"You stand over there where you are and don't .move," said that gentleman.
Among them, the men stripped the table and turned it upside down. Mr. Pointz examined every inch of it. Then he transferred his attention to the chair on which Eve had been sitting and those on either side of her.
The thoroughness of the search left nothing to be desired. The other four men joined in and the
women also. Eve Leathern stood by the wall
near the screen and laughed with intense enjoy-ment.
Five minutes later Mr. Pointz rose with a slight groan from his knees and dusted his trousers sadly. His pristine freshness was somewhat im-paired.
"Eve," he said. "I take off my hat to you. You're the finest thing in jewel thieves I've ever come across. What you've done with that stone beats me. As far as I can see it must be in the room as it isn't on you. I give you best."
"Are the stockings mine?" demanded Eve. "They're yours, young lady."
"Eve, my child, where can you have hidden it?"
demanded Mrs. Rustington curiously.
Eve pranced forward.
"I'll show you. You'll all be just mad with yourselves."
She went across to the side table where the things from the dinner table had been roughly
THE REGATTA MYSTERY 15
stacked. She picked up her little black evening bag ''Right under your eyes. Right..."
Her voice, gay and triumphant, trailed off sud-denly.
"Oh," she said. "Oh .... "
"What's the matter, honey?" said her father. Eve whispered: "It's gone.., it's gone .... "
"What's all this?" asked Pointz, coming for-ward.
Eve turned to him impetuously.
"It was like this. This pochette of mine has a big paste stone in the middle of the clasp. It fell out
last night and just when you were showing that diamond round I noticed that it was much the
same size. And so I thought in the night what a good idea for a robbery it would be to wedge your diamond into the gap with a bit of plasticine. I felt sure nobody would ever spot it. That's what I did tonight. First I dropped it--then went down after it with the bag in my hand, stuck it into the gap with a bit of plasticine which I had handy, put my bag on the table and went on pretending to look for the diamond. I thought it would be like the Purloined Letter--you know--lying there in full view under all your noses--and just looking like a common bit of rhinestone. And it was a good plan --none of you did notice."
"I wonder," said Mr. Stein.
"What did you say?"
Mr. Pointz took the bag, looked at the empty hole with a fragment of plasticine still adhering to it and said slowly: "It may have fallen out. We'd better look again." 16 Agatha Christie
The search was repeated, but this time it was a curiously silent business. An atmosphere of ten-sion pervaded the room.
Finally everyone in turn gave it up. They stood looking at each other.
"It's not in this room," said Stein.
"And nobody's left the room," said Sir George significantly.
There was a moment's pause. Eve ,urst into tears.
Her father patted her on the shoulder. "There, there," he said awkwardly. Sir George turned to Leo Stein.
"Mr. Stein," he said. "Just now you murmured something under your breath. When I asked you
to repeat it, you said it was nothing. But as a matter of fact I heard what you said. Miss Eve had
just said that none of us noticed the place where she had put the diamond. The words you mur-mured were: 'I wonder.' What we have to face is the probability that one person did notice--that that person is in this room now. I suggest that the only fair and honorable thing is for every one present to submit to a search. The diamond can-not have left the room."
When Sir George played the part of the old English gentleman, none could play it better. His voice rang with sincerity and indignation.
"Bit unpleasant, alLthis," said Mr. Pointz
unhappily. :,!
"It's all my fault," Sobbed Eve. "I didn't
mean--"
"Buck up, kiddo," said Mr. Stein kindly.
"Nobody's blaming you."
THE REGATTA MYSTERY
Mr. Leathern said in his slow pedantic manner, "Why, certainly, I think that Sir George's sug-gestion will meet with the fullest approval from all of us. It does from me."
"I agree," said Evan Llewellyn.
Mrs. Rustington looked at Lady Marroway who nodded a brief assent. The two of them went back behind the screen and the sobbing Eve accom-panied them.
A waiter knocked on the door and was told to go away.
Five minutes later eight people looked at each other incredulously.
The Morning Star had vanished into space ....
Mr. Parker Pyne looked thoughtfully at the dark agitated face of the young man opposite him.
"Of course," he said. "You're Welsh, Mr. Llewellyn."
"What's that got to do with it?"
Mr. Parker Pyne waved a large, well-cared-for hand.
"Nothing at all, I admit. I am interested in the classification of emotional reactions as exempli-fied by certain racial types. That is all. Let us return to the consideration of your particular problem."
"I don't really know why I came to you," said Evan Llewellyn. His hands twitched nervously, and his dark face had a haggard look. He did not look at Mr. Parker Pyne and that gentleman's
scrutiny seemed to make him uncomfortable. "I
don't know why I came to you," he repeated. "But where the Hell can I go? And what the Hell
18 Agatha Christie
can I do? It'9 the powerlessness of not being able to do anythirg at all that gets me .... I saw your advertisement and I remembered that a chap had once spoken if you and said that you got results. . . . And--w¢ll--I came! I suppose I was a fool. It's the sort of position nobody can do anything about." "Not at all," said Mr. Parker Pyne. "I am the proper persors to come to. I am a specialist in un. happiness. This business has obviously caused you a good deal of pain. You are sure the facts are exactly as you have told me?" "I don't tlaink I've left out anything. Pointz brought out the diamond and passed it around--that wretched American child stuck it on her ridiculous bag and when we came to look at the bag, the diamond was gone. It wasn't on anyone --old Pointz himself even was searched--he suggested