Destination Unknown - Agatha Christie [69]
Chapter 18
‘Asseyez-vous, chère Madame,’ said Mr Aristides.
He waved a small claw-like hand, and Hilary came forward in a dream and sat down upon another low divan opposite him. He gave a gentle little cackle of laughter.
‘You are surprised,’ he said. ‘It is not what you expected, eh?’
‘No, indeed,’ said Hilary. ‘I never thought–I never imagined–’
But already her surprise was subsiding.
With her recognition of Mr Aristides the dream world of unreality in which she had been living for the past weeks shattered and broke. She knew now that the Unit had seemed unreal to her–because it was unreal. It had never been what it pretended to be. The Herr Director with his spellbinder’s voice had been unreal too–a mere figurehead of fiction set up to obscure the truth. The truth was here in this secret oriental room. A little old man sitting there and laughing quietly. With Mr Aristides in the centre of the picture, everything made sense–hard, practical, everyday sense.
‘I see now,’ said Hilary. ‘This–is all yours, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, Madame.’
‘And the Director? The so-called Director?’
‘He is very good,’ said Mr Aristides appreciatively. ‘I pay him a very high salary. He used to run Revivalist Meetings.’
He smoked thoughtfully for a moment or two. Hilary did not speak.
‘There is Turkish Delight beside you, Madame. And other sweetmeats if you prefer them.’ Again there was a silence. Then he went on, ‘I am a philanthropist, Madame. As you know, I am rich. One of the richest men–possibly the richest man–in the world today. With my wealth I feel under the obligation to serve humanity. I have established here, in this remote spot, a colony of lepers and a vast assembly of research into the problem of the cure of leprosy. Certain types of leprosy are curable. Others, so far, have proved incurable. But all the time we are working and obtaining good results. Leprosy is not really such an easily communicated disease. It is not half so infectious or so contagious as small-pox or typhus or plague or any of these other things. And yet, if you say to people, “a leper colony” they will shudder and give it a wide berth. It is an old, old fear, that. A fear that you can find in the Bible, and which has existed all down through the years. The horror of the leper. It has been useful to me in establishing this place.’
‘You established it for that reason?’
‘Yes. We have here also a Cancer Research department, and important work is being done on tuberculosis. There is virus research, also–for curative reasons, bien entendu–biological warfare is not mentioned. All humane, all acceptable, all redounding greatly to my honour. Well-known physicians, surgeons and research chemists come here to see our results from time to time as they have come today. The building has been cunningly constructed in such a way that a part of it is shut off and unapparent even from the air. The more secret laboratories have been tunnelled right into the rock. In any case, I am above suspicion.’ He smiled and added simply: ‘I am so very rich, you see.’
‘But why?’ demanded Hilary. ‘Why this urge for destruction?’
‘I have no urge for destruction, Madame. You wrong me.’
‘But then–I simply don’t understand.’
‘I am a businessman,’ said Mr Aristides simply. ‘I am also a collector. When wealth becomes oppressive, that is the only thing to do. I have collected many things in my time. Pictures–I have the finest art collection in Europe. Certain kinds of ceramics. Philately–my stamp collection is famous. When a collection is fully representative, one goes on to the next thing. I am an old man, Madame, and there was not very much more for me to collect. So I came at last to collecting brains.’
‘Brains?’ Hilary queried.
He nodded gently.
‘Yes, it is the most interesting thing to