Elephants Can Remember - Agatha Christie [56]
‘I feel it makes a difference,’ said Mrs Burton-Cox. ‘Yes, definitely I feel it makes a difference.’
‘A very interesting point of view,’ said Poirot.
His tone was not very encouraging.
‘Oh, the emotional background, shall I say, the emotional events that led up to all this. In a marriage, you must admit, one has to think of the children. The children, I mean, that are to come. I mean heredity. I think now we realize that heredity does more than environment. It leads to certain formation of character and certain very grave risks that one might not want to take.’
‘True,’ said Poirot. ‘The people who undertake the risks are the ones that have to make the decision. Your son and this young lady, it will be their choice.’
‘Oh, I know, I know. Not mine. Parents are never allowed to choose, are they, or even to give any advice. But I would like to know something about it, yes, I would like to know very much. If you feel that you could undertake any – investigation I suppose is the word you would use. But perhaps – perhaps I am being a very foolish mother. You know. Over-anxious about my dear son. Mothers are like that.’
She gave a little whinney of laughter, putting her head slightly on one side.
‘Perhaps,’ she said, as she tipped up the sherry glass, ‘perhaps you will think about it and I also will let you know. Perhaps the exact points and things that I am worried about.’
She looked at her watch.
‘Oh dear. Oh dear, I’m late for another appointment. I shall have to go. I am so sorry, dear Mrs Oliver, to have to run away so soon, but you know what it is. I had great difficulties finding a taxi this afternoon. One after another just turned his head aside and drove straight past me. All very, very difficult, isn’t it? I think Mrs Oliver has your address, has she not?’
‘I will give you my address,’ said Poirot. He removed a card from his pocket and handed it to her.
‘Oh yes, yes. I see. Monsieur Hercule Poirot. You are French, is that right?’
‘I am Belgian,’ said Poirot. ‘Oh yes, yes. Belgique. Yes, yes, I quite understand. I am so pleased to have met you and I feel so hopeful. Oh dear, I must go very, very fast.’
Shaking Mrs Oliver warmly by the hand, then extending the same hand to Poirot, she left the room and the door sounded in the hall.
‘Well, what do you think of that?’ said Mrs Oliver.
‘What do you?’ said Poirot.
‘She ran away,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘She ran away. You frightened her in some way.’
‘Yes,’ said Poirot, ‘I think you’ve judged quite right.’
‘She wanted me to get things out of Celia, she wanted me to get some knowledge out of Celia, some expression, some sort of secret she suspected was there, but she doesn’t want a real proper investigation, does she?’
‘I think not,’ said Poirot. ‘That is interesting. Very interesting. She is well-to-do, you think?’
‘I should say so. Her clothes are expensive, she lives at an expensive address, she is – it’s difficult to make out. She’s a pushing woman and a bossy woman. She sits on a lot of committees. There’s nothing, I mean, suspicious about her. I’ve asked a few people. Nobody likes her very much. But she’s a sort of public-spirited woman who takes part in politics, all those sort of things.’
‘Then what is wrong with her?’ said Poirot.
‘You think there is something wrong with her? Or do you just not like her, like I do?’
‘I think there is something there that she does not want to come to light,’ said Poirot.
‘Oh. And are you going to find out what it is?’
‘Naturally, if I can,’ said Poirot. ‘It may not be easy. She is in retreat. She was in retreat when she left us here. She was afraid of what questions I was going to ask her. Yes. It is interesting.’ He sighed. ‘One will have to go back, you know, even farther than one thought.’
‘What, back into the past again?’
‘Yes. Somewhere in the past, in more cases than one, there is something that one will have to know before we can come back again to what happened – what is it now? – fifteen years ago, twenty years ago, at a house called