Dumb Witness (Hercule Poirot 16)

“Yes.”

“Someone in whom Mrs. Tanios had confidence?”

“Obviously.”

“And the note is now burnt?”

“Yes, she was instructed to burn it.”

“What about that résumé of the case that you gave her?”

Poirot’s face looked unusually grim.

“That, too, is burned. But that does not matter!”

“No?”

“No. For you see—it is all in the head of Hercule Poirot.”

He took me by the arm.

“Come, Hastings, let us leave here. Our concern is not with the dead but with the living. It is with them I have to deal.”

Twenty-nine

INQUEST AT LITTLEGREEN HOUSE

It was eleven o’clock the following morning.

Seven people were assembled at Littlegreen House.

Hercule Poirot stood by the mantelpiece. Charles and Theresa were on the sofa, Charles on the arm of it with his hand on Theresa’s shoulder. Dr. Tanios sat in a grandfather chair. His eyes were red rimmed and he wore a black band round his arm.

On an upright chair by a round table sat the owner of the house, Miss Lawson. She, too, had red eyes. Her hair was even untidier than usual. Dr. Donaldson sat directly facing Poirot. His face was quite expressionless.

My interest quickened as I looked at each face in turn.

In the course of my association with Poirot I had assisted at many such a scene. A little company of people, all outwardly composed with well-bred masks for faces. And I had seen Poirot strip the mask from one face and show it for what it was—the face of a killer!

Yes, there was no doubt of it. One of these people was a murderer! But which? Even now I was not sure.

Poirot cleared his throat—a little pompously as was his habit—and began to speak.

“We are assembled here, ladies and gentlemen, to inquire into the death of Emily Arundell on the first of May last. There are four possibilities—that she died naturally—that she died as the result of an accident—that she took her own life—or lastly that she met her death at the hands of some person known or unknown.

“No inquest was held at the time of her death, since it was assumed that she died from natural causes and a medical certificate to that effect

was given by Dr. Grainger.

“In a case where suspicion arises after burial has taken place it is usual to exhume the body of the person in question. There are reasons why I have not advocated that course. The chief of them is that my client would not have liked it.”

It was Dr. Donaldson who interrupted. He said:

“Your client?”

Poirot turned to him.

“My client is Miss Emily Arundell. I am acting for her. Her greatest desire was that there should be no scandal.”