One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Hercule Poirot 23)

to reconcile Mabelle Sainsbury Seale with murder. Yet in his ears he heard the small, ironic voice of Mr. Barnes:

“Look among the respectable people….”

Mabelle Sainsbury Seale had been eminently respectable.

Japp said with emphasis:

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this case, Poirot. That woman isn’t going to put it over on me.”

II

The following day, Japp rang up. His voice held a curious note.

He said:

“Poirot, do you want to hear a piece of news? It’s napoo, my lad. Napoo!”

“Pardon?—the line is perhaps not very clear. I did not quite catch—”

“It’s off, my boy. O.F.F. Call it a day! Sit down and twiddle our thumbs!”

There was no mistaking the bitterness now. Poirot was startled.

“What is off?”

“The whole ruddy blinking thing! The hue and cry! The publicity! The whole bag of tricks!”

“But I still do not understand.”

“Well, listen. Listen carefully, because I can’t mention names very well. You know our inquiry? You know we’re combing the country for a performing fish?”

“Yes, yes, perfectly. I comprehend now.”

“Well, that’s been called off. Hushed up—kept mum. Now do you understand?”

“Yes, yes. But why?”

“Orders from the ruddy Foreign Office.”

“Is not that very extraordinary?”

“Well, it does happen now and again.”

“Why should they be so forbearing to Miss—to the performing fish?”

“They’re not. They don’t care tuppence about her. It’s the publicity—if she’s brought to trial too much might come out about Mrs. A. C. The corpse. That’s the hush-hush side! I can only suppose that the ruddy husband—Mr. A. C.—Get me?”

“Yes, yes.”

“That he’s somewhere abroad in a ticklish spot and they don’t want to queer his pitch.”

“Tchah!”

“What did you say?”

“I made, mon ami, an exclamation of annoyance!”

“Oh! that was it. I thought you’d caught cold. Annoyance is right! I could use a stronger word. Letting that dame get away with it makes me see red.”