Black Coffee - Agatha Christie [48]
As Poirot placed the Italian’s suitcase on the table and opened it, Carelli growled at Japp, ‘You’ve got nothing against me. You can’t hold me.’
‘I wonder,’ said the Inspector. ‘I’ll bet we won’t have far to look for the man who stole that formula, and did in the old gentleman.’ Turning to Poirot, he added, ‘That formula is absolutely bang in Tonio’s line, and, since we’ve found him trying to make a getaway, I shouldn’t be surprised if he’s got the goods on him this minute.’
‘I agree with you,’ declared Poirot.
Japp ran his hands over Carelli, while Poirot went through the suitcase.
‘Well?’ Japp asked Poirot.
‘Nothing,’ the detective replied, closing the suitcase. ‘Nothing. I am disappointed.’
‘You think yourselves very clever, do you not?’ snarled Carelli. ‘But I could tell you –’
Poirot interrupted him, speaking quietly and significantly. ‘You could, perhaps, but it would be very unwise.’
Startled, Carelli exclaimed, ‘What do you mean?’
‘Monsieur Poirot’s quite right,’ Japp declared. ‘You’d better keep your mouth shut.’ Moving to the hall door, he opened it and called, ‘Johnson!’ The young constable put his head around the door. ‘Get the whole family together for me, will you?’ Japp asked him. ‘I want them all here.’
‘Yes, sir,’ said Johnson as he left the room.
‘I protest! I –’ Carelli gasped. Suddenly, he grabbed his suitcase and made a dash towards the french windows. Japp rushed after him, grabbed him, and threw him on to the settee, taking the suitcase from him as he did so. ‘No one’s hurt you yet, so don’t squeal,’ Japp barked at the now thoroughly cowed Italian.
Poirot strolled towards the french windows. ‘Please don’t go away now, Monsieur Poirot,’ Japp called after him, putting Carelli’s suitcase down by the coffee table. ‘This should be very interesting.’
‘No, no, my dear Japp, I am not leaving,’ Poirot assured him. ‘I shall be right here. This family gathering, as you say, will be most interesting indeed.’
Chapter 17
A few minutes later, when the Amory family began to assemble in the library, Carelli was still seated on the settee, looking rather sullen, while Poirot continued to hover by the french windows. Barbara Amory, with Hastings in tow, returned from the garden through the french windows, and Barbara moved to share the settee with Carelli while Hastings went to stand by Poirot’s side. Poirot whispered to his colleague, ‘It would be helpful, Hastings, if you would make a note – a mental note, you understand – of where they all choose to sit.’
‘Helpful? How?’ asked Hastings.
‘Psychologically, my friend,’ was Poirot’s only reply.
When Lucia entered the room, Hastings watched her as she sat in the chair to the right of the table. Richard arrived with his aunt, Miss Amory, who sat on the stool as Richard moved behind the table to keep a protective eye on his wife. Edward Raynor was the last to arrive, taking up a position behind the arm-chair. He was followed into the room by the constable, Johnson, who shut the door and stood close to it.
Richard Amory introduced Inspector Japp to those two members of the family whom Japp had not already met. ‘My aunt, Miss Amory,’ he announced, ‘and my cousin, Miss Barbara Amory.’
Acknowledging the introduction, Barbara asked, ‘What’s all the excitement, Inspector?’
Japp avoided her question. ‘Now, I think we’re all here, are we not?’ he remarked, moving to the fireplace.
Miss Amory looked bewildered and a little apprehensive. ‘I don’t quite understand,’ she said to Richard. ‘What is this – this gentleman doing here?’
‘I think perhaps I ought to tell you something,’ Richard answered her. ‘You see, Aunt Caroline – and all of you,’ he added, glancing around the room, ‘Dr Graham has discovered that my father was – poisoned.’
‘What?’ exclaimed Raynor sharply. Miss Amory gave a cry of horror.
‘He was poisoned with hyoscine,’ Richard continued.