leg?'
Poirot shook his head. 'Oh, no, he meant it. Shaitana was a man who prided himself on his Mephistophelean attitude toward life. He was a man of great vanity. He was also a stupid man – that is why he is dead.'
'I get you,' said Superintendent Battle, following things out in his mind. 'A party of eight and himself. Four sleuths, so to speak – and four murderers!'
'It's impossible,' cried Mrs. Oliver. 'Absolutely impossible. None of those people can be criminals.'
Superintendent Battle shook his head thoughtfully.
'I wouldn't be so sure of that, Mrs. Oliver. Murderers look and behave very much like everybody else. Nice, quiet, well-behaved reasonable folk, very often.'
'In that case, it's Doctor Roberts,' said Mrs. Oliver firmly. 'I felt instinctively that there was something wrong with that man as soon as I saw him. My instincts never lie.'
Battle turned to Colonel Race.
'What do you think, sir?'
Race shrugged his shoulders. He took the question as referring to Poirot's statement and not to Mrs. Oliver's suspicions. 'It could be,' he said. 'It could be. It shows that Shaitana was right in one case, at least! After all he can only have suspected that these people were murderers, he can't have been sure. He may have been right in all four cases, he may have been right in only one case – but he was right in one case; his death proves that.'
'One of them got the wind up – think that's it, Monsieur Poirot?'
Poirot nodded. 'The late Mr. Shaitana had a reputation,' he said. 'He had a dangerous sense of humor and was reputed to be merciless. The victim thought that Shaitana was giving himself an evening's amusement, leading up to a moment when he'd hand the victim over to the police – you! He or she must have thought that Shaitana had definite evidence.'
'Had he?'
Poirot shrugged his shoulders.
'That we shall never know.'
'Doctor Roberts!' repeated Mrs. Oliver firmly. 'Such a hearty man. Murderers are often hearty – as a disguise! If I were you, Superintendent Battle, I should arrest him at once.'
'I daresay we would if there was a woman at the head of Scotland Yard,' said Superintendent Battle, a momentary twinkle showing in his unemotional eyes, 'But you see, mere men being in charge, we've got to be careful. We've got to get there slowly.'
'Oh, men – men,' sighed Mrs. Oliver and began to compose newspaper articles in her head.
'Better have them in now,' said Superintendent Battle. 'It won't do to keep them hanging about too long.'
Colonel Race half rose. 'If you'd like us to go -'
Superintendent Battle hesitated a minute as he caught Mrs. Oliver's eloquent eye. He was well aware of Colonel Race's official position and Poirot had worked with the police on many occasions. For Mrs. Oliver to remain was decidedly stretching a point. But Battle was a kindly man. He remembered that Mrs. Oliver had lost three pounds and seven shillings at bridge and that she had been a cheerful loser.
'You can all stay,' he said, 'as far as I'm concerned. But no interruptions, please (he looked at Mrs. Oliver) and there mustn't be a hint of what Monsieur Poirot has just told us. That was Shaitana's little secret and to all intents and purposes it died with him. Understand?'
'Perfectly,' said Mrs. Oliver.
Battle strode to the door and called the constable who was on duty in the hall.
'Go to the little smoking-room. You'll find Anderson there with the four guests. Ask Doctor Roberts if he'll be so good as to step this way,'
'I should have kept him to the end,' said Mrs. Oliver. 'In a book I mean,' she added apologetically.
'Real life's a bit different,' said Battle.
'I know,' said Mrs. Oliver. 'Badly constructed.'
Doctor Roberts entered with the springiness of his step slightly subdued.
'I say, Battle,' he said. 'This is the devil of a business! Excuse me, Mrs. Oliver, but it is. Professionally speaking, I could hardly have believed it! To stab a man with three other people a few yards away.' He shook his head. 'Whew! I wouldn't like to have done it.' A slight smile twitched up the corners of his mouth. 'What can I say or do to convince you that I didn't do it?'
'Well, there's motive, Doctor Roberts.'
The doctor nodded his head emphatically.
'That's all clear. I hadn't the shadow of a motive for doing away with poor Shaitana. I didn't even know him very well. He amused me – he was such a fantastic fellow. Touch of the Oriental about him. Naturally you'll investigate my relations with him closely; I expect that. I'm not a fool. But you won't find anything. I'd no reason for killing Shaitana and I didn't kill him.'
Superintendent Battle nodded woodenly.
'That's all right, Doctor Roberts. I've got to investigate, as you know. You're a sensible man. Now can you tell me anything about the other three people?'
'I'm afraid I don't know very much. Despard and Miss Meredith I met for the first time tonight. I knew of Despard before – read his travel book, and a jolly good yarn it is.'
'Did you know that he and Mr. Shaitana were acquainted?'
'No. Shaitana never mentioned him to me. As I say, I'd heard of him, but never met him. Miss Meredith I've never seen before. Mrs. Lorrimer I know slightly.'
'What do you know about her?'
Roberts shrugged his shoulders.
'She's a widow. Moderately well off. Intelligent, well-bred woman – first class bridge player. That's where I've met her as a matter of fact, playing bridge.'
'And Mr. Shaitana never mentioned her either?'
'No.'
'H'm – that doesn't help us much. Now, Doctor Roberts, perhaps you'll be so kind as to tax your memory carefully and tell me how often you yourself left your seat at the bridge table and all you can remember about the movements of the others.'
Doctor Roberts took a few minutes to think.
'It's difficult,' he said frankly, 'I can remember my own movements more or less. I got up three times – that is, on three occasions when I was dummy, I left my seat and made myself useful. Once I went over and put wood on the fire. Once I brought drinks to the two ladies. Once I poured out a whisky and soda for myself.'
'Can you remember the times?'
'I could only say very roughly. We began to play about nine-thirty, I imagine. I should say it was about an hour later that I stoked the fire; quite a short time after that I fetched the drinks, next hand but one, I think; and perhaps half-past eleven when I got myself a whisky and soda but those times are quite approximate. I couldn't answer for their being correct.'
'The table, with the drinks was beyond Mr. Shaitana's chair?'
'Yes. That's to say I passed quite near him three times.'
'And each time to the best of your belief he was asleep?'
'That's what I thought the first time. The second time I didn't even look at him. Third time I rather fancy the thought just passed through my mind 'How the beggar does sleep' but I didn't really look at him.'
'Very good. Now when did your fellow players leave then seats?'
Doctor Roberts frowned.
'Difficult – very difficult. Despard went and fetched an extra ash tray, I think. And he went for a drink. That was before me, for I remember he asked me if I'd have one and I said I wasn't quite ready.'
'And the ladies?'
'Mrs. Lorrimer went over to the fire once. Poked it I think. I rather fancy she spoke to Shaitana, but I don't know. I was playing a rather tricky no trump at the time.'
'And Miss Meredith?'
'She certainly left the table once. Came round and looked at my hand – I was her partner at the time. Then
