Read Online The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie - Free Book Online
Authors: Agatha Christie
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face. One of those men who usually get their own way and whom women frequently admire.
But not the sort of fellow I'd trust, the colonel thought to himself.
Unscrupulous - that was the word for him. The sort of fellow who wouldn't stick at anything.
Ill
In the big bedroom overlooking the sea, Conway Jefferson was sitting in his wheeled chair by the window.
No sooner were you in the room with him than you felt the power and magnetism of the man. It was as though the injuries which had left him a cripple had resulted in concentrating the vitality of his shattered body into a narrower and more intense focus.
He had a fine head, the red of the hair slightly grizzled. The face was rugged and powerful, deeply sun-tanned, and the eyes were a startling blue. There was no sign of illness or feebleness about him. The deep lines on his face were the lines of suffering, not the lines of weakness. Here was a man who would never rail against fate, but accept it and pass on to victory.
He said, “I'm glad you've come.” His quick eyes took them in. He said to Melchett, “You're the chief constable of Radfordshire? Right. And you're Superintendent Harper? Sit down. Cigarettes on the table beside you.”
They thanked him and sat down.
Melchett said, “I understand, Mr Jefferson, that you were interested in the dead girl?”
A quick, twisted smile flashed across the lined face.
“Yes, they'll all have told you that! Well, it's no secret. How much has my family said to you?”
He looked quickly from one to the other as he asked the question.
It was Melchett who answered. “Mrs Jefferson told us very little beyond the fact that the girl's chatter amused you and that she was by way of being a protegee. We have only exchanged half a dozen words with Mr Gaskell.”
Conway Jefferson smiled. “Addie's a discreet creature, bless her. Mark would probably have been more outspoken. I think, Melchett, that I'd better tell you some facts rather fully. It's necessary, in order that you should understand my attitude. And, to begin with, it's necessary that I go back to the big tragedy of my life. Eight years ago I lost my wife, my son and my daughter in an aeroplane accident. Since then I've been like a man who's lost half himself and I'm not speaking of my physical plight! I was a family man. My daughter-in-law and my son-in-law have been very good to me. They've done all they can to take the place of my flesh and blood. But I've realized, especially of late, that they have, after all, their own lives to live. So you must understand that, essentially, I'm a lonely man. I like young people. I enjoy them. Once or twice I've played with the idea ofadopting some girl or boy. During this last month I got very friendly with the child who's been killed. She was absolutely natural, completely naive. She chattered on about her life and her experiences in pantomime, with touring companies, with mum and dad as a child in cheap lodgings. Such a different life from any I've known! Never complaining, never seeing it as sordid. Just a natural, uncomplaining, hard-working child, unspoilt and charming. Not a lady, perhaps, but thank God neither vulgar nor abominable. I got more and more fond of Ruby. I decided, gentlemen, to adopt her legally. She would become, by law, my daughter. That, I hope, explains my concern for her and the steps I took when I heard of her unaccountable disappearance.”
There was a pause. Then Superintendent Harper, his unemotional voice robbing the question of any offence, asked, “May I ask what your son-in-law and daughter-in-law said to that?”
Jefferson's answer came back quickly.
“What could they say? They didn't, perhaps, like it very much. It's the sort of thing that arouses prejudice. But they behaved very well yes, very well. It's not as though, you see, they were dependent on me. When my son Frank married, I turned over half my worldly goods to him then and there. I believe in that. Don't let your children wait
But not the sort of fellow I'd trust, the colonel thought to himself.
Unscrupulous - that was the word for him. The sort of fellow who wouldn't stick at anything.
Ill
In the big bedroom overlooking the sea, Conway Jefferson was sitting in his wheeled chair by the window.
No sooner were you in the room with him than you felt the power and magnetism of the man. It was as though the injuries which had left him a cripple had resulted in concentrating the vitality of his shattered body into a narrower and more intense focus.
He had a fine head, the red of the hair slightly grizzled. The face was rugged and powerful, deeply sun-tanned, and the eyes were a startling blue. There was no sign of illness or feebleness about him. The deep lines on his face were the lines of suffering, not the lines of weakness. Here was a man who would never rail against fate, but accept it and pass on to victory.
He said, “I'm glad you've come.” His quick eyes took them in. He said to Melchett, “You're the chief constable of Radfordshire? Right. And you're Superintendent Harper? Sit down. Cigarettes on the table beside you.”
They thanked him and sat down.
Melchett said, “I understand, Mr Jefferson, that you were interested in the dead girl?”
A quick, twisted smile flashed across the lined face.
“Yes, they'll all have told you that! Well, it's no secret. How much has my family said to you?”
He looked quickly from one to the other as he asked the question.
It was Melchett who answered. “Mrs Jefferson told us very little beyond the fact that the girl's chatter amused you and that she was by way of being a protegee. We have only exchanged half a dozen words with Mr Gaskell.”
Conway Jefferson smiled. “Addie's a discreet creature, bless her. Mark would probably have been more outspoken. I think, Melchett, that I'd better tell you some facts rather fully. It's necessary, in order that you should understand my attitude. And, to begin with, it's necessary that I go back to the big tragedy of my life. Eight years ago I lost my wife, my son and my daughter in an aeroplane accident. Since then I've been like a man who's lost half himself and I'm not speaking of my physical plight! I was a family man. My daughter-in-law and my son-in-law have been very good to me. They've done all they can to take the place of my flesh and blood. But I've realized, especially of late, that they have, after all, their own lives to live. So you must understand that, essentially, I'm a lonely man. I like young people. I enjoy them. Once or twice I've played with the idea ofadopting some girl or boy. During this last month I got very friendly with the child who's been killed. She was absolutely natural, completely naive. She chattered on about her life and her experiences in pantomime, with touring companies, with mum and dad as a child in cheap lodgings. Such a different life from any I've known! Never complaining, never seeing it as sordid. Just a natural, uncomplaining, hard-working child, unspoilt and charming. Not a lady, perhaps, but thank God neither vulgar nor abominable. I got more and more fond of Ruby. I decided, gentlemen, to adopt her legally. She would become, by law, my daughter. That, I hope, explains my concern for her and the steps I took when I heard of her unaccountable disappearance.”
There was a pause. Then Superintendent Harper, his unemotional voice robbing the question of any offence, asked, “May I ask what your son-in-law and daughter-in-law said to that?”
Jefferson's answer came back quickly.
“What could they say? They didn't, perhaps, like it very much. It's the sort of thing that arouses prejudice. But they behaved very well yes, very well. It's not as though, you see, they were dependent on me. When my son Frank married, I turned over half my worldly goods to him then and there. I believe in that. Don't let your children wait
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