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Five Little Pigs :: Christie Agatha
Страница: 136 из 147None of these things depend on the evidence of one witness only.
‘On the following morning there is a scene between husband and wife in the library. The first thing that is overheard is Caroline Crale saying: ‘You and your women!’ in a bitter voice, and finally going on to say, ‘Some day I’ll kill you.’ Philip Blake overheard this from the hall. And Miss Greer overheard it from the terrace outside.
‘She then heard Mr Crale ask his wife to be reasonable. And she heard Mrs Crale say: ‘Sooner than let you go to that girl-I’ll kill you.’ Soon after this Amyas Crale comes out and brusquely tells Elsa Greer to come down and pose for him. She gets a pullover and accompanies him.
‘There is nothing so far that seems psychologically incorrect. Every one has behaved as they might be expected to behave. But we come now to something thatis incongruous.
‘Meredith Blake discovers his loss, telephones his brother; they meet down at the landing stage and they come up past the Battery garden, where Caroline Crale is having a discussion with her husband on the subject of Angela’s going to school. Now that does strike me as very odd. Husband and wife have a terrific scene, ending in a distinct threat on Caroline’s part, and yet, twenty minutes or so later, she goes down and starts a trivial domestic argument.’
Poirot turned to Meredith Blake.
‘You speak in your narrative of certain words you overheard Crale say. These were: “It’s all settled-I’ll see to her packing.” That is right?’
Meredith Blake said: ‘It was something like that-yes.’
Poirot turned to Philip Blake.
‘Is your recollection the same?’
The latter frowned.
‘I didn’t remember it till you say so-but I do remember now. Somethingwas said about packing!’
‘Said by Mr Crale-not Mrs Crale?’
‘Amyas said it. All I heard Caroline say was something about its being very hard on the girl. Anyway, what does all this matter? We all know Angela was off to school in a day or two.’
Poirot said: ‘You do not see the force of my objection. Why shouldAmyas Crale pack for the girl? It is absurd, that! There was Mrs Crale, there was Miss Williams, there was a housemaid. It is a woman’s job to pack-not a man’s.’
Philip Blake said impatiently:
‘What does it matter? It’s nothing to do with the crime.’
‘You think not? For me, it was the first point that struck me as suggestive. And it is immediately followed by another.
‘On the following morning there is a scene between husband and wife in the library. The first thing that is overheard is Caroline Crale saying: ‘You and your women!’ in a bitter voice, and finally going on to say, ‘Some day I’ll kill you.’ Philip Blake overheard this from the hall. And Miss Greer overheard it from the terrace outside.
‘She then heard Mr Crale ask his wife to be reasonable. And she heard Mrs Crale say: ‘Sooner than let you go to that girl-I’ll kill you.’ Soon after this Amyas Crale comes out and brusquely tells Elsa Greer to come down and pose for him. She gets a pullover and accompanies him.
‘There is nothing so far that seems psychologically incorrect. Every one has behaved as they might be expected to behave. But we come now to something thatis incongruous.
‘Meredith Blake discovers his loss, telephones his brother; they meet down at the landing stage and they come up past the Battery garden, where Caroline Crale is having a discussion with her husband on the subject of Angela’s going to school. Now that does strike me as very odd. Husband and wife have a terrific scene, ending in a distinct threat on Caroline’s part, and yet, twenty minutes or so later, she goes down and starts a trivial domestic argument.’
Poirot turned to Meredith Blake.
‘You speak in your narrative of certain words you overheard Crale say. These were: “It’s all settled-I’ll see to her packing.” That is right?’
Meredith Blake said: ‘It was something like that-yes.’
Poirot turned to Philip Blake.
‘Is your recollection the same?’
The latter frowned.
‘I didn’t remember it till you say so-but I do remember now. Somethingwas said about packing!’
‘Said by Mr Crale-not Mrs Crale?’
‘Amyas said it. All I heard Caroline say was something about its being very hard on the girl. Anyway, what does all this matter? We all know Angela was off to school in a day or two.’
Poirot said: ‘You do not see the force of my objection. Why shouldAmyas Crale pack for the girl? It is absurd, that! There was Mrs Crale, there was Miss Williams, there was a housemaid. It is a woman’s job to pack-not a man’s.’
Philip Blake said impatiently:
‘What does it matter? It’s nothing to do with the crime.’
‘You think not? For me, it was the first point that struck me as suggestive. And it is immediately followed by another.