Read Online Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie - Free Book Online
Authors: Agatha Christie
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young woman,” said Superintendent Huish. “Not glamorous, I wouldn't say that, but good-looking and attractive in a nice kind of way.”
“Probably been devoted to him for years,” said Major Finney. “These women secretaries always seem to be in love with their boss.”
“Well, we've got a motive of a kind for those two,” said Huish. “Then there's the lady help, the Swedish woman. She mightn't really have been as fond of Mrs. Argyle as she appeared to be. There might have been slights or imagined slights; things she resented. She didn't benefit financially by the death because Mrs. Argyle had already bought her a very handsome annuity. She seems a nice, sensible kind of woman and not the sort you can imagine hitting anyone on the head with a poker! But you never know, do you? Look at the Lizzie Borden case.”
“No,” said the Chief Constable, “you never know. There's no question of an outsider of any kind?”
“No trace of one,” said the superintendent. “The drawer where the money was, was pulled out. A sort of attempt had been made to make the room look as though a burglar had been there, but it was a very amateurish effort. Sort of thing that fitted in perfectly with young Jacko having tried to create that particular effect.”
“The odd thing to me,” said the Chief Constable, “is the money.”
“Yes,” said Huish. “That's very difficult to understand. One of the fivers Jack Argyle had on him was definitely one that had been given to Mrs. Argyle at the bank that morning. Mrs. Bottleberry was the name written on the back of it. He said his mother had given the money to him, but both Mr. Argyle and Gwenda Vaughan are quite definite that Mrs. Argyle came into the library at a quarter to seven and told them about Jacko's demands for money and categorically said she'd refused to give him any.”
“It's possible, of course,” the Chief Constable pointed out, “with what we know now, that Argyle and the Vaughan girl might have been lying.”
“Yes, that's a possibility - or perhaps -” the superintendent broke off. “Yes, Huish?” Finney encouraged him.
“Say someone - we'll call him or her X for the moment - overheard the quarrel and the threats that Jacko was making. Suppose someone saw an opportunity there. Got the money, ran after the boy, said that his mother after all wanted him to have it, thus paving the way to one of the prettiest little frame-ups ever. Careful to use the poker that he'd picked up to threaten her with, without smearing his fingerprints.”
“Dammit all,” said the Chief Constable angrily. “None of it seems to fit with what I know of the family. Who else was in the house that evening besides Argyle and Gwenda Vaughan, Hester Argyle and this Lindstrom woman?”
“The eldest married daughter, Mary Durrant, and her husband were staying there.”
“He's a cripple, isn't he? That lets him out. What about Mary Durrant?”
“She's a very calm piece of goods, sir. You can't imagine her getting excited or, well, or killing anyone.”
“The servants?” demanded the Chief Constable. “All dailies, sir, and they'd gone home by six o'clock.” “Let me have a look at the times.” The superintendent passed the paper to him.
“H'm... yes, I see. A quarter to seven Mrs. Argyle was in the library talking to her husband about Jacko's threats. Gwenda Vaughan was present during part of the conversation. Gwenda Vaughan went home just after seven. Hester Argyle saw her mother alive at about two or three minutes to seven. After that, Mrs. Argyle was not seen till half past seven, when her dead body was discovered by Miss Lindstrom. Between seven andhalfpastthere was plenty of opportunity. Hester could have killed her, Gwenda Vaughan could have killed her after she left the library and before she left the house. Miss Lindstrom could have killed her when she 'discovered the body'. Leo Argyle was alone in his library from ten past seven until Miss Lindstrom sounded
“Probably been devoted to him for years,” said Major Finney. “These women secretaries always seem to be in love with their boss.”
“Well, we've got a motive of a kind for those two,” said Huish. “Then there's the lady help, the Swedish woman. She mightn't really have been as fond of Mrs. Argyle as she appeared to be. There might have been slights or imagined slights; things she resented. She didn't benefit financially by the death because Mrs. Argyle had already bought her a very handsome annuity. She seems a nice, sensible kind of woman and not the sort you can imagine hitting anyone on the head with a poker! But you never know, do you? Look at the Lizzie Borden case.”
“No,” said the Chief Constable, “you never know. There's no question of an outsider of any kind?”
“No trace of one,” said the superintendent. “The drawer where the money was, was pulled out. A sort of attempt had been made to make the room look as though a burglar had been there, but it was a very amateurish effort. Sort of thing that fitted in perfectly with young Jacko having tried to create that particular effect.”
“The odd thing to me,” said the Chief Constable, “is the money.”
“Yes,” said Huish. “That's very difficult to understand. One of the fivers Jack Argyle had on him was definitely one that had been given to Mrs. Argyle at the bank that morning. Mrs. Bottleberry was the name written on the back of it. He said his mother had given the money to him, but both Mr. Argyle and Gwenda Vaughan are quite definite that Mrs. Argyle came into the library at a quarter to seven and told them about Jacko's demands for money and categorically said she'd refused to give him any.”
“It's possible, of course,” the Chief Constable pointed out, “with what we know now, that Argyle and the Vaughan girl might have been lying.”
“Yes, that's a possibility - or perhaps -” the superintendent broke off. “Yes, Huish?” Finney encouraged him.
“Say someone - we'll call him or her X for the moment - overheard the quarrel and the threats that Jacko was making. Suppose someone saw an opportunity there. Got the money, ran after the boy, said that his mother after all wanted him to have it, thus paving the way to one of the prettiest little frame-ups ever. Careful to use the poker that he'd picked up to threaten her with, without smearing his fingerprints.”
“Dammit all,” said the Chief Constable angrily. “None of it seems to fit with what I know of the family. Who else was in the house that evening besides Argyle and Gwenda Vaughan, Hester Argyle and this Lindstrom woman?”
“The eldest married daughter, Mary Durrant, and her husband were staying there.”
“He's a cripple, isn't he? That lets him out. What about Mary Durrant?”
“She's a very calm piece of goods, sir. You can't imagine her getting excited or, well, or killing anyone.”
“The servants?” demanded the Chief Constable. “All dailies, sir, and they'd gone home by six o'clock.” “Let me have a look at the times.” The superintendent passed the paper to him.
“H'm... yes, I see. A quarter to seven Mrs. Argyle was in the library talking to her husband about Jacko's threats. Gwenda Vaughan was present during part of the conversation. Gwenda Vaughan went home just after seven. Hester Argyle saw her mother alive at about two or three minutes to seven. After that, Mrs. Argyle was not seen till half past seven, when her dead body was discovered by Miss Lindstrom. Between seven andhalfpastthere was plenty of opportunity. Hester could have killed her, Gwenda Vaughan could have killed her after she left the library and before she left the house. Miss Lindstrom could have killed her when she 'discovered the body'. Leo Argyle was alone in his library from ten past seven until Miss Lindstrom sounded
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