'And in consequence the boy did not forget her?'
'Not he. Half-crowns dgn't come his way every day. She haile him and bought two magazines. One had a picture of a girl it blue on the cover. "That'll match me," she said. Oh, he remem. bered her perfectly. Well, that was enough for me. By the doctor' evidence, the crime must have been committed before Taunton I guessed they'd throw the knife away at once, and I walked dom the line looking for it; and sure enough, there it was. I mad inquiries at Taunton about our man, but of course it's a bi! station, and it wasn't likely they'd notice him. He probably got back to London by a later train.'
Poirot nodded. 'Very likely.'
'But I found another bit of news when I got back. They're passing the jewels, all righfi That large emerald was pawned last night - by one of the regular lot. Who do you think it was?' 'I don't know - except that he was a short man.' lapp stared. 'Well, you're right there. He's short enough. It was Red Narky.'
'Who is Red Narky?' I asked.
'A particularly sharp jewel-thief, sir. And not one to stick at murder. Usually works with a woman - Gracie Kidd; but she doesn't seem to be in it this time - unless she's got off to Holland with the rest of the swag.'
'You've arrested Narky?'
'Sure thing. But mind you, it's the other man we want - the man who went down with Mrs Carrington in the train. He was the one who planned the job, right enough. But Narky won't squeal on a pal.'
I noticed that Poirot's eyes had become very green.
'I think,' he said gently, 'that I can find Narky's pal for you, all right.'
'One of your little ideas, eh?' lapp eyed Poirot sharply. 'Wonder-ul how you manage to deliver the goods sometimes, at your ae and all. Devil's own luck, of course.'
'Perhaps, perhaps,' murmured my friend. 'Hastings, my hat.
And the brush. Sol My galoshes, if it still rainsl We must not undo the good work of that tisane./lu rm/r, Jappl'
'Good luck to you, Poirot.'
Poirot hailed the first taxi we met, and directed the driver to Park Lane.
When we drew up before Halliday's house, he skipped out nimbly, paid the driver and rang the bell. To the footman who opened the door he made a request in a low voice, and we were immediately taken upstairs. We went up to the top of the house, and were shown into a small neat bedroom.
Poirot's eyes roved round the room and fastened themselves on a small black trunk. He knelt in front of it, scrutinized the labels on it, and took a small twist of wire from his pocket.
'Ask Mr Halliday if he will be so kind as to mount to me here,' he said over his shoulder to the footman.
The man departed, and Poirot gently coaxed the lock of the trunk with a practised hand. In a few minutes the lock gave, and he raised the lid of the trunk. Swiftly he began rummaging among the clothes it contained, flinging them out on the floor.
There was a heavy step on the stairs, and Halliday entered the room.
'What in hell are you doing here?' he demanded, staring.
'I was looking,. monsieur, for this.' Poirot withdrew from the trunk a coat and skirt of bright blue frieze, and a small toque of white fox fur.
'What are you doing with my trunk?' I turned to see that the maid, Jane Mason, had entered the room.
'If you will just shut the door, Hastings. Thank you. Yes, and stand with your back against it. Now, Mr Halliday, let me intro-duce you to Gracie Kidd, otherwise Jane Mason, who will shortly rejoin her accomplice, Red Narky, under the kind escort of Inspector Japp.'
Poirot waved a deprecating hand. 'It was of the most simplel' He helped himself to more caviar.
'It was the maid's insistence on the clothes that her mistre was wearing that first struck me. Why was she so anxious that our attention should be directed to them? I reflected that we had only the maid's word for the mysterious man in the carriage at Bristol.
As far as the doctor's evidence went, Mrs Carrington might easily have been murdered before reaching Bristol. But if so, then the maid must be an accomplice. And if she were an accomplice, she would not vish this point to rest on her evidence alone. The clothes Mrs Carrington was wearing were of a striking nature. A maid usually has a good deal of choice as to what her mistress shall wear. Now if, after Bristol, anyone saw a lady in a bright blue coat and skirt, and a fur toque, he will be quite ready to swear he had seen Mrs Carrington.
'I began to reconstruct. The maid would provide herself with duplicate clothes. She and her accomplice, chloroform and stab Mrs Carrington between London and Bristol, probably taking advantage of a tunnel. Her body is rolled under the seat; and the maid takes her place. At Weston she must make herself noticed.
How? In all probability, a nevspaper-boy will be selected. She will insure his remembering her by giving him a large tip. She also drew his attention to the colour of her dress by a remark about one of the magazines. After leaving Weston, she throws the knife out of the window to mark the place where the crime pre-sumably occurred, and changes her clothes, or buttons a long mackintosh over them. At Taunton she leaves the train and returns to Bristol as soon as possible, where her accomplice has duly left the luggage in the cloakroom. He hands over the ticket and himself returns to London. She waits on the platform, carrying out her role, goes to a hotel for the night and returns to town in the morning, exactly as she said.
'When Japp returned from this expedition, he confirmed all my deductions. He also told me that a well-known crook was passing the jewels. I knew that whoever it was would be the exact opposite of the man Jane Mason described. When I heard that it was Red Narky, who always worked with Graeie Kidd - well, I knew just where to find her.'
'And the Count?'
'The more I thought of it, the more I was convinced that he had nothing to do with it. That gentleman is much too careful of his own skin to risk murder. It would be out of keeping with his character.'
'Well, Monsieur Poirot,' said Halliday, 'I owe you a big debt.
And the cheque I write after lunch won't go near to settling it.' Poirot smiled modestly, and murmured to me: 'The good Japp, he shall get the official credit, all right, but though he has got his Gracie Kidd, I think that I, as the Americans say, have got his goat!'
Chapter X. The Chocoilate Box
It was a wild night. Outside, the wind howled malevolently, and the rain beat against the windows in great gusts.
Poirot and I sat facing the hearth, our legs stretched out to the cheerful blaze. Between us was a small table. On my side of it stood some carefully brewed hot toddy; on Poirot's was a cup of thick, rich chocolate which I would not have drunk for a hundred poundsl Poirot sipped the thick brown mess in the pink china cup, and sighed with contentment.
'Quelle belle v/e!' he murmured.
'Yes, it's a good old world,' I agreed. 'Here am I with a job, and a good job tool And here are you, famous - '
'Oh, mon ami!' protested Poirot.
'But you are. And rightly sol When I think back on your long line of successes, I am positively amazed. I don't believe you know what failure isl'
'He would be a droll kind of original who could say thaw 'No, but seriously, have you ever failed?'
'Innumerable times, my friend. What would you? La bonne chance, it cannot always be on your side. I have been called in too late. Very often another, working towards the same goal, has arrived there first. Twice have I been stricken down with illness just as I was on the point of success. One must take the downs with the ups, my friend.'