Cards on the Table - Agatha Christie [0]
About Agatha Christie
The Agatha Christie Collection
E-book Extras
Foreword
1 Mr Shaitana
2 Dinner at Mr Shaitana’s
3 A Game of Bridge
4 First Murderer?
5 Second Murderer?
6 Third Murderer?
7 Fourth Murderer?
8 Which of Them?
9 Dr Roberts
10 Dr Roberts (continued)
11 Mrs Lorrimer
12 Anne Meredith
13 Second Visitor
14 Third Visitor
15 Major Despard
16 The Evidence of Elsie Batt
17 The Evidence of Rhoda Dawes
18 Tea Interlude
19 Consultation
20 The Evidence of Mrs Luxmore
21 Major Despard
22 Evidence from Combeacre
23 The Evidence of a Pair of Silk Stockings
24 Elimination of Three Murderers?
25 Mrs Lorrimer Speaks
26 The Truth
27 The Eye-Witness
28 Suicide
29 Accident
30 Murder
31 Cards on the Table
Copyright
www.agathachristie.com
About the Publisher
Foreword
There is an idea prevalent that a detective story is rather like a big race—a number of starters—likely horses and jockeys. ‘You pays your money and you takes your choice!’ The favourite is by common consent the opposite of a favourite on the race-course. In other words he is likely to be a complete outsider! Spot the least likely person to have committed the crime and in nine times out of ten your task is finished.
Since I do not want my faithful readers to fling away this book in disgust, I prefer to warn them beforehand that this is not that kind of book. There are only four starters and any one of them, given the right circumstances, might have committed the crime. That knocks out forcibly the element of surprise. Nevertheless there should be, I think, an equal interest attached to four persons, each of whom has committed murder and is capable of committing further murders. They are four widely divergent types, the motive that drives each one of them to crime is peculiar to that person, and each one would employ a different method. The deduction must, therefore, be entirely psychological, but it is none the less interesting for that, because when all is said and done it is the mind of the murderer that is of supreme interest.
I may say, as an additional argument in favour of this story, that it was one of Hercule Poirot’s favourite cases. His friend, Captain Hastings, however, when Poirot described it to him, considered it very dull! I wonder with which of them my readers will agree.
Chapter 1
Mr Shaitana
‘My dear M. Poirot!’
It was a soft purring voice—a voice used deliberately as an instrument—nothing impulsive or premeditated about it.
Hercule Poirot swung round.
He bowed.
He shook hands ceremoniously.
There was something in his eye that was unusual. One would have said that this chance encounter awakened in him an emotion that he seldom had occasion to feel.
‘My dear Mr Shaitana,’ he said.
They both paused. They were like duellists en garde.
Around them a well-dressed languid London crowd eddied mildly. Voices drawled or murmured.
‘Darling—exquisite!’
‘Simply divine, aren’t they, my dear?’
It was the Exhibition of Snuff-Boxes at Wessex House. Admission one guinea, in aid of the London hospitals.
‘My dear man,’ said Mr Shaitana, ‘how nice to see you! Not hanging or guillotining much just at present? Slack season in the criminal world? Or is there to be a robbery here this afternoon—that would be too delicious.’
‘Alas, Monsieur,’ said Poirot. ‘I came here in a purely private capacity.’
Mr Shaitana was diverted for a moment by a Lovely Young Thing with tight poodle curls up one side of her head and three cornucopias in black straw on the other.
He said:
‘My dear—why didn’t you come to my party? It really was a marvellous party! Quite a lot of people actually spoke to me! One woman even said, “How do you do,” and “Goodbye” and “Thank you so much”—but of course she came from a Garden City, poor dear!’
While the Lovely Young Thing made a suitable reply, Poirot allowed himself a good study of the hirsute adornment on Mr Shaitana’s upper lip.
A fine moustache—a very