Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories. Агата Кристи

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СКАЧАТЬ was not seen by anyone who knew him privately or intimately. And Daniels shielded him from contact with anyone as much as possible. Moreover, his face was bandaged up, and anything unusual in his manner would be put down to the fact that he was suffering from shock as a result of the attempt upon his life. Mr MacAdam has a weak throat, and always spares his voice as much as possible before any great speech. The deception was perfectly easy to keep up as far as France. There it would be impracticable and impossible – so the Prime Minister disappears. The police of this country hurry across the Channel, and no one bothers to go into the details of the first attack. To sustain the illusion that the abduction has taken place in France, Daniels is gagged and chloroformed in a convincing manner.’

      ‘And the man who has enacted the part of the Prime Minister?’

      ‘Rids himself of his disguise. He and the bogus chauffeur may be arrested as suspicious characters, but no one will dream of suspecting their real part in the drama, and they will eventually be released for lack of evidence.’

      ‘And the real Prime Minister?’

      ‘He and O’Murphy were driven straight to the house of “Mrs Everard”, at Hampstead, Daniels’ so-called “aunt”. In reality, she is Frau Bertha Ebenthal, and the police have been looking for her for some time. It is a valuable little present that I have made them – to say nothing of Daniels! Ah, it was a clever plan, but he did not reckon on the cleverness of Hercule Poirot!’

      I think my friend might well be excused his moment of vanity.

      ‘When did you first begin to suspect the truth of the matter?’

      ‘When I began to work the right way – from within! I could not make that shooting affair fit in – but when I saw that the net result of it was that the Prime Minister went to France with his face bound up I began to comprehend! And when I visited all the cottage hospitals between Windsor and London, and found that no one answering to my description had had his face bound up and dressed that morning, I was sure! After that, it was child’s play for a mind like mine!’

      The following morning, Poirot showed me a telegram he had just received. It had no place of origin, and was unsigned. It ran:

      ‘In time.’

      Later in the day the evening papers published an account of the Allied Conference. They laid particular stress on the magnificent ovation accorded to Mr David MacAdam, whose inspiring speech had produced a deep and lasting impression.

       9 The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

      ‘The Million Dollar Bond Robbery’ was first published in The Sketch, 2 May 1923.

      ‘What a number of bond robberies there have been lately!’ I observed one morning, laying aside the newspaper. ‘Poirot, let us forsake the science of detection, and take to crime instead!’

      ‘You are on the – how do you say it? – get-rich-quick tack, eh, mon ami?’

      ‘Well, look at this last coup, the million dollars’ worth of Liberty Bonds which the London and Scottish Bank were sending to New York, and which disappeared in such a remarkable manner on board the Olympia.’

      ‘If it were not for mal de mer, and the difficulty of practising the so excellent method of Laverguier for a longer time than the few hours of crossing the Channel, I should delight to voyage myself on one of these big liners,’ murmured Poirot dreamily.

      ‘Yes, indeed,’ I said enthusiastically. ‘Some of them must be perfect palaces; the swimming-baths, the lounges, the restaurant, the palm courts – really, it must be hard to believe that one is on the sea.’

      ‘Me, I always know when I am on the sea,’ said Poirot sadly. ‘And all those bagatelles that you enumerate, they say nothing to me; but, my friend, consider for a moment the geniuses that travel as it were incognito! On board these floating palaces, as you so justly call them, one would meet the élite, the haute noblesse of the criminal world!’

      I laughed.

      ‘So that’s the way your enthusiasm runs! You would have liked to cross swords with the man who sneaked the Liberty Bonds?’

      The landlady interrupted us.

      ‘A young lady as wants to see you, Mr Poirot. Here’s her card.’

      The card bore the inscription: Miss Esmée Farquhar, and Poirot, after diving under the table to retrieve a stray crumb, and putting it carefully in the waste-paper basket, nodded to the landlady to admit her.

      In another minute one of the most charming girls I have ever seen was ushered into the room. She was perhaps about five-and-twenty, with big brown eyes and a perfect figure. She was well-dressed and perfectly composed in manner.

      ‘Sit down, I beg of you, mademoiselle. This is my friend, Captain Hastings, who aids me in my little problems.’

      ‘I am afraid it is a big problem I have brought you today, Monsieur Poirot,’ said the girl, giving me a pleasant bow as she seated herself. ‘I dare say you have read about it in the papers. I am referring to the theft of Liberty Bonds on the Olympia.’ Some astonishment must have shown itself on Poirot’s face, for she continued quickly: ‘You are doubtless asking yourself what have I to do with a grave institution like the London and Scottish Bank. In one sense nothing, in another sense everything. You see, Monsieur Poirot, I am engaged to Mr Philip Ridgeway.’

      ‘Aha! and Mr Philip Ridgeway –’

      ‘Was in charge of the bonds when they were stolen. Of course no actual blame can attach to him, it was not his fault in any way. Nevertheless, he is half distraught over the matter, and his uncle, I know, insists that he must carelessly have mentioned having them in his possession. It is a terrible setback to his career.’

      ‘Who is his uncle?’

      ‘Mr Vavasour, joint general manager of the London and Scottish Bank.’

      ‘Suppose, Miss Farquhar, that you recount to me the whole story?’

      ‘Very well. As you know, the Bank wished to extend their credits in America, and for this purpose decided to send over a million dollars in Liberty Bonds. Mr Vavasour selected his nephew, who had occupied a position of trust in the Bank for many years and who was conversant with all the details of the Bank’s dealings in New York, to make the trip. The Olympia sailed from Liverpool on the 23rd, and the bonds were handed over to Philip on the morning of that day by Mr Vavasour and Mr Shaw, the two joint general managers of the London and Scottish Bank. They were counted, enclosed in a package, and sealed in his presence, and he then locked the package at once in his portmanteau.’

      ‘A portmanteau with an ordinary lock?’

      ‘No, Mr Shaw insisted on a special lock being fitted to it by Hubbs. Philip, as I say, placed the package at the bottom of the trunk. It was stolen just a few hours before reaching New York. A rigorous search of the whole ship was made, but without result. The bonds seemed literally to have vanished into thin air.’

      Poirot made a grimace.

      ‘But they did not vanish absolutely, since I gather that they were sold in small parcels within half СКАЧАТЬ