‘But the doctors—’
‘They declared, after examination of the body, that death had taken place between ten and seven hours previously. Mon ami, for some reason it was imperative that the crime should seem to have taken place later than it actually did. You have read of a smashed watch or clock recording the exact hour of a crime? So that the time should not rest on Madame Renauld’s testimony alone, someone moved on the hands of that wristwatch to two o’clock, and then dashed it violently to the ground. But, as is often the case, they cheated their own object. The glass was smashed, but the mechanism of the watch was uninjured. It was a most disastrous manoeuvre on their part, for it at once drew my attention to two points—firstly, that Madame Renauld was lying; secondly, that there must be some vital reason for the postponement of the time.’
‘But what reason could there be?’
‘Ah, that is the question! There we have the whole mystery. As yet, I cannot explain it. There is only one idea that presents itself to me as having a possible connexion.’
‘And that is?’
‘The last train left Merlinville at seventeen minutes past twelve.’
I followed it out slowly. ‘So that, the crime apparently taking place some two hours later, anyone leaving by that train would have an unimpeachable alibi!’
‘Perfect, Hastings! You have it!’
I sprang up. ‘But we must inquire at the station! Surely they cannot have failed to notice two foreigners who left by that train! We must go there at once!’
‘You think so, Hastings?’
‘Of course. Let us go there now.’
Poirot restrained my ardour with a light touch upon the arm.
‘Go by all means if you wish, mon ami—but if you go, I should not ask for particulars of two foreigners.’
I stared and he said rather impatiently: ‘La, you do not believe all that rigmarole, do you? The masked men and all the rest of cette histoire?’
His words took me so much aback, that I hardly knew how to respond. He went on serenely: ‘You heard me say to Giraud, did you not, that all the details of this crime were familiar to me? Eh bien, that presupposes one of two things, either the brain that planned the first crime also planned this one, or else an account read [unreadable] unconsciously remained in our assassin’s memory and prompted the details. I shall be able to pronounce definitely on that after—’ He broke off.
I was revolving sundry matters in my mind.
‘But Mr. Renauld’s letter? It distinctly mentions a secret and Santiago!’
‘Undoubtedly there was a secret in Monsieur Renauld’s life—there can be no doubt of that. On the other hand, the word Santiago, to my mind, is a red herring, dragged in to put us off the scent, it is possible that it was used in the same way on Monsieur Renauld, to keep him from directing his suspicions to a quarter nearer at hand. Oh be assured Hastings the danger that threatened him was not in Santiago, it was near at hand, in France.’
He spoke so gravely, and with such assurance, that I could not fail to be convinced. But I essayed one objection: ‘And the match and cigarette end found near the body? What of them?’
A light of pure enjoyment lit up Poirot’s face.
‘Planted! Deliberately planted there for Giraud or one of his tribe to find! Ah, he is smart, Giraud, he can do his tricks! So can a good retriever dog. He comes in so pleased with himself. For hours he has crawled on his stomach. “See what I have found,” he says. And then again to me: “What do you see here?” Me, I answer with profound and deep truth, “Nothing.” And Giraud, the great Giraud, he laughs, he thinks to himself “Oh, he is imbecile, this old one!” But we shall see . . . .’
But my mind had reverted to the main facts.
‘Then all this story of the masked men—’
‘Is false.’
‘What really happened?’
Poirot shrugged his shoulders. ‘One person could tell us—Madame Renauld. But she will not speak. Threats and entreaties would not move her. A remarkable woman that, Hastings. I recognized as soon as I saw her that I had to deal with a woman of unusual character. At first, as I told you, I was inclined to suspect her of being concerned in the crime. Afterwards I altered my opinion.’