Appointment with Death (13 page)

Nadine Boynton came out of the hotel. As she hesitated uncertainly, a waiting figure sprang forward.

Mr Jefferson Cope was immediately at his lady's side.

‘Shall we walk up this way? I think it's the pleasantest.'

She acquiesced.

They walked along and Mr Cope talked. His words came freely if a trifle monotonously. It is not certain whether he perceived that Nadine was not listening. As they turned aside on to the stony flower-covered hill-side, she interrupted him.

‘Jefferson, I'm sorry. I've got to talk to you.'

Her face had grown pale.

‘Why, certainly, my dear. Anything you like, but don't distress yourself.'

She said: ‘You're cleverer than I thought. You know, don't you, what I'm going to say?'

‘It is undoubtedly true,' said Mr Cope, ‘that circumstances alter cases. I do feel, very profoundly, that in the present circumstances decisions may have to be reconsidered.' He sighed. ‘You've got to go right ahead, Nadine, and do just what you feel.'

She said with real emotion: ‘You're so
good
, Jefferson. So patient! I feel I've treated you very badly. I really have been downright mean to you.'

‘Now, look here, Nadine, let's get this right. I've always known what my limitations were where you were concerned. I've had the deepest affection and respect for you ever since I've known you. All I want is your happiness. That's all I've ever wanted. Seeing you unhappy has very nearly driven me crazy. And I may say that I've blamed Lennox. I've felt that he didn't deserve to keep you if he didn't value your happiness a little more than he seemed to do.'

Mr Cope took a breath and went on:

‘Now I'll admit that after travelling with you to Petra, I felt that perhaps Lennox wasn't quite so much to blame as I thought. He wasn't so much selfish where you were concerned, as too unselfish where his mother was concerned. I don't want to say anything against the dead, but I do think that your mother-in-law was perhaps an unusually difficult woman.'

‘Yes, I think you may say that,' murmured Nadine.

‘Anyway,' went on Mr Cope, ‘you came to me
yesterday and told me that you'd definitely decided to leave Lennox. I applaud your decision. It wasn't right—the life you were leading. You were quite honest with me. You didn't pretend to be more than just mildly fond of me. Well, that was all right with me. All I asked was the chance to look after you and treat you as you should be treated. I may say that afternoon was one of the happiest afternoons in my life.'

Nadine cried out: ‘I'm sorry—I'm sorry.'

‘No, my dear, because all along I had a kind of feeling that it wasn't real. I felt it was quite on the cards that you would have changed your mind by the next morning. Well, things are different now. You and Lennox can lead a life of your own.'

Nadine said quietly: ‘Yes. I can't leave Lennox. Please forgive me.'

‘Nothing to forgive,' declared Mr Cope. ‘You and I will go back to being old friends. We'll just forget about that afternoon.'

Nadine placed a gentle hand on his arm. ‘Dear Jefferson, thank you. I'm going to find Lennox now.'

She turned and left him. Mr Cope went on alone.

Nadine found Lennox sitting at the top of the Graeco-Roman theatre. He was in such a brown study that he hardly noticed her till she sank breathless at his side. ‘Lennox.'

‘Nadine.' He half turned.

She said: ‘We haven't been able to talk until now. But you know, don't you, that I am not leaving you?'

He said gravely: ‘Did you ever really mean to, Nadine?'

She nodded. ‘Yes. You see, it seemed to be the only possible thing left to do. I hoped—I hoped that you would come after me. Poor Jefferson, how mean I have been to him.'

Lennox gave a sudden curt laugh.

‘No, you haven't. Anyone who is as unselfish as Cope ought to be given full scope for his nobility! And you were right, you know, Nadine. When you told me that you were going away with him you gave me the shock of my life! You know, honestly, I think I must have been going queer or something lately. Why the hell didn't I snap my fingers in Mother's face and go off with you when you wanted me to?'

She said gently: ‘You couldn't, my dear, you couldn't.'

Lennox said musingly: ‘Mother was a damned queer
character…I believe she'd got us all half hypnotized.'

‘She had.'

Lennox mused a minute or two longer. Then he said: ‘When you told me that afternoon—it was just like being hit a crack on the head! I walked back half dazed, and then, suddenly I saw what a damned fool I'd been! I realized that there was only one thing to be done if I didn't want to lose you.'

He felt her stiffen. His tone became grimmer.

‘I went and—'

‘Don't…'

He gave her a quick glance.

‘I went and—argued with her.' He spoke with a complete change of tone—careful and rather toneless. ‘I told her that I got to choose between her and you—and that I chose you.'

There was a pause.

He repeated, in a tone of curious self-approval:

‘Yes, that's what I said to her.'

Poirot met two people on his way home. The first was Mr Jefferson Cope.

‘M. Hercule Poirot? My name's Jefferson Cope.'

The two men shook hands ceremoniously.

Then, falling into step beside Poirot, Mr Cope explained: ‘It's just got round to me that you're making a kind of routine inquiry into the death of my old friend Mrs Boynton. That certainly was a shocking business. Of course, mind you, the old lady ought never to have undertaken such a fatiguing journey. But she was headstrong, M. Poirot. Her family could do nothing with her. She was by way of being a household tyrant—had had her own way too long, I guess. It certainly is true what she said went. Yes, sir, that certainly was true.'

There was a momentary pause.

‘I'd just like to tell you, M. Poirot, that I'm an old friend of the Boynton family. Naturally they're
all a good deal upset over this business; they're a trifle nervous and highly strung, too, you know, so if there are any arrangements to be made—necessary formalities, arrangements for the funeral—transport of the body to Jerusalem, why, I'll take as much trouble as I can off their hands. Just call upon me for anything that needs doing.'

‘I am sure the family will appreciate your offer,' said Poirot. He added, ‘You are, I think, a special friend of young Mrs Boynton's.'

Mr Jefferson Cope went a little pink.

‘Well, we won't say much about that, M. Poirot. I hear you had an interview with Mrs Lennox Boynton this morning, and she may have given you a hint how things were between us, but that's all over now. Mrs Boynton is a very fine woman and she feels that her first duty is to her husband in his sad bereavement.'

There was a pause. Poirot received the information by a delicate gesture of the head. Then he murmured:

‘It is the desire of Colonel Carbury to have a clear statement concerning the afternoon of Mrs Boynton's death. Can you give me an account of that afternoon?'

‘Why, certainly. After our luncheon and a brief rest we set out for a kind of informal tour round. We escaped, I'm glad to say, without that pestilential dragoman. That man's just crazy on the subject of the Jews.
I don't think he's quite sane on that point. Anyway, as I was saying, we set out. It was then that I had my interview with Nadine. Afterwards she wished to be alone with her husband to discuss matters with him. I went off on my own, working gradually back towards the camp. About half-way there I met the two English ladies who had been on the morning expedition—one of them's an English peeress, I understand?'

Poirot said that such was the case.

‘Ah, she's a fine woman, a very powerful intellect and very well informed. The other seemed to me rather a weak sister—and she looked about dead with fatigue. That expedition in the morning was very strenuous for an elderly lady, especially when she doesn't like heights. Well, as I was saying, I met these two ladies and was able to give them some information on the subject of the Nabateans. We went around a bit and got back to the camp about six. Lady Westholme insisted on having tea and I had the pleasure of having a cup with her—the tea was kind of weak, but it had an interesting flavour. Then the boys laid the table for supper and sent out to the old lady only to find that she was sitting there dead in her chair.'

‘Did you notice her as you walked home?'

‘I did notice she was there—it was her usual seat in the afternoon and evening, but I didn't pay special attention. I was just explaining to Lady Westholme
the conditions of our slump. I had to keep an eye on Miss Pierce, too. She was so tired she kept turning her ankles.'

‘Thank you, Mr Cope. May I be so indiscreet as to ask if Mrs Boynton is likely to have left a large fortune?'

‘A very considerable one. That is to say, strictly speaking, it was not hers to leave. She had a life interest in it and at her death it is divided between the late Elmer Boynton's children. Yes, they will all be very comfortably off now.'

‘Money,' murmured Poirot, ‘makes a lot of difference. How many crimes have been committed for it?'

Mr Cope looked a little startled.

‘Why, that's so, I suppose,' he admitted.

Poirot smiled sweetly and murmured: ‘But there are so many motives for murder, are there not? Thank you, Mr Cope, for your kind co-operation.'

‘You're welcome, I'm sure,' said Mr Cope. ‘Do I see Miss King sitting up there? I think I'll go and have a word with her.'

Poirot continued to descend the hill.

He met Miss Pierce fluttering up it.

She greeted him breathlessly.

‘Oh, M. Poirot, I'm so glad to meet you. I've been talking to that very odd girl—the youngest one, you know. She has been saying the strangest things—about
enemies, and some sheikh that wanted to kidnap her and how she has spies all round her. Really, it sounded
most
romantic! Lady Westholme says it is all nonsense and that she once had a red-headed kitchenmaid who told lies just like that, but I think sometimes that Lady Westholme is rather
hard
. And after all, it might be true, mightn't it, M. Poirot? I read some years ago that one of the Czar's daughters was not killed in the Revolution in Russia, but escaped secretly to America. The Grand Duchess Tatiana, I think it was. If so, this
might
be her daughter, mightn't it? She
did
hint at something royal—and she has a look, don't you think? Rather Slavonic—those cheek-bones. How thrilling it would be!'

Poirot said somewhat sententiously: ‘It is true that there are many strange things in life.'

‘I didn't really take in this morning who you were,' said Miss Pierce, clasping her hands. ‘Of course you are that
very
famous detective! I read
all
about the ABC case. It was so
thrilling
. I had actually a post as governess near Doncaster at the time.'

Poirot murmured something. Miss Pierce went on with growing agitation.

‘That is why I felt perhaps—I had been wrong—this morning. One must always tell
everything
, must one not? Even the
smallest
detail, however unrelated it may
seem
. Because, of course, if you are mixed up in this,
poor Mrs Boynton
must
have been murdered! I see that now! I suppose Mr Mah Mood—I cannot remember his name—but the dragoman, I mean—I suppose he could not be a
Bolshevik agent?
Or even, perhaps, Miss King? I believe many
quite
well-brought-up girls of
good
family belong to these dreadful Communists! That's why I wondered if I
ought
to tell you—because, you see, it was rather
peculiar
when one comes to think of it.'

‘Precisely,' said Poirot. ‘And therefore you will tell me all about it.'

‘Well, it's not really anything very much. It's only that on the next morning after the discovery I was up rather early—and I looked out of my tent to see the effect of the sunrise you know (only, of course, it wasn't actually sunrise because the sun must have risen quite an hour before). But it was
early
—'

‘Yes, yes. And you saw?'

‘That's the curious thing—at least, at the time it didn't
seem
much. It was only that I saw that Boynton girl come out of her tent and fling something right out into the stream—nothing in
that
, of course, but it
glittered
—in the sunlight! As it went through the air. It
glittered
, you know.'

‘Which Boynton girl was it?'

‘I think it was the one they call Carol—a very nice-looking girl—so like her brother—really they
might be
twins
. Or, of course, it
might
have been the youngest one. The sun was in my eyes, so I couldn't quite see. But I don't think the hair was red—just bronze. I'm so fond of that coppery-bronze hair! Red hair always says
carrots
to me!' She tittered.

‘And she threw away a brightly glittering object?' said Poirot.

‘Yes. And of course, as I said, I didn't think much of it
at the time
. But later I walked along the stream and Miss King was there. And there amongst a lot of other very unsuitable things—even a tin or two—I saw a little bright metal box—not an exact square—a sort of long square, if you understand what I mean—'

‘But yes, I understand perfectly. About so long?'

‘Yes, how
clever
of you! And I thought to myself, “I suppose
that's
what the Boynton girl threw away, but it's a nice little box.” And just out of curiosity I picked it up and opened it. It had a kind of syringe inside—the same thing they stuck into my arm when I was being inoculated for typhoid. And I thought how curious to throw it away like that because it didn't seem broken or anything. But just as I was wondering, Miss King spoke behind me. I hadn't heard her come up. And she said, “Oh, thank you—that's my hypodermic. I was coming to look for it.” So I gave it to her, and she went back to the camp with it.'

Miss Pierce paused and then went on hurriedly:

‘And, of course, I expect there is
nothing in it
—only it
did
seem a little curious that Carol Boynton should throw away Miss King's syringe. I mean, it was odd, if you know what I mean. Though, of course, I expect there is a very good explanation.'

She paused, looking expectantly at Poirot.

His face was grave. ‘Thank you, mademoiselle. What you have told me may not be important in itself, but I will tell you this! It completes my case! Everything is now clear and in order.'

‘Oh, really?' Miss Pierce looked as flushed and pleased as a child.

Poirot escorted her to the hotel.

Back in his own room he added one line to his memorandum. Point No. 10. ‘
I never forget. Remember that. I've never forgotten anything
…'

‘
Mais oui
,' he said. ‘It is all clear now!'