Read Online The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie - Free Book Online
Authors: Agatha Christie
Ads: Link
dream.
“Old Ronny - shot,” he murmured. “What is this damned business?”
He sat down on the edge of a chair, thinking for a minute or two, and then spoke in a quiet, level voice.
“There's something I think I ought to tell you.”
“Yes,” said Bundle encouragingly.
“It was on the day Gerry Wade died. On the way over to break the news to you -” he nodded at Loraine - “in the car Ronny said something to me. That is to say, he started to tell me something. There was something he wanted to tell me, and he began about it, and then he said he was bound by a promise and couldn't go on.”
“Bound by a promise,” said Loraine thoughtfully.
“That's what he said. Naturally I didn't press him after that. But he was odd - darned odd - all through. I got the impression then that he suspected - well, foul play. I thought he'd tell the doctor so. But no, not even a hint. So I thought I'd been mistaken. And afterwards, with the evidence and all - well, it seemed such a very clear case. I thought my suspicions had been all bosh.”
“But you think Ronny still suspected?” asked Bundle.
Jimmy nodded.
“That's what I think now. Why, none of us have seen anything of him since. I believe he was playing a lone hand - trying to find out the truth about Gerry's death, and what's more, I believe he did find out. That's why the devils shot him. And then he tried to send word to me, but could only get out those two words.”
“Seven Dials,” said Bundle, and shivered a little.
“Seven Dials,” said Jimmy gravely. “At any rate we've got that to go on with.”
Bundle turned to Loraine.
“You were just going to tell me -”
“Oh! yes. First, about the letter.” She spoke to Jimmy. “Gerry left a letter. Lady Eileen -”
“Bundle.”
“Bundle found if.” She explained the circumstances in a few words.
Jimmy listened, keenly interested. This was the first he had heard of the letter. Loraine took it from her bag and handed it to him. He read it, then looked across at her.
“This is where you can help us. What was it Gerry wanted you to forget?”
Loraine's brows wrinkled a little in perplexity.
“It's so hard to remember exactly now. I opened a letter of Gerry's by mistake. It was written on cheap sort of paper, I remember, and very illiterate handwriting. It had some address in Seven Dials at the head of it. I realised it wasn't for me, so I put it back in the envelope without reading it.”
“Sure?” asked Jimmy very gently.
Loraine laughed for the first time.
“I know what you think, and I admit that women are curious. But, you see, this didn't even look interesting. It was a kind of list of names and dates.”
“Names and dates,” said Jimmy thoughtfully.
“Gerry didn't seem to mind much,” continued Loraine. “He laughed. He asked me if I had ever heard of the Mafia, and then said it would be queer if a society like the Mafia started in England - but that that kind of secret society didn't take on much with English people. 'Our criminals,' he said, 'haven't got a picturesque imagination.'”
Jimmy pursed up his lips into a whistle.
“I'm beginning to see,” he said. “Seven Dials must be the headquarters of some secret society. As he says in his letter to you, he thought it rather a joke to start with. But evidently it wasn't a joke - he says as much. And there's something else: his anxiety that you should forget what he'd told you. There can be only one reason for that - if that society suspected that you had any knowledge of its activity, you too would be in danger. Gerald realised the peril, and he was terribly anxious - for you.”
He stopped, then he went on quietly:
“I rather fancy that we're all going to be in danger - if we go on with this.”
“If -?” cried Bundle indignantly.
“I'm talking of you two. It's different for me. I was poor old Ronny's pal.” He looked at Bundle. “You've done your bit. You've delivered the message he sent me. Now, for God's
“Old Ronny - shot,” he murmured. “What is this damned business?”
He sat down on the edge of a chair, thinking for a minute or two, and then spoke in a quiet, level voice.
“There's something I think I ought to tell you.”
“Yes,” said Bundle encouragingly.
“It was on the day Gerry Wade died. On the way over to break the news to you -” he nodded at Loraine - “in the car Ronny said something to me. That is to say, he started to tell me something. There was something he wanted to tell me, and he began about it, and then he said he was bound by a promise and couldn't go on.”
“Bound by a promise,” said Loraine thoughtfully.
“That's what he said. Naturally I didn't press him after that. But he was odd - darned odd - all through. I got the impression then that he suspected - well, foul play. I thought he'd tell the doctor so. But no, not even a hint. So I thought I'd been mistaken. And afterwards, with the evidence and all - well, it seemed such a very clear case. I thought my suspicions had been all bosh.”
“But you think Ronny still suspected?” asked Bundle.
Jimmy nodded.
“That's what I think now. Why, none of us have seen anything of him since. I believe he was playing a lone hand - trying to find out the truth about Gerry's death, and what's more, I believe he did find out. That's why the devils shot him. And then he tried to send word to me, but could only get out those two words.”
“Seven Dials,” said Bundle, and shivered a little.
“Seven Dials,” said Jimmy gravely. “At any rate we've got that to go on with.”
Bundle turned to Loraine.
“You were just going to tell me -”
“Oh! yes. First, about the letter.” She spoke to Jimmy. “Gerry left a letter. Lady Eileen -”
“Bundle.”
“Bundle found if.” She explained the circumstances in a few words.
Jimmy listened, keenly interested. This was the first he had heard of the letter. Loraine took it from her bag and handed it to him. He read it, then looked across at her.
“This is where you can help us. What was it Gerry wanted you to forget?”
Loraine's brows wrinkled a little in perplexity.
“It's so hard to remember exactly now. I opened a letter of Gerry's by mistake. It was written on cheap sort of paper, I remember, and very illiterate handwriting. It had some address in Seven Dials at the head of it. I realised it wasn't for me, so I put it back in the envelope without reading it.”
“Sure?” asked Jimmy very gently.
Loraine laughed for the first time.
“I know what you think, and I admit that women are curious. But, you see, this didn't even look interesting. It was a kind of list of names and dates.”
“Names and dates,” said Jimmy thoughtfully.
“Gerry didn't seem to mind much,” continued Loraine. “He laughed. He asked me if I had ever heard of the Mafia, and then said it would be queer if a society like the Mafia started in England - but that that kind of secret society didn't take on much with English people. 'Our criminals,' he said, 'haven't got a picturesque imagination.'”
Jimmy pursed up his lips into a whistle.
“I'm beginning to see,” he said. “Seven Dials must be the headquarters of some secret society. As he says in his letter to you, he thought it rather a joke to start with. But evidently it wasn't a joke - he says as much. And there's something else: his anxiety that you should forget what he'd told you. There can be only one reason for that - if that society suspected that you had any knowledge of its activity, you too would be in danger. Gerald realised the peril, and he was terribly anxious - for you.”
He stopped, then he went on quietly:
“I rather fancy that we're all going to be in danger - if we go on with this.”
“If -?” cried Bundle indignantly.
“I'm talking of you two. It's different for me. I was poor old Ronny's pal.” He looked at Bundle. “You've done your bit. You've delivered the message he sent me. Now, for God's
Similar Books
