Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie [39]
‘Difficult to say,’ he said. ‘You see, I wasn’t paying any attention.’
‘But you have the soldier’s observation for detail. You notice without noticing, so to speak.’
The Colonel thought again, but shook his head.
‘I couldn’t say. I don’t remember anyone passing except the conductor. Wait a minute—and there was awoman, I think.’
‘You saw her? Was she old—young?’
‘Didn’t see her. Wasn’t looking that way. Just a rustle and a sort of smell of scent.’
‘Scent? A good scent?’
‘Well, rather fruity, if you know what I mean. I mean you’d smell it a hundred yards away. But mind you,’ the Colonel went on hastily, ‘this may have been earlier in the evening. You see, as you said just now, it was just one of those things you notice without noticing, so to speak. Some time that evening I said to myself, “Woman—scent—got it on pretty thick.” But when it was I can’t be sure, except that—why, yes, it must have been after Vincovci.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I remember—sniffing, you know—just when I was talking about the utter washout Stalin’s Five Year Plan was turning out. I know the idea—woman—brought the idea of the position of women in Russia into my mind. And I know we hadn’t got on to Russia until pretty near the end of our talk.’
‘You can’t pin it down more definitely than that?’
‘N-no. It must have been roughly within the last half-hour.’
‘It was after the train had stopped?’
The other nodded.
‘Yes, I’m almost sure it was.’
‘Well, we will pass from that. Have you ever been in America, Colonel Arbuthnot?’
‘Never. Don’t want to go.’
‘Did you ever know a Colonel Armstrong?’
‘Armstrong—Armstrong—I’ve known two or three Armstrongs. There was Tommy Armstrong in the 60th—you don’t mean him? And Selby Armstrong—he was killed on the Somme.’
‘I mean the Colonel Armstrong who married an American wife and whose only child was kidnapped and killed.’
‘Ah, yes, I remember reading about that—shocking affair. I don’t think I actually ever came across the fellow, though, of course, I knew of him. Toby Armstrong. Nice fellow. Everybody liked him. He had a very distinguished career. Got the V.C.’
‘The man who was killed last night was the man responsible for the murder of Colonel Armstrong’s child.’
Arbuthnot’s face grew rather grim.
‘Then in my opinion the swine deserved what he got. Though I would have preferred to have seen him properly hanged—or electrocuted, I suppose, over there.’
‘In fact, Colonel Arbuthnot, you prefer law and order to private vengeance?’
‘Well, you can’t go about having blood feuds and stabbing each other like Corsicans or the Mafia,’ said the Colonel. ‘Say what you like, trial by jury is a sound system.’
Poirot looked at him thoughtfully for a minute or two.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I am sure that would be your view. Well, Colonel Arbuthnot, I do not think there is anything more I have to ask you. There is nothing you yourself can recall last night that in any way struck you—or shall we say strikes you now looking back—as suspicious?’
Arbuthnot considered for a moment or two.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Nothing at all. Unless—’ he hesitated.
‘But yes, continue, I pray of you.’
‘Well, it’s nothing really,’ said the Colonel slowly. ‘But you said anything.’
‘Yes, yes. Go on.’
‘Oh, it’s nothing. A mere detail. But as I got back to my compartment I noticed that the door of the one beyond mine—the end one, you know—’
‘Yes, No. 16.’
‘Well, the door of it was not quite closed. And the fellow inside peered out in a furtive sort of way. Then he pulled the door to quickly. Of course, I know there’s nothing in that—but it just struck me as a bit odd. I mean, it’s quite usual to open a door and stick your head out if you want to see anything. But it was the furtive way he did it that caught my attention.’
‘Ye-es,’ said Poirot doubtfully.
‘I told you there was nothing to it,’ said Arbuthnot apologetically. ‘But you know what it is—early hours of the morning—everything very still—the thing had a sinister look—like a detective story. All nonsense,