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Authors: Agatha Christie
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told,” said Luke in jocular fashion.
He had the pleasure of seeing Doctor Thomas' pale pink countenance go a deep scarlet. “Oh - er - yes,” he said.
Luke gazed at him kindly. He was pleased at the prospect of erasing Doctor Thomas from his list of suspected persons. The latter recovered his normal hue and said abruptly, “Talking about crime just now, I can lend you rather a good book, as you are interested in the subject. Translation from the German. Kreuzhammer on Inferiority and Crime.”
“Thank you,” said Luke.
Doctor Thomas ran his finger along a shelf and drew out the book in question. “Here you are. Some of the theories are rather startling, and of course they are only theories, but they are interesting. The early life of Menzheld, for instance, the Frankfurt butcher, as they called him, and the chapter on Anna Helm, the little nursemaid killer, are really extremely interesting.”
“She killed about a dozen of her charges before the authorities tumbled to it, I believe,” said Luke.
Doctor Thomas nodded. “Yes. She had a most sympathetic personality - devoted to children, and apparently quite genuinely heartbroken at each death. The psychology is amazing.”
“Amazing how these people get away with it.”
He was on the doorstep now. Doctor Thomas had come out with him. “Not amazing, really,” said Doctor Thomas. “It's quite easy, you know.”
“What is?”
“To get away with it.” He was smiling again - a charming, boyish smile. “If you're careful. One just has to be careful, that's all. But a clever man is extremely careful not to make a slip. That's all there is to it.” He smiled again and went into the house.
Luke stood staring up the steps. There had been something condescending in the doctor's smile. Throughout their conversation, Luke had been conscious of himself as a man of full maturity and of Doctor Thomas as a youthful and ingenuous young man.
Just for the moment he felt the roles reversed! The doctor's smile had been that of a grown-up amused by the cleverness of a child.
Murder is Easy
Chapter 9
In the little shop in the High Street, Luke had bought a tin of cigarettes and today's copy of Good Cheer, the enterprising little weekly which provided Lord Easterfield with a good portion of his substantial income. Turning to the football competition, Luke, with a groan, gave forth the information that he had just failed to win a hundred and twenty pounds. Mrs. Pierce was roused at once to sympathy and explained similar disappointments on the part of her husband.
Friendly relations thus established, Luke found no difficulty in prolonging the conversation.
“A great interest in football, Mr. Pierce takes,” said Mr. Pierce's spouse. “Turns to it first of all in the news, he does. And, as I say, many a disappointment he's had, but there, everybody can't win, that's what I say, and what I say is you can't go against luck.”
Luke concurred heartily in these sentiments, and proceeded to advance by an easy transition to a further profound statement that troubles never come singly.
“Ah, no, indeed, sir; that I do know.” Mrs. Pierce sighed. “And when a woman has a husband and eight children - six living, and buried two, that is - well, she knows what trouble is, as you may say.”
“I suppose she does. Oh, undoubtedly,” said Luke. “You've - er - buried two, you say?”
“One no longer than a month ago,” said Mrs. Pierce, with a kind of melancholy enjoyment.
“Dear me, very sad.”
“It wasn't only sad, sir. It was a shock, that's what it was - a shock! I came all over queer, I did, when they broke it to me. Never having expected anything of that kind to happen to Tommy, as you might say, for when a boy's trouble to you, it doesn't come natural to think of him being took. Now my Emma Jane, a sweet little mite she was. 'You'll never rear her.' That's what they said. 'She's too good to live.' And it was true, sir. The Lord knows his own.”
Luke
He had the pleasure of seeing Doctor Thomas' pale pink countenance go a deep scarlet. “Oh - er - yes,” he said.
Luke gazed at him kindly. He was pleased at the prospect of erasing Doctor Thomas from his list of suspected persons. The latter recovered his normal hue and said abruptly, “Talking about crime just now, I can lend you rather a good book, as you are interested in the subject. Translation from the German. Kreuzhammer on Inferiority and Crime.”
“Thank you,” said Luke.
Doctor Thomas ran his finger along a shelf and drew out the book in question. “Here you are. Some of the theories are rather startling, and of course they are only theories, but they are interesting. The early life of Menzheld, for instance, the Frankfurt butcher, as they called him, and the chapter on Anna Helm, the little nursemaid killer, are really extremely interesting.”
“She killed about a dozen of her charges before the authorities tumbled to it, I believe,” said Luke.
Doctor Thomas nodded. “Yes. She had a most sympathetic personality - devoted to children, and apparently quite genuinely heartbroken at each death. The psychology is amazing.”
“Amazing how these people get away with it.”
He was on the doorstep now. Doctor Thomas had come out with him. “Not amazing, really,” said Doctor Thomas. “It's quite easy, you know.”
“What is?”
“To get away with it.” He was smiling again - a charming, boyish smile. “If you're careful. One just has to be careful, that's all. But a clever man is extremely careful not to make a slip. That's all there is to it.” He smiled again and went into the house.
Luke stood staring up the steps. There had been something condescending in the doctor's smile. Throughout their conversation, Luke had been conscious of himself as a man of full maturity and of Doctor Thomas as a youthful and ingenuous young man.
Just for the moment he felt the roles reversed! The doctor's smile had been that of a grown-up amused by the cleverness of a child.
Murder is Easy
Chapter 9
In the little shop in the High Street, Luke had bought a tin of cigarettes and today's copy of Good Cheer, the enterprising little weekly which provided Lord Easterfield with a good portion of his substantial income. Turning to the football competition, Luke, with a groan, gave forth the information that he had just failed to win a hundred and twenty pounds. Mrs. Pierce was roused at once to sympathy and explained similar disappointments on the part of her husband.
Friendly relations thus established, Luke found no difficulty in prolonging the conversation.
“A great interest in football, Mr. Pierce takes,” said Mr. Pierce's spouse. “Turns to it first of all in the news, he does. And, as I say, many a disappointment he's had, but there, everybody can't win, that's what I say, and what I say is you can't go against luck.”
Luke concurred heartily in these sentiments, and proceeded to advance by an easy transition to a further profound statement that troubles never come singly.
“Ah, no, indeed, sir; that I do know.” Mrs. Pierce sighed. “And when a woman has a husband and eight children - six living, and buried two, that is - well, she knows what trouble is, as you may say.”
“I suppose she does. Oh, undoubtedly,” said Luke. “You've - er - buried two, you say?”
“One no longer than a month ago,” said Mrs. Pierce, with a kind of melancholy enjoyment.
“Dear me, very sad.”
“It wasn't only sad, sir. It was a shock, that's what it was - a shock! I came all over queer, I did, when they broke it to me. Never having expected anything of that kind to happen to Tommy, as you might say, for when a boy's trouble to you, it doesn't come natural to think of him being took. Now my Emma Jane, a sweet little mite she was. 'You'll never rear her.' That's what they said. 'She's too good to live.' And it was true, sir. The Lord knows his own.”
Luke
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