American friend who was leaving for the States-Mrs Van Dusen. I got to Chiswick at a quarter to nine.’
‘What time did you leave?’
‘About half-past eleven.’
‘You came straight back here?’
‘Yes.’
‘In a taxi?’
‘No. In my own car. I hire it from the Daimler people.’
‘And whilst you were at the dinner you didn’t leave it?’
‘Well-I-’
‘So you did leave it?’
It was like a terrier pouncing on a rat.
‘I don’t know what you mean. I was called to the telephone when we were at dinner.’
‘Who called you?’
‘I guess it was some kind of hoax. A voice said, “Is that Lady Edgware?” And I said, “Yes, that’s right,” and then they just laughed and rang off.’
‘Did you go outside the house to telephone?’
Jane’s eyes opened wide in amazement.
‘Of course not.’
‘How long were you away from the dinner table?’
‘About a minute and a half.’
Japp collapsed after that. I was fully convinced that he did not believe a word she was saying, but having heard her story he could do no more until he had confirmed or disproved it.
Having thanked her coldly, he withdrew.
We also took our leave but she called Poirot back.
‘M. Poirot. Will you do something for me?’
‘Certainly, Madame.’
‘Send a cable for me to the Duke in Paris. He’s at the Crillon. He ought to know about this. I don’t like to send it myself. I guess I’ve got to look the bereaved widow for a week or two.’
‘It is quite unnecessary to cable, Madame,’ said Poirot gently. ‘It will be in the papers over there.’
‘Why, what a headpiece you’ve got! Of course it will. Much better not to cable. I feel it’s up to me to keep up my position now everything’s gone right. I want to act the way a widow should. Sort of dignified, you know. I thought of sending a wreath of orchids. They’re about the most expensive things going. I suppose I shall have to go to the funeral. What do you think?’
‘You will have to go to the inquest first, Madame.’
‘Why, I suppose that’s true.’ She considered for a moment or two. ‘I don’t like that Scotland Yard inspector at all. He just scared me to death. M. Poirot?’
‘Yes?’
‘Seems it’s kind of lucky I changed my mind and went to that party after all.’
Poirot had been going towards the door. Suddenly, at these words, he wheeled round.
‘What is that you say, Madame? You changed your mind?’
‘Yes. I meant to give it a miss. I had a frightful headache yesterday afternoon.’
Poirot swallowed once or twice. He seemed to have a difficulty in speaking.
‘Did you-say so to anyone?’ he asked at last.
‘Certainly I did. There was quite a crowd of us having tea and they wanted me to go on to a cocktail party and I said “No.” I said my head was aching fit to split and that I was going right home and that I was going to cut the dinner too.’
‘And what made you change your mind, Madame?’
‘Ellis went on at me. Said I couldn’t afford to turn it down. Old Sir Montagu pulls a lot of strings, you know, and he’s a crotchety creature-takes offence easily. Well, I didn’t care. Once I marry Merton I’m through with all this. But Ellis is always on the cautious side. She said there’s many a slip, etc., and after all I guess she’s right. Anyway, off I went.’
‘You owe Ellis a debt of gratitude, Madame,’ said Poirot seriously.
‘I suppose I do. That inspector had got it all taped out, hadn’t he?’
She laughed, Poirot did not. He said in a low voice:
‘All the same-this gives one furiously to think. Yes, furiously to think.’
‘Ellis,’ called Jane.
The maid came in from the next room.
‘M. Poirot says it’s very lucky you made me go to that party last night.’
Ellis barely cast a glance at Poirot. She was looking grim and disapproving.
‘It doesn’t do to break engagements, m’lady. You’re much too fond of doing it. People don’t always forgive it. They turn nasty.’
Jane picked up the hat she had been trying on when we came in. She tried it again.
‘I hate black,’ she said disconsolately. ‘I never wear it. But I suppose, as a correct widow I’ve just got to. All those hats are too frightful. Ring up the other hat place, Ellis. I’ve got to be fit to be seen.’
Poirot and I slipped quietly from the room.
Chapter 7. The Secretary
We had not seen the last of Japp. He reappeared about an hour later, flung down his hat on the table and said he was eternally blasted.
‘You have made the inquiries?’ asked Poirot sympathetically.
Japp nodded gloomily.
‘And unless fourteen people are lying, she didn’t do it,’ he growled.
He went on:
‘I don’t mind telling you, M. Poirot, that I expected to find a put-up job. On the face of it, it didn’t seem likely that anyone else could have killed Lord Edgware. She’s the only person who’s got the ghost of a motive.’
‘I would not say that. Mais continuez.’
‘Well, as I say, I expected to find a put-up job. You know what these theatrical crowds are-they’d all hang together to screen a pal. But this is rather a different proposition. The people there last night were all big guns, they were none of them close friends of hers and some of them didn’t know each other. Their testimony is independent and reliable. I hoped then to find that she’d slipped away for half an hour or so. She could easily have done that-powdering her nose or some such excuse. But no, she did leave the dinner table as she told us to answer a telephone call, but the butler was with her-and, by the way, it was just as she told us. He heard what she said. “Yes, quite right. This is Lady Edgware.” And then the other side rang off. It’s curious, that, you know. Not that it’s got anything to do with it.’
‘Perhaps not-but it is interesting. Was it a man or a woman who rang up?’
‘A woman, I think she said.’
‘Curious,’ said Poirot thoughtfully.
‘Never mind that,’ said Japp impatiently. ‘Let’s get back to the important part. The whole evening went exactly as she said. She got there at a quarter to nine, left at half-past eleven and got back here at a quarter to twelve. I’ve seen the chauffeur who drove her-he’s one of Daimler’s regular people. And the people at the Savoy saw her come in and confirm the time.’
‘Eh bien, that seems very conclusive.’
‘Then what about those two in Regent Gate? It isn’t only the butler. Lord Edgware’s secretary saw her too. They both swear by all that’s holy that it was Lady Edgware who came here at ten
