was here on the day of the funeral. And it would be a great convenience – yes, and it would be strategically satisfactory – if I could meet them here.'
'I'm afraid,' Helen said slowly, 'that that would be too difficulty -'
'Not so difficult as you think. Already I have devised a means. The house, it is sold. So Mr Entwhistle will declare. (Entendu, sometimes these things fall through!) He will invite the various member of the family to assemble here and to choose what they will from the furnishings before it is all put up to auction. A suitable weekend can be selected for that purpose.'
He paused and then said:
'You see, it is easy, is it not?'
Helen looked at him. The blue eves were cold – almost frosty.
'Are you laying a trap for someone, M. Poirot?'
'Alas! I wish I knew enough. No, I have still the open mind.'
'There may,' Hercule Poirot added thoughtfully, 'be certain tests…'
'Tests? What kind of tests?'
'I have not yet formulated them to myself. And in any case, Madame, it would be better that you should not know them.'
'So that I can be tested too?'
'You, Madame, have been taken behind the scenes. Now there is one thing that is doubtful. The young people will, I think, come readily. But it may be difficult, may it not, to secure the presence here of Mr Timothy Abernethie. I hear that he never leaves home.'
Helen smiled suddenly.
'I believe you may be lucky there, M. Poirot. I heard from Maude yesterday. The workmen are in painting the house and Timothy is suffering terribly from the smell of the paint. He says that it is seriously affecting his health. I think that he and Maude would both be pleased to come here – perhaps for a week or two. Maude is still not able to get about very well – you know she broke her ankle?'
'I had not heard. How unfortunate.'
'Luckily they have got Cora's companion, Miss Gilchrist. It seems that she has turned out a perfect treasure.'
'What is that?' Poirot turned sharply on Helen. 'Did they ask for Miss Gilchrist to go to them? Who suggested it?'
'I think Susan fixed it up. Susan Banks.'
'Aha,' said Poirot in a curious voice. 'So it was the little Susan who suggested it. She is fond of making the arrangements.'
'Susan struck me as being a very competent girl.'
'Yes. She is competent. Did you hear that Miss Gilchrist had a narrow escape from death with a piece of poisoned wedding cake?'
'No!' Helen looked startled. 'I do remember now that Maude said over the telephone that Miss Gilchrist had just come out of hospital but I'd no idea why she had been in hospital. Poisoned? But, M. Poirot – why?'
'Do you really ask that?'
Helen said with sudden vehemence:
'Oh! get them all here! Find out the truth! There mustn't be any more murders.'
'So you will co-operate?'
'Yes – I will co-operate.'
Chapter 15
I
'That linoleum does look nice, Mrs Jones. What a hand you have with lino. The teapot's on the kitchen table, so go and help yourself. I'll be there as soon as I've taken up Mr Abernethie's elevenses.'
Miss Gilchrist trotted up the staircase, carrying a daintily set out tray. She tapped on Timothy's door, interpreted a growl from within as an invitation to enter, and tripped briskly in.
'Morning coffee and biscuits, Mr Abernethie. I do hope you're feeling brighter today. Such a lovely day.'
Timothy grunted and said suspiciously:
'Is there skim on that milk?'
'Oh no, Mr Abernethie. I took it off very carefully, and anyway I've brought up the little strainer in case it should form again. Some people like it, you know, they say it's the cream – and so it is really.'
'Idiots!' said Timothy. 'What kind of biscuits are those?'
'They're those nice digestive biscuits.'
'Digestive tripe. Ginger-nuts are the only biscuits worth eating.'
'I'm afraid the grocer hadn't got any this week. But these are really very nice. You try them and see.'
'I know what they're like, thank you. Leave those curtains alone, can't you?'
'I thought you might like a little sunshine. It's such a nice sunny day.'
'I want the room kept dark. My head's terrible. It's this paint. I've always been sensitive to paint. It's poisoning me.'
Miss Gilchrist sniffed experimentally and said brightly:
'One really can't smell it much in here. The workmen are over on the other side.'
'You're not sensitive like I am. Must I have all the books I'm reading taken out of my reach?'
'I'm so sorry, Mr Abernethie, I didn't know you were reading all of them.'
'Where's my wife? I haven't seen her for over an hour.'
'Mrs Abernethie's resting on the sofa.'
'Tell her to come and rest up here.'
'I'll tell her, Mr Abernethie. But she may have dropped off to sleep. Shall we say in about a quarter of an hour?'
'No, tell her I want her now. Don't monkey about with that rug. It's arranged the way I like it.'
'I'm so sorry. I thought it was slipping off the far side.'
'I like it slipping off. Go and get Maude. I want her.'
Miss Gilchrist departed downstairs and tiptoed into the drawing-room where Maude Abernethie was sitting with her leg up reading a novel.
'I'm so sorry, Mrs Abernethie,' she said apologetically. 'Mr Abernethie is asking for you.'
Maude thrust aside her novel with a guilty expression.
'Oh dear,' she said, 'I'll go up at once.'
She reached for her stick.
Timothy burst out as soon as his wife entered the room:
'So there you are at last!'
'I'm so sorry, dear, I didn't know you wanted me.'
'That woman you've got into the house will drive me mad. Twittering and fluttering round like a demented hen. Real typical old maid, that's what she is.'
'I'm sorry she annoys you. She tries to be kind, that's all.'
'I don't want anybody kind. I don't want a blasted old maid always chirruping over me. She's so damned arch, too -'
'Just a little, perhaps.'
'Treats me as though I was a confounded kid! It's maddening.'
'I'm sure it must be. But please, please, Timothy, do try not to be rude to her. I'm really very helpless still and you yourself say she cooks well.'
