'All the same,' he remarked, 'this discovery of yours, brilliant though it is (I'm quite sure I should never have thought of it), leaves the essential position unchanged. Mr Ackroyd was alive at nine-thirty, since he was speaking into the dictaphone. It seems clear that the man Charles Kent was really off the premises by then. As to Ralph Paton -?' He hesitated, glancing at Ursula.
Her colour flared up, but she answered steadily enough.
'Ralph and I parted just before a quarter to ten. He never went near the house, I am sure of that. He had no intention of doing so. The last thing on earth he wanted was to face his stepfather. He would have funked it badly.' 'It isn't that I doubt your story for a moment,' explained Raymond. 'I've always been quite sure Captain Paton was innocent. But one has to think of a court of law - and the questions that would be asked. He is in a most unfortunate position, but if he were to come forward '
Chapter 21. Ralph Paton's Story
It was a very uncomfortable minute for me. I hardly took in what happened next, but there were exclamations and cries of surprise! When I was sufficiently master of myself to be able to realize what was going on, Ralph Paton was standing by his wife, her hand in his, and he was smiling across the room at me.
Poirot, too, was smiling, and at the same time shaking an eloquent finger at me.
'Have I not told you at least thirty-six times that it is useless to conceal things from Hercule Poirot?' he demanded.
'That in such a case he finds out?' He turned to the others.
'One day, you remember, we held a little seance about a table - just the six of us. I accused the other five persons present of concealing something from me. Four of them gave up their secret. Dr Sheppard did not give up his. But all along I have had my suspicions. Dr Sheppard went to the Three Boars that night hoping to find Ralph. He did not find him there; but supposing, I said to myself, that he met him in the street on his way home? Dr Sheppard was a friend of Captain Paton's, and he had come straight from the scene of the crime. He must know that things looked very black against him. Perhaps he knew more than the general public did ' 'I did,' I said ruefully. 'I suppose I might as well make a clean breast of things now. I went to see Ralph that afternoon.
At first he refused to take me into his confidence, but later he told me about his marriage, and the hole he was in.
As soon as the murder was discovered, I realized that once the facts were known, suspicion could not fail to attach to Ralph - or, if not to him, to the girl he loved. That night I put the facts plainly before him. The thought of having possibly to give evidence which might incriminate his wife made him resolve at all costs to - to ' I hesitated, and Ralph filled up the gap.
'To do a bunk,' he said graphically. 'You see, Ursula left me to go back to the house. I thought it possible that she might have attempted to have another interview with my stepfather. He had already been very rude to her that afternoon. It occurred to me that he might have so insulted her - in such an unforgivable manner - that without knowing what she was doing '.He stopped. Ursula released her hand from his, and stepped back.
'You thought that, Ralph! You actually thought that I might have done it?' 'Let us get back to the culpable conduct of Dr Sheppard,' said Poirot drily. 'Dr Sheppard consented to do what he could to help him. He was successful in hiding Captain Paton from the police.' 'Where?' asked Raymond. 'In his own house?' 'Ah, no, indeed,' said Poirot. 'You should ask yourself the question that I did. If the good doctor is concealing the young man, what place would he choose? It must necessarily be somewhere near at hand. I think of Cranchester. A hotel? No.
Lodgings? Even more emphatically, no. Where, then? Ah! I have it. A nursing home. A home for the mentally unfit. I test my theory. I invent a nephew with mental trouble. I consult Mademoiselle Sheppard as to suitable homes. She gives me the names of two near Cranchester to which her brother has sent patients. I make inquiries. Yes, at one of them a patient was brought there by the doctor himself early on Saturday morning.
That patient, though known by another name, I had no difficulty in identifying as Captain Paton. After certain necessary formalities, I was allowed to bring him away. He arrived at my house in the early hours of yesterday morning.' I looked at him ruefully.
'Caroline's Home Office expert,' I murmured. 'And to think I never guessed!' 'You see now why I drew attention to the reticence of your manuscript,' murmured Poirot. 'It was strictly truthful as far as it went - but it did not go very far, eh, my friend?' I was too abashed to argue.
'Dr Sheppard has been very loyal,' said Ralph. 'He has stood by me through thick and thin. He did what he thought was best. I see now, from what M. Poirot has told me, that it was not really the best. I should have come forward and faced the music. You see, in the home, we never saw a newspaper. I knew nothing of what was going on.' 'Dr Sheppard has been a model of discretion,' said Poirot drily. 'But me, I discover all the little secrets. It is my business.' 'Now we can have your story of what happened that night,' said Raymond impatiently.
'You know it already,' said Ralph. 'There's very little for me to all. I left the summer-house about nine forty-five, and tramped about the lanes, trying to make up my mind as to what to do next - what line to take. I'm bound to admit that I've not the shadow of an alibi, but I give you my solemn word that I never went to the study, that I never saw my stepfather alive - or dead. Whatever the world thinks, I'd like all of you to believe me.' 'No alibi,' murmured Raymond. 'That's bad. I believe you, of course, but - it's a bad business.' 'It makes things very simple, though,' said Poirot, in a cheerful voice. 'Very simple indeed.' We all stared at him.
'You see what I mean? No? Just this - to save Captain Paton the real criminal must confess.' He beamed round at us all.
'But yes - I mean what I say. See now, I did not invite Inspector Raglan to be present. That was for a reason. I did not want to tell him all that I knew - at least I did not want to tell him tonight.' He leaned forward, and suddenly his voice and his whole personality changed. He suddenly became dangerous.
'I who speak to you - I know the murderer of Mr Ackroyd is in this room now. It is to the murderer I speak.
Tomorrow the truth goes to Inspector Raglan. You understand?'
There was a tense silence. Into the midst of it came the old Breton woman with a telegram on a salver. Poirot tore it open.
Blunt's voice rose abrupt and resonant.
'The murderer is amongst us, you say? You know which?'
Poirot had read the message. He crumpled it up in his hand.
'I know - now.' He tapped the crumpled ball of paper.
'What is that?' said Raymond sharply.
'A wireless message - from a steamer now on her way to the United States.' There was a dead silence. Poirot rose to his feet bowing.
'Messieurs et Mesdames, this reunion of mine is at an end. Remember - the truth goes to Inspector Raglan in the morning.'
Chapter 22. The Whole Truth
A slight gesture from Poirot enjoined me to stay behind the rest. I obeyed, going over to the fire and thoughtfully stirring the big logs on it with the toe of my bo
ot.
I was puzzled. For the first time I was absolutely at sea as to Poirot's meaning. For a moment I was inclined to think that the scene I had just witnessed was a gigantic piece of bombast - that he had been what he called 'playing the comedy' with a view to making himself interesting and important. But, in spite of myself, I was forced to believe in an underlying reality. There had been real menace in his words - a certain indisputable sincerity. But I still believed him to be on entirely the wrong tack.
When the door shut behind the last of the party he came over to the fire.
'Well, my friend,' he said quietly, 'and what do you think of it all?' 'I don't know what to think,' I said frankly. 'What was the point? Why not go straight to Inspector Raglan with the truth instead of giving the guilty person this elaborate warning?' Poirot sat down and drew out his case of tiny Russian cigarettes. He smoked for a minute or two in silence. Then: 'Use your little grey cells,' he said. 'There is always a reason behind my actions.' I hesitated for a moment, and then I said slowly: 'The first one that occurs to me is that you yourself do not know who the guilty person is, but that you are sure that he is to be found amongst the people here tonight. Therefore your words were intended to force a confession from the unknown murderer?' Poirot nodded approvingly.
'A clever idea, but not the truth.' 'I thought, perhaps, that by making him believe you knew, you might force him out into the open - not necessarily by confession. He might try to silence you as he formerly silenced Mr Ackroyd - before you could act tomorrow morning.' 'A trap with myself as the bait! Merci, man ami, but I am not sufficiently heroic for that.' 'Then I fail to understand you. Surely you are running the risk of letting the murderer escape by thus putting him on his guard?' Poirot shook his head.
'He cannot escape,' he said gravely. 'There is only one way out - and that way does not lead to freedom.' 'You really believe that one of those people here tonight committed the murder?' I asked incredulously.