Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie [69]
‘Oh, no, no,’ the girl leaned forward. ‘M. Poirot, he’s explained to you how it was.’ She broke from French into English. ‘I was scared—absolutely dead scared, you understand. It had been so awful—that time—and to have it all raked up again. And to be suspected and perhaps thrown into prison. I was just scared stiff, M. Poirot. Can’t you understand at all?’
Her voice was lovely—deep—rich—pleading, the voice of the daughter of Linda Arden the actress.
Poirot looked gravely at her.
‘If I am to believe you, Madame—and I do not say that I will not believe you—then you must help me.’
‘Help you?’
‘Yes. The reason for the murder lies in the past—in that tragedy which broke up your home and saddened your young life. Take me back into the past, Mademoiselle, that I may find there the link that explains the whole thing.’
‘What can there be to tell you? They are all dead.’ She repeated mournfully. ‘All dead—all dead—Robert, Sonia—darling, darling Daisy. She was so sweet—so happy—she had such lovely curls. We were all just crazy about her.’
‘There was another victim, Madame. An indirect victim, you might say.’
‘Poor Susanne? Yes, I had forgotten about her. The police questioned her. They were convinced she had something to do with it. Perhaps she had—but if so, only innocently. She had, I believe, chatted idly with someone, giving information as to the time of Daisy’s outings. The poor thing got terribly wrought up—she thought she was being held responsible.’ She shuddered. ‘She threw herself out of the window. Oh it was horrible.’
She buried her face in her hands.
‘What nationality was she, Madame?’
‘She was French.’
‘What was her last name?’
‘It’s absurd, but I can’t remember—we all called her Susanne. A pretty laughing girl. She was devoted to Daisy.’
‘She was the nursery-maid, was she not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Who was the nurse?’
‘She was a trained hospital nurse. Stengelberg her name was. She, too, was devoted to Daisy—and to my sister.’
‘Now, Madame, I want you to think carefully before you answer this question. Have you, since you were on this train, seen anyone that you recognized?’
She stared at him.
‘I? No, no one at all.’
‘What about Princess Dragomiroff?’
‘Oh, her? I know her, of course. I thought you meant anyone—anyone from—from that time.’
‘So I did, Madame. Now think carefully. Some years have passed, remember. The person might have altered their appearance.’
Helena pondered deeply. Then she said:
‘No—I am sure—there is no one.’
‘You yourself—you were a young girl at the time—did you have no one to superintend your studies or to look after you?’
‘Oh, yes, I had a dragon—a sort of governess to me and secretary to Sonia combined. She was English or rather Scotch—a big, red-haired woman.’
‘What was her name?’
‘Miss Freebody.’
‘Young or old?’
‘She seemed frightfully old to me. I suppose she couldn’t have been more than forty. Susanne, of course, used to look after my clothes and maid me.’
‘And there were no other inmates of the house?’
‘Only servants.’
‘And you are certain—quite certain, Madame—that you have recognized no one on the train?’
She replied earnestly:
‘No one, Monsieur. No one at all.’
Chapter 5
The Christian Name of Princess Dragomiroff
When the Count and Countess had departed, Poirot looked across at the other two.
‘You see,’ he said, ‘we make progress.’
‘Excellent work,’ said M. Bouc cordially. ‘For my part, I should never have dreamed of suspecting Count and Countess Andrenyi. I will admit I thought them quite hors de combat. I suppose there is no doubt that she committed the crime? It is rather sad. Still, they will not guillotine her. There are extenuating circumstances. A few years’ imprisonment—that will be all.’
‘In fact you are quite certain of her guilt.’
‘My dear friend, surely there is no doubt of it? I thought your reassuring manner was only to smooth