ABC Murders - Agatha Christie [61]
Tom took a breath and then went on. Inspector Crome was listening intently now.
“And then after the Doncaster murder, sir, it was in all the papers that information was wanted as to the whereabouts of a certain A B Case or Cash, and it gave a description that fitted well enough. First evening off I had, I went round to Lily’s and asked her what her Mr. Cust’s initials were. She couldn’t remember at first, but her mother did. Said they were A B right enough. Then we got down to it and tried to figure out if Cust had been away at the time of the first murder at Andover. Well, as you know, sir, it isn’t too easy to remember things three months back. We had a job of it, but we got it fixed down in the end, because Mrs. Marbury had a brother come from Canada to see her on June 21st. He arrived unexpected like and she wanted to give him a bed, and Lily suggested that as Mr. Cust was away Bert Smith might have his bed. But Mrs. Marbury wouldn’t agree, because she said it wasn’t acting right by her lodger, and she always liked to act fair and square. But we fixed the date all right because of Bert Smith’s ship docking at Southampton that day.”
Inspector Crome had listened very attentively, jotting down an occasional note.
“That’s all?” he asked.
“That’s all, sir. I hope you don’t think I’m making a lot of nothing.”
Tom flushed slightly.
“Not at all. You were quite right to come here. Of course, it’s very slight evidence—these dates may be mere coincidence and the likeness of the name, too. But it certainly warrants my having an interview with your Mr. Cust. Is he at home now?”
“Yes, sir.”
“When did he return?”
“The evening of the Doncaster murder, sir.”
“What’s he been doing since?”
“He’s stayed in mostly, sir. And he’s been looking very queer, Mrs. Marbury says. He buys a lot of newspapers—goes out early and gets the morning ones, and then after dark he goes out and gets the evening ones. Mrs. Marbury says he talks a lot to himself, too. She thinks he’s getting queerer.”
“What is this Mrs. Marbury’s address?”
Tom gave it to him.
“Thank you. I shall probably be calling round in the course of the day. I need hardly tell you to be careful of your manner if you come across this Cust.”
He rose and shook hands.
“You may be quite satisfied you did the right thing in coming to us. Good morning, Mr. Hartigan.”
“Well, sir?” asked Jacobs, reentering the room a few minutes later. “Think it’s the goods?”
“It’s promising,” said Inspector Crome. “That is, if the facts are as the boy stated them. We’ve had no luck with the stocking manufacturers yet. It was time we got hold of something. By the way, give me that file of the Churston case.”
He spent some minutes looking for what he wanted.
“Ah, here it is. It’s amongst the statements made to the Torquay police. Young man of the name of Hill. Deposes he was leaving the Torquay Palladium after the film Not a Sparrow and noticed a man behaving queerly. He was talking to himself. Hill heard him say ‘That’s an idea.’ Not a Sparrow—that’s the film that was on at the Regal in Doncaster?”
“Yes, sir.”
“There may be something in that. Nothing to it at the time—but it’s possible that the idea of the modus operandi for his next crime occurred to our man then. We’ve got Hill’s name and address, I see. His description of the man is vague but it links up well enough with the descriptions of Mary Stroud and this Tom Hartigan….”
He nodded thoughtfully.
“We’re getting warm,” said Inspector Crome—rather inaccurately, for he himself was always slightly chilly.
“Any instructions, sir?”
“Put on a couple of men to watch this Camden Town address, but I don’t want our bird frightened. I must have a word with the AC. Then I think it would be as well if Cust was brought along here and asked if he’d like to make a statement. It sounds as though he’s quite ready to get rattled.”
Outside Tom Hartigan had rejoined Lily Marbury who was waiting for him on the Embankment.
“All right, Tom?”
Tom nodded.
“I saw