弱者的愤怒16

His return was more unostentatious. The faithful George, according to orders, admitted him by theside door.

"They are all in the Tower room?" inquired Poirot.

"Yes, sir."

There was a murmured interchange of a few words, and then Poirot mounted with the triumphantstep of the victor to that room where the murder had taken place less than a month ago. His eyesswept around the room. They were all there, Lady Astwell, Victor Astwell, Lily Margrave, thesecretary, and Parsons, the butler. The latter was hovering² by the door uncertainly.

"George, sir, said I should be needed here," said Parsons as Poirot made his appearance. "I don'tknow if that is right, sir?""Quite right," said Poirot. "Remain, I pray of you."He advanced to the middle of the room.

"This has been a case of great interest," he said in a slow, reflective voice. "It is interestingbecause anyone might have murdered Sir Reuben Astwell. Who inherits his money? CharlesLeverson and Lady Astwell. Who was with him last that night? Lady Astwell. Who quarreled withhim violently? Again Lady Astwell.""What are you talking about?" cried Lady Astwell. "I don't understand, I -""But someone else quarreled with Sir Reuben," continued Poirot in a pensive³ voice. "Someoneelse left him that night white with rage. Supposing Lady Astwell left her husband alive at a quarterto twelve that night, there would be ten minutes before Mr Charles Leverson returned, ten minutesin which it would be possible for someone from the second floor to steal down and do the deed,and then return to his room again."Victor Astwell sprang up with a cry.

"What the hell -?" He stopped, choking with rage.

"In a rage, Mr Astwell, you once killed a man in West Africa.""I don't believe it," cried Lily Margrave.

She came forward, her hands clenched⁴, two bright spots of color in her cheeks.

"I don't believe it," repeated the girl. She came close to Victor Astwell's side.

"It's true, Lily," said Astwell, "but there are things this man doesn't know. The fellow I killed wasa witch doctor who had just massacred fifteen children. I consider that I was justified⁵."Lily came up to Poirot.

"M. Poirot," she said earnestly, "you are wrong. Because a man has a sharp temper, because hebreaks out and says all kinds of things, that is not any reason why he should do a murder. I know -I know, I tell you - that Mr Astwell is incapable⁶ of such a thing."Poirot looked at her, a very curious smile on his face. Then he took her hand in his and patted itgently.

"You see, Mademoiselle," he said gently, "you also have your intuitions. So you believe in MrAstwell, do you?"Lily spoke⁷ quietly.

"Mr Astwell is a good man," she said, "and he is honest. He had nothing to do with the insidework of the Mpala Gold Fields. He is good through and through, and - I have promised to marryhim."Victor Astwell came to her side and took her other hand.

"Before God, M. Poirot," he said, "I didn't kill my brother.""I know you did not," said Poirot.

His eyes swept around the room.

"Listen, my friends. In an hypnotic trance, Lady Astwell mentioned having seen a bulge⁸ in thecurtain that night."Everyone's eyes swept to the window.

"You mean there was a burglar concealed⁹ there?" exclaimed Victor Astwell. "What a splendidsolution!""Ah!" said Poirot gently. "But it was not that curtain."He wheeled around and pointed¹⁰ to the curtain that masked the little staircase.

"Sir Reuben used the bedroom the night prior to the crime. He breakfasted in bed, and he had MrTrefusis up there to give him instructions. I don't know what it was that Mr Trefusis left in thatbedroom, but there was something. When he said good night to Sir Reuben and Lady Astwell, heremembered this thing and ran up the stairs to fetch it. I don't think either the husband or wifenoticed him, for they had already begun a violent discussion. They were in the middle of thisquarrel when Mr Trefusis came down the stairs again.

"The things they were saying to each other were of so intimate and personal a nature that MrTrefusis was placed in a very awkward position. It was clear to him that they imagined he had leftthe room some time ago. Fearing to arouse Sir Reuben's anger against himself, he decided¹¹ toremain where he was and slip out later. He stayed there behind the curtain, and as Lady Astwellleft the room she subconsciously¹² noticed the outline of his form there.

"When Lady Astwell had left the room, Trefusis tried to steal out unobserved, but Sir Reubenhappened to turn his head, and became aware of the secretary's presence. Already in a bad temper,Sir Reuben hurled¹³ abuse at his secretary, and accused him of deliberately¹⁴ eavesdropping¹⁵ andspying.

"Messieurs and Mesdames, I am a student of psychology¹⁶. All through this case I have looked, notfor the bad-tempered¹⁷ man or woman, for bad temper is its own safety valve. He who can bark doesnot bite. No, I have looked for the good-tempered man, for the man who is patient and self-controlled, for the man who for nine years has played the part of the under dog. There is no strainso great as that which has endured for years, there is no resentment¹⁸ like that which accumulesslowly.

"For nine years Sir Reuben has bullied¹⁹ and browbeaten²⁰ his secretary, and for nine years that manhas endured in silence. But there comes a day when at last the strain reaches its breaking point.

Something snaps! It was so that night. Sir Reuben sat down at his desk again, but the secretary,instead of turning humbly²¹ and meekly²² to the door, picks up the heavy wooden club, and strikesdown the man who had bullied him once too often."He turned to Trefusis, who was staring at him as though turned to stone.

"It was so simple, your alibi²³. Mr Astwell thought you were in your room, but no one saw you gothere. You were just stealing out after striking down Sir Reuben, when you heard it sound, andyou hastened back to cover, behind the curtain. You were behind there when Charles Leversonentered the room you were there when Lily Margrave came. It was not till long after that that youcrept up through a silent house to your bedroom. Do you deny it?"Trefusis began to stammer²⁴.

"I - I never -"

"Ah! Let us finish this. For two weeks now I have played the comedy, I have showed you the netclosing slowly around you. The fingerprints²⁵, footprints, the search of your room with the thingsartistically replaced. I have struck terror into you with all of this; you have lain awake at nightfearing and wondering; did you leave a fingerprint²⁶ in the room or a footprint somewhere?

"Again and again you have gone over the events of that night wondering what you have done orleft undone²⁷, and so I brought you to the state where you made a slip. I saw the fear leap into youreyes today when I picked up something from the stairs where you had stood hidden that night.

Then I made a great parade, the little box, the entrusting²⁸ of it to George, and I go out."Poirot turned toward the door.

"George?"

"I am here, sir."

The valet came forward.

"Will you tell these ladies and gentlemen what my instructions were?""I was to remain concealed in the wardrobe in your room, sir, having placed the cardboard boxwhere you told me to. At half-past three this afternoon, sir, Mr Trefusis entered the room; he wentto the drawer and took out the box in question.""And in that box," continued Poirot, "was a common pin. Me, I speak always the truth. I did pickup²⁹ something on the stairs this morning. That is your English saying, is it not? 'See a pin and pickit up, all the day you'll have good luck.' Me, I have had good luck, I have found the murderer."He turned to the secretary.

"You see?" he said gently. "You betrayed yourself."Suddenly Trefusis broke down. He sank into a chair sobbing³⁰, his face buried in his hands.

"I was mad," he groaned³¹. "I was mad. But, oh, my God, he badgered and bullied me beyondbearing. For years I had hated and loathed³² him.""I knew!" cried Lady Astwell.

She sprang forward, her face irradiated with savage³³ triumph.

"I knew that man had done it."

She stood there, savage and triumphant¹.

"And you were right," said Poirot. "One may call things by different names, but the fact remains³⁴.

Your 'intuition,' Lady Astwell, proved correct. I felicitate you."

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