Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot 20)

Hercule Poirot turned slowly. His grave eyes met hers in innocent inquiry.

‘Ah,’ he said. ‘The Spanish touch, you think?’

‘Well, they are cruel, aren’t they?’ Magdalene spoke with an effect of childish appeal. ‘All those bull fights and things!’

Hercule Poirot said pleasantly:

‘You are saying that in your opinion señorita Estravados cut her grandfather’s throat?’

‘Oh no, M. Poirot!’ Magdalene was vehement. She was shocked. ‘I never said anything of the kind! Indeed I didn’t!’

‘Well,’ said Poirot. ‘Perhaps you did not.’

‘But I do think that she is—well, a suspicious person. The furtive way she picked up something from the floor of that room last night, for instance.’

A different note crept into Hercule Poirot’s voice. He said sharply:

‘She picked up something from the floor last night?’

Magdalene nodded. Her childish mouth curved spitefully.

‘Yes, as soon as we got into the room. She gave a quick glance round to see if anyone was looking, and then pounced on it. But the superintendent man saw her, I’m glad to say, and made her give it up.’

‘What was it that she picked up, do you know, madame?’

‘No. I wasn’t near enough to see.’ Magdalene’s voice held regret. ‘It was something quite small.’

Poirot frowned to himself.

‘It is interesting, that,’ he murmured to himself.

Magdalene said quickly:

‘Yes, I thought you ought to know about it. After all, we don’t know anything about Pilar’s upbringing and what her life has been like. Alfred is always so suspicious and dear Lydia is so casual.’ Then she murmured: ‘Perhaps I’d better go and see if I can help Lydia in any way. There may be letters to write.’

She left him with a smile of satisfied malice on her lips.

Poirot remained lost in thought on the terrace.

II

To him there came Superintendent Sugden. The police superintendent looked gloomy. He said:

‘Good morning, Mr Poirot. Doesn’t seem quite the right thing to say Merry Christmas, does it?’

‘Mon cher collègue, I certainly do not observe any traces of merriment on your countenance. If you had said Merry Christmas I should not have replied “Many of them!” ’

‘I don’t want another one like this one, and that’s a fact,’ said Sugden.

‘You have made the progress, yes?’

‘I’ve checked up on a good many points. Horbury’s alibi is holding water all right. The commissionaire at the cinema saw him go in with the girl, and saw him come out with her at the end of the performance, and seems pretty positive he didn’t leave, and couldn’t have left and returned during the performance. The girl swears quite definitely he was with her in the cinema all the time.’

Poirot’s eyebrows rose.

‘I hardly see, then, what more there is to say.’

The cynical Sugden said: