Murder in the Mews - Agatha Christie [75]
The little grey-haired woman stirred.
‘You know the motive?’
‘I think so. Ruth’s happiness — that was the motive! I fancy that you had seen her with John Lake — you knew how it was with them. And then with your easy access to Sir Gervase’s papers, you came across the draft of his new will — Ruth disinherited unless she married Hugo Trent. That decided you to take the law into your own hands, using the fact that Sir Gervase had previously written to me. You probably saw a copy of that letter. What muddled feeling of suspicion and fear had caused him to write originally, I do not know. He must have suspected either Burrows or Lake of systematically robbing him. His uncertainty regarding Ruth’s feelings made him seek a private investigation. You used that fact and deliberately set the stage for suicide, backing it up by your account of his being very distressed over something connected with Hugo Trent. You sent a telegram to me and reported Sir Gervase as having said I should arrive “too late.”’
Miss Lingard said fiercely:
‘Gervase Chevenix-Gore was a bully, a snob and a windbag! I wasn’t going to have him ruin Ruth’s happiness.’
Poirot said gently:
‘Ruth is your daughter?’
‘Yes — she is my daughter — I’ve often — thought about her. When I heard Sir Gervase Chevenix-Gore wanted someone to help him with a family history, I jumped at the chance. I was curious to see my — my girl. I knew Lady Chevenix-Gore wouldn’t recognize me. It was years ago — I was young and pretty then, and I changed my name after that time. Besides Lady Chevenix-Gore is too vague to know anything definitely. I liked her, but I hated the Chevenix-Gore family. They treated me like dirt. And here was Gervase going to ruin Ruth’s life with pride and snobbery. But I determined that she should be happy. And she will be happy — if she never knows about me!’
It was a plea — not a question.
Poirot bent his head gently.
‘No one shall know from me.’
Miss Lingard said quietly:
‘Thank you.’
III
Later, when the police had come and gone, Poirot found Ruth Lake with her husband in the garden.
She said challengingly:
‘Did you really think that I had done it, M. Poirot?’
‘I knew, madame, that you could not have done it — because of the michaelmas daisies.’
‘The michaelmas daisies? I don’t understand.’
‘Madame, there were four footprints and four footprints only in the border. But if you had been picking flowers there would have been many more. That meant that between your first visit and your second, someone had smoothed all those footsteps away. That could only have been done by the guilty person, and since your footprints had not been removed, you were not the guilty person. You were automatically cleared.’
Ruth’s face lightened.
‘Oh, I see. You know — I suppose it’s dreadful, but I feel rather sorry for that poor woman. After all, she did confess rather than let me be arrested — or at any rate, that is what she thought. That was — rather noble in a way. I hate to think of her going through a trial for murder.’
Poirot said gently:
‘Do not distress yourself. It will not come to that. The doctor, he tells me that she has serious heart trouble. She will not live many weeks.’
‘I’m glad of that.’ Ruth picked an autumn crocus and pressed it idly against her cheek.
‘Poor woman. I wonder why she did it…’
Triangle at Rhodes
Chapter 1
Hercule Poirot sat on the white