Ordeal by Innocence - Agatha Christie [39]
“And that last is probably true enough,” said MacMaster. “It’s the only kind of motive there is, and it’s rather a peculiar one. Not the kind that looks strong in the eyes of the law. Wishing to be free. Free from the impact of a stronger personality. Just because none of them inherits a large sum of money on the death of Mrs. Argyle the law won’t consider that they had a motive. But even the financial control, I should imagine, was very largely in Mrs. Argyle’s hands through her influence with the Trustees. Oh yes, her death set them free all right. Not only Hester, my boy. It set Leo free to marry another woman. It set Mary free to look after her husband in the way she liked, it set Micky free to live his own life in the way he cared about living it. Even little dark horse Tina sitting in her library may have wanted freedom.”
“I had to come and talk to you,” said Donald. “I had to know what you thought, whether you thought that—that it could be true.”
“About Hester?”
“Yes.”
“I think it could be true,” said MacMaster slowly. “I don’t know that it is.”
“You think it could have happened just as I say?”
“Yes. I think what you’ve imagined is not far-fetched and has an element of probability about it. But it’s by no means certain, Donald.”
The young man gave a shuddering sigh.
“But it’s got to be certain, Mac. That’s the one thing I do feel is necessary. I’ve got to know. If Hester tells me, if she tells me herself, then—then it will be all right. We’ll get married as soon as possible. I’ll look after her.”
“It’s as well Superintendent Huish can’t hear you,” said MacMaster dryly.
“I’m a law-abiding citizen as a rule,” said Donald, “but you know very well yourself, Mac, how they treat psychological evidence in the law courts. In my view it was a bad accident, not a case of cold-blooded murder, or even hot-blooded murder for that matter.”
“You’re in love with the girl,” said MacMaster.
“I’m talking to you in confidence, mind.”
“I understand that,” said MacMaster.
“All I’m saying is that if Hester tells me, and I know, we’ll live it down together. But she must tell me. I can’t go through life not knowing.”
“You mean, you’re not prepared to marry her with this probability overshadowing things?”
“Would you want to in my place?”
“I don’t know. In my day, if it happened to me, and I was in love with the girl, I should probably be convinced she was innocent.”
“It’s not so much the guilt or innocence that matters, as that I’ve got to know.”
“And if she did kill her mother, you’re quite prepared to marry her and live happily ever afterwards, as they say?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you believe it!” said MacMaster. “You’ll be wondering if the bitter taste in your coffee is only coffee and thinking that the poker in the grate is a bit too hefty a size. And she’ll see you thinking it. It won’t do….”
Ten
“I’m sure, Marshall, that you’ll appreciate my reasons for asking you to come here and have this conference.”
“Yes, certainly,” said Mr. Marshall. “The fact is that if you had not proposed it, Mr. Argyle, I should myself have suggested coming down. The announcement was in all the morning papers this morning and there is no doubt at all that it will lead to a revival of interest in the case on the part of the Press.”
“We’ve already had a few of them ringing up and asking for interviews,” said Mary Durrant.
“Quite so, it was only to be expected, I feel. I should advise that you take up the position that you have no comment to make. Naturally you are delighted and thankful, but you prefer not to discuss the matter.”
“Superintendent Huish, who was in charge of the case at the time, has asked to come and have an interview with us tomorrow morning,” said Leo.
“Yes. Yes, I’m afraid there will have to be a certain amount of reopening of the case, though I really cannot think that the police can have much hope of arriving