Poirot’s Early Cases by Agatha Christie

‘Oh!’ gasped Kitty. ‘How could you do that? It all looked perfect ordinary.’

‘The quickness of the hand deceives the eye,’ said Poirot sententiously—and caught the sudden change in the Colonel’s expression.

It was as though he realized that he had been off his guard for a moment or two.

Poirot smiled. The conjuror had shown himself through the mask of the pukka sahib.

III

The ship reached Alexandria at dawn the following morning.

As Poirot came up from breakfast he found the two girls all ready to go on shore. They were talking to Colonel Clapperton.

‘We ought to get off now,’ urged Kitty. ‘The passport people will be going off the ship presently. You’ll come with us won’t you? You wouldn’t let us go ashore all by ourselves? Awful things might happen to us.’

‘I certainly don’t think you ought to go by yourselves,’ said Clapperton, smiling. ‘But I’m not sure my wife feels up to it.’

‘That’s too bad,’ said Pam. ‘But she can have a nice long rest.’

Colonel Clapperton looked a little irresolute. Evidently the desire to play truant was strong upon him. He noticed Poirot.

‘Hullo, M. Poirot—you going ashore?’

‘No, I think not,’ M. Poirot replied.

‘I’ll—I’ll—just have a word with Adeline,’ decided Colonel Clapperton.

‘We’ll come with you,’ said Pam. She flashed a wink at Poirot. ‘Perhaps we can persuade her to come too,’ she added gravely.

Colonel Clapperton seemed to welcome this suggestion. He looked decidedly relieved.

‘Come along then, the pair of you,’ he said lightly. They all three went along the passage of B deck together.

Poirot, whose cabin was just opposite the Clappertons’, followed them out of curiosity.

Colonel Clapperton rapped a little nervously at the cabin door.

‘Adeline, my dear, are you up?’

The sleepy voice of Mrs Clapperton from within replied: ‘Oh, bother—what is it?’

‘It’s John. What about going ashore?’

‘Certainly not.’ The voice was shrill and decisive. ‘I’ve had a very bad night. I shall stay in bed most of the day.’

Pam nipped in quickly. ‘Oh, Mrs Clapperton, I’m so sorry. We did so want you to come with us. Are you sure you’re not up to it?’

‘I’m quite certain.’ Mrs Clapperton’s voice sounded even shriller.

The Colonel was turning the door-handle without result.

‘What is it, John? The door’s locked. I don’t want to be disturbed by the stewards.’

‘Sorry, my dear, sorry. Just wanted my Baedeker.’

‘Well, you can’t have it,’ snapped Mrs Clapperton. ‘I’m not going to get out of bed. Do go away, John, and let me have a little peace.’

‘Certainly, certainly, my dear.’ The Colonel backed away from the door. Pam and Kitty closed in on him.

‘Let’s start at once. Thank goodness your hat’s on your head. Oh, gracious—your passport isn’t in the cabin, is it?’

‘As a matter of fact it’s in my pocket—’began the Colonel.

Kitty squeezed his arm. ‘Glory be!’ she exclaimed. ‘Now, come on.’

Leaning over the rail, Poirot watched the three of them leave the ship. He heard a faint intake of breath beside him and turned to see Miss Henderson. Her eyes were fastened on the three retreating figures.

‘So they’ve gone ashore,’ she said flatly.

‘Yes. Are you going?’

She had a shade hat, he noticed, and a smart bag and shoes. There was a shore-going appearance about her. Nevertheless, after the most infinitesimal of pauses, she shook her head.

‘No,’ she said. ‘I think I’ll stay on board. I have a lot of letters to write.’

She turned and left him.

Puffing after his morning tour of forty-eight rounds of the deck, General Forbes took her place. ‘Aha!’ he exclaimed as his eyes noted the retreating figures of the Colonel and the two girls. ‘So that’s the game! Where’s the Madam?’

Poirot explained that Mrs Clapperton was having a quiet day in bed.

‘Don’t you believe it!’ the old warrior closed one knowing eye. ‘She’ll be up for tiffin—and if the poor devil’s found to be absent without leave, there’ll be ructions.’

But the General’s prognostications were not fulfilled. Mrs Clapperton did not appear at lunch and by the time the Colonel and his attendant damsels returned to the ship at four o’clock, she had not shown herself.