“No, no, of course not. But—”
“But what can I do? It is that, that you would ask?”
A quick smile flashed across Roddy’s worried face—a smile so suddenly charming that Hercule Poirot understood the subtle attraction of the man.
Roddy said apologetically:
“It sounds a little rude, put like that. But, really, of course, that is the point. I won’t beat about the bush. What can you do, M. Poirot?”
Poirot said:
“I can search for the truth.”
“Yes.” Roddy sounded a little doubtful.
Poirot said:
“I might discover facts that would be helpful to the accused.”
Roddy sighed.
“If you only could!”
Hercule Poirot went on:
“It is my earnest desire to be helpful. Will you assist me by telling me just exactly what you think of the whole business?”
Roddy got up and walked restlessly up and down.
“What can I say? The whole thing’s so absurd—so fantastic! The mere idea of Elinor—Elinor, whom I’ve known since she was a child—actually doing such a melodramatic thing as poisoning someone. It’s quite laughable, of course! But how on earth explain that to a jury?”
Poirot said stolidly:
“You consider it quite impossible that Miss Carlisle should have done such a thing?”
“Oh quite! That goes without saying! Elinor’s an exquisite creature—beautifully poised and balanced—no violence in her nature. She’s intellectual, sensitive and altogether devoid of animal passions. But get twelve fatheaded fools in a jury box, and God knows what they can be made to believe! After all, let’s be reasonable: they’re not there to judge character; they’re there to sift evidence. Facts—facts—facts. And the facts are unfortunate!”
Hercule Poirot nodded thoughtfully.
He said:
“You are a person, Mr. Welman, of sensibility and intelligence. The facts condemn Miss Carlisle. Your knowledge of her acquits her. What
, then, really happened? What can have happened?”
Roddy spread out his hands in exasperation.
“That’s the devil of it all! I suppose the nurse couldn’t have done it?”
“She was never near the sandwiches—oh, I have made the inquiries very minutely—and she could not have poisoned the tea without poisoning herself as well. I have made quite sure of that. Moreover, why should she wish to kill Mary Gerrard?”
Roddy cried out:
“Why should anyone wish to kill Mary Gerrard?”
“That,” said Poirot, “seems to be the unanswerable question in this case. No one wished to kill Mary Gerrard.” (He added in his own mind: “Except Elinor Carlisle.”) “Therefore, the next step logically would seem to be: Mary Gerrard was not killed! But that, alas, is not so. She was killed!”
He added, slightly melodramatically: