“Are the factors which have been in front of you all the time. Let us be absolutely specific, Parker. Colonel Mortimer himself held substantial blocks of shares in Foy’s South American companies; the three men playing golf with Foy on that famous occasion, were all shareholders; you may remember that concerning the incident with the Rolls-Royce I was particularly interested in Godfrey Daimler, the City banker who was also in the road at the time. He has large holdings in Foy’s South American companies and it is my contention that Foy intended to impress Daimler with his insanity by his weird behaviour. I would go further and submit that he did not even know Mortimer was there until he drew level with him!”
“You amaze me, Pons.”
“That is not so very difficult, Parker. I would further postulate that the delighted expression on Foy’s face — or inane grin as you so picturesquely put it — was genuine. He had, in effect, killed two birds with one stone.”
“I am still not sure what you are driving at, Pons.”
“I am coming to it, my dear fellow. In every instance — and I have done some exhaustive checking — all the people who were witnesses of the singular madness of Hugo Foy, were shareholders or concerned in some way with his South American companies. Of course, many of them probably had holdings in his other concerns, but that was irrelevant for my purposes. And my careful study of the stock-market reports in the financial press of recent weeks, brought out another significant factor. However unbalanced Hugo Foy may have been, he was unbalanced in one direction only, for his financial handling of all his other vast commercial enterprises was impeccable.”
I nodded, aware of Jamison’s amazed expression in the rear-mirror.
“I follow you, Pons.”
“I am delighted to hear it, Parker. You will probably say that Foy’s behaviour at the board-meeting Colonel Mortimer attended was out of character inasmuch as he publicly displayed his apparent insanity to all the shareholders as well as the financial press. But that was undoubtedly due to the intolerable pressures being put upon him by Marceau through the Paragonian Ambassador.”
“I see, Pons.”
“All of Foy’s record, financial and otherwise, spoke of an icy, calculating brain which had raised him from relatively humble circumstances to be one of the great captains of industry. But what would explain his sudden insanity, dating from about March of this year? A sudden insanity which was against the whole grain of his life-style and which had apparently descended upon him overnight. The Colonel inadvertently hit upon the cause when he referred constantly to Foy being under strain and pressure.”
Solar Pons had a grim expression now as he stared ahead through the wind-screen as I guided our vehicle back over Richmond bridge and into the suburbs.
“He was under the most intolerable strain a human being can be put under. How he has survived these months I do not know. That his secret was shared by key members of his household speaks well for the devotion this extraordinary man is able to inspire.”
“You saw all this as soon as Mortimer came to us, Pons?” My companion shook his head emphatically.
“Hardly, Parker. I was casting about for the key when all the time it was before me. You approached the problem from the opposite direction and because money was involved immediately came to the outrageous conclusion that Foy had done away with his only son.”
“It was perhaps a somewhat natural conclusion, Pons,” I said somewhat irritably.
He shook his head again, even more emphatically upon this occasion.
“A man whose drawing room is filled with portraits and photographs of his late wife and only child is not concerned with hate and murder, Parker. Such souvenirs are the symbols of love. That was elementary, for a man who had committed a crime would not keep reminders about him. The housekeeper also was acting under considerable strain and I hoped to elicit some reaction from her while putting pressure upon Foy.”
“That was why you kept asking those questions about the boy, Pons!”
My companion chuckled, putting his pipe back between strong teeth.
“Naturally, Parker. And it immediately gave me the clue I was seeking. Vaucher in Switzerland provided the information that the boy was not at school. He was at home ill, according to the educational authorities there. Foy was lying, therefore, when he said the boy was in Switzerland. From his whole demeanour and from that of the housekeeper I came to the conclusion that the boy was either seriously ill in England and for some reason Foy was keeping the matter secret; or that he had been kidnapped. The latter was the more likely, but for what reason?”
“Good heavens, Mr. Pons!” Jamison broke in excitedly. “I have never heard anything like it.”
Solar Pons’ thin lips parted in the ghost of a smile.
“You astonish me, Inspector. Yet you have been present at a number of my cases in the past.”
There was a sudden burst of coughing from Jamison and I could not repress a low chuckle as I caught my companion’s eye in the rear-mirror.
“Let me just get this clear, Pons…”
“Tut, Parker, it was crystal-clear. Hugo Foy was mad only to specific people. His madness related to South America only. And his son was missing. I had then merely to transfer my attention to events in that inflammable corner of the world.”
“You mean those newspaper reports?”
“Of course. You may recall I drew to your notice the fact that Foy was elected to the Board of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in February of this year. According to all the available reports he apparently started losing his reason in March. But in one area only, as I have already stated. The coup in Paragonia coupled with the financial news of Foy’s projects out there gave me the key to the whole situation. The San Ysidor Zinc Trust, controlled by Foy and on which much of the prosperity of the country depends; and the new dam scheme launched by another group of Foy’s companies.
“A man who is mad only in public and eminently sane in private life. Marceau obviously threatened to kill the boy if Foy did not do as he was told. We have already learned from the people in that house that young Anthony Foy was seized on coming home from school. His aircraft was met at Croydon Airport by a bogus chauffeur in Marceau’s employ. Foy later received a note from the terrorists, who informed him the child would be killed if he did not do as they said. The child was allowed to speak to him over the telephone from time to time to reinforce their demands. I leave it to you to imagine his state of mind.”
“I am still not quite clear, Pons.”
“Come, Parker, it was quite obvious. By kidnapping Foy’s son Marceau was putting pressure on him to act in an insane manner to depress the South American shares and topple the Zinc Trust and with it the dam scheme.”
“But for what purpose, Pons?”
My friend gave me a look in which exasperation was mingled with wry affection.
“Forgive me, my dear fellow. It is obvious South American politics are not your forte. O’Hara, the President, is merely the tool of Marceau. For years Marceau has schemed to take over the country himself but O’Hara has all the wiliness of an experienced and corrupt politician and has staved off his attempts, though at the same time he cannot afford open enmity. Marceau wants Paragonia plunged into chaos. As the country’s strong man he can then take over.”
I stared at Pons as though thunderstruck, hardly conscious of the dark ribbon of road unreeling before the headlights.
“I see, Pons! It is quite clear now!”
“Naturally, Parker. There are some things worse than murder; and kidnapping and terrorism are two of them. I would not lose any sleep over Marceau’s demise if I were you. And I have no doubt the Ambassador’s visit tonight was in order to turn the screw tighter.”