aThe mysterious Affair at Styles chapter 12 the last link

POIROT'S abrupt departure had intrigued us all greatly . Sunday morning wore away, and still he_did_not reappear . but about three o'clock a ferocious and prolonged hooting outside drove us to_the window, to_see Poirot alighting from a car, accompanied by Japp and Summerhaye . the little man was transformed . he radiated an absurd complacency . he bowed with exaggerated respect to Mary Cavendish .

"Madame, I_have your permission to hold a little ré Union in_the salon ? it_is necessary for every_one to attend .''

Mary smiled sadly .

" you_know, Monsieur Poirot, that you_have carte blanche in every way .''

" you_are too amiable, madame .''

still beaming, Poirot marshalled us all into_the drawing- room, bringing forward chairs as he_did so .

" miss Howard -- here .Mademoiselle Cynthia .Monsieur Lawrence . the good Dorcas . and Annie .Bien ! we_must delay our proceedings a few_minutes until Mr Inglethorp arrives . I_have sent him a note .''

miss Howard rose immediately from her seat .

" if_that man comes into_the house, I leave it ! ''

" no, no ! '' Poirot went up_to her and pleaded in a low voice .

finally miss Howard consented to return to her chair .a few_minutes later Alfred Inglethorp entered the room .

the company once assembled, Poirot rose from_his seat with_the air of a popular lecturer, and bowed politely to_his audience .

"Messieurs, mesdames, as_you all know, i_was called in by Monsieur John Cavendish to investigate this_case .I at once examined the bedroom of_the deceased which, by_the advice of_the doctors, had_been kept locked, and was consequently exactly as it had_been when_the tragedy occurred . I_found: first, a fragment of green material; second, a stain on_the carpet near the window, still damp; thirdly, an empty box of bromide powders .

" to take_the fragment of green material first, I_found it caught in_the bolt of_the communicating door between that room and_the adjoining one occupied by Mademoiselle Cynthia .I handed the fragment over to_the police who did_not consider it of much importance . nor did they recognize it for what it_was -- a piece torn from a green land armlet .''

there_was a little stir of excitement .

" now there_was only_one person at Styles who worked on_the land -- Mrs Cavendish . therefore it must_have been Mrs Cavendish who entered the deceased's room through_the door communicating with Mademoiselle Cynthia's room .''

" but that door was bolted on_the inside ! '' I cried .

" when I examined the room, yes . but in_the first place we_have only her word for_it, since it_was she who tried that particular door and reported it fastened . in_the ensuing confusion she would_have had ample opportunity to shoot the bolt across . i_took an early opportunity of verifying my conjectures . to_begin with, the fragment corresponds exactly with a tear in Mrs Cavendish's armlet . also, at_the inquest, Mrs Cavendish declared that she had heard, from her own room, the fall of_the table by_the bed . i_took an early opportunity of testing that statement by stationing my friend Monsieur Hastings in_the left wing of_the building, just outside Mrs Cavendish's door .I myself, in company with_the police, went to_the deceased's room, and whilst there I, apparently accidentally, knocked over the table in_question, but found that, as I had expected, Monsieur Hastings had heard no sound at all . this confirmed my belief that Mrs Cavendish was not speaking the truth when she declared that she had_been dressing in her room at_the_time of_the tragedy . in_fact, i_was convinced that, far from having been in her own room, Mrs Cavendish was actually in_the deceased's room when_the alarm was given .''

I shot a quick glance at Mary . she was very pale, but smiling .

"I proceeded to reason on_that assumption .Mrs Cavendish is in her mother- in- law's room . we_will say that she_is seeking for something and has_not_yet found it . suddenly Mrs Inglethorp awakens and_is seized with an alarming paroxysm . she flings out her arm, overturning the bed table, and then pulls desperately at_the bell .Mrs Cavendish, startled, drops her candle, scattering the grease on_the carpet . she picks it up, and retreats quickly to Mademoiselle Cynthia's room, closing the door behind her . she hurries out into_the passage, for_the servants must not find her where she_is . but it_is too late ! already footsteps are echoing along the gallery which connects the two wings . what can she do ? quick as thought, she hurries back to_the young girl's room, and starts shaking her awake . the hastily aroused household come trooping down the passage . they_are all busily battering at Mrs Inglethorp's door . it occurs to nobody that Mrs Cavendish has_not arrived with_the rest, but -- and this_is significant -- I_can find no one who saw her come from_the other wing .'' he looked at Mary Cavendish ."Am I right, madame ? ''

she bowed her head .

" quite right, monsieur . you understand that, if I had thought i_would do my husband any good by revealing these facts, i_would_have done so . but it did_not seem to_me to bear upon_the question of_his guilt or innocence .''

" in a sense, that_is correct, madame . but it cleared my mind of many misconceptions, and left me free to_see other facts in their true significance .''

" the will ! '' cried Lawrence ." then it_was you, Mary, who destroyed the will ? ''

she shook her head, and Poirot shook his also .

" no,'' he_said quietly ." there_is only_one person who_could possibly have destroyed that_will -- Mrs Inglethorp herself ! ''

" impossible ! '' I exclaimed ." she had only made it out that very afternoon ! ''

" nevertheless, mon ami, it_was Mrs Inglethorp . because, in no other way can_you account for_the fact that, on one_of_the hottest days of_the year, Mrs Inglethorp ordered a fire to_be lighted in her room .''

I_gave a gasp . what idiots we had_been never to_think of_that fire as being incongruous ! Poirot was continuing:

" the temperature on_that_day, messieurs, was 80o in_the shade . yet Mrs Inglethorp ordered a fire ! why ? because she wished to destroy something, and could think of no other way . you_will remember that, in consequence of_the war economics practiced at Styles, no waste paper was thrown away . there_was therefore no means of destroying a thick document such as a will . the moment I heard of a fire being lighted in Mrs Inglethorp's room, I leaped to_the conclusion that_it_was to destroy some important document -- possibly a will . so the discovery of_the charred fragment in_the grate was no surprise to_me . I_did_not, of_course, know at_the_time that_the will in_question had only been made this afternoon, and_I_will admit that, when I learnt that fact, I fell into a grievous error . I_came to_the conclusion that Mrs Inglethorp's determination to destroy her will arose as a direct consequence of_the quarrel she had that afternoon, and_that therefore the quarrel took place after, and not before_the making of_the will .

" here, as we_know, i_was wrong, and i_was forced to abandon that idea .I faced the problem from a new standpoint . now, at 4 o'clock, Dorcas overheard her mistress saying angrily: ' you_need not think that any fear of publicity, or scandal between husband and wife will deter me .'' I conjectured, and conjectured rightly, that_these words were addressed, not to her husband, but to Mr John Cavendish . at 5 o'clock, an hour later, she uses almost the same words, but the standpoint is different . she admits to Dorcas, 'I don't know what to_do; scandal between husband and wife is a dreadful thing .' at 4 o'clock she has_been angry, but completely mistress of herself . at 5 o'clock she_is in violent distress, and speaks of having had a great shock .

" looking at_the matter psychologically, I drew one deduction which i_was convinced was correct . the second ' scandal' she spoke of was not the same as_the first -- and it concerned herself !

" let_us reconstruct . at 4 o'clock, Mrs Inglethorp quarrels with her son, and threatens to denounce him to_his wife -- who, by_the_way, overheard the greater part of_the conversation . at 4 .30, Mrs Inglethorp, in consequence of a conversation on_the validity of wills, makes a will in favour of her husband, which the two gardeners witness . at 5 o'clock, Dorcas finds her mistress in a state of considerable agitation, with a slip of paper -- 'a letter,' Dorcas thinks -- in her hand, and it_is then that she orders the fire in her room to_be lighted .Presumably, then, between 4 .30 and 5 o'clock, something has occurred to occasion a complete revolution of feeling, since she_is now as anxious to destroy the will, as she was before to_make it . what_was that something ?

" as far as we_know, she was quite alone during that half- hour . nobody entered or left that boudoir . what then occasioned this sudden change of sentiment ?

" one can only guess, but I believe my guess to_be correct .Mrs Inglethorp had no stamps in her desk . we_know this, because later she asked Dorcas to bring her some . now in_the opposite corner of_the room stood her husband's desk -- locked . she was anxious to_find some stamps, and, according to my theory, she tried her own keys in_the desk . that one_of_them fitted I_know . she therefore opened the desk, and in searching for_the stamps she came across something else -- that slip of paper which Dorcas saw in her hand, and which assuredly was never meant for_Mrs Inglethorp's eyes . on_the other hand, Mrs Cavendish believed that_the slip of paper to_which her mother- in- law clung so tenaciously was a written proof of her own husband's infidelity . she demanded it from Mrs Inglethorp who assured her, quite truly, that_it had nothing to_do with_that matter .Mrs Cavendish did_not believe her . she thought that Mrs Inglethorp was shielding her stepson . now Mrs Cavendish is a very resolute woman, and, behind her mask of reserve, she was madly jealous of her husband . she determined to_get hold of_that paper at all costs, and in_this resolution chance came to her aid . she happened to pick up the key of Mrs Inglethorp's despatch- case, which had_been lost that morning . she knew that her mother- in- law invariably kept all important papers in_this particular case .

" Mrs Cavendish, therefore, made her plans as only a woman driven desperate through jealousy could_have done . some_time in_the evening she unbolted the door leading into Mademoiselle Cynthia's room . possibly she applied oil to_the hinges, for I_found that_it opened quite noiselessly when I tried it . she put off her project until the early hours of_the morning as being safer, since_the servants were accustomed to hearing her move about her room at_that_time . she dressed completely in her land kit, and made her way quietly through Mademoiselle Cynthia's room into that of Mrs Inglethorp .''

he paused a moment, and Cynthia interrupted:

" but i_should_have woken up if anyone had come through my room ? ''

" not if_you were drugged, mademoiselle .''

"Drugged ? ''

"Mais, oui ! ''

" you remember'' -- he addressed us collectively again -- " that through all the tumult and noise next door Mademoiselle Cynthia slept . that admitted of two possibilities . either her sleep was feigned -- which I_did_not believe -- or her unconsciousness was indeed by artificial means .

" with_this latter idea in my mind, I examined all the coffee-cups most carefully, remembering that_it_was Mrs Cavendish who had brought Mademoiselle Cynthia her coffee the night before . i_took a sample from each cup, and had them analysed -- with no result .I had counted the cups carefully, in_the event of one having been removed .Six persons had taken coffee, and six cups were duly found .I had to confess myself mistaken .

" then I discovered that I had_been guilty of a very grave oversight . coffee had_been brought in for seven persons, not six, for Dr .Bauerstein had_been there that evening . this changed the face of_the whole affair, for there_was now one cup missing . the servants noticed nothing, since Annie, the housemaid, who took in_the coffee, brought in seven cups, not knowing that Mr Inglethorp never drank it, whereas Dorcas, who cleared them away the following morning, found six as usual -- or strictly speaking she found five, the sixth being the one found broken in Mrs Inglethorp's room .

" i_was confident that_the missing cup was_that of Mademoiselle Cynthia .I had an additional reason for_that belief in_the fact that all the cups found contained sugar, which Mademoiselle Cynthia never took in her coffee . my attention was attracted by_the story of Annie about some ' salt' on_the tray of coco which she took every night to Mrs Inglethorp's room .I accordingly secured a sample of_that coco, and sent it to_be analysed .''

" but that had already been done by Dr .Bauerstein,'' said Lawrence quickly .

" not exactly . the analyst was asked by him to report whether strychnine was, or was not, present . he_did_not have it tested, as I_did, for a narcotic .''

" for a narcotic ? ''

" yes . here_is_the analyst's report .Mrs Cavendish administered a safe, but effectual, narcotic to both Mrs Inglethorp and Mademoiselle Cynthia . and it_is possible that she had amauvais quart d'heure in consequence ! imagine her feelings when her mother- in- law is suddenly taken ill and dies, and immediately after she hears the word ' poison' ! she has believed that_the sleeping draught she administered was perfectly harmless, but there_is no_doubt that for_one terrible moment she must_have feared that Mrs Inglethorp's death lay at her door . she_is seized with panic, and under its influence she hurries downstairs, and quickly drops the coffee- cup and saucer used by Mademoiselle Cynthia into a large brass vase, where it_is discovered later by Monsieur Lawrence . the remains of_the coco she dare not touch . too many eyes are upon her . guess at her relief when strychnine is mentioned, and she discovers that after all the tragedy is_not her doing .

" we_are now able to account for_the symptoms of strychnine poisoning being so_long in making their appearance .a narcotic taken with strychnine will delay the action of_the poison for some hours .''

Poirot paused .Mary looked up at him, the colour slowly rising in her face .

" all you_have said is quite true, Monsieur Poirot . it was_the most awful hour of_my life . I_shall never forget it . but you_are wonderful .I understand now -- -- ''

" what I meant when i_told you that you_could safely confess to Papa Poirot, eh ? but you_would_not trust me .''

" I_see everything now,'' said Lawrence ." the drugged coco, taken on top of_the poisoned coffee, amply accounts for_the delay .''

" exactly . but was_the coffee poisoned, or was_it not ? we come to a little difficulty here, since Mrs Inglethorp never drank it .''

" what ? '' the cry of surprise was universal .

" no . you_will remember my speaking of a stain on_the carpet in Mrs Inglethorp's room ? there were some peculiar points about_that stain . it_was still damp, it exhaled a strong odour of coffee, and imbedded in_the nap of_the carpet I_found some little splinters of china . what had happened was plain to_me, for not two minutes before I had placed my little case on_the table near the window, and_the table, tilting up, had deposited it upon_the floor on precisely the identical spot . in exactly the same way, Mrs Inglethorp had laid down her cup of coffee on reaching her room the night before, and_the treacherous table had played her the same trick .

" what happened next is mere guess work on my part, but i_should say that Mrs Inglethorp picked up the broken cup and placed it on_the table by_the bed .Feeling in need of a stimulant of some kind, she heated up her coco, and drank it off then and there . now we_are faced with a new problem . we_know the coco contained no strychnine . the coffee was never drunk . yet the strychnine must_have been administered between seven and nine o'clock that evening . what third medium was there -- a medium so suitable for disguising the taste of strychnine that_it_is extraordinary no one has thought of it ? '' Poirot looked round the room, and then answered himself impressively ." her medicine ! ''

" do_you_mean that_the murderer introduced the strychnine into her tonic ? '' I cried .

" there_was no need to introduce it . it_was already there -- in_the mixture . the strychnine that killed Mrs Inglethorp was_the identical strychnine prescribed by Dr .Wilkins . to_make that clear to_you, i_will read you an extract from a book on dispensing which I_found in_the dispensary of_the red cross hospital at Tadminster:

" ' the following prescription has become famous in text books:

Strychninae Sulph .. .. .. gr .I

Potass bromide .. .. .. .3vi

Aqua ad .. .. .. .. .. .3viii

fiat Mistura

this solution deposits in a few hours the greater part of_the strychnine salt as an insoluble bromide in transparent crystals .a lady in England lost her life by taking a similar mixture: the precipitated strychnine collected at_the bottom, and in taking the last dose she swallowed nearly all of it ! ''

" now there_was, of_course, no bromide in Dr .Wilkins' prescription, but you_will remember that I mentioned an empty box of bromide powders . one_or_two of_those powders introduced into_the full bottle of medicine would effectually precipitate the strychnine, as_the book describes, and cause it to_be taken in_the last dose . you_will learn later that_the person who usually poured out Mrs Inglethorp's medicine was always extremely careful not to shake the bottle, but to leave the sediment at_the bottom of it undisturbed .

" throughout_the case, there_have been evidences that_the tragedy was intended to_take place on Monday evening . on_that_day, Mrs Inglethorp's bell wire was neatly cut, and on Monday evening Mademoiselle Cynthia was spending the night with friends, so_that Mrs Inglethorp would_have_been quite alone in_the right wing, completely shut off from help of any kind, and would_have died, in all probability, before medical aid could_have_been summoned . but in her hurry to_be in_time for_the village entertainment Mrs Inglethorp forgot to_take her medicine, and_the next_day she lunched away from home, so that_the last -- and fatal -- dose was actually taken twenty-four hours later than had_been anticipated by_the murderer; and it_is owing to_that delay that_the final proof -- the last link of_the chain -- is now in my hands .''

Amid breathless excitement, he held out three thin strips of paper .

"A letter in_the murderer's own hand-writing, mes amis ! had it been a little clearer in its terms, it_is possible that Mrs Inglethorp, warned in_time, would_have escaped . as it_was, she realized her danger, but not the manner of it .''

in_the deathly silence, Poirot pieced together the slips of paper and, clearing his throat, read:

" ' dearest Evelyn:

' you_will_be anxious at hearing nothing . it_is all right -- only it_will_be to- night instead of last night . you understand . there's a good_time coming once the old woman is dead and out_of_the way . no one can possibly bring home the crime to_me . that idea of yours about_the bromides was a stroke of genius ! but we_must_be very circumspect .a false step -- -- '

" here, my friends, the letter breaks off . doubtless the writer was interrupted; but there can_be no question as to_his identity . we all know this hand-writing and -- -- ''

a howl that was almost a scream broke the silence .

" you devil ! how did you get it ? ''

a chair was overturned .Poirot skipped nimbly aside .a quick movement on_his part, and_his assailant fell with a crash .

"Messieurs, mesdames,'' said Poirot, with a flourish, " let me introduce you to_the murderer, Mr Alfred Inglethorp ! ''