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Authors: Agatha Christie
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run over?'
'Oh, yes, I remember that,' Jan replied quite cheerfully. 'Richard went to the inquest.'
'Yes, that's right. What else do you remember?' the inspector encouraged him.
'We had salmon for lunch that day,' Jan said immediately. 'Richard and Warby came back together. Warby was a bit flustered, but Richard was laughing.'
'Warby?' the inspector queried. 'Is that Nurse Warburton?'
'Yes, Warby. I didn't like her much. But Richard was so pleased with her that day that he kept saying, “Jolly good show, Warby.”'
The door suddenly opened, and Laura Warwick appeared. Sergeant Cadwallader went across to her, and Jan called out, 'Hello, Laura.'
'Am I interrupting?' Laura asked the inspector.
'No, of course not, Mrs Warwick,' he replied. 'Do sit down, won't you?'
Laura came further into the room, and the sergeant shut the door behind her. 'Is - is Jan - ?' Laura began. She paused.
'I'm just asking him,' the inspector explained, 'if he remembers anything about that accident to the boy in Norfolk. The MacGregor boy.'
Laura sat at the end of the sofa. 'Do you remember, Jan?' she asked him.
'Of course I remember,' the lad replied, eagerly. 'I remember everything.' He turned to the inspector. 'I've told you, haven't I?' he asked.
The inspector did not reply to him directly. Instead, he moved slowly to the sofa and, addressing Laura Warwick, asked, 'What do you know about the accident, Mrs Warwick? Was it discussed at luncheon that day, when your husband came back from the inquest?'
'I don't remember,' Laura replied immediately.
Jan rose quickly and moved towards her. 'Oh, yes, you do, Laura, surely,' he reminded her. 'Don't you remember Richard saying that one brat more or less in the world didn't make any difference?'
Laura rose. 'Please -' she implored the inspector.
'It's quite all right, Mrs Warwick,' Inspector Thomas assured her gently. 'It's important, you know, that we get at the truth of that accident. After all, presumably it's the motive for what happened here last night.'
'Oh yes,' she sighed. 'I know. I know.'
'According to your mother-in-law,' the inspector continued, 'your husband had been drinking that day.'
'I expect he had,' Laura admitted. 'It - it wouldn't surprise me.'
The inspector moved to sit at the end of the sofa. 'Did you actually see or meet this man, MacGregor?' he asked her.
'No,' said Laura. 'No, I didn't go to the inquest.'
'He seems to have felt very revengeful,' the inspector commented.
Laura gave a sad smile. 'It must have affected his brain, I think,' she agreed.
Jan, who had gradually been getting very excited, came up to them. 'If I had an enemy,' he exclaimed aggressively, 'that's what I'd do. I'd wait a long time, and then I'd come creeping along in the dark with my gun. Then - ' He shot at the armchair with an imaginary gun. 'Bang, bang, bang.'
'Be quiet, Jan,' Laura ordered him, sharply.
Jan suddenly looked upset. 'Are you angry with me, Laura?' he asked her, childishly.
'No, darling,' Laura reassured him, 'I'm not angry. But try not to get too excited.'
'I'm not excited,' Jan insisted.
The Unexpected Guest
CHAPTER TEN
Crossing the front hall, Miss Bennett paused to admit Starkwedder and a police constable who seemed to have arrived on the doorstep together.
'Good morning, Miss Bennett,' Starkwedder greeted her. I'm here to see Inspector Thomas.'
Miss Bennett nodded. 'Good morning - oh, good morning. Constable. They're in the study, both of them - I don't know what's going on.'
'Good morning, madam,' the police constable replied. I've brought these for the inspector. Perhaps Sergeant Cadwallader could take them.'
'What's this?' Laura asked, over the rumble of voices outside.
The inspector rose and moved towards the door. 'It sounds as if Mr Starkwedder is back.'
As Starkwedder entered the room, Sergeant Cadwallader went out into the hall to deal with the constable. Meanwhile, young Jan sank into the armchair, and observed the proceedings eagerly.
'Look
'Oh, yes, I remember that,' Jan replied quite cheerfully. 'Richard went to the inquest.'
'Yes, that's right. What else do you remember?' the inspector encouraged him.
'We had salmon for lunch that day,' Jan said immediately. 'Richard and Warby came back together. Warby was a bit flustered, but Richard was laughing.'
'Warby?' the inspector queried. 'Is that Nurse Warburton?'
'Yes, Warby. I didn't like her much. But Richard was so pleased with her that day that he kept saying, “Jolly good show, Warby.”'
The door suddenly opened, and Laura Warwick appeared. Sergeant Cadwallader went across to her, and Jan called out, 'Hello, Laura.'
'Am I interrupting?' Laura asked the inspector.
'No, of course not, Mrs Warwick,' he replied. 'Do sit down, won't you?'
Laura came further into the room, and the sergeant shut the door behind her. 'Is - is Jan - ?' Laura began. She paused.
'I'm just asking him,' the inspector explained, 'if he remembers anything about that accident to the boy in Norfolk. The MacGregor boy.'
Laura sat at the end of the sofa. 'Do you remember, Jan?' she asked him.
'Of course I remember,' the lad replied, eagerly. 'I remember everything.' He turned to the inspector. 'I've told you, haven't I?' he asked.
The inspector did not reply to him directly. Instead, he moved slowly to the sofa and, addressing Laura Warwick, asked, 'What do you know about the accident, Mrs Warwick? Was it discussed at luncheon that day, when your husband came back from the inquest?'
'I don't remember,' Laura replied immediately.
Jan rose quickly and moved towards her. 'Oh, yes, you do, Laura, surely,' he reminded her. 'Don't you remember Richard saying that one brat more or less in the world didn't make any difference?'
Laura rose. 'Please -' she implored the inspector.
'It's quite all right, Mrs Warwick,' Inspector Thomas assured her gently. 'It's important, you know, that we get at the truth of that accident. After all, presumably it's the motive for what happened here last night.'
'Oh yes,' she sighed. 'I know. I know.'
'According to your mother-in-law,' the inspector continued, 'your husband had been drinking that day.'
'I expect he had,' Laura admitted. 'It - it wouldn't surprise me.'
The inspector moved to sit at the end of the sofa. 'Did you actually see or meet this man, MacGregor?' he asked her.
'No,' said Laura. 'No, I didn't go to the inquest.'
'He seems to have felt very revengeful,' the inspector commented.
Laura gave a sad smile. 'It must have affected his brain, I think,' she agreed.
Jan, who had gradually been getting very excited, came up to them. 'If I had an enemy,' he exclaimed aggressively, 'that's what I'd do. I'd wait a long time, and then I'd come creeping along in the dark with my gun. Then - ' He shot at the armchair with an imaginary gun. 'Bang, bang, bang.'
'Be quiet, Jan,' Laura ordered him, sharply.
Jan suddenly looked upset. 'Are you angry with me, Laura?' he asked her, childishly.
'No, darling,' Laura reassured him, 'I'm not angry. But try not to get too excited.'
'I'm not excited,' Jan insisted.
The Unexpected Guest
CHAPTER TEN
Crossing the front hall, Miss Bennett paused to admit Starkwedder and a police constable who seemed to have arrived on the doorstep together.
'Good morning, Miss Bennett,' Starkwedder greeted her. I'm here to see Inspector Thomas.'
Miss Bennett nodded. 'Good morning - oh, good morning. Constable. They're in the study, both of them - I don't know what's going on.'
'Good morning, madam,' the police constable replied. I've brought these for the inspector. Perhaps Sergeant Cadwallader could take them.'
'What's this?' Laura asked, over the rumble of voices outside.
The inspector rose and moved towards the door. 'It sounds as if Mr Starkwedder is back.'
As Starkwedder entered the room, Sergeant Cadwallader went out into the hall to deal with the constable. Meanwhile, young Jan sank into the armchair, and observed the proceedings eagerly.
'Look
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