
“What I wanted from you and what I have got,” continued Poirot, “is your opinion that Miss Arundell would, sooner or later, have changed her mind and relented towards her family.”
“That is only my personal opinion, of course,” the lawyer pointed out.
“My dear sir, I quite understand. You do not, I believe, act for Miss Lawson?”
“I advised Miss Lawson to consult an independent solicitor,” said Mr. Purvis.
His tone was wooden.
Poirot shook hands with him, thanking him for his kindness and the information he had given us.
Twenty